Summary
Narutois one of the best stories ever told, and it follows the story of Naruto Uzumaki, a young boy with lofty ambitions who aims to become the greatest ninja of his village,also known as the Hokage. This story ran in the Weekly Shonen Jump magazine for over a decade and ended up amassing a massive fanbase all over the world.
eventually concluded in 2014, however, the fanbase is still as strong as ever, if not stronger. To commemorate the 20thanniversary of theNarutoanime, the series announced that it would hold a popularity poll. However, unlike previous polls, this one was the veryfirst globalNarutopopularity poll. The poll ran from December 17th, 2022, until January 31st, 2023 (JST), and its results were announced recently.
Updated on Jul 19, 2025, by Rei Penber:The Naruto series concluded almost a decade ago, however, even now, the popularity of this franchise is still growing with each passing year. Naruto was recently revealed to be the most-watched animated television show of the 21st century, and that just goes to show how popular Kishimoto and his work are among the fans. Naruto also conducted a popularity poll recently, and unlike the previous polls, fans from all over the world got a chance to vote. This popularity poll resulted in the fans getting a one-shot about Minato from Kishimoto. While Minato may have ended up winning the poll, there were certainly many intriguing characters that fans ended up voting for and this list has now been updated with a lot more of them.
20Rock Lee
Votes: 39,325
The master of Taijutsu, Rock Lee is a very popular character, and he solidified his position as a fan favorite in the very first half of Naruto. Rock Lee immediately became loved by many fans, and even though the story did him a huge injustice by not focusing on him later down the line, he still remains to be a very popular character.
In the global popularity poll, Rock Lee ended up receiving 39,325 votes, which earned him the 20th position.
19Sasori
Votes: 40,732
The cunning ninja, Sasori served the role of a massive villain at the beginning of Naruto Shippuden and caused all sorts of trouble in the Kazekage Rescue arc, where he went up against the likes of Kankuro, and later down the line, fought the duo of Chiyo and Sakura.
As a villain, Sasori was absolutely magnificent, and he put up an exciting challenge for Sakura as well. In him, Kishimoto wrote a very complex villain whose touching backstory ended up making him a favorite among the fans.
18Neji Hyuga
Votes: 49,526
It is no surprise to know that Neji Hyuga of Konoha was a fan favorite as well. Neji was born as a genius of the Hyuga Clan, however, he was discriminated against due to being a member of the branch family. Neji’s is an incredible tale to tell in Naruto Part 1, however, unfortunately, the story was not focused on him later down the line.
Still, he was a very noble shinobi who cared deeply about his family, as well as his friends. His sacrifice in the Fourth Great Ninja War will never be forgotten, and in the end, he was one of the biggest reasons why Konoha ended up winning the war. Had it not been for him, perhaps Naruto and Hinata would not have been alive today, and that certainly puts into perspective the importance of his sacrifice.
17Deidara
Votes: 56,320
Among the many Akatsuki members, Deidars was certainly one that the fans loved a lot. His quirky nature, as well as his overconfident personality is what made him extremely special. Deidara also possessed the abilities to back up his arrogance and that certainly led to exciting battles with this character.
Fans saw him fighting against Gaara early on in the story, and he was able to defeat the Kazekage, which was certainly very shocking. Later down the line, he also fought against Sasuke and delivered another interesting battle. Deidara ended up dying in the fight against Sasuke, but he did so with quite a bang, and he went out believing in his art to the fullest.
16Hashirama Senju
Votes: 66,519
The First Hokage of Konoha, Hashirama was an individual who the fans came to love the more they found out about him. Although Hashirama wasn’t all that prevalent in the early parts of the series, the flashbacks surrounding this character made Naruto Shippuden even more amazing for the fans. His strength, and just about everything about him was exciting.
It is no surprise to see that the fans voted quite a lot for this individual, and thanks to all the support that this character received from them, he ended up taking 16th place in the popularity poll, with a total of 66,519 votes. This just goes to show that the fans really wanted a one-shot surrounding this character, and that they would have enjoyed it thoroughly. Hopefully, in the future, the author will deliver some interesting pieces of information pertaining to Hashirama, and his exploits as a ninja. And, of course, fans would also love it if the mysteries surrounding his life and death are unveiled later down the line.
15Gaara - 70,557
The Fifth Kazekage
Taking the 15th place in the global popularity poll is none other than Gaara, the 5th Kazekage of Sunagakure. Fans know him to be an exceptionally important character in the story. In the beginning, he played the role of a villain, however, after Naruto touched his heart, Gaara mended his ways and went on to fight alongside Naruto in the wars to come. Gaara once held the power of the One Tail and he decided to use his powers for good later on after befriending Naruto.
Sadly, the One Tail was taken from him when the Akatsuki started making them move. His life was saved by Chiyo and, from there onwards, he did whatever he could to save as many people as he possibly could. Gaara is certainly a fascinating character that many fans wish would have been utilized more in the story. Regardless, him being one of the most popular characters in Naruto is understandable.
14Tobirama Senju - 87,442
The Second Hokage
Tobirama secured the 14th spot on the Global Popularity Poll forNarutoand one might be able to see why. This Hokage was full of mysteries as fans did not get to see much of him during his reign. However, fans do know that he’s responsible for some of the biggest developments in the story, both good and bad. The fact that Konoha is as developed and organized as it is today is down to him as he was the one who ended up creating things such as the Konoha Police Force, the Konoha Academy, and even the Chunin Exams.
At the same time, Tobirama was also responsible for some of the worst atrocities, such as the discrimination of the Uchiha, which eventually led to their massacre. Tobirama is a conflicting character and, perhaps, it is that conflict that makes fans like him. Quite a lot of the fans would have wanted a spin-off on this character, however, he wasn’t even close to securing the winning place.
13Shikamaru - 87,838
The Eighth Hokage
Shikamaru Nara is a very exciting characterthat fans absolutely love, especially in the first half of Naruto. He was one of the weakest, when it came to Jutsu, however, he was also the very smartest, having an IQ of over 200 before the age of 13. Shikamaru was an excellent ninja who calculated 10 steps ahead of his enemies before they even knew the battle had begun.
It is this quality of his that made him so popular among the fans. Sadly, as the series progressed, the character of Shikamaru wasn’t given as much attention and fans know that he ended up being left behind. However, the memories that he had given them meant that his popularity stayed high and that is precisely why he received as many votes as he did in theNarutoglobal popularity poll.
12Jiraiya - 117,825
One Of The Legendary Sannin
For a character such as Jiraiya to be in the top 15 in the global popularity poll is not a surprise. Jiraiya is a beloved character that many fans hold dear to their hearts simply because he was a mentor toNarutoand was responsible for shaping his life. Jiraiya was a legendary ninja whose life was full of tragedies. However, unknowingly, Jiraiya shaped the destiny of the Ninja World by raising the Child of Prophecy in the right manner.
He’s one of the biggest reasons why Naruto is the way he is today and, for that, fans will always be thankful to him. His own story was also incredibly exciting for the fans to witness and it goes without saying that Jiraiya deserves the 12th spot on the list.
11Obito Uchiha - 132,252
The Mastermind Of The 4th Great Ninja War
One of the best-written characters in the entirety ofNaruto, Obito secures the 11th spot on the list of the most popularNarutocharacters. Fans know Obito to be a good guy who ended up turning into a villain due to the many harsh realities of life. He was also manipulated by Madara and ended up taking his position in leading the world to the Fourth Great Ninja War.
He became a very powerful villain who simply wanted the world to stay the same as it was before tragedy struck him. Obito cared a lot about his friends and had the goal of becoming the Hokage, however, in the end, grief consumed him. Thankfully, Naruto touched his heart in the 4th Great Ninja War and brought him back to the good side, before he ended up sacrificing his life for the greater good. Obito is one of the most popular characters and that is certainly not a surprise to anyone.
