This article contains spoilers from the Naruto series.
Masashi Kishimoto introduced the fans to countless incredible ninjas during the long run of the Naruto series and it goes without saying that Hashirama Senju, the man known to be the God of Shinobi, was one of the most influential of them all. Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage of Konoha and the one who established the village in the first place. He is known to have been the strongest of his era, and even years after his death, Hashirama was revered as a powerhouse the likes of which couldn’t be matched by anyone.
Hashirama was truly a tremendous figure, but he was certainly not the greatest ninja. Kishimoto went on to introduce many incredible ninjas in Naruto, and some of them went on to be labelled as greater than Hashirama. One of them was Itachi Uchiha, Sasuke’s elder brother, who saved Konoha from a civil war with his questionable actions. According to Kishimoto himself, Itachi Uchiha was a greater shinobi than Hashirama ever was.
Itachi Uchiha Was A Greater Ninja Than Hashirama Senju
Hashirama Admitted To Itachi Being A Greater Ninja
- Hashirama was stronger than Itachi
- Itachi sacrificed more for Konoha
When speaking of Itachi Uchiha, fans know that he is one of the most skilled to have ever lived. Itachi was a monster right from a very young age, and the fact that he went on to be one of the youngest Chunin ever and even became an Anbu captain at a very young age goes to show it.
If that’s the case then your brother was a greater Shinobi than I ever was. — Hashirama Senju
Itachi, after the awakening of his Mangekyo Sharingan, was a menace. He was such a powerful monster that even the Legendary Sannin were an absolute joke compared to him in power. Itachi was truly a ninja above Kage level, and he achieved all that before even hitting his prime.
That said, when we speak of “greatness” as a ninja, it doesn’t necessarily imply strength. Itachi Uchiha was a tremendous ninja, but he certainly wasn’t stronger than Hashirama Senju. Fans know Hashirama to have been a God, with Madara as his only true rival. Itachi was strong, but when Kishimoto spoke of him being a greater ninja, he meant it as a person who did more for peace and the village overall, and that certainly is true.
Itachi was a far greater ninja than Hashirama because he saved the village from the shadows at the cost of his own reputation on countless occasions. He sacrificed even his own family for the sake of the village and was branded a traitor. Doing what he did took a lot of courage, and upon hearing his story, Hashirama himself admitted to Itachi being the greater shinobi of the two.
He sacrificed everything for the sake of the village and lived his life disgraced. — Sasuke Uchiha on Itachi
Itachi Uchiha Was A Hokage Who Worked From The Shadows
His Betrayed His Own Clan
It goes without saying that Itachi Uchiha made a tremendous sacrifice for Konoha, and that he saved the village from an impending war. However, Itachi wasn’t a great guy either. At the end of the day, he killed hundreds of innocent Uchiha, and didn’t even spare the kids, all for the sake of the village, and more importantly, Sasuke. Of course, he was put into a difficult position by Danzo and he didn’t have much of a choice, but many would argue that Itachi caused Sasuke more harm than good. Regardless, in the eyes of many, including Hashirama, he was the greatest ninja of all.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex’s chapter 27 is set for its official release on October 19, 2025. The release time of the chapter is 10 AM EST/ 3 PM UTC. As always, fans can read the chapter officially for free on the Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps.
