When it comes to raising new generations of powerful ninja warriors, that means the world of Naruto has to have some great teachers in it. None of them quite have the same methods, with some being softer and others being ruthless. However, because of those teachers, heroes like Minato, Jiraiya, and Naruto himself emerged. The teams that the young ninja have as teens, and the ways they learn, form them into the people they will become. So their teachers are very important.
But in a world filled with ninja with very different values, who train people the best? Here are the best ninja teachers in Naruto, ranked.
Updated on January 24th, 2021 by Amanda Bruce: As fans of the original Naruto series continue to watch the adventures of the next generation in Boruto, interest in the first generation refuses to die. Some of the best teachers of the series live on in the franchise, while others are long gone, paving the way for new ones to emerge. As fans have done over progressive re-watches, we've re-evaluated all of the examples of teachers that the show has given to add an extra 5 to this list and round out the best of the best, from Naruto Uzumaki to Hiruzen.
Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto was a student rather than a teacher in the early part of his story, but that doesn't mean he didn't show incredible potential for the teacher he could become. In fact, there was someone he taught a few different skills to while still learning himself.
Naruto took Konohamaru Sarutobi under his wing. Konohamaru learned a lot of complicated jutsu early as a result of Naruto's influence, including the Rasengan.
Ebisu
The anime audience didn't get to see a ton of Ebisu's teaching style as he primarily worked with Konohamaru off-screen. He did, however, briefly train Naruto in a handful of skills. Naruto certainly tested his patience, and eventually, Ebisu stepped down from the role when he knew he wasn't the best suited for the task.
Sometimes, being a good teacher means knowing that someone else has to help the student at hand. Ebisu, after all, was handpicked by the Hokage to train Konohamaru as a young boy, so he was no slouch.
Lightning A
As the Fourth Raikage, there was no doubt that Lightning A was a strong shinobi who had mastered many skills. He also, however, taught many skills to shinobi who would even go on to surpass him in skill level.
Not only did he teach Darui, who became the Fifth Raikage, but he also was instrumental in helping Killer Bee hone his skills. Being able to help those students, who would in turn become great teachers, was a great representation of the idea of the Will of Fire in the series.
Hashirama Senju
Because the series was set during Naruto's formative years, it might be easy to forget about the shinobi who came long before him. Hashirama Senju was the first Hokage, and one of the founders of Konoha. It's his ideas that lay the foundation for how generations of ninjas learn their skills.
Not only did the First Hokage deem it important that skills be passed on to the next generation, but he also personally trained Hiruzen Sarutobi. The latter, of course, became the Third Hokage, and one of the most beloved leaders in the series.
Tobirama Senju
It seems unfair to include Hashirama Senju as one of the greatest teachers in the Naruto series if Tobirama isn't also included. After all, they are two sides of the same coin.
Tobirama was also responsible for some of Hiruzen's training. Not only that, but he was the Second Hokage, and without him, one of the most organized methods of training young shinobi wouldn't exist in Konoha. He founded the Ninja Academy that all young shinobi attend to train. Tobirama highly valued education and believed everyone should have the same foundation of skills, whether they had secret family jutsu or not.
Orochimaru
In a technical sense, Orochimaru is a great teacher. He mixes science and training to augment his students into the strongest versions of themselves. When it came to his own son, he made a very powerful young ninja out of him, able to activate Sage mode before graduating Ninja Academy.
However, Orochimaru loses a lot of points considering he's just as willing to sacrifice his students. They always were a means to an end for him. Their own lives didn't matter. Without even blinking an eye, he ran two of his students through to end Hiruzen's life. While someone could learn a lot from him, his teaching style is ruthless and unsafe.
Kurenai
While Kurenai cared deeply for her team, that affection struggled to be put in practice. She spent a lot of time agonizing about Hinata's self-confidence and guilt but didn't do much about it. The Jonin waited for someone else to inspire her (Naruto).
Her sincere and genuine affection for her students (and the other genin) led them to love and care for her and Mirai after Asuma's passing. Even if she wasn't the best teacher, she clearly left a strong impact on those even outside of her team.
Kakashi
Kakashi's Team 7 may have been one of the strongest teams in Konoha, but it's debatable if Kakashi had that much influence in that. He often wouldn't pay attention to their training sessions, he actively neglected Sakura's training, and he put them in dangerous situations far more often than the other team leaders.
The strongest point of his teaching was bonding the team together and/or making Naruto and Sasuke rivals, which still had its own complications. Arguably, their rivalry helped lead Sasuke to turn to Orochimaru and their bond made it difficult for Konoha to end Sasuke when he became a dire threat.
Asuma
A powerful shinobi and member of the Sarutobi Clan, Asuma was a laid-back but effective Jonin teacher. However, he relied on his students to organize themselves under Shikamaru a little too much. He never really curbed Ino's unfounded pride or boosted Choji's confidence like he deserved.
This made Shikamaru a better tactician and leader, which he totally was built to do, but it did leave his own teaching skill some left to be desired. To give him credit, though, he never made Choji feel bad for his eating needs and his team did work very well together.
Iruka
Sure, Iruka's job is in no way flashy. However, as a teacher for the Ninja Academy, Iruka wasn't just dealing with a small team to train; he was trying to bring order to an entire room full of small, stubborn little ninja with big personalities.
He didn't always do everything right, but in the moments it really mattered, he knocked it out of the park. After all, when he chased after Naruto and saved him, Iruka irrevocably changed Naruto's life for the better. This man's love for his students knows no bounds and he deserves all the credit for that.
Minato
Naruto's father had his own team when he was a Jonin. This team consisted of Kakashi, Obito Uchiha, and their friend, Rin. He taught a group of noble and strong ninja, willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good. Rin gave her life protecting the village and Obito sacrificed himself to save Kakashi.
Though Obito eventually lost himself to the darkness of the White Zetsu, before that, they were a team to be reckoned with. Considering Minato cultivated such a good team from two no-name young ninja and the member of a disgraced but powerful clan, he really was a kind, open-minded, and supportive teacher.
Tsunade
Even though she didn't seem too keen on leading Konoha as its Hokage, or teaching, Tsunade is pretty good at both. Her unique and powerful healing skills made her perfect for building and training a strong force of medic-nin in the village, including one of her strongest students, Sakura.
Where other teachers neglected her because of her knowledge, Lady Tsunade saw the healing power in her and fostered it into something greater than ever before. Between the great things she did with the Konoha hospital and Sakura, she's made a real difference as a teacher of healing.
Might Guy
No matter how goofy he can be, Might Guy is clearly a good teacher. He is absolutely dedicated to his students, determined to turn every member into their best self. Why else would he spend hours each day training with Rock Lee?
With powerful students like Rock Lee and Neji Hyuga, he has to be doing something right. Even beyond his teaching, he just supports them as humans. He hangs out with them and, in their darkest moments (like Rock Lee struggling with his broken body after the Chunin Exams), is there to support them. He may be silly, and Kakashi may not see him as a rival, but he is a darn good teacher.
Jiraiya
As much of a shady, perverted person Jiraiya is, it's hard not to acknowledge how he makes a great teacher. He managed to help Naruto push through all his mental and physical blocks to be a better ninja than anyone ever expected. In only a few days, he expedited Naruto's skill and turned him from a sub-par ninja into something much greater.
The years that Naruto spent with Jiraiya did him very well. And even where Jiraiya failed, like abandoning Nagato and his friends, they still became strong ninja trying to do their best. It's just that, over time, their morals skewed very, very wrong.
Hiruzen
While there are many impressive teachers and ninja in Konoha, there is one undeniable victor: Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage that trained the Sannin themselves. They were three of the most powerful ninja ever to have lived, each specializing in different, wonderful, terrible things and able to achieve Sage-Mode with their respective creatures.
Tsunade became a great healer and Hokage herself. Jiraiya trained some of the best ninja in the world. Orochimaru, however warped, was a good teacher, a brilliant scientist, and challenged the limits of ninja power in everything he did. Their young years, under his teachings, were vital in making them the powerhouses they became.