Every Member Of Naruto's Akatsuki Ranked Worst To Best

"Naruto" is a classic anime series that follows the titular ninja as he pursues his dream of becoming Hokage, the respected leader of the Hidden Leaf Village. Along the way, Naruto must prove himself to his peers, his teachers, and everyone else who has ever doubted him. He gains a little more trust and respect after each battle, but as he grows stronger, so do the villains. This is especially true when it comes to the Akatsuki, the notorious group of criminals who serve as the main antagonists for much of the series.

The Akatsuki's main goal is to capture the Jinchuriki, nine ninjas who serve as hosts for legendarily powerful tailed beasts, and extract said beasts from their bodies. As the current Jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto is a huge target. The Akatsuki work tirelessly to track down and capture the young hero, and become a key part of the series in the process. They range wildly in terms of personality, appearance, and skills, and their reasons for joining the group are even more diverse. While Naruto doesn't get to fight every single member of the Akatsuki, each of them plays an important role in his ninja journey. But even the most devoted fan has to admit that some of them clearly stand above the rest. Taking key factors such as their motives, failures, and successes into account, we're ranking every member of the Akatsuki from worst to best.

Unique among Akatsuki members, Zetsu isn't shown doing very much at all for the majority of the series. His role within the group is less about fighting and more about observing events, gathering intel, and reporting back to the rest of the team. This makes sense, but it also makes him a pretty middling character. With such a lackluster presence, it's easy to completely forget about him — until he suddenly becomes important very late in the series. During the Fourth Great Ninja War, he supplements the Akatsuki's side with a whole army of White Zetsu clones. Even more importantly, it's revealed that he's the mastermind behind many of the events that led up to the war. 

Given how little is known about Zetsu's character at this point in the story, this revelation is surprising, but not very exciting. Even though he manipulates some of the strongest characters in the series, deals the final blow to Madara, and successfully brings Kaguya into the war in Episode 458, all of Zetsu's efforts come a little too late for them to be appreciated in full. Everything involving him happens so abruptly after such a long lull that the viewer hasn't built any real investment in the character once he finally makes his move.

Orochimaru is one of the most prominent villains in "Naruto." He plays a huge role in convincing Sasuke to join the dark side, which automatically puts him higher in the rankings than several other Akatsuki members. His greatest accomplishment, however, comes when he kills the Third Hokage, a moment that changes everything for Naruto and the people of the Leaf Village. He's also the only Akatsuki member to make it out in one piece by the end of the series — a noteworthy feat, considering how often "Naruto" villains are killed off for good. 

That being said, Orochimaru's time as an Akatsuki member is pretty limited. In fact, he's already left the group by the time he's introduced during the Chunin Exams. After abandoning the Leaf Village, Orochimaru joined the Akatsuki and partnered up with Sasori. In an attempt to take over an Uchiha body, Orochimaru confronted fellow Akatsuki member Itachi, but was no match for the Sharingan's genjutsu. As a result of that failure, Orochimaru lost a hand and left the Akatsuki. Other than that, not much is known about his time with the Akatsuki. If he had stayed in the group longer, he could have had the potential to rank a lot higher. But he doesn't, so he lands near the middle of this list.

One of the most destructive "Naruto" villains, Deidara has an undeniable appeal. He has an intriguingly wicked appearance, a very bold personality, and a few big fights under his belt, which separate him from the rest of the pack. His wacky look is not only unique, in fact — it goes hand-in-hand with his genuine enthusiasm for chaos and art. He sums it up with his famous line from Episode 125 of "Naruto Shippuden," "Art is an explosion." That's pretty much the essence of his character.

In terms of fighting, Deidara's value as a member of the Akatsuki becomes dramatically obvious when we take a look at the opponents he faces. At the beginning of "Naruto Shippuden," he's tasked with kidnapping Gaara, who is both the Jinchuriki of the One-Tail and the Kazekage of Sunagakure. There are few fighters who can match the power of a Jinchuriki or Kage, and yet Deidara still manages to successfully defeat and capture Gaara. That's undeniably impressive.

Later in the series, Deidara faces another notable opponent in Sasuke. Throughout their battle, Deidara shows off his art bombs and becomes infuriated when Sasuke doesn't acknowledge his talents. The young Akatsuki member nearly succeeds in killing his foe with one final explosion, but falls short after Sasuke escapes at the expense of his snake, Manda. Despite that disappointment, Deidara clearly does a lot of work for the Akatsuki, and really knows how to go out with a bang.

Obito joins the Akatsuki under the name Tobi after Sasori's death, and quickly becomes the most mysterious character in the entire series. The enigma hidden behind his iconic mask adds a huge amount of intrigue to the story, and keeps the viewers guessing until the very end. After getting a glimpse of his Sharingan, many start to believe that Tobi is actually Madara Uchiha, the famed leader of the Uchiha clan. Obito pretends to be Madara — until the real Madara is reincarnated, and his mask is destroyed during the Fourth Great Ninja War. This results in one of the biggest moments in "Naruto."

With Obito's true face revealed, Kakashi immediately identifies him as his childhood friend and teammate, who supposedly died in the previous war. The Obito Kakashi knew was a kind and gentle person with a good head on his shoulders. He's always been remembered as a hero who put his friends before the mission. But this completely changes when our heroes learn that he's actually one of their greatest enemies. Obito eventually has a change of heart, and assists Naruto in fighting Madara and Kaguya, but it's hard to overlook all the damage he does to the ninja world. If he hadn't turned evil in the first place, he would have remained one of the most admirable ninjas in the "Naruto" universe. Instead, he earns himself a high ranking in the Akatsuki for all the mystery and chaos he creates.

Nagato is ranked as highly as he is for several reasons. Firstly, he has one of the most fleshed-out backstories in the Akatsuki, which gives his character impressive depth. Secondly, he triggers one of the most intense arcs in the series. Thirdly, he fully acknowledges the error of his ways and atones for his sins. 

As the original founder and leader of the Akatsuki, Nagato has a specific goal he wishes to accomplish through the terror and destruction caused by his group. Because of the Second Great Ninja War, he grew up as an orphan and experienced the pain and suffering that are caused by violence firsthand. As a result, Nagato intends to use the Akatsuki to make the entire world experience pain, in the hopes that everyone will then learn to forgo war for the sake of a more decent future. As twisted as this plan is, Nagato's backstory gives him a valid motive to create world peace at all costs. He's an excellent example of someone who becomes a villain to do what they believe is the right thing. This is the crux of what makes his character so complex and intriguing, especially compared to the rest of the Akatsuki.

By the end of the Pain arc, Naruto convinces Nagato to abandon his approach in favor of something that isn't as extreme. As a way to redeem himself, Nagato puts his faith in Naruto and revives everyone in the village who died during the assault.