The Naruto series features many unique aspects within its ninja world, often surprising fans with its imaginative elements. While the story is largely driven by intense fictional action sequences, it also incorporates concepts that feel natural within the world’s logic. The core power system in Naruto revolves around chakra, an energy said to exist within every living being.
This concept is expanded further through the Tailed Beasts, which are beings composed entirely of chakra. The series introduces a total of ten such beasts, each distinguished by the number of tails they possess, symbolizing the amount of chakra they contain, with the One-Tailed Beast being the weakest in theory, and the Ten-Tails being the strongest. However, their significance goes beyond just the number of tails, as some lower-ranked beasts have proven stronger than expected, while others never received much spotlight. With that in mind, here’s how all ten Tailed Beasts are ranked based on their overall involvement and impact.
10) Kokuo
Kokuo is the Five-Tailed Beast and has an appearance resembling a white horse. Known for its calm nature, Kokuo is not particularly aggressive or eager to engage in battle. Its specialty lies in the Boil Release Kekkei Genkai, which generates steam from its body. This ability can create a temporary stealth effect, allowing it to escape difficult situations, as demonstrated when Naruto used it to evade Kaguya’s Ice Release. Being a Kekkei Genkai, it also provides a temporary boost to either its Jinchuriki or itself.
Since Kokuo can release steam, it is widely theorized that its chakra nature consists of both fire and water, which combine to produce steam. However, this has never been officially confirmed. Unfortunately, even its Jinchuriki, Han, received very little spotlight in the series. This is a shame, as both Kokuo and Han left a strong impression in their brief appearances, and with more focus, Kokuo could have been ranked much higher.
9) Saiken
The Six-Tailed Beast, Saiken, has the appearance of a slug-like creature. Somewhat true to its form, Saiken possesses the ability to release water and corrosive gas, making it one of the most difficult Tailed Beasts to face in battle, despite its generally non-aggressive nature.
Utakata, hailing from the Village of the Mist, was the Jinchuriki of the Six-Tails and was one of the first shown to share a relatively peaceful bond with his beast. Though Utakata never had complete control over Saiken, the two worked well together in the limited time they were shown. They stood their ground when the Akatsuki came to capture them; however, Saiken was ultimately extracted, and Utakata met his tragic fate.
8) Matatabi
Matatabi, the Two-Tailed Beast, likely has the most distinct appearance among all the Tailed Beasts. It resembles a large feline but is covered in blue flames with black stripes. Unlike most of the other beasts, which appear more like creatures of flesh and bone, Matatabi looks almost entirely like an entity composed of pure chakra.
As its appearance suggests, Matatabi wields the fire element, capable of unleashing devastating attacks. Its feline form also implies that it may be one of the fastest among the Tailed Beasts. Matatabi’s Jinchuriki, Yugito Nii, a kunoichi from Kumogakure, was shown to have a fair degree of control over its power. Unfortunately, her introduction served mainly to set up her tragic fate at the hands of the Akatsuki.
7) Son Goku
Son Goku, the Four-Tailed Beast, as its name suggests, is a reference to the mythical Monkey King, Sun Wukong. True to its inspiration, it takes the form of a great ape and embodies the legendary creature’s wit, often considering itself more intelligent than humans. Among the Tailed Beasts, Son Goku is also noted for possessing one of the most powerful abilities.
Its specialty lies in Lava Release, created by combining fire and earth chakra natures. Although Son Goku did not get along well with his Jinchuriki, Roshi of the Hidden Rock Village, likely due to his superiority complex, he did cooperate enough to grant him a Lava Release Mode, coating his body in lava. Unfortunately, much like several other Tailed Beasts, Son Goku’s introduction ultimately led to his capture by the Akatsuki.
6) Chomei
Chomei is the Seven-Tailed Beast, and much like Matabi, who has one of the most distinct appearances, Chomei stands out on its own due to its resemblance to a beetle, making it unique among the tailed beasts, most of whom are modeled after animals, except for Saiken. What truly sets Chomei apart, however, is its ability to fly, subtly reflecting the traits of the entity it was inspired by.
Chomei also possesses several insect-like abilities, one of the most notable being its power to momentarily blind opponents with its wings. Thanks to its flight, in theory, Chomei could easily overwhelm Saiken, the Six-Tailed Beast, whose abilities are primarily ground-based. It’s Jinchuriki, Fu from Takigakure, who demonstrated good control over Chomei’s power. However, like most other tailed beasts, both Fu and Chomei were introduced only to be quickly captured by the Akatsuki. Even so, it is Chomei’s design and ability to fly that places this tailed beast slightly higher than the others.
5) Isobu
Isobu, the Three-Tailed Beast, has the appearance of an armored turtle. True to its form, it specializes in Water Release, as turtles are creatures of water. However, the sheer power of Isobu’s water-based attacks is extraordinary, strong enough to level mountains, alongside other signature abilities of the Tailed Beasts, such as the Tailed Beast Bomb.
Naturally, Isobu also possesses tremendous defensive capabilities, but what makes it stand out even more is its surprising mastery of Space-Time Ninjutsu, a skill that contradicts the slow, grounded nature associated with turtles and caught many fans off guard. Beyond its abilities, Isobu’s true significance lies in its impact on the story. It was one of the few Tailed Beasts shown to be in sync with its Jinchuriki, the Fourth Mizukage, Yagura. After Yagura’s death, Isobu wandered freely until it became central to Madara’s schemes, particularly in manipulating Obito after Rin was forced to become its vessel.
4) Ten-Tails
There is not much to say about the Ten-Tails other than that it is the strongest of the tailed beasts, possessing chakra reserves equal to, if not greater than, the combined chakra of all the others. The Ten-Tails, or Juubi, was originally the sole tailed beast until Hagoromo divided its power into nine separate entities. It also serves as the source for an Otsutsuki to harvest the chakra of an entire planet by transforming it into a Divine Tree, making its impact on the series immensely significant.
As expected of a planet-devouring monster, the Ten-Tails possesses a wide range of abilities, one of the most notable being the use of Wood Release. What makes the Ten-Tails especially memorable, however, is how it gave rise to two of the coolest Jinchuriki, Madara and Obito Uchiha, who became major threats during the final war. In the sequel, Borutothe Ten-Tails continues to play a role in shaping new main villains, giving it arguably the greatest overall impact on the narrative among all tailed beasts.
3) Shukaku
Shukaku, the One-Tailed Beast, is the first tailed beast introduced after Naruto’s Kurama. Resembling a raccoon dog and entirely covered in sand, its specialty lies in manipulating sand. Shukaku also wields Wind and Earth Release, which allows it to use Magnetic Release, a technique fans later saw Naruto employ with his Rasengan during the final war to effectively trap Madara’s clones.
Shukaku was first introduced alongside Gaara, its Jinchuriki, and immediately left an impression on fans during the Chunin Exam arc. Gaara, who later became a fan-favorite character, also made Shukaku more appealing. It was even hinted that Shukaku has a sort of rivalry with Kurama, making it stand out among the tailed beasts. Despite having only one tail, Shukaku remains one of the most impactful and is, therefore, ranked higher than many others.
2) Gyuki
Gyuki, the Eight-Tailed Beast, is one of the favorite tailed beasts from the series by far, and Gyuki also has a major overall impact on the series. With the appearance of both an octopus and an ox, it is a literal powerhouse, capable of taking on multiple-tailed beasts during the final war, making it one of the strongest among them. However, it is evident that the main reason Gyuki is so beloved is because of its Jinchuriki, Killer Bee.
Killer Bee’s affectionate personality made both him and Gyuki highly appealing to fans. His true impact, however, comes from being the first Jinchuriki to form a perfect bond with his tailed beast, a bond that later helped Naruto establish his own connection with Kurama, which is why Gyuki is one of the best tailed beasts from the series.
1) Kurama
The Nine-Tailed Beast, Kurama, is said to be the strongest among the tailed beasts apart from the Ten-Tails, and is by far the favorite due to being the major factor in shaping Naruto’s journey to becoming Hokage. At first, Kurama appears to be nothing more than a beast bent on destruction. However, its backstory reveals that the tailed beasts are more than mere monsters and are capable of genuine feelings.
As Kurama and Naruto’s past is explored and their bond with Naruto becomes solidified, the Nine-Tails grows into an even greater fan favorite. It can also be said that many of Naruto’s achievements were largely dependent on Kurama. It is the only tailed beast to have a continuous influence in the sequel, even sacrificing itself in order to defeat Isshiki Otsutsuki. Later, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex surprises fans with the twist of Kurama reappearing and residing within Himawari. It is evident that Kurama will continue to have a lasting impact on the series and remains the most beloved tailed beast in the Naruto franchise.
The Tailed Beasts had a huge impact on the Naruto series, but some definitely stood out more than the others. Which tailed beast had the most impact on you, and for what reason? Share your opinions in the comments below!
