Naruto is one of the most popular manga, anime, and video game series of all time, and even though it took off seriously over 20 years ago, it has remained popular throughout. It’s not hard to see why — with great storytelling and some fantastic action scenes, it has a little bit of everything for everyone.

However, the best part of Naruto is its characters, and there are so many fantastic characters throughout the 20 years of the series. But what is the best character in all of Naruto? We tried to find an answer, but it was almost impossible to settle on just one. That’s why we’ve put together this list of the 10 best Naruto characters of all time, from the first chapter to the last episode of Shippuden.

Also note that these are in no particular order and we’re judging the characters based on cool factors, their stories in the show, and their abilities.

Naruto

Look, Naruto is in the most episodes – given that the show is literally named after him – and therefore has the most stories to draw from. His growth throughout the series is kind of the whole point of the show, from being a social reject of the village to being one of its most reliable and trusted warriors, loved by all. It’s a great arc and Naruto’s strong, courageous personality is hard not to love.

Tsunade

Tsunade is one of the legendary Sannin and easily one of the strongest characters in the entire series. She is the master of slugs, able to summon an adorable giant slug in battle, a god-level medical ninja, and the pioneer of one of the most powerful techniques the series has seen.

Kakashi

Kakashi is here purely for the cool factor, and it’s not hard to see why. He is mysterious and interesting, he can copy any technique thanks to his sharingan, and he has a great design. If there was ever going to be a prequel series, Kakashi’s Anbu adventures would be a nice way to go.

I’m walking

At first glance, Choji appears to be a stereotypical fat character who cares about food, sleep and little else. That was it for a few hundred episodes, but then we got a curveball – Choji’s family has a special ninja physiology that allows them to convert calories into chakra for use in ninja skills. Because of this, they spend a lot of time eating to build up energy and release explosive blasts. It was a nice subversion of a normally pretty gross trope and Choji made the list because of it.

Shikamaru

Shikamaru starts off as a lazy, disinterested slacker, but slowly becomes one of the most reliable ninjas in Konohagakure. He’s a strategist at heart, obsessed with go and shogi, and uses these strategies well in battle, making him a natural leader and worthy fighter—and it helps that his clan’s secret shadow-holding technique is pretty cool, too.

Hinata

God Hinata is so cool. She was initially overshadowed by her cousin Neji in her story, but seeing her come into her own is one of the highlights of the original series. Since Shippuden, she has become one of the most powerful and respected Chunin in the ninja world, and despite her shy demeanor, she really comes through when needed most.

Jiraiya

Look, yes, Jiraiya is a bit of a creepy weirdo, but he really couldn’t be a better choice as a mentor for Naruto. He’s strong and wise enough to be Hokage, but similarly wise enough to know he’d be a terrible Hokage, and even though he’s a bit of a troublemaker, he cares deeply for Naruto and all of his students.

Done

Konan may be a bit of an odd choice, but he has a lot going for him. Her history with Jiraiya and how it plays out when they meet again is deeply fascinating, and when it extends to her relationship with Naruto, it becomes even more interesting. On the other hand, her paper ninjutsu is really cool and sometimes that’s enough.

Other

Ino has a rough start in Naruto as she is little more than Sakura’s romantic rival vying for Sasuke’s attention. Once that’s out of the way, though, Ino is a super cool, super talented ninja—though her stories aren’t as flashy as the others. Still, she has some cool techniques, and her clan’s mind switch technique is a lot of fun conceptually.

Sakura

I threw myself between Sasuke and Sakura for this last spot, but Sakura was barely scrambling forward. She is the female lead of the series and has well and truly earned her role over the course of the series. In addition to the many phenomenal storylines she has throughout the series – not all of which are Sasuke-centric – she’s also very smart, very powerful, and extremely talented, and easily one of the best jack-of-all-trades in the series.