Naruto ninja ranks
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In the Naruto anime and manga series, characters who are part of Hidden Villages undergo qualifications to be ninja. Not all ninja are considered of equal skill levels, and there are also some qualifiers that differentiate some types of ninja from others.
The words "ninja" and "nin" (short for ninja) are both singular and plural.
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Academy Students
The academy is where would-be ninja start at; they are not actually considered ninja until they graduate. Academy students take formal and practical tests of all sorts and are taught the basics: usage of weapons (such as Kunai and Shuriken), basic ninja skills (such as Henge no Jutsu (Transformation Technique) and Bunshin no Jutsu (Clone Technique)) and chakra control.
Upon graduating, students receive a special band of fabric with a metal bar bearing the symbol of their village (which can be worn in many ways) and become Genin. It is commonly referred to as a "forehead protector" or hitai-ate.
What is required for graduation varies from academy to academy. In Konoha the graduation exam is comprised of some sort of written test, as well as knowledge of basic techniques. The Hidden Village of the Mist once had a life-or-death duel as its graduation exam, but following an unfortunate incident, in which Momochi Zabuza murdered all his fellow classmates, this practice was suspended in favor of more acceptable methods.
Genin
(Genin, 下忍, literally "Low ninja")
Genin are the lowest level of ninja and also the ones that display the most difference in power (compare Haruno Sakura and Hyūga Neji). When they become genin, ninja start to do their bit for their village's economy - being sent on missions that the village gets paid for. They are typically sent either on D-rank missions, which are the lowest rank and are generally simple, risk-free jobs of manual labor, or, very rarely, on C-rank missions, which are a cut above that and begin to verge on real "ninja" work--though they are still generally risk-free. Recently, Konohagakure has been shorthanded in upper-level ninja, and has been forced to occasionally send Genin on higher-ranked missions.
Genin are put in four-man cells, consisting of three Genin and a Jōnin-sensei, in order to learn team-work and experience true ninja life under the supervision and protection of an elite shinobi. The make-up of these teams is based on the individual skills of the Genin, so that there will remain a balance between the teams. For instance, Uzumaki Naruto, the Genin that passed with the lowest grades, was put in the same Uchiha Sasuke, the Genin with the highest grades and Sakura the genin with the highest written exam scores. The teams are usually made up of two boys and one girl. It appears that usually, the four-man cells specialise in certain skills. For instance, Team Kurenai (Yūhi Kurenai, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyūga Hinata, and Aburame Shino) is specialised in survival and tracking and Team Gai (Maito Gai, Hyūga Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten) is specialised in Taijutsu and weapon skills.
Chunin
(Chūnin, 中忍, literally "Middle ninja")Chūnin (romanized as Chūnin in the English manga and Chunin in the English anime) are ninja who are qualified to watch over and guide other ninja. Some of them function as teachers (such as Iruka) and others serve as team leaders (such as Shikamaru) in charge of small teams who need to make decisions and utilize the skills of the shinobi under their command to the maximum effect. Chūnin are typically sent on C-rank missions or B-rank missions.
To become a chūnin, a genin has to go through a three-stage exam: the first stage tests their information gathering abilities and decision-making abilities, the second stage tests their abilities at accomplishing a mission and adhering to guidelines, and the third consists of fights between those who passed the previous two stages, watched by a council which decides who becomes a chûnin and who does not.
In the past, each village held their own Chūnin exam. After the 3rd Ninja World War, all of the ninja villages agree to hold the exams together at the selected village that would host the exam. This was done to improve relations between the villages and prevent war between them. Another advantage is that ninja that took the exam might attract clients who are interested in hiring them. Because of the growing number of ninja in each village, the exams are hosted twice every year.
Upon reaching chūnin level, ninjas can wear an identifying tactical vest that holds ninjutsu scrolls. This vest is not mandatory; instead, some opt for more elaborate clothing like capes and robes.
In the English manga, the level is also known as the "Journeyman" level.
Tokubetsu Jonin
(Tokubetsu Jōnin, 特別上忍, literally "Specialized high ninja")Tokubetsu Jōnin are ninja who, rather than all-around Jōnin training, have chosen to specialize in a single area of the training. They are elite specialists in their areas and are often assigned as subordinates to regular Jōnin when their services are needed.
One example of a Tokubetsu Jōnin would be Morino Ibiki for his unique ability to completely understand the workings of the human mind, which makes him a very effective interrogation expert, Ebisu, who is specialized in the training and coaching of ninja.
Jonin
(Jōnin, 上忍, literally "High ninja")Jōnin (romanized as Jōnin in the English manga and Jounin in the English anime) are generally ninja with great individual skill who have a lot of experience and serve as military captains. They are often sent on A-rank missions, and experienced Jōnin may even be sent on S-rank missions (which are considered of even greater risk and difficulty than A-rank.) They are sometimes assigned as sensei for three-person teams of Genin. It is as of yet unknown what one has to undergo to become one.
There are also ninja who have gained power far beyond an average Jōnin and earned a legendary status. These ninja are called S-rank ninja; however, this is not an official rank. Their official rank with a village will usually still be that of a Jōnin; sometimes it can be lower (or they can have no rank at all). The allegiances of these ninja range from being part of the village's own ninja, for instance the leader of a noble clan; wandering ninja who have an allegiance to one village, but is not under any formal control like Jiraiya; a member of a ninja organization like the Akatsuki; or Missing-nin. Ninja of this class are often noted in the Bingo book, a book of notable ninja that each ninja village provides for its members.
Ninja of the S-class are highly revered, often signified by nicknames allies or enemies give them. One group of ninja who have gained this special status are the Densetsu no Sannin (Legendary Three Ninja) of Konoha: Jiraiya the "Gama Sennin" ("Toad Hermit"), Orochimaru, and the current Hokage Tsunade who carries the nicknames "Densetsu no Kamo" ("Legendary Sucker", a reference to her poor gambling skills). Other notable S-Class ninja include the Fourth Hokage who was recognized as "Konoha no Kiiroi Senkō" ("Konoha's Yellow Flash") even before becoming Hokage; the father of Hatake Kakashi, Hatake Sakumo, known as the "Konoha no Shiroi Kiba" (Konoha's White Fang); and the Akatsuki members. Most ninja, even Jōnin level ones, choose to flee rather than face someone of the S-class.
In the English manga, this is sometimes referred to as an "Elite Ninja."
Kage
Image:Narutokage.jpg (Kage, 影, literally "Shadow")
Those who achieved the title of Kage are the leaders of the five most powerful Hidden Villages. Kage are usually the most powerful ninja of the village. There may be exceptions -- for example, a ninja may be the most powerful at the time of being installed as Kage, but he will age and a more youthful ninja may become more powerful. Kage are an elite group as there can only be one per village at any given time.
A Kage may retire and give the title to someone else; the title is, once granted, held permanently. This creates a case where there are two Kage at the same time, with only one of them actually active -- as was with the :Yondaime Hokage and the Sandaime Hokage, where the latter had given up the title to the former, only to come out of retirement when the former had died. This is the only known case where two kage of the same village have been alive at the same time.
Their elite status is also attributed to the tendency for most Kage to have family members who were previous Kage, or personally taught by a former Kage or student of a former Kage. Examples of this occurrence include Gaara who succeeded his father as Kazekage, Yondaime who were taught by Third Hokage's student Jiraiya, and Tsunade the Fifth Hokage, granddaughter of the First Hokage and former student of the Third Hokage.
- The five Kage
- Hokage (火影, literally "Fire Shadow", Kage of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf))
- Mizukage (水影, literally "Water Shadow", Kage of Kirigakure (Hidden Mist))
- Tsuchikage (土影, literally "Earth Shadow", Kage of Iwagakure (Hidden Rock))
- Raikage (雷影, literally "Lightning Shadow", Kage of Kumogakure (Hidden Cloud)
- Kazekage (風影, literally "Wind Shadow", Kage of Sunagakure (Hidden Sand))
They stand equally with the rulers of their countries, oversee the activities of their villages and are the leaders of ninja society. Some fans refer to Orochimaru, founder and leader of Otogakure no Sato (Hidden Sound), as Otokage (音影, literally Sound Shadow), but this is not an official title, as Otogakure no Sato is not recognized by the five great Hidden Villages as an equal.
Nukenin (Missing-nin)
(Nukenin, 抜け忍, literally "Missing ninja")TV Dub (Rogue Ninja)Missing-nin are ninja who have abandoned their Hidden Village. These Shinobi are considered traitors and are hunted down because of the secrets they may hold. Other Hidden Villages would be interested in purchasing this information because it could be useful in gaining an upper hand in battle or obtain possession of a Bloodline Limit technique. Villages create special units of Oinin (Shinobi Hunters) to take care of this problem, although it's unlikely that every missing-nin has a team of Oinin sent after them. Missing-nin from the series include Orochimaru and Momochi Zabuza.
In the cases of Jiraiya and Tsunade, they haven't abandoned their Hidden Village and they don't sell information on their villages. Therefore they aren't considered Missing-nin.
Some missing-nins have a scratch across their village's forehead protector, although this is pretty much unique to the Akatsuki. However Uchiha Sasuke's forehead protector also has a scratch, caused by Uzumaki Naruto during their fight at the Valley of the End.
Oinin (Shinobi Hunters)
(Oinin, 追い忍, literally "Chasing Ninja")TV Dub (Tracker Ninja)Shinobi Hunters are sometimes codenamed "The Undertaker Squad". Each Hidden Village has a team of hunters, given the specific duty of hunting down Nukenin (Missing-nin). They kill their target, taking the head as proof, and then completely dispose of the body by summoning wild carrion birds to feed off of the corpse. This is done in order to make sure the village secrets which a ninja's body holds - such as Chakra types, herbs eaten, ninjutsu, and kekkai genkai (bloodline limits) - will not be revealed to outsiders. They are also taught about how the human body works and taught how to kill people easily.
In unofficial translations, they are known as "hunter-nin" or "body erasers". In the early series, Haku poses as an Oinin as a ruse to rescue the supposedly dead Momochi Zabuza. Real hunter-nins have only been alluded to, and so far have not been seen in the world of Naruto.
ANBU (Black Ops)
Image:Anbu mask.jpg (ANBU, 暗部, literally "Dark side") ANBU stands for Ansatsu Senjutsu Tokushu Butai (暗殺戦術特殊部隊), translated into English, it roughly means "Assassination Tactics Special Squad". The ANBU, known in the Viz translation as "Black Ops", is not a rank but a force of extremely talented shinobi of Chunin rank or higher who are chosen for assassinations, for village protection from exceptional threats (somewhat akin to deploying SWAT units), for conducting high-risk missions into enemy countries, and for dealing with extremely strong (S-Rank) ninja. They wear animal masks to distinguish themselves from normal shinobi, as well as to conceal their identities. The ANBU carry swords; this is somewhat unique in that Naruto, although it is a ninja manga, has very few swords. The ANBU is an organization that is under the direct command of the Kage. Hatake Kakashi was a former member and Uchiha Itachi became an ANBU captain at age 13. Morino Ibiki, the proctor of the first Chūnin exam, is the head of the Konoha ANBU Torture and Interrogation Force (木ノ葉暗部拷問・尋問部隊, Konoha Anbu Gōmon/Jinmon Butai).
Ne ("Root")
Several years ago in Konohagakure no Sato (Hidden Leaf Village), while ANBU was usually under the direct command of the Hokage, there was once also an ANBU Training Department known as 'Ne' (根, "Root"), which was created and directly controlled by Danzō. Since Danzō is a war hawk, and opposed the Sandaime Hokage, Ne was disbanded. However, many members remained loyal to Ne; at least two (aside from Danzō) are known, one of them being Sai, who is placed in Uzumaki Naruto's team in Naruto II. Their adage is:
“根”には…名前は無い、感情は無い… In "Ne"... You have no name, you have no feelings, 過去は無い…未来は無い。あるのは任務… You have no past, You have no future. What you have is your mission, 木ノ葉という大木を目に見えぬ地の中より支える、 That which supports the great tree of Konoha, unseen from within the ground, 我々“根”の意志 is our resolve, our organization called "Ne".
It has recently been revealed that Danzō and "Ne" are planning to destroy Konoha as it is today, probably with the help of Orochimaru.
Konoha Keimu Butai (Konoha Military Police)
(Konoha Keimu Butai, 木ノ葉警務部隊, literally "Konoha Military Police Force")In the past, the Military Police in Konoha almost completely consisted of Uchiha clan members; however, now that the Uchiha Clan is almost completely destroyed, this is obviously not the case anymore. The MPs are in charge of law enforcement within the village, and their jurisdiction is virtually unlimited except matters that are under the Hokage's direct control. They also respect ANBU's (Black Ops) own investigative system and inner-organization discipline
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