Shinobi Rankings

Also see the original: Shinobi Rankings

The Shinobi are organized into a hierarchal structure of rankings determining who is in charge and who is subordinate. A Shinobi is given an official ranking based on their abilities as a combatant and as a leader. At the beginning of their career, a Shinobi will begin at the bottom of these rankings, and through experience and skill they will work their way up. The following is a breakdown of each Shinobi ranking as well as their function in the Shinobi hierarchy. Each rank is in ascending order, starting from the bottom:

Student
Before they are officially deemed Shinobi, people start out as students who learn the basic skills and survival tactics of being a Ninja. Students are in training and are not assigned to a team until they complete their training.

Genin
Immediately upon graduating from being a Student, one is promoted to a Genin and thus officially designated a Shinobi. A Genin's primary function is to serve in a team of three under a Jonin leader. If a team's Jonin leader is unknown in the series, one of the three Genin will be declared the de-facto leader of the team. A Genin's combat experience is generally limited, and therefore they often possess somewhat-negligible fighting ability. However, a more experienced Genin will be able to fight on par with enemies much older than them. Genin typically wield lower-ranking Jutsu, however it is not unheard of for them to be seen wielding disproportionately powerful techniques.

Chunin
A Chunin typically operates as the right hand of a Jonin squad leader, however, they are generally skilled enough to lead a team on their own.

Jonin
A Jonin acts as the leader of their team, typically comprised of Genin and Chunin. A Jonin is a formidable opponent, typically being able to engage multiple enemies at the same time. While Genin or Chunin may only be able to utilize their Primary Chakra Nature, a Jonin will commonly have mastered multiple Nature Types. This makes them especially flexible in combat, as they are able to respond to a variety of different situations and challenges.

Kage
A Kage is the leader of his or her Hidden Village, and thus is declared the most powerful Shinobi in their Village. The Kage does not necessarily see combat on a regular basis, instead handling the administrative tasks of running a civilization.

ANBU
Main article: ANBU Black Ops

Separate from the main Rankings structure is the ANBU Black Ops. These teams carry out espionage and assassination missions for their Village, and they can be seen accompanying a Jonin for support. The ANBU is its own separate organization with its own hierarchy; ANBU teams are named numerically, with ANBU Team Ichi being the strongest, ANBU Team Ni being the next strongest, and so on.