The Senju clan in the Naruto anime is one of the strongest clans in history. It is well known for producing powerful Hokages, including Hashirama Senju, the first Hokage of Konoha and known as the god of ninjas. Other notable Hokages from the Senju clan include Hashirama’s brother Tobirama, who became the second Hokage, and Tsunade, who became the fifth Hokage.
Despite the greatness of the Senju clan, not many shinobi from the clan were featured in the anime series. Even Nawaki, Tsunade’s younger brother, died at a young age. This is in stark contrast to the Uchiha clan, which is known as the rival of the Senju. Many Uchiha characters were featured in the anime series, such as Madhara, Obito, Itachi, Sasuke, Shushui, Izagi, Izanami, and even the entire Uchiha clan.
The Senju and Uchiha clans were known as the two strongest clans in the past. In the various ninja wars, including the first to the third world wars, the Senju clan was always involved. If a country sought the help of the Uchiha clan, its opponents would borrow the strength of the Senju clan, and vice versa. Some Senju characters were said to have died in battle, but if the Uchiha clan survived, the Senju clan could do the same. However, it is possible that they chose to remain hidden for the sake of peace, unlike the Uchiha clan, which is known for its love of war.
Aside from choosing to be less prominent and hiding their clan name, it is also possible that Senju clan members have mixed with other clans. Hashirama himself married a woman from the Uzumaki clan. Tsunade, the strongest Senju bloodline heir, even rarely uses her clan name. Therefore, it is likely that they are hiding to avoid being too prominent.
Just like the Uchiha clan, many powerful clans in the Naruto series have tragic life stories. The Uchiha clan, which was considered to have capabilities equivalent to the Senju clan, was slaughtered by its own members on Danzo’s orders. Meanwhile, some members of the Uchiha clan, particularly those who successfully awakened the Sharingan, became targets of looting, as was the case with Shushui. The same thing happened to the Uzumaki clan, which was massacred by the local ruler because they viewed the Uzumaki’s power as a threat. The Uzumaki clan inherited a very strong sealing technique and was always blessed with incredible chakra. Thus, members of the Senju clan likely hid for their own safety.
Orochimaru was interested in the power of the Senju clan and conducted various experiments related to Hashirama’s cells. The experiment resulted in Yamato, who was trained directly by Danzo and became the strongest ANBU member, the only one who could unleash the wood element. In the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations period, Moegi Kazamatzuri was detected as a shinobi who could use the wood element. However, it is unclear whether Moegi inherited the Senju bloodline or not. Furthermore, Moegi was not prominently featured in the anime series; she even lost prominence to Mirai, the daughter of Asuma and granddaughter of the third Hokage.
