Zabuza Momochi

According to his former follower Gengo, Zabuza was once seen as charismatic and inspiring as he had previously dreamed of a society with shinobi as the ruling class; a dream which motivated his attempted coup against the Fourth Mizukage whom he disagreed with. However he would become bitter and cynical after the coup ended in failure, and over time made him a ruthless hitman willing to be hired out by anyone corrupt. Zabuza was initially portrayed as aggressive, arrogant, cruel, cold and ambitious, willing to become Gatō's thug to gain enough funds to start a second coup d'etat on the Mizukage and have the nation under his feet, and kill anyone who stood in his path, including plotting to kill Gatō once he had received enough funds from him. His reputation for cruelty and ruthlessness began as a child where he killed every single candidate in Kirigakure's Academy, earning him the moniker of "Demon of the Hidden Mist" (霧隠れの鬼人, Kirigakure no Kijin). He willingly uses his own men and others as pawns to fulfil his ambitions, as he raised Haku to be an efficient tool to be discarded when he had no use to exploit; although unlike future antagonists, he was blunt about the purpose that his recruits were needed for, forgoing any form of manipulation by pretending to be benevolent to inspire loyalty. This corresponds with his cynical view of the world, which only consists of the used and the users, as well as viewing shinobi to be nothing more than tools. Despite this outward attitude, Zabuza grew to care deeply for Haku and viewed him to be far more than a tool.

Zabuza was a tall and noticeably muscular man with light grayish skin, short spiky black hair, dark brown eyes, and small eyebrows. He was normally seen wearing bandages like a mask over the bottom half of his face. Under his mask, he had a relatively narrow jawline and jagged-teeth, a trait he shared with his fellow Swordsmen. He wore his forehead protector sideways on his head, and prior to his defection from Kirigakure, donned the village's Anbu uniform and flak jacket. After his defection, and during his first appearance, he was seen shirtless, with his chest only covered by a belt to which he attached his Kubikiribōchō, wearing baggy pants with the striped pattern typical of Kirigakure and mimetic wrist-warmers extending up to his elbows, with matching leg-warmers. During his second appearance, he wore a sleeveless black shirt and matching pants, complete with a waist-guard, and yet again, Kirigakure's striped wrist and leg-warmers. Other swordsmen of his generation wore attire identical to this, implying that they might be clothes related to the group. While donning this attire, much like his fellow Swordsmen, he had bandages loosely tied around his neck like a scarf. As a child, Zabuza's attire consisted of a dark sleeveless shirt with light shoulder-straps and a circular mark on the back, sporting the kanji for demon (鬼, oni). He also wore dark pants with two straps covering the bottom and a hip pouch, along with black shinobi-sandals and dark fingerless gloves.

As a former high-ranking ninja of Kiri, Zabuza was a very powerful fighter. Vicious in battle, his talent for combat was seen even as a child, who had yet to begin in the Academy, as he killed over one hundred trained students single-handedly. As an adult, even when gravely injured and both arms crippled, Zabuza proved himself a dangerous adversary, being able to strike down dozens of Gatō's specially hired men and even Gatō himself.

Zabuza was very physically strong, able to effortlessly wield the large Kubikiribōchō for long periods of time unfazed, even with one hand. He was also blazingly fast and equally proficient in taijutsu, able to match Kakashi in both and with the latter able to fight off and kill dozens of Gatō's men with the loss of both his arms, using well-coordinated kicks and a kunai in his mouth. During which, he showed remarkable levels of stamina and endurance, able to continue fighting effectively despite the injuries he received from Kakashi and the large number of blades that pierced him. Zabuza could also take a direct hit from a powerful water technique seemingly without major damage and still move relatively normal shortly afterwards. Zabuza was also a master of stealth and assassination. He was most renowned throughout all countries for his high skill in killing opponents through zero visibility. Kakashi noted that his Silent Killing prowess was second to none. This technique puts the victim under tremendous pressure before Zabuza even attacks, as it is noted that even the slightest movement of the eye was enough to alert Zabuza of his victim's location. True to his moniker, Zabuza possessed an incredibly strong chakra, which could be visibly seen when released, taking the image of a demon. Even while barely standing, a single glare from Zabuza left the remainder of Gatō's thugs stiff with fear. Likewise, Zabuza has very advanced chakra control, able to perform a second technique while maintaining another.

During his time as a Kiri-nin, Zabuza was one of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, a group composed of the village's top swordsmen. The generation of swordsmen he belonged to was noted as the strongest ever produced within Kirigakure, a further testament to Zabuza's impressive skills. Zabuza's signature weapon was the Kubikiribōchō, an over-sized broad sword, whose shape was thought to decapitate enemies. This large weapon has the unique ability to absorb and utilise the iron from all the blood it sheds, from whoever it cuts, in order to reform itself if damaged or broken. Zabuza was a master in its use, being capable of dispatching numerous enemies with a few slashes, and claiming that his sword "never cut a second time", implying to have killed a large number of people with a single attack. The weapon's weight didn't seem to slow Zabuza down at all, as he could employ it in combat for extended periods of time with no visible strain on himself, something Suigetsu Hōzuki hasn't achieved. Apart from handling it very skilfully, Zabuza could also throw it spinning at several enemies with enough power to lodge itself into a hard tree trunk. He also wielded a kunai with a sharp protrusion on one side (which in the anime is Kirigakure's variation of the standard kunai), designed for thrusting and stabbing instead of slicing, which fit his stealthy attributes perfectly. Zabuza could also use fūma shuriken in a similar fashion; using them in melee combat by spinning the weapon within his hand to attack his opponent.

Zabuza had great skill in Water Release techniques. He could perform several of them while keeping a separate one active, as seen when he kept Kakashi trapped in the Water Prison Technique while at the same time attacking the rest of Team 7 with a water clone. He could maintain several of these clones at the same time, often using them as diversions. He also showed proficiency in large-scale, highly destructive water-attacks from launching powerful torrents of water in the forms of dragon bullets and giant waterfalls at his opponents.

Zabuza was especially adept at the Hiding in Mist Technique, as it made his Silent Killing even easier to perform. By blanketing the area in a thick mist, Zabuza could blind his targets, making it even more difficult for them to defend against him. In this manner, Zabuza was capable of carrying out stealthy attacks even in completely open spaces, able to suddenly disappear from an enemy's sight and then strike unseen. His skill with this technique was such that he could create an impenetrable mist without the need of an immediate source of water nearby. Even Kabuto Yakushi kept Zabuza's use of the technique in high regard, as seen when he was willing to sacrifice other reincarnated shinobi to protect Zabuza and keep the Hiding in Mist Technique going.

While he preferred using direct attacks, Zabuza was also highly capable at misdirections. From his Anbu days, Zabuza possessed extensive knowledge of the human body's pressure points and most vulnerable organs. Zabuza was also knowledgeable in foreign techniques and kekkei genkai, having knowledge of the Sharingan and instantly recognising the Shadow Clone Technique. Zabuza was also a skilled teacher, as it was under his tutelage that Haku managed to become such a powerful shinobi despite his young age.