I think that being considered "powerful" is all about what you actually do in role-play.
Zexyō has a lot of resets and plays a pretty typical Shari/Rinne/Moku character. Yes he can beat up little girls really easily, but put him in a pit with Sabu and I'd bet Chōmei that I'd win. Not cause I have a better character build but because I'm a good fighter who knows my character and how to use him.
Do you guys think I'm powerful? I mean I got the Chōmei but never even raised a fist to fight for it. I just had one of my flies bite Shinkō then Nightfall ingested it and wham-bam thank you ma'am. It was a sneaky, underhanded move on my part that totally worked out in the end.
Strategy is still a part of fighting, but it's easier for people to just claim every element and three insane kekkai genkai, because then even if they suck at strategy they have a bunch of moves to throw out on a whim to keep them alive.
So yeah you guys can moan and groan about "back when Part I" or "it was better before '07" but you're flat out wrong. Strategy is extremely important nowadays because if you don't have any you'll just get stomped thanks to so many "god-like" shinobi running around who can actually think three or four moves ahead.
Having nuclear bombs doesn't mean you can drop them willy nilly on random countries you don't like, nor does having multiple KG and insane amounts of jutsu and blah blah mean that you can just own everybody or you're powerful.
Both require planning and thought and a lot of effort, no matter what.
One more thing:
Sabu's pretty stacked, but I like it. I did it just because I felt like having a customized "god" character, and I even gave him a bit of a god-complex. Why? Because it's hella fun. It's so damn enjoyable to have a bunch of customized weapons and tons of jutsu and the Hōzumaki bloodline and an implanted byakugan and kenjutsu and fuinjutsu and Chōmei and blah blah blah the point being I did it because I felt like it, and I wanted to. He could and can and will still die, but his level of skill and the way he behaves implies that his death will be a badass one, which I also really like.