Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are two of the most famous anime characters in the world. Sporting great character development, cool personalities, and ridiculous strength, it's no wonder they're two of the most iconic characters to come out of Naruto.
The two have always been neck and neck, and author Masashi Kishimoto wrote their rivalry wonderfully. Instead of always keeping one stronger than the other, Kishimoto decided to strike a balance between Naruto and Sasuke's power. In some of the arcs, Naruto had the lead, while in others Sasuke was a step above. But both were always within touching distance of each other.
6 Fourth Great Ninja War
The Fourth Great Ninja War was started by Obito Uchiha, who wanted to teach the world a lesson. To make matters worse, Kabuto was helping Obito by providing him with an army of reanimated ninjas. At the beginning of the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke was stronger than Naruto. He had received Itachi's eyes, which allowed him to awaken the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan.
However, Naruto surpassed him after he obtained Six Paths power from Hagoromo Otsutsuki. Naruto was able to use Six Paths Chakra Mode, which significantly enhanced his physical abilities and allowed him to compete with Obito, Madara, Kaguya, and even Sasuke. It is also important to highlight that Naruto held back in his fight against Sasuke as he didn't want to kill his best friend. By the end of the story, Naruto had become the strongest ninja in the world.
5 Pain Assault
The Akatsuki has always been an integral part of the story. The organization has used its members to get ahold of the tailed beasts. In the Pain Assault Arc, Nagato used the Six Paths of Pain to invade the Hidden Leaf to capture Naruto, who was the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails.
If Naruto had not trained at Mount Myoboku with the toads, it's highly likely that he would have died. Thankfully, the training came in handy as it allowed him to use the Toad Sage Mode. With its power, Naruto was able to wipe out most of Pain's bodies. At this point, Naruto could have beaten Sasuke, but it would have been an extremely close fight.
4 Leaf Invasion Arc
Throughout the Chunin Exams, Sasuke was considered the favorite to win and to be selected to become a Chunin. However, the exams were interrupted when Orochimaru finally kicked off his plan to destroy the Hidden Leaf. The Legendary Sannin member engaged in a fight with Hiruzen while his minions fought the rest.
At the same time, Gaara had unleashed the One Tails inside the Hidden Leaf. Dealing with any tailed beast is a massive problem, but Naruto refused to give up. Instead, he confronted Gaara and fought the Hidden Sand's prodigy. Due to Shukaku's size, it was nearly impossible for Naruto's normal attacks to make a difference. Fortunately, Jiraiya had taught Naruto to summon Gamabunta, a ginormous toad. The knucklehead ninja used the technique, which enabled him to subdue Gaara and Shukaku's rampage.
3 Search For Tsunade
Following the death of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Hidden Leaf was left without a leader. After a lot of thinking, Tsunade Senju emerged as the prime candidate. There was one problem—Tsunade had left the village a long time ago. So, Naruto and Jiraiya decided to find her. After a lot of searching, the two finally met her. However, Tsunade wasn't willing to go with them.
Upon seeing Naruto's persistence, she set a condition for going back. She asked Naruto to master the Rasengan. It was a massive challenge for Naruto, but he wasn't deterred by the odds. He immediately went off to train with Jiraiya, and after many failures, he finally pulled it off. Due to his determination and ingenuity, Naruto mastered the Rasengan and went back to inform Tsunade. With the help of the Rasengan, Naruto was able to pull ahead of Sasuke.
Who’s That Character?
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.
2 Five Kage Summit
After Sasuke learned the truth about Itachi and the top brass of the Hidden Leaf, he decided to wreak havoc on the village. His first target was Danzo Shimura, who had claimed himself as the Sixth Hokage, but the announcement wasn't made official. Despite this, Danzo went to the Land of Iron, which was set as the location for the Five Kage Summit.
During this time, Sasuke possessed the Mangekyo Sharingan, but he hadn't fully learned to control its power. On the other hand, Naruto had already mastered the Sage Mode and was able to use natural energy freely. If the two actually fought during this arc, it's likely that Naruto would have come out on top.
1 Naruto: The Last
While it is not a part of the main story, Naruto: The Last is the series finale film that was focused on the original cast of characters. In Naruto: The Last, Naruto and his friends try to rescue Hanabi from the clutches of Toneri Otsutsuki. The latter misinterpreted Hamura's will, leading him to steal Hanabi's eyes and implanting them into his own sockets.
Since the movie is set after the war, Naruto had access to Six Paths Sage Mode along with the prosthetic arm created using Hashirama's cells. In the movie, Naruto nearly destroyed the moon with a single punch, which shows his impressive strength. This feat alone puts Naruto well above Sasuke at the end of the series.
