Hashirama Senju vs. Sasuke: Who Is Stronger & Who Would Win in a Fight?

Sasuke has had some epic fights in the Naruto manga (and anime) created by Masashi Kishimoto. Some of them are, of course, more famous than others, but in the end, there are only a few that could be described as defining battles, those that helped shape Sasuke as a character and also the storyline of the manga. In this article, though, we will analyze a hypothetical battle in which Sasuke Uchiha would fight the greatest Hokage in his village’s long history, Hashirama Senju, and one of the greatest fighters in Naruto in general. In this article, you will find out who would win in this clash.

Hashirama Senju was the most powerful Hokage in history, and he was one of the series’ most powerful fighters, which is why he would be able to defeat Sasuke in a direct clash. At his peak, Sasuke would certainly be able to put up a fight against Hashirama, but he would not be able to defeat him. Now, when he is without his Rinnegan, he would definitely lose.

Now that you have the short version of the answer, we are going to provide you with a detailed category-by-category analysis of the issue, presenting the characters in questions to you and giving you a point-by-point analysis that is going to help you understand why Hashirama Senju is actually stronger than Sasuke Uchiha.

Chakra and Physical Prowess

Hashirama possessed overwhelming chakra, even by Senju standards, as well as powerful life force and physical stamina to be able to fight for a full twenty-four hours and still stand to deliver the final blow to his enemy. Part of these abilities are due to him being an Asura Transmigrant Ōtsutsuki, inheriting the powerful Chakra from them. This power was so big that he could destroy the Uchiha hideout just by raising his chakra. He also intimidated his brother, Tobirama, the Second Hokage, and totally surprised Minato, the Fourth Hokage.

His powerful chakra is so great that he can break free from the restriction of Summoning: Impure World just by raising it. He could carry out many techniques and knew the entire ninja world. During his battle against his former student, Hiruzen showed considerable Taijutsu skill, connecting with a strong kick that knocked him out of the air and almost knocked him out. In addition, the Third Hokage found it difficult to maintain combat against him. In the manga, he also displayed great prowess in genjutsu.

Hashirama possessed one of the greatest regeneration abilities in all of history since it was inherent in his own cells and allowed him to heal his wounds in a matter of seconds. This was to such an extent that Madara Uchiha and Tsunade herself, who is considered the world benchmark in Medical Ninjutsu, admitted that Hashirama’s regenerative abilities were on another level than hers.

Sasuke possesses large amounts of Chakra, being able to perform a strong Fire Release technique at a young age. In the second part, his Chakra levels increased tremendously, summoning a giant snake-like Manda and using Chidori multiple times in a single day, a big change considering that he could only perform it twice a day before.

And while Sasuke’s chakra is definitely powerful, he cannot really compare it to the immense powers that Hashirama Senju possessed. That is why Hashirama wins this point.

Points: Hashirama 1, Sasuke 0

Senjutsu / Dōjutsu

Hashirama, at some point, was training in the art of Senjutsu, which is why he was able to use Sage Mode. His dominance over it was demonstrated by being able to enter this form instantly, when normally, for Senjutsu users, it is almost impossible to use it in the middle of a battle. This transformation granted him enhanced physical abilities such as speed, stamina, etc. Similarly, her Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and perhaps his Genjutsu were greatly increased. Proof of this is the magnitude of his Sage Art Wood Release: True Several Thousand Hands, which loomed in size, even surpassing Kurama’s.

Upon entering it, a series of red marks (black in the anime) form on his face: a circle on his forehead surrounded by a ring, the characteristic dark circles of Sage Mode, and two lines that reach his eyes, which turn yellow and then go down diagonally. In this mode, Hashirama is also a powerful Fūinjutsu user, using a sealing technique strong enough to immobilize the Ten-Tails momentarily. Also, he is a user of Barrier Ninjutsu, creating, along with three other Hokages, an incredibly large and strong barrier to withstand the full-scale attacks of the Ten-Tails.

With the basic Sharingan, he managed to save himself from Itachi’s Tsukuyomi to dialogue with the Fox in Naruto’s mind and to subdue the king of gods. Manda snakes. With the hypnotic Sharingan, he could immobilize Killer Bee, some samurai, and Shi and create an illusion similar to his brother’s technique with which he distracted Danzo. After obtaining the Rinnegan, Sasuke’s ability in genjutsu increases to the point of subduing all nine hunters with a single glance. Like all Uchiha, he has a natural predisposition for the fire-type chakra, learning the supreme fireball technique at the age of seven, and later also learns how to use the lightning-type chakra, learning from Kakashi the Chidori and creating numerous variations.

And while Sasuke might have been somewhere near Hashirama’s level with the Rinnegan and the Sharingan, without the Rinnegan, he is simply not a match for him, which is why the point goes to Hashirama.

Points: Hashirama 2, Sasuke 0

Ninjutsu

Madara himself said that Hashirama was superior in Medical Ninjutsu than his granddaughter, even though she is recognized worldwide as a genius in this. It was even mentioned that he was able to heal himself without using Hand Seals; Madara surmised that his Medical Ninjutsu was on a completely different level as well. Madara went on to comment that he would have taught him to come back from the dead if he had known that the current shinobi would be so weak, referring to the Kages.

Hashirama is also a powerful user of the Barrier Jutsu, managing to create, together with the other Hokages, a barrier big and strong enough to enclose the Jubi and even much stronger than the Battle Camp of the Four Violet Flames, this barrier alone. It can be created by masters of Ninjutsu. He also possessed a great mastery of the Summoning Jutsu; he could summon five immense gates with defensive power formidable enough to deflect one of Kurama’s Tailed Beast Ball, combined with Madara’s Perfect Susanoo sword, which had enough power to cross the sea and destroy an expanse of many kilometers.

Sasuke demonstrates his great skill in controlling fire jutsu, which is common in the Uchiha Clan. At the age of 7, he had already mastered the complicated Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique and possibly the Fire Release: Phoenix Sage Fire Technique. He later invented the Fire Release: Great Dragon Fire Technique, even for such a feat which, according to him, Genin normally requires much more experience and chakra developing elemental fire techniques.

Hashirama’s ninjutsu skills were truly amazing and far more versatile than anything Sasuke had to offer in this category, so we have to give this point to Hashirama as well.

Points: Hashirama 3, Sasuke 0

Bukijutsu / Taijutsu

Hashirama was also very skilled in the use of weapons, especially Kenjutsu. He used a variety of swords during his lifetime, such as one that had a broad, blade-like blade. He also possessed at least one giant Shuriken. Hashirama carried several large scrolls that were about his height, presumably to store his weapons, which he summoned and could manipulate at the same time, thanks to the branches he created with his Wood Release. He could also crash into Madara Uchiha, another highly skilled weapon user at the same level.

Although not his favorite combat style, Sasuke’s taijutsu skills were quite high from the beginning of the series. This was first demonstrated in the rattles test with Kakashi, who was so surprised that he couldn’t even read the Icha Icha paradise while he was fending off the attacks. After mastering the training in the trees, he engaged Haku in a taijutsu match, easily outpacing him and blocking his attacks, forcing the masked man to use the ice crystals. His abilities drastically improved after his first encounter with Rock Lee.

To honor the fact that Sasuke really made a significant improvement in this category, we have decided to split the points here, because we couldn’t really give just Sasuke the points, but we had to honor his improvement.

Points: Hashirama 4, Sasuke 1

Hashirama Senju vs. Sasuke Uchiha: Who would win?

Ultimately, like in Naruto’s case, it all comes down to Hashirama Senju being an exceptionally powerful shinobi. He is considered to be the most powerful Hokage in history and one of the series’ most powerful characters. Sure, Sasuke is also undoubtedly among the strongest characters in the series, but he doesn’t really match Hashirama’s level of skill, and that is why Hashirama would win this, as the points also confirm it.