Naruto vs. Sasuke: Who Is Stronger? (& Would Win)
Naruto focuses on the protagonist Naruto Uzumaki and his adventures in the land of the shinobi, where he and his friends fight against different forces of evil. One of those friends is Sasuke. But who is stronger between Naruto and Sasuke? If the two fought, who would win?
Naruto was proven to be stronger than Sasuke, although Sasuke was more gifted and had more success in their fights. They fought five times, two times it was inconclusive, two times Sasuke won, but in their final and most important battle, Naruto won.
Speaking of Naruto vs. Sasuke, there’s still a lot to be said. Throughout the rest of this article, we will look at their powers and abilities in more detail and see who is stronger, Naruto or Sasuke.
Naruto vs. Sasuke: Powers & Abilites Compared
Before we actually give our verdict, we have to see what powers and abilities the two protagonists of our article have.
We’ll start off with Naruto Uzumaki. He is quite an interesting character, as he started off as a very inept and weak ninja (shinobi), only being able to master the completely useless Sexy Technique. On the other hand, with time, Naruto not only mastered more complex techniques but also became – as most think – the most powerful shinobi in history. At the height of his abilities, he was able to face and defeat some of the most powerful fighters in the franchise.
He also has massive reserves of very strong chakra, which are activated gradually as the anime progresses. As for his jinchūriki transformations, Naruto also gradually enhanced his skills, but for most of the time, he only used half of Kurama (the Nine-Tailed Beast) during his transformations, meaning that he only used half of his full potential. Now let us see how the official databooks list his powers:
| Databook | Ninjutsu | Taijutsu | Genjutsu | Intelligence | Strength | Speed | Stamina | Hand seals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 2 | 1.5 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 14.5 |
| Second | 3 | 2 | 1 | 1.5 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 18.5 |
| Third | 4 | 3.5 | 2 | 3 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 5 | 1.5 | 26 |
As for Sasuke, he was considered to be a natural talent and was for most of the time considered to be stronger than Naruto, although this was never proven. His general skill level was always very high and Sasuke was a truly powerful and talented shinobi, mastering even the most complex of techniques. He also has a very strong chakra, but unlike Naruto, his chakra is dark and mostly consists of negative energy from which Sasuke draws his enormous powers. Unlike Naruto, Sasuke only has one Rinnegan so, in this aspect, Naruto’s abilities are higher. Let us see the official numbers:
| Databook | Ninjutsu | Taijutsu | Genjutsu | Intelligence | Strength | Speed | Stamina | Hand seals | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First | 2.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 18.5 |
| Second | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 3 | 3.5 | 3 | 3 | 22.5 |
| Third | 5 | 3.5 | 4 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 4.5 | 3.5 | 4 | 31.5 |
As you can see, the official numbers stare that Sasuke is stronger, but neither the manga, nor the anime have supported this, as Naruto was usually the stronger among them, with even Sasuke affirming on several occasions that Naruto was stronger than him.
Naruto vs. Sasuke: Who Is Stronger?
We are going to give you our final verdict in this section, but before that – let us see how the fights between Naruto and Sasuke played out. The two of them fought five times – twice in Naruto and thrice in Naruto Shippuden – and this is how it played out:
- “The Battle Begins: Naruto vs. Sasuke” (Naruto, ep. 107) – Sasuke challenges Naruto to a fight and Naruto accepts. The two of them head to the roof and exchange blows, after which Naruto forms his Rasengan, while Sasuke prepares his Chidori. The fight is ultimately interrupted by Kakashi, but it seems that Naruto’s Rasengan was stronger than Sasuke’s Chidori, which angers Sasuke as it seems that Naruto is stronger.
Outcome: Inconclusive - “A Cry on Deaf Ears” (Naruto, ep. 128) – this is actually a several episode-arc that included not only the battle between two bitter rivals, but also an exploration of Sasuke’s past. Naruto constantly hit Sasuke during the battle, but Sasuke seemed to take no damage at all. At one point, he beats Naruto to the ground and later admits that he has to kill him to become stronger. The two continue to fight, increasing their powers gradually. Not being able to counter Naruto, Sasuke achieved his Cursed Seal level 2 and ultimately manages to defeat him, but not without being heavily injured himself.
Outcome: Sasuke Wins - “Two Fates” (Naruto Shippuden, ep. 215) – this two-episode fight presented a small-scale fight between the two, which ended in a discussion and Sasuke leaving. This was more of a character examination than an actual fight.
Outcome: Inconclusive - “Meeting” (Naruto Shippuden, ep. 257) – this was a flashback episode showing Naruto’s childhood and his constant fights with Sasuke in the Academy. Irresponsible and clumsy as he was when he was a child, Naruto wasn’t able to defeat Sasuke at the time.
Outcome: Sasuke Wins - “The Final Battle” (Naruto Shippuden, ep. 476) – the epic clash between Naruto and Sasuke also marked the end of the whole saga and a fitting, emotional end to their rivalry. We’ve already talked about the battle in a previous article, where we told you of its epic proportions and importance. Here, we can only state that Sasuke ultimately admitted defeat in this final battle, thereby admitting that Naruto is the stronger one.
Outcome: Naruto Wins
As you can see, although Sasuke seemed stronger, when the fate of the shinobi world had to be decided, it was Naruto who proved to be the stronger one. He is, by most – and ultimately even Sasuke – perceived as the strongest shinobi in history, so it’s natural that he is stronger than even the naturally talented Sasuke. In the end, the two once again became friends and two very powerful shinobi whose combined power is said to be able to destroy the whole world.