For many fans, the Chunin Exams were the beginning of their fascination with the classic, Shonen tournament arc. It was a time when Naruto was simpler. Before the anime's ballooning power level and evolution into bombastic kaiju battles, the Chunin Exams were the peak of the grounded, hand-to-hand combat that Naruto fans loved.
One on one is a staple of any good tournament arc, allowing an anime to introduce a catalog of new characters with unique abilities in highly structured combat. But for an arc that stretches as long as this one did, it's to be expected that not every fight is as great as fans would hope.
10 BEST: Gaara VS Rock Lee Is Peak Naruto
Gaara vs Rock Lee is considered by many to be the best fight in Naruto. Immediately fans recognized the huge increase in animation quality as the episode started. Gaara vs Rock Lee holds up to the best fights currently being animated and exceeds plenty of the rest.
Rock Lee may not be as archetypically cool as some Naruto characters, but he managed to impress fans with his utter determination to prove himself, and his display of speed and strength.
9 WORST: Choji VS Dosu Was An Anticlimactic End To The Arc
Choji vs Dosu is the final fight of the preliminary exams, coming just after the climactic, fan-favorite of Gaara vs Rock Lee. The fight is completely unremarkable in most ways, leading many fans to feel a sense of deflation coming off of such an amazing battle just beforehand.
Most fans agree that the Chunin Exams would've been better off reorganizing this fight to go earlier and ending the arc on a more climactic battle. From a structural standpoint, Choji vs Dosu was a huge letdown.
8 BEST: Neji VS Hinata Brought Depth To Side Characters
Neji vs Hinata was a fight starring two side characters that had yet to make their mark on fans. Neither character had a significant showing thus far, leading many fans to have an open mind as far as what to expect. The only thing fans knew about Hinata was that she was a kind girl and cared for Naruto.
But in this fight, she proves herself as more than just a potential love interest. By committing to fight someone undoubtedly more powerful than her, she displays a level of character development unlike many other women in the Naruto franchise.
7 WORST: Tenten VS Temari Was An Embarrassment
Tenten vs Temari is the subject of many disparaging memes. The feats on display during this battle are pathetic compared to what fans were used to. Tenten showcased a speed that was pitiful compared to the likes of Sasuke or Rock Lee.
Furthermore, her abilities and jutsu feel incredibly lackluster despite how much potential Tenten probably had. Most of her signature techniques revolve around haphazardly throwing an array of weapons as opposed to just wielding a sword with stellar proficiency. This is a battle that many fans would forget if it weren't so hilarious.
6 BEST: Shikamaru VS Temari Showcased The Strategic Side Of Naruto
Shikamaru vs Temari earns its place as one of the best fights in the Chunin Exams for how shockingly fun it is. Shikamaru's knack for coming up with genius strategies always makes for an interesting combatant. Combine that with his defining trait of laziness and you have a character that charms his way into the hearts of fans.
Unlike the Temari vs Tenten fight, Shikamaru poses enough of a threat to really push Temari to interesting heights. In this fight, she unveils a sense for combat and adaptation that made her a fan favorite despite not being part of the Leaf village.
5 WORST: Naruto VS Kiba Was Just A Gag Fight
Naruto vs Kiba is a controversial battle in the Chunin Exams. Due to his status as the main character, many fans were excited to see Naruto fight it out with anyone. But ultimately, this is one of Naruto's more bizarre and pathetic fights in the entire anime.
Kiba is a lackluster opponent without any interesting techniques at this point in the story. One of Naruto's more elaborate strategies unveiled against Kiba was to fart in the boy's face, making it clear that this is a battle played more for gags than any meaningful character development or plot advancement.
4 BEST: Sasuke VS Gaara Was A Clash Of Titans
Sasuke vs Gaara is a fight that centers two of the most popular characters in the entire franchise. This battle took two of the strongest genins in the world and pit them against each other. It was a thrilling encounter that tested each character, forcing them to unveil more and more unique jutsu.
This fight elevated the power level of the Naruto world in a way that really made things interesting for fans. While it did not get a conclusive result, many fans were ecstatic to see it happen at all.
3 WORST: Sasuke VS Yoroi Had No Visual Flair
Despite Sasuke being one of the coolest characters in Naruto, his fight versus Yoroi remains one of the most boring fights in the entire series. Yoroi is a character given no interesting visual flair and no strategic variety when it comes to combat.
He has just a simple technique that saps the chakra of his opponent for as long as he can hold them, leading to a fight that mostly consisted of one singular position where Yoroi held Sasuke to the ground until Sasuke fought him off and won.
2 BEST: Shikamaru VS Kin Was Short And Sweet
Shikamaru vs Kin gets points for being incredibly concise, with just a brief exchange of blows before Shikamaru ultimately displays a clever strategy and nails his Shadow Possession jutsu, comedically securing the win. It's not the smartest thing Shikamaru will ever pull off, but it's clever enough to be entertaining.
Furthermore, Kin manages to draw enough interest from fans through a unique combination of bells and senbon. Ninja tools are heavily underutilized in the overarching story, making Kin's aesthetic a welcome change for Naruto combat.
1 WORST: Sakura VS Ino Is Despised By Fans
Sakura vs Ino is one of the most hated fights in Naruto. At its best, this battle delivers on some high-quality taijutsu choreography, and interesting clone tactics. But while this fight has its highs, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Sakura vs Ino is plagued with flashbacks more than any other fight in the Chunin Exams. Unlike some of the better fights with more interesting characters, the history of these two simply isn’t narratively interesting enough.