Naruto Uzumaki is the protagonist of the Naruto series and one of the strongest characters to ever exist in the series. Over the years, he's clashed with numerous enemies, most of which he was able to defeat in fights with unwavering determination.
Despite his magnificent strength, Naruto has, at times, failed to defeat those he was up against. Here are 5 characters that Naruto Uzumaki could never beat and 5 that he absolutely crushed in battle.
10 Couldn't Defeat: Jigen
Jigen is the leader of a mysterious organization known as Kara. He serves as the vessel of Isshiki Otsutsuki, the godly being who partnered Kaguya Otsutsuki at one point. Jigen is extremely powerful, as seen when he fought against both Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha, yet managed to win.
Despite Naruto's godly powers, he wasn't even able to put one scratch on Jigen, which shows that the power difference between the two is massive.
9 Crushed: Pain
Naruto Uzumaki fought against the Six Paths of Pain when the leader of the Akatsuki decided to invade Konohagakure to seek out the Jinchūriki of the 9 Tails by himself.
Having destroyed the village long before Naruto showed up, Pain gave the fans a glimpse of what he was truly capable of. However, Naruto, with his newly learned Sage Mode powers, managed to get the better of him.
8 Couldn't Defeat: Madara Uchiha
Madara Uchiha became the Jinchūriki of the Ten-tails towards the end of the Fourth Great Ninja War and began fighting against Naruto and Sasuke in what was supposed to be his last fight ever.
However, before the fight could even get serious, Madara was struck down and used as a vessel for bringing Kaguya Otsutsuki back to life. Consequently, Naruto was never able to defeat him in combat.
7 Crushed: Obito Uchiha
Obito Uchiha was the mastermind behind the Fourth Great Ninja War and his eventual clash against Naruto Uzumaki was inevitable.
The two fought quite a number of times during the war, and the fight ended with Naruto pulling Obito over to his side. Obito lost his fight against Naruto and was crushed not only physically, but mentally as well.
6 Couldn't Defeat: Kaguya Otsutsuki
Kaguya Otsutsuki was the final antagonist of the Naruto series and quite easily the strongest one as well. She was brought back to life by her will reincarnate, Black Zetsu, by using Madara's body as a vessel.
Kaguya Otsutsuki was a threat beyond any human comprehension and someone who, according to Naruto, surpassed the level of Madara Uchiha by far. While Kaguya did lose the battle, it was due to the combined effort of Team 7. Naruto alone stood no chance against her in battle.
5 Crushed: Gaara
The former Jinchūriki of the One-Tail, Gaara made his debut in the Naruto series as an antagonist and ended up trading blows with Naruto Uzumaki.
He was just as strong as Naruto Uzumaki himself, if not stronger. However, Gaara lost the battle of determination against Naruto and ended up losing the fight. Like many others, Gaara also changed his ways after fighting against Naruto.
4 Couldn't Defeat: Orochimaru
Naruto clashed against one of the Legendary Sannin in Orochimaru quite a number of times throughout the series, and even though he surpassed him, he never got the chance to defeat him.
In the Forest of Death, Naruto Uzumaki proved to be no match for him, while at Tenchi Bridge, Orochimaru survived an onslaught led by the 4-Tailed Naruto Uzumaki.
3 Crushed: Delta
Delta is a member of Kara, just like Jigen, and someone who is known to be monstrously powerful. Her strength was great enough to push the Seventh Hokage to his Six Paths Sage Mode, meaning she was no pushover in terms of combat.
Although strong, Delta proved to be no match for Naruto Uzumaki, who crushed her upon showing her a glimpse of what he was truly capable of. Delta was assumed to have died but thanks to her scientific tools, she managed to survive the fight.
2 Couldn't Defeat: Momoshiki Otsutsuki
Momoshiki Otsutsuki was one of the three Otsutsukis who visited Earth in search of the massive chakra there, stored within Naruto Uzumaki. He eventually clashed against Naruto and Sasuke, and while the two had the upper hand in the fight, Momoshiki didn't lose.
It was only after Boruto Uzumaki joined the battle that Momoshiki was finally dealt with. To fight against him, Naruto needed quite a lot of help from Sasuke. If the two fought alone, Naruto would've most likely lost.
1 Crushed: Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha stood in Naruto's path on countless occasions throughout the series. Although Naruto lost to him during their first proper clash, the tables were turned when they fought for the last time at the Valley of the End.
The fight ended with Naruto and Sasuke blowing each other's arms off, and the latter conceding and accepting the way of peace. After this clash, Sasuke went on a journey to redeem himself and see the world in a different light.