One of the most tried and true ways to end a story arc in shonen anime is with a climactic final battle. Naruto is no exception to this, and each story arc in the series ends with an important fight between two or more of the characters. These final battles tend to have the most work put into them as animation, creativity, and plot importance. This makes them significant and memorable, often leading to the best fights of the series. They also tend to feature similar characters, but there are still a few with surprise guests.
Naruto is one of the longest-running anime out there, with over 18 arcs worth of story on top of filler episodes. As these arcs slowly unfold, it's clear to see just how much these final fights evolve, as well as how much stronger the main cast has grown. Here's every arc's final fight in Naruto, in chronological order.
18 Team 7 Vs. Zabuza/Haku (Land of Waves)
The first of many final battles in the series, this fight cemented the world of Naruto as one full of danger. Zabuza was a famed swordsman, and even Kakashi struggled against him during this fight. Naruto and Sasuke were able to start developing their legendary teamwork, and the Nine-Tails revealed itself for the first time. This is also where it was shown that the villains in Naruto weren't just evil and had their own dreams and desires that made them relatable.
17 Sasuke Vs. Gaara (The Chunin Exams)
The Chunin exams was a long arc with many fights within it, but it finally ended in a battle between Sasuke and Gaara. Gaara had been portrayed as a monster up until now and had defeated powerful ninja-like Lee and Dosu. Sasuke had just come back from a month of training, and he was able to break Gaara's defenses and land a critical strike. The results of this fight were interrupted as the next arc came into being, but this was a great show of how quickly Sasuke improved.
16 Naruto Vs. Gaara (Konoha Crush)
As Shukaku the One-Tail began to take over Gaara, Naruto had to step in and continue where Sasuke left off. Naruto hadn't been twiddling his thumbs during the month of training, and this was a great time to show his progress. Even with the One-Tail powering him up, Gaara wasn't able to stop Naruto. Naruto was able to show off his summoning jutsu and proved just how strong he was going to become. This also led to a deep friendship between Gaara and Naruto.
15 Naruto Vs. Kabuto (The Search For Tsunade)
The third Hokage died during the Konoha crush, so the person they thought of to replace him was Tsunade. They found her, and this eventually led to a standoff between Orochimaru and the other two Sannin. Kabuto was a ninja from Konoha working with Orochimaru and did his best to kill Tsunade. Naruto stopped him, ensuring that she could become the next Hokage and show just how strong the famous Rasengan was.
14 Naruto Vs. Sasuke (Sasuke Recovery Mission)
This fight was the clash of ideals between Sasuke and Naruto and a fight between friends. Naruto ended up using enough of the Nine-Tail's chakra that he transformed with a one-tail cloak, and Sasuke used the curse mark given to him by Orochimaru to transform as well.
After an intense back and forth battle, Sasuke ended up victorious. Originally he had wanted to kill Naruto but ended up leaving him alive and abandoning him there instead. This was the end of the Naruto anime before it led to Naruto Shippuden.
13 Sakura/Chiyo Vs. Sasori (Kazekage Rescue Mission)
Naruto Shippuden occurs after a time skip, which allowed the characters to grow much stronger off-screen. Gaara had become the Kazekage, but the Akatsuki moved and kidnapped him to extract the One-Tail. This arc ended with Sakura and Chiyo confronting the puppet master of the Akatsuki and eventually beating him. This indirectly led to Chiyo giving up her life for Gaara and showed just how powerful Sakura had become under Tsunade's tutelage.
12 Sasuke Vs. Team 7 (Tenchi Bridge Reconnaissance Mission)
Sasuke had gotten much stronger during his time with Orochimaru, and his reunion with the rest of Team 7 was not a peaceful one. They had gotten a new member, Sai, who proved to be a decent match against Sasuke. This was almost less of a fight and more of a way to show just how far Sasuke had come and how committed he still was in his path of vengeance.
11 Asuma/Team 10 Vs. Hidan/Kakuzu
This was the second major fight against the Akatsuki, but it also made the audience realize that the stakes were rising. Despite being outnumbered and faced by some great ninja, the Akatsuki ended up winning the fight. Not only that, but Hidan managed to give Asuma a fatal injury before leaving. He was able to say some final words to his team but passed away shortly afterward.
10 Sasuke Vs. Deidara (Itachi Pursuit Mission)
With Sasori dead, Deidara ended up being paired with Tobi. Deidara and Sasori had planned on killing Orochimaru, but Sasuke apparently beat them to it. Deidara then decides to kill the one that killed Orochimaru and attacks Sasuke. After an intense battle that leads Deidara to commit suicide in an attempt to take Sasuke with him, Sasuke can survive the blast and continues on his quest to avenge his clan.
9 Pain Vs. Jiraiya (The Tale Of Jiraiya The Gallant)
Jiraiya was caught investigating where he thought Pain was and ended up fighting against the powerful Akatsuki member. He was overwhelmed and, unfortunately, killed in the battle. This fight hurt both the audience and Naruto even more so than when Asuma died.
This was an important stage in Naruto's life and a tragic end to his mentor. However, this made the build-up into Pain's arc all the more worth it.
8 Itachi Vs. Sasuke (The Fated Battle Between Brothers)
Sasuke didn't know it, but Itachi was already dying from an illness when they finally fought. Itachi knew he would die regardless, but wanted to give Sasuke closure at the same time. This fight also revealed a lot of the truth behind the Uchiha clan's death and made Sasuke take a whole different look at his brother. This fight was an emotional one, and also one that the audience knew would happen from almost the very beginning.
7 Pain Vs. Naruto (Pain's Assault)
This was one of Naruto's biggest fights as he sought to defend what remained of Konoha from Pain. While the end of this fight is considered some of the worst animations in all of Naruto, the build-up and early stages of the fight are both emotional and amazing to watch. Important characters like Kakashi and Hinata are dying left and right, and it's only revealed once Naruto defeats Pain that he has the ability to bring them all back to life. This also allowed Naruto to redeem Nagato (Pain) and become friends before he died.
6 Sasuke Vs. Danzo (Five Kage Summit)
Sasuke wanted to avenge Itachi after learning exactly who had ordered him to kill the Uchiha. Danzo was the first one he encountered, so he immediately sought to kill him. Danzo had infused his arms with the Sharingan of dead Uchiha, which both allowed him to fight more efficiently and anger Sasuke even more. In the end, Sasuke was able to kill Danzo and take one step closer in the path to avenge his brother.
5 Gaara Vs. Second Mizukage (Fourth Shinobi World War: Confrontation)
The Fourth Shinobi War had the living pitted against the dead. Powerful ninja, including the previous Kage, were reanimated and fought unwillingly against the allied shinobi forces. The final fight of this arc was a battle against several kage. However, the last to be defeated in this arc was the Second Mizukage. Gaara almost wasn't able to pull it off, but eventually, he could seal both the Mizukage and his clone.
4 Obito Vs. Kakashi (Fourth Shinobi World War: Climax)
In a rivalry similar to Sasuke and Naruto, Obito and Kakashi meet up again after years apart to fight once more. This is easily one of the best fights of the series regarding animation, action, and emotion.
The fight flashes from the past to the present, showing just how the stakes and emotions have changed between the two. Kakashi can come out on top as he did in the past, but Obito wasn't fully defeated.
3 Gai Vs. Madara (Birth Of The Ten-Tails Jinchuriki)
It seems like Madara is going to easily defeat everyone until Gai opens his final inner gate in a last-ditch attempt to stop him. This final gate of death is guaranteed to kill Gai, but first, it offers him incredible strength. He comes close to outright killing Madara with his attacks but is unable to finish him off. Luckily Naruto comes in with some newfound powers and saves Gai from dying.
2 Kakashi/Team 7 Vs. Kaguya (Infinite Tsukuyomi Activate)
Kaguya was essentially the final boss of the shinobi war. She could only be sealed by being touched by Sasuke and Naruto at the same time. After a long multi-dimensional battle against the original Team 7, Kakashi, and Obito, she was sealed and defeated. Each person played a big role in her defeat, and without any person, this battle would've been lost. She was easily the most powerful foe they had ever faced, even more so than Madara.
1 Naruto Vs. Sasuke (Kakashi's Team 7)
They had to have one final clash. This was to determine who's dream would be realized and finally settle things once and for all. The battle took place where their first one occurred, but now their power shattered the landscape. After their incredible powers had been spent, it devolved into a sloppy fight in the mud as both Sasuke and Naruto fought with their last bit of strength. They both ended up losing an arm, but Sasuke finally conceded to Naruto.