Madara Uchiha is, undoubtedly, one of the strongest characters in the entire Naruto series. As the leader of the legendary Uchiha Clan, Madara Uchiha was an exceptionally talented shinobi, the likes of which could only be matched by Hashirama Senju during their era.
Although Madara was already strong, his thirst for power saw him craft an elaborate plan that would ultimately lead to him becoming the 10 Tails Jinchuriki. With tremendous power at his disposal, few could've possibly stood against him in battle and even fewer could've defeated him. Here are 5 characters in Naruto who can defeat Madara Uchiha and 5 who can't.
Updated on July 24, 2023 by Josh Davison & Ajay Aravind: The legacy of Madara Uchiha runs throughout the world of Naruto. He was once the most powerful member of the Uchiha Clan and second only to the First Hokage in terms of abilities. Madara is an unfathomably powerful warrior--but there are those who are more powerful. Given the importance of Madara in Naruto, let's dive back into the shinobi who can and can't defeat Madara Uchiha. We've updated this list with some more relevant information.
Characters Who Can Beat Madara
Hashirama Senju
This one is a pretty obvious choice, but it's worth restating. The legendary First Hokage, Hashirama Senju was known as the "God of Shinobi" for a reason. He was the only one capable of defeating Madara Uchiha during the latter's early life. After his death and resurrection, Madara gained access to powers he could never gain in life. However, the First Hokage did famously beat and seemingly kill Madara in a duel at the Final Valley. This, of course, was proven to be a fake death, but it certainly counts in the First Hokage's favor. Madara would eventually go on to unlock the power of the Rinnegan.
Kaguya Otsutsuki
Kaguya Otsutsuki came from seemingly nowhere to become the true final boss of Naruto: Shippuden, effectively usurping Madara's shot at dominance. Kaguya is a celestial being with nigh-limitless power, chakra, and abilities. She has access to the Byakugan, Rinnegan, and Sharingan. She can warp both herself and her opponents to wherever she wishes in an instant. Kaguya was the first to wield chakra and become the Ten-Tailed Beast. She and her clan have attained immeasurable power, and her legacy includes the creation of the ninja world. Madara wouldn't stand much of a chance.
Naruto Uzumaki
One of the strongest shinobi to have ever existed, Naruto Uzumaki is one of the few characters in the entire series who can defeat Madara Uchiha. During the 4th Great Ninja War, the two clashed for a long time and Naruto was, more or less, able to keep up with him without any significant problems. Over the years, Naruto Uzumaki has grown several times stronger, and the power he has now ensures that he surpasses Madara Uchiha in terms of strength. There's no doubt that Madara is an exceptionally powerful character, but Naruto eclipses him in nearly every way.
Sasuke Uchiha
Sasuke Uchiha is the strongest known Uchiha to ever exist in Naruto, which makes him stronger than Madara. Sasuke asserted his dominance over Madara Uchiha during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Over the years, Sasuke honed his abilities considerably and was able to grow to a level where he was equal to Naruto in terms of combat. As a testament to his prodigious strength, Sasuke Uchiha fought and matched the likes of Momoshiki Otsutsuki in a fight. While some fans believe Madara to be the strongest known Uchiha, that's nothing but a misconception because Sasuke is certainly stronger than him.
Jigen
As Isshiki Otsutsuki's vessel, there are few characters in Naruto capable of standing up to Jigen. The undisputed strongest character in the entire Narutoverse, Jigen stands tall as an antagonist that even Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha couldn't defeat. Naruto and Sasuke can easily defeat Momoshiki Otsutsuki, but Jigen is much stronger than both of them combined. Further, Jigen's highly modified body further enhances his already formidable prowess and chakra. In fact, Jigen has survived over a millennium simply because he's too strong to be put down. Jigen can defeat Madara without much effort.
Momoshiki Otsutsuki
Momoshiki Otsutsuki is one of the most powerful characters in both Naruto and Boruto. Although he might not have been among the strongest initially, his powers grew dramatically after consuming his partner Kinshiki. Momoshiki is, indisputably, a character capable of matching Naruto and Sasuke in battle. He's someone comparable to Kaguya Otsutsuki herself, whose power was said to be several times greater than Madara's. Although Momoshiki can defeat Madara Uchiha, it goes without saying that this fight certainly won't be easy for him.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki
Hagoromo Otsutsuki is quite easily one of the strongest characters to ever exist in Naruto. Being Kaguya Otsutsuki's son, Hagoromo has great powers that can only be compared to a few characters in the series. He has enough stamina to fight against his mother for months without resting, demonstrating his relentless attitude and limitless endurance. What's more, his powers further increased after beating Kaguya Otsutsuki, thanks to becoming the 10 Tails Jinchuriki. Hagoromo is someone Madara Uchiha can't beat, no matter how much stronger he gets.
Characters Who Can't Beat Madara
The First Hokage Revived
Although Hashirama Senju could beat Madara at first, he proved unable to stand against the revived Madara Uchiha during the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Madara proved to be Hashirama's superior in single combat and went on to attain, however briefly, increasingly greater powers between the Mangekyo, Rinnegan, and Ten-Tailed Beast. The First Hokage is one of the most powerful shinobi to have ever lived, but Madara kept improving himself in life and after his resurrection. Madara became like a god, and Hashirama was left in the dust.
Pain
Despite the power of the Rinnegan as well as the access to five different bodies, Nagato, more commonly known as Pain, would be no match for Madara Uchiha. Between Madara's own Rinnegan, Mangekyo Sharingan, and the Susano'o, Madara has powers that Pain could never attain. While Pain is certainly overpowered when compared to most fighters in Naruto, any battle against Madara would turn into a war of planetary devastation and mini-fights between summoned beasts. All things considered, Madara would ultimately win the day with his various ninjutsu, cunning, and ruthlessness.
Tobirama Senju
Tobirama Senju was the second Hokage of Konohagakure, taking up the leader's role following the death of Hashirama Senju. Tobirama was an incredibly powerful shinobi for his time. In fact, he was able to slay Izuna Uchiha in combat pretty easily, demonstrating just how powerful he really was. Even though Tobirama Senju was strong, there was a considerable power gap between him and his brothers. Consequently, there would be a drastic difference between his and Madara Uchiha's abilities as well. To put it simply, Tobirama was certainly not powerful enough to defeat Madara Uchiha.
Itachi Uchiha
Sasuke's brother Itachi Uchiha was just as great a shinobi as Sasuke is today, albeit not nearly as powerful. While Itachi was strong in his own right, he certainly wasn't even close to Madara's level. With the Six Paths Powers at his disposal, there's absolutely no way for Madara to lose to Itachi, no matter what happens during their fight. Although some viewers believe that Itachi is stronger than Madara Uchiha, there's hardly anything in the series that backs this claim up. Itachi may be powerful, but he doesn't have even a fraction of Madara's godly powers.
Kabuto Yakushi
A man who nearly achieved the power of the Sage of Six Paths, Kabuto Yakushi acquired powers that even Orochimaru failed to gain. He was strong enough to fight against Itachi Uchiha during the Great Ninja War, cementing him as one of Naruto's greatest combatants. Although defeating Itachi could've been possible for him, beating Madara was certainly not something that he could've ever achieved in the series. When it comes to Madara Uchiha, the difference in power between the two is just way too massive. Nonetheless, Kabuto could've at least provided a decent fight for Madara.
Might Guy
Might Guy is a master at hand-to-hand combat, and he's shown that countless times throughout Naruto. Not only has Guy fought against the likes of Kisame and absolutely decimated them in battle, but he's also clashed against Madara Uchiha during the Fourth Great Ninja War. Using the Eight Inner Gates, Guy was able to overwhelm Madara in a fight, not giving him even an inch. In fact, he nearly killed Madara with his Night Guy technique. Unfortunately, the toll that the Eight Inner Gates take on Guy's body is way too much for him to use this technique for long, which is why it inevitably fell short.
Minato Namikaze
Also known as Konoha's Yellow Flash, Minato was a once-in-a-generation prodigy who went on to become the Hokage of his village at a very young age. Using his skills, he was single-handedly able to end the Third Great Ninja War, which goes to show how impressive his abilities were. Despite all that, Minato's skills are far inferior to Madara Uchiha's and this was proven multiple times during the war. Since Minato struggled to fight against 10-Tails Obito, beating Madara Uchiha is certainly not possible for him. Thankfully, Minato's son would grow up to be much stronger than him.