Everyone loves ninjas. They work mostly at night, wear a bunch of black, and have enough gadgets to rival Batman—what’s not to like? And though none of that applies to Konoha’s #1 Knucklehead Ninja, he’s still managed to gain a rather large fanbase over the years. We’ve watched him grow from a character who had zero special moves, to one who had a single special move he used in nearly every fight, to someone with more special moves and transformations than a Saiyan.
By the end of the series, Naruto is definitely one of the most dangerous and powerful ninjas of all time in his universe. But what about outside his universe? Is there a ninja capable of threatening him, or does he rule over them all? This list takes a look at five fictional ninjas Naruto could crush...and five he wouldn’t stand a chance against.
10 CAN BEAT: STORM SHADOW
Did you know Storm Shadow’s real name is Arashikage, which literally means “Storm Shadow” in Japanese? Too bad literally none of that would help him in a fight against Naruto.
He’s an awesome character—the Cobra inverse of the silent Joe and his mortal enemy Snake Eyes, but he doesn’t have enough supernatural firepower to take on someone like Naruto. His skills are more along the line of traditional ninjutsu and their weaponry—shuriken, katana, nunchaku. All stuff that’s just going to get obliterated by the first Rasengan.
9 CAN’T BEAT: SASUKE
Yeah, we know. There’s nothing Sasuke deserves more than being punched in the face for all the trouble he causes Naruto and the rest of the Konoha village. But while the last of the Uchiha people spends most of the series being a total jerk, that’s not really relevant to the discussion at hand.
We saw these two go at it at the tail end of the manga, and Naruto Shippuden. It resulted in a draw, and while Naruto is more experienced and more powerful now than then...so is Sasuke. The result if these two fought again would likely be the same.
8 CAN BEAT: IBUKI
First appearing in Street Fighter III: The New Generation, Ibuki has a little in common with Naruto in that when things begin they’re both ninja-in-training. But that’s about where the comparisons stop, as Ibuki would love nothing more than to just be a normal teenage girl, while Naruto wants to be the leader of his village of ninja.
Though she’s quite talented at being a ninja, the sheer scale of power needed to fight Naruto even after he first learns to use Sage Mode is beyond what she’s capable of generating, nevermind what he’s capable of at the end of the show.
7 CAN’T BEAT: NINJAK
It sounds insane, and practically it’s true that Naruto is more than powerful enough to run right over Colin King. But not every battle is won with power.
Colin has spent years as a master spy, training under different kinds of martial artists. But his armor is also the most advanced piece of tech Naruto or anyone in his universe has ever seen. It’s allowed him to withstand attacks from the X-O armor, and even more.
Colin could never take Naruto in a fair fight, but he can sound sincere enough long enough to trick Naruto before poisoning him or otherwise finding a way to incapacitate him.
6 CAN BEAT: LADY SHIVA
Lady Shiva is one of the top 3 most talented martial artists in the DC Universe. For those who aren’t aware, she’s the person who helped train Batman and regain his killer instinct after Bane beat him during the Knightfall storyline. She’s an amazing fighter, but she doesn’t have anywhere near the skill necessary to take Naruto out.
We’ve seen her lose to a much less experienced Tim Drake when he had superpowers. And while Colin King could fake sincerity long enough to trick Naruto, Shiva’s bloodlust would stick out to someone like Naruto and result in her being taken out.
5 CAN’T BEAT: PSYLOCKE
It’s true, Naruto is vastly more powerful than Psylocke when it comes to true destructive force. He’s got the Nine-Tails inside him and she’s got...a psychic knife, the focused totality of her telepathic powers. But Claremont-isms aside, not every fight is won on the battlefield.
Naruto could definitely get her in a hand to hand match up, but the fused version of Psylocke also happened to be an Omega Level telepath. At best, Naruto gets a few steps in before Psylocke shuts his mind down. Maybe she makes him forget to breathe or just stops his bodily functions from moving before ending him.
4 CAN BEAT: ELEKTRA
Elektra’s a pretty talented ninja...we guess. Seriously, she got mopped by Bullseye, someone Daredevil has managed to beat over and over later on without trying all that hard. And while Daredevil is a unique enough talent, he lacks the speed and offensive power Naruto has.
Plus, what’s to be done about someone who can literally make his own army of soldiers to attack you with? Sure, Elektra’s dealt with the Hand before, but Naruto’s army of ninjas are actually effective at the end of the series.
3 CAN’T BEAT: RYU HAYABUSA
Most people reading this probably have no idea who Ryu is (he’s the lead character of the Ninja Gaiden series), but it’s probably not the best idea to underestimate someone regarded as the most powerful ninja in their own world.
Unlike many of the other characters on this list, Ryu doesn’t need to rely on tricks like poison or psychic powers—he can match a lot of what Naruto is capable of, using his chi to generate massive attacks and even create huge flaming dragons for summons. This, combined with his experience and overall superior training would lead to him taking the match, though hopefully, the two could settle things without it getting lethal.
2 CAN BEAT: THE NINJA TURTLES
There’s at least one member of the Ninja Turtles most people like more than Naruto. But unfortunately, as lovable as this fearsome fighting team is, it’s not going to be enough to beat a guy who can summon giant toads, create energy attacks that can vaporize enemies, and has an endless well of chakra to draw from.
Leonardo can lead, and Raphael can be cool (but rude), but unless Donatello can invent a machine capable of draining Naruto of his chakra or separating him from the Nine-Tails, it’s going to be an incredibly quick loss for them.
1 CAN’T BEAT: THE NINJA RANGERS
For argument’s sake, let’s go with the original Power Rangers who were ninja rather than Ninja Storm or Ninja Steel. Nonetheless, the accumulated power and experience Naruto has isn’t going to cut it against these guys.
They face supernatural foes with incredible powers...once a week, basically. Yeah, Naruto can rely on his summons or energy attacks, but the Rangers have their own energy weapons and have fought through more than Naruto can bring to bear. And if all else fails? They’ve got multiple giant robots they can throw at him. He’s amazing, but not quite Ninja Ultrazord amazing.