The prodigy of Might Guy, Rock Lee is the foremost expert on taijutsu in the Naruto universe. His story is one of hardship, struggle, and ultimately triumph, having overcome his lack of abilities in ninjutsu and genjutsu and grown into the fine shinobi he had always dreamed he could be.
Despite this inspiring tale of progression and success, Rock Lee's development does not entail he overshadows every shinobi in the anime. As much as he has excelled, there are some adversaries that he will never be able to defeat since he did not reach the echelons of his teacher.
10 SURPASSED: Kimimaro Since Lee Mastered The Gates
Once, Kimimaro would have been a daunting threat for Rock Lee to overcome, as evinced by their encounter during the Sasuke retrieval arc. His bones were hard as steel and he was able to project them in any direction, forcing the taijutsu master to rely on Gaara's assistance to succeed.
This initial fight occurred before Lee's mastery of his gates and right after he was out of the hospital. Subsequently, it reasons that should the current Lee face the Sound Four veteran, he would dispatch him easily and without the Kazekage's aid.
9 NEVER: Obito With The Power Of His Eyes
Obito's balance between the Sharingan and Rinnegan combine assets and utilities Lee himself will never have access to. His Uchiha eye helps him follow his opponent's disorienting movements well, and the other grants him the many abilities of Pain.
Further, his Kamui makes him become intangible for up to five minutes, able to phase in and out of the corporeal world on a whim. This synthesis of abilities entails that Lee's taijutsu would be insufficient, especially since he cannot fight the fallen shinobi on his own terms.
8 SURPASSED: Kankuro In Terms Of Speed & Taijutsu
Kankuro's skills have come a long way since his debut in the Chunin Exam. He has increased the number of puppets he can control at any given time, even using the body of his rival, Sasori, to add to his arsenal.
Regardless, the Sand shinobi still has many of the fundamental fighting flaws that he did in his youth. Specifically, Kankuro himself is not fast, nor is he a particularly competent taijutsu fighter on his own merits. This would allow Lee to bypass his opponent's projectiles and annihilate him with a single kick before he could recall his chakra threads and bring his puppets to his defense.
7 NEVER: Might Guy With His Superior Taijutsu
As much as Might Guy would have preferred it, Rock Lee has never shown the aptitude for taijutsu as that of his mentor. The jonin was capable of punching through dozens of sharks, swimming against the currents of a tidal wave, and even kicking so hard that it bends space itself.
In a desperate fight, Guy's ability to bridle the final gate places him well above Rock Lee, especially against opponents as impossible as Madara Uchiha. He was the only person to have bested him fairly and individually aside from Hashirama himself.
6 SURPASSED: Jugo In Having Command & Control In Battle
The bestial Jugo was an ally of Sasuke whose condition hardened his skin and greatly enhanced his physical strength. This made him a worthy brawling opponent and one that relied primarily on blunt damage, much like Rock Lee himself.
While Jugo's curse may fortify his body, he fights savagely and without grace or technique. Therefore, Rock Lee's already considerable advantage in experience is even more useful, as he can lure his shinobi opponent into making a clumsy mistake before dispatching him for good.
5 NEVER: Naruto With The Power Of The Nine-Tails & Sage Mode
There was a point at which Rock Lee's strength was greater than Naruto's at the beginning of the series. Though it's important not to understate how much the taijutsu genius has thrived, the Seventh Hokage's progression has been even more profound (even if this does not entail he trained harder).
Naruto made peace with Kurama, learned the Rasengan, harnessed Sage Mode chakra, and was gifted the ancient power of Haguromo. Between these amazing augmentations, there are arguably no characters in the series that have ascended as remarkably as he has (rivaled only by his longtime friend, Sasuke Uchiha).
4 SURPASSED: Shikamaru By Outspeeding His Shadows
Shikamaru Nara's Shadow Possession Jutsu has evolved from merely being able to paralyze opponents to strangling them and even manifesting as sharp spikes. This greatly enhances his usefulness as a shinobi, as he is no longer exclusively reliant on one strategy to procure a win.
Still, his shadows are only as fast as his speed to use them, and even a fully matured Shikamaru could not match the velocity of Rock Lee. Moreover, he is only capable of defending himself from one direction, guaranteeing the taijutsu prodigy's success against the Leaf's finest strategist.
3 NEVER: Kabuto By Integrating Fellow Shinobi's Powers Into His Own
Kabuto and Rock Lee are the antitheses of one another. One works hard to excel in their strength and hone their physical body, while the other attempts to capitalize on the accomplishments of other shinobi and integrate them into his own.
Of the two of them, Kabuto's rise in power has been much more consequential than Lee's, especially given his ability to overcome Sasuke and Itachi simultaneously (forcing the latter to use a forbidden jutsu to win temporarily). With the power of the Sound Four and senjutsu at his disposal, he could disorient Lee and ruin any chance he might have.
2 SURPASSED: Neji In Terms Of Endurance & Stamina
Lee's longtime rival, he was ultimately able to surpass Neji by the point of his death in Shippuden. Though the servant of the Hyuga clan may have begun his shinobi career as an austere, disciplined, and extremely competent warrior, he has not developed many techniques ever since his day in the Chunin Exams.
Further, he is easily fatigued, as seen through his fight against Kidomaru. This would give Rock Lee an even more staggering advantage in a recent fight, as his endurance is perhaps the greatest in all of Konoha's (barring that of Naruto's or Sasuke's).
1 NEVER: Sasuke With His Sharingan & Rinnegan
Sasuke may have been humiliated by Rock Lee in their first encounter, but a recent skirmish would yield conclusive results in the rogue Uchiha's favor. Ever since their fight, he has mastered the Chidori, perfected his Sharingan, gained the Rinnegan, and was bestowed the great power of the Sage of Six Paths.
All Sasuke would need to do to effectively fight the taijutsu expert is use his Sharingan to track his movements, set him aflame with Amaterasu, and use his Susanoo to comfortably shield himself as his foe burns to death.