At its core, Naruto is all about teamwork and friendship. And with the power of friendship being a focal point of the series, it’s only natural that the plot would wrap itself around the premise. If it’s not the unveiling of a story thread that solely focuses on said premise, then it would be a significant part of the final touches to a regular thread. The point is, the concept of comrades is inseparable from Naruto.

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With that being the case, most, if not all, big fights feature a group at either or both sides. There’s plenty of heavy-hitters who Naruto failed to tackle on his own. And against these bad guys, he had to borrow the strength of a friend or friends.

10 Zabuza Momochi & Haku

naruto and sasuke in hakus ice mirrors naruto

The Land of the Waves arc was the perfect prologue that cemented the series' greatness in the fans’ hearts. The entire sequence featured heaps of blood-pumping action and tear-jerking drama operating in tandem with each other.

The final battle, in particular, snatched the fans’ loyalty. Though before the emotional climax, Naruto and Sasuke faced off against Haku with their lives on the line. It was a difficult fight that they eventually overcame with sheer willpower.

9 Kabuto

Naruto vs Kabuto Tsunade

The villainous underdog’s first encounter with Naruto and the Team 7 gang was overwhelmingly inconspicuous, to say the least. No one would’ve expected that such a nerdy and seemingly unpowered character would singlehandedly grab the shinobi world by its neck.

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But long before that grand achievement, he first succeeded in grabbing Naruto specifically by the neck. Of course, the latter delivered a finishing blow to him, but that was only after receiving Tsunade’s assistance.

8 Deidara

Deidara Dropping A Bomb On The Sand Village

The opening arc of the series’ sequel made it pretty evident that the Akatsuki’s role in the series was going to be a significant one. The team’s designated targets for this arc were Deidara and Sasori, a pair of murderous shinobi enraptured by their own arts.

While Sakura and Chiyo were busy keeping Sasori at bay, it was Naruto and Kakashi’s job to take down Deidara— A job they failed due to the latter's escape.

7 Kakazu

Kakuzu the villain in naruto

Kakazu and Hidan, aka the immortal duo, proved to be really troublesome to deal with. Team Kakashi and Team Asuma had to dive all in to overcome the opponents’ problematic immortality. And even with that being the case, they still suffered a tragic casualty.

On Kakazu’s side of the battlefield, Naruto and Kakashi acted as the main offense. And even with them chipping off Kakazu’s lifeblood one slash at a time, they still suffered dearly. Naruto was forced to use Rasenshuricken, an underdeveloped technique at the time, to seal the final deal.

6 Orochimaru

Orochimaru- naruto

Like master, like apprentice: On quite a few occasions, Orochimaru was only fended off by the combined efforts of Naruto and his comrades. Without the help of his friends, chances are Naruto would not have been able to defeat the Undying Snake.

Their first encounter in the Forest of Death was exactly so. Naruto and Sasuke had to fight hand-in-hand to repel him.

5 Reanimated Nagato

Nagato Uzumaki Has Large Reserves Of Chakra

Unlike their first fight in Konoha, Naruto and Nagato’s fight in the Fourth Shinobi World War was not as noteworthty. After all, there was no malice or conflict of morals during this one, and the philosophy was considerably toned down as well.

However, like their first fight, Nagato managed to give Naruto a good run for his money. Had it not been for Itachi’s timely assistance, it’s highly likely that Naruto would’ve come out of it with at least one missing limb.

4 The Ten-Tails

Ten-tails in the manga

Fans assumed the Ten-Tails would be one the most prominent final bosses of the arc, and in hindsight, it wasn’t that memorable— at least when compared to the real giants of the arc. It did nearly obliterate the Alliance, but it was eventually subdued with relative ease.

The timely support of Sasuke, Orochimaru, and the former Hokage alleviated a good chunk of pressure from the fighting army which eventually led to the enemy’s defeat.

3 Obito Uchiha

Obito Uchiha Ten Tails Jinchūriki

As one of the central antagonists of the series, Obito’s performance during the final battle was more than monstrous. He singlehandedly managed to pressure the Shinobi Alliance into their knees.

A whole bunch of ninja engaged with him whilst holding hands. And it was only with their combined efforts on top of Naruto’s magnificent Talk no Jutsu-induced fist were they able to defeat the tragic villain.

2 Madara Uchiha

Madara Uchiha vs Sakura and Sasuke

Just when the alliance thought they won the war by defeating Obito, Madara proved them wrong by dramatically popping up. With his chakra wizardry, he awakened into a supreme being, one that gave the alliance an even harsher beating than Obito’s.

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On this battlefield, however, everyone else was incapable of interfering. It was the members of Team 7 who faced-off against and defeated Madara.

1 Kaguya Otsutsuki

kaguya naruto

Just when Naruto and the team breathed a sigh of relief thinking they won the war (again), Kaguya popped up, even more dramatically than her predecessor. Needless to say, fans were more or less exhausted by the trope at this point. With no other option, the members of Team 7, once again, unsheathed their swords and engaged in the final battle (for real this time).

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