Top 10 Naruto Fights
#10: Rock Lee & Gaara vs. Kimimaro
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Given how one was effectively crippled by the other, seeing these two team up was probably the last thing fans expected to see back in the day. Guess there’s something about the threat of a ninja who can use his own spine as a weapon that just brings people together. After recovering from surgery, Lee hops into the battle to aid Naruto against the ill yet deadly Kimimaro, resulting in a wickedly fast-paced battle complete with the green beast unleashing drunken boxing at one point. Of course, the real highlight appears soon after in the form of Gaara, who by this point had forgone his former murderous nature in exchange for being the ultimate tag-team partner.
#9: Neji vs. Kidomaru
Prodigy or not, Neji was put through the ringer on this one. Humbled from his loss to Naruto during the Chunin Exams, it falls to the Byakugan user to take on the arachnid of the Sound Four – one who not only prefers to camp out and snipe his opponents with jutsu arrows, but can also summon an army of giant spiders. While you’d think a guy who excels in hand to hand combat would be stumped by this, Neji nonetheless came out on top by getting up close and landing so many blows he turned the demon spider’s insides into mulch. Sure, he had to get himself shot first, but hey, it’s the result that matters!
#8: Shikamaru vs. Temari
Aka, How I Met Your Mother: Shinobi Edition. While her wind-based jutsu was devastating in its own right, Temari and her giant fan didn’t have a patch on Shikamaru and his genius-level intellect. While he’d rather spend his days playing shogi and wishing he was a cloud, he’s nonetheless a master when it comes to tactics and thinking two hundred steps ahead of his opponent. Despite ultimately losing the match, the way in which he and his Shadow Possession Just nearly turned the tables on Temari left her stunned.
#7: Jiraiya, Tsunade & Naruto vs. Orochimaru & Kabuto
It’s a Sannin showdown with an extra helping of Rasengan! After his attempts to get Tsunade to heal his arms end in failure, Orochimaru launches an all-out assault, resulting in all three former comrades unleashing their signature summons for a super-sized brawl. While it’s all kinds of awesome to see a giant toad, slug and snake duke it out, the real treat here is seeing Naruto step in to defend a weakened Tsunade from Kabuto’s fatal attack, allowing him the opportunity to let loose what would later become his signature technique with a bang.
#6: Naruto vs. Neji
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While he would later go on to earn widespread admiration, this was the first time that Naruto made the village that ostracised him recognise his accomplishments. Vowing to avenge Hinata, Naruto goes head to head with the cocky Hyuga in the latter stages of the Chunin Exam, where he proceeds to get his ass handed to him due to Neji’s Gentle Fist style and all-seeing Byakugan. What to do when your clones are rendered useless? Borrow some chakra from the Nine Tailed Fox, hide underground, and deliver one hell of an uppercut.
#5: Orochimaru vs. Third Hokage
Just because he’s in his twilight years doesn’t mean the old geezer can’t fight. As Orochimaru’s siege of the Leaf Village commences, it falls to the Hokage to put his ex-student down, in a battle that contains everything from a transforming monkey to the reanimated corpses of dead Kage. Sure, the struggle to rip out Orochimaru’s soul may have felt like it went on for an eternity and a half, but everything else in this battle was pure hype, especially with the insane number of jutsus both were letting loose!
#4: Team 7 vs. Zabuza & Haku
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The first legitimate battle of the series, and it delivered on all fronts. You’ve got Kakashi putting his skills to the test against Zabuza, Sasuke and Naruto trying to hold their own against Haku and his deadly ice mirrors, not to mention the first reveal of the Nine Tailed Fox, in which Naruto unknowingly taps into his inner beast and sends the masked assassin flying with but a single, demonic punch. While humble compared to every other major battle in the series, the narrative pay-off here would continue to ripple and shape all those involved.
#3: Naruto vs. Gaara
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Meshing together high-octane action with the rather tragic truth that these two are reflections of one another, Naruto’s desperate struggle against his fellow Jinchuriki was the perfect way to bring this arc to a close. Consumed by his own murderous tendencies, the sand user doesn’t hesitate to awaken the One Tailed Shukaku, who is all too happy to go on a rampage. Thankfully, it’s nothing a giant toad can’t compete against, with Naruto utilizing all of his summoning training as well as a punch to Gaara so hard that he suffers a drastic alignment change.
#2: Rock Lee vs. Gaara
Quite possibly the highlight of the entire Chunin Exams, this was the fight that not only took Lee from comic relief to an endearing monster of a fighter, but didn’t hold back on the drama either. Despite have no jutsu of his own, Lee’s dedication to his training proves to be superior than Gaara’s instant sand defence, moving so fast and hitting so hard that it’s not long before he’s kicking the insomniac all over the arena, especially after he starts opening the Eight Gates one after another. The only thing more potent than those punches was the sight of an unconscious Lee struggling to continue the fight after an enraged Gaara broke his arm and leg. Before we reveal our number one pick, here are a few honorable mentions. Sasuke vs. Orochimaru Shikamaru vs. Tayuya Hinata vs. Neji Choji vs. Jirobo
#1: Naruto vs. Sasuke
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While their rematch in Shippuden would dominate as the best the series had to offer, half the reason that battle was so resounding was due to it building upon this earlier confrontation, in which the two frenemies come to blows in the Valley of the End. Determined to drag Sasuke back to the Leaf Village, Naruto goes on the warpath, with Sasuke’s singular drive to become stronger for the sake of vengeance matching him every step of the way. Pushed beyond their limits, the two eventually give into their dark sides and access the power of the Nine Tailed Fox and Curse Mark respectively, leading to a next level clash between the Rasengan and the Chidori!
