There are only a handful of iconic anime characters who are known worldwide, and Naruto is one of them. People love Naruto because he started off as a trouble-making knucklehead who wanted to become the Hokage to make people acknowledge him. As the series goes on, he becomes far more mature, and he is willing to put all the world's hatred on his shoulders to obtain peace.
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When Naruto was in his prime, he had full control of the Nine-Tailed Fox's chakra because he was a perfect Jinchuriki, and he had a portion of the other Tailed Beasts' chakra as well. He also mastered the art of Sage Mode. Naruto is one of the strongest ninja in history, but there are a few characters who could still beat him in his prime.
Updated March 22, 2023, by George Voutiritsas: Naruto's journey may have ended when his series wrapped up, but he has been a prominent character in Boruto, where fans get to see him as the Seventh Hokage. Prior to losing Kurama, Naruto was in his prime, as he was a perfect Jinchuriki who had mastered Sage Mode and numerous other ninja techniques. That being said, there are still a few characters who could theoretically beat Naruto in his prime.
15 Kisame Hoshigaki
Kisame was one of the first Akatsuki members to appear, and in terms of overall chakra, he might have been the strongest. His chakra reserves were so massive, that he was considered a Tailed Beast without a tail. Naruto may be a perfect Jincuriki, but Kisame is perfectly capable of fighting him thanks to Samehada.
Samehada is a sentient sword that absorbs chakra from those it cuts. With the sword, Kisame was able to defeat the Four-Tails' Jinchuriki by himself, and he would have defeated the Eight-Tails' Jinchuriki if Samehada had not betrayed him. Kisame can simply drain Naruto of his chakra to knock him unconscious.
14 Hidan
Hidan may have not been the most skilled Akatsuki member, but he was still a deadly ninja. He obtained immortality by studying the Jashin religion's forbidden techniques, which also included a curse that turned him into a living voodoo doll.
All Hidan needs to do is ingest some of his target's blood and step inside a Jashin symbol. Once this happens, his target will suffer every injury that he sustains. This curse was used to kill Asuma and take down the Jinchuriki of the Two-Tails, so it could take Naruto out as well.
13 Pakura
There are plenty of Naruto women who deserved more screen time, and Pakura is one of them. The Sand Village considered her to be a hero when she was alive, and she was a force to be reckoned with thanks to her kekkei genkai.
With Scorch Release, Pakura could create heat orbs that look like miniature suns, and if these were to hit someone, all the moisture in their body would instantly evaporate. This makes Pakura a lethal melee fighter, and even with the Nine-Tails, Naruto would not survive being mummified.
12 Deidara
Deidara possessed the Explosion Release kekkei genkai, which is why he was recruited to be the Akatsuki's explosives expert. He would mold his explosive chakra into clay, which he could animate and detonate at any time.
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In reality, prime Naruto would be able to survive most of Deidara's explosions thanks to his Nine-Tails transformation, but he would not be able to survive C4. With this jutsu, Deidara creates a colossal version of himself which creates thousands of microscopic bombs. If Naruto breathes in any of these bombs, he will be disintegrated at the cellular level once they are detonated.
11 Mu
Mu was the Second Tsuchikage, and he can still be considered one of the strongest Kage because of his unique body and his ability to use Dust Release. He was known as the "Non-person" because his body allowed him to leave no physical traces behind, and his chakra could not be detected.
Even with Sage Mode, prime Naruto would not be able to sense him coming. With Dust Release, Mu could create three-dimensional objects that he could fire at Naruto. If Naruto were to be caught inside one of these objects when it expands, he would be disintegrated.
10 Gengetsu Hozuki
Gengetsu was the Second Mizukage, and he died while fighting Mu. Like other members of the Hozuki clan, he could use the Hydrification Technique, which allows him to liquefy his body. Thanks to this ability, most of Naruto's attacks would safely pass through his body.
Gengetsu utilizes a special type of genjutsu when he summons a giant clam. The clam creates realistic mirages that would confuse even Naruto's Sage Mode-enhanced senses. When used in tandem with his constantly exploding chibi clone, Naruto will not be able to avoid Gengetsu's destructive attacks for long.
9 Torune Aburame
Torune was a highly skilled member of Danzo's Root organization, and he was part of the underutilized Aburame Clan. Like other members of his clan, Torune used insects during combat, but he possessed a special breed of nano-sized insects known as the Rinkaichu.
These insects do most of their damage through direct physical contact, and if Naruto and Torune engaged in melee combat, one touch would mean the end for Naruto. These insects destroy the cells of those they attack, which causes excruciating pain. Torune fought one of Naruto's empowered clones during the war and fought on pretty even ground.
8 Ten-Tails Madara
Madara was highly skilled and intelligent, and he possessed incredible chakra as well as a powerful Sharingan. He decimated the Allied Shinobi Forces, making him one of the deadliest villains in the series, and he basically became a god when he became the Ten-Tails' Jinchuriki.
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While in this form, Madara was the strongest being on the planet, and even Naruto and Sasuke had a hard time fighting him when they both possessed power from the Sage of Six Paths. Naruto may have gotten stronger when he reached his prime, but Madara's experience and power would still overwhelm him.
7 Hiruzan Sarutobi
Hiruzen was the Third Hokage, and despite being in his late 60s, he was still able to fight Orochimaru and his reanimated predecessors at the same time. When he died, he was still a powerful ninja, but he was well past his prime, which means that he would be able to keep up with prime Naruto.
Prime Hiruzen is a completely different beast though, as he was considered to be the strongest Hokage in history during that time. He is one of the few ninja who could possibly beat the First Hokage. He was even hailed as a "God of Shinobi," which is a moniker that even Naruto has not achieved.
6 Hashirama Senju
Hashirama Senju was the First Hokage, and he was the only ninja who was able to take on Madara Uchiha and win. Like Naruto, he mastered Sage Mode, and he possessed immense chakra reserves, but unlike Naruto, he could heal quickly without the Nine-Tails' help.
What makes Hashirama so strong is his Wood Release, which he used to capture eight of the Tailed Beasts. With Wood Release: Deep Forest Bloom, he could put prime Naruto to sleep, and his 1,000 Armed Kan'non can take on the Nine-Tails even when it is encased in Susanoo armor. In general, his Wood Release would be able to drain Naruto of all his personal and Tailed Beast chakra.
5 Shisui Uchiha
Shisui was a prodigy, and Danzo claimed that he was the strongest Uchiha of his generation. Shisui mastered the Body Flicker technique to the point that he would leave no physical trace behind, and not even the best sensory ninja could tell where he was going.
If he were forced to fight Naruto, the battle would end very quickly thanks to his Kotoamatsukami. Shisui gained this ability when he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan, and with it, he could enter Naruto's mind and make him yield or maim himself. This is a form of mind control, as Naruto would believe he is performing these actions of his own free will.
4 Kaguya Otsutsuki
Kaguya is the progenitor of chakra on Earth, making her one of the strongest characters in the series. It is true that Naruto was able to beat Kaguya, but it only happened because he had help from Sakura, Obito, Kakashi, and Sasuke. Kaguya had no experience fighting ninja, but she could still defeat Naruto in a one-on-one fight.
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Kaguya can transport herself and others to other dimensions with Amenominaka. Naruto cannot travel dimensions on his own, so she could literally trap him somewhere. With the All-Killing Ash Bones ability, she could fire sharp bone projectiles at Naruto, and if he gets hit, his body would turn to ash.
3 Might Guy
Might Guy may be the most positive character in the series, but he is also a Taijutsu master who received immense praise from Madara. Guy could unlock all eight Inner Gates, and in doing so, he would briefly gain power that far surpasses the combined strength of the Five Kage.
Naruto and Sasuke combined could not seriously injure Ten-Tails Madara, but Guy nearly killed him while using all eight gates. While Guy is in this state, not even Naruto's Nine-Tails transformation would be able to protect him.
2 Itachi Uchiha
Even by Uchiha standards, Itachi was a prodigy, and he gained numerous abilities when he awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan. Prime Naruto may be strong, but he would still fall victim to Itachi's Tsukuyomi. Itachi also used Amaterasu's black flames to defeat the Fouth Mizukage, a Perfect Jinchuriki like Naruto.
Even if Naruto could get past those abilities, he would stand no chance against Itachi's Susanoo. It is equipped with the Yata Mirror, a mythical shield that can block any attack, and it wields the Totsuka Blade, which can pierce anything and trap the target in a genjustu world for eternity. With these items, Itachi's Susanoo is said to be invincible.
1 Sasuke Uchiha
When Naruto ended, Naruto and Sasuke were so strong that they could easily take over the ninja world if they wanted to. In his prime, Naruto mastered the Nine-Tails and Sage Mode, whereas Sasuke possessed a powerful Mangekyo Sharingan, a perfect Susanoo, and a Rinnegan.
Sasuke's Susanoo is a match for Naruto's Tailed Beast transformation, and his Rinnegan's ability to swap places makes it a decent counter to Naruto's Sage Mode. They may be equals, but Sasuke gets the edge because he can take Naruto down with the black flames of Amaterasu, which cannot be extinguished.
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