Summary
Naruto Uzumaki is one of the strongest known characters in theNarutoseries, along with Sasuke Uchiha. From a very young age,Naruto and Sasukehave competed against each other and when they were placed in the same ninja team, this competition grew into an even bigger rivalry.
Over the years, the two have rivaled each other and even fought against the other on several occasions. Having always been close in strength, the two have often topped one another and there have been many times when Naruto Uzumaki pulled ahead of Sasuke.
Updated on June 30, 2025, by Rei Penber:Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are two of the fiercest ninjas in the Naruto series. They are also fierce rivals, and fans have seen them erupt into battles against each other on many occasions throughout the run of Naruto. Of course, Naruto and Sasuke have always been neck and neck. However, there have been instances in the story where Sasuke has held the advantage over Naruto, and similarly, instances where Naruto has held the advantage over him. The latter is a situation that is often overlooked by the fans, however, it is certainly prevalent throughout the series. While this list already goes over many instances where Naruto showcased his superiority, there are others that deserve a mention as well. With that, this list has now been updated.
23In The Forest Of Death
Naruto Fought While Sasuke Froze
In the Forest of Death, Naruto and Sasuke reached a new level of strength. Especially when Orochimaru struck, Sasuke was frozen in fear, while Naruto Uzumaki jumped into battle and fought against the giant snake that attacked them. Naruto was, of course, knocked out of commission, however, Sasuke could do nothing but quiver in fear.
Credit to Sasuke, he was able to fight back against Orochimaru moments later with his Sharingan. However, had Naruto unleashed the power of the Nine-Tails that he did against Haku, he would have been head and shoulders above Sasuke. At this point in the story, Naruto had a higher peak than Sasuke, and that just goes to show that he was superior to him.
22When Naruto Learned The Shadow Clone Technique
Naruto was deemed to be a failure in his Academy days. Sasuke was far stronger than him at this point in time, however, when Naruto learned the Multi-shadow Clone Technique, it was quite clear to see that Sasuke did not have it in him to match Naruto in combat. While Sasuke certainly had more grace and skill when it comes to ninja techniques, in terms of brute strength and overall power, Naruto was superior.
He could produce thousands upon thousands of clones at the time while Sasuke could not even tap into the power of the Sharingan. What’s more, Naruto had quite a lot of chakra inside him so he could continuously keep fighting while Sasuke did not have enough to keep up with him. If, by any miracle, Sasuke managed to weaken Naruto a bit, his Nine Tails Chakra would start showing up and this would then make the battle even harder for his enemy. At this point, Naruto was certainly stronger. A competition between these two would have been interesting but Naruto would certainly have emerged on top.
21When He Attacked And Tied Up Sasuke
While Naruto and Sasuke have had many great fights, they had one small scuffle where Naruto assaulted Sasuke and tied him up, and then proceeded to use a transformation jutsu to take his form and talk to Sakura. In thisNaruto vs Sasuke fight, Naruto showed that he was smarter and stronger than Sasuke. The latter got completely outclassed by him and, not just defeated, but also tied up. While this isn’t a significant battle, it still goes to show that Naruto had enough in him to plan this out and execute it to perfection. Undoubtedly, this goes to show that Naruto was, at the time, stronger than Sasuke.
20Naruto Vs. Haku
The Land of Waves arc saw Naruto and Sasuke take on Haku all alone and as expected, the two were severely outclassed by him.
When Sasuke lost to Haku by using his body to shield Naruto, Naruto tapped into the power of the Nine-Tails and absolutely overpowered the shinobi. At that particular time, Naruto was far stronger than Sasuke and could even give Haku a run for his money.
19Naruto Vs. Gaara
The Chunin Exams arc ofNarutosaw several powerful ninjas assemble in Konohagakure, and Gaara was easily the strongest of the lot. As expected, Sasuke had his eyes on him andthe two fought during the Chunin Exams.
While Sasuke did extremely well against Gaara, he wasn’t able to defeat him. In the end, it was none other than Naruto who, using his clever strategies and the Nine-Tails chakra, was able to take on Gaara and defeat him in an all-out battle.
18When He Learned The Rasengan
The Rasengan was taught to Naruto by Jiraiya, his mentor. At the same time, Sasuke learned to use the Chidori from Kakashi.
While both jutsu are powerful in their own right, when the two clashed on the rooftop, it was Naruto whose jutsu appeared to have done more damage. In fact, this frustrated Sasuke quite a bit and forced him to seek even greater power later on in the story.
17When He Went Berserk
The Nine-Tails within Naruto Uzumaki wasn’t always his friend. Whenever Naruto relied on its power, he was hurt considerably, or he hurt those around him. In some instances, the Tailed Beast succeeded in taking over his body and harming all those around him.
At the same time, however, it also granted Naruto tremendous power. When Naruto unlocked four tails for the first time, he was much stronger than Orochimaru and would’ve even given Sasuke a run for his money. In fact, even if Sasuke managed to push him into a corner, Naruto could still increase the number of tails and get even stronger. Without a doubt, when he lost control,Naruto was stronger than Sasukeinitially in the story.
16Naruto Vs. Pain
To protect Konohagakure and avenge Jiraiya, Naruto learned the usage of Sage Mode under Fukasaku of Mount Myoboku. After quite a lot of harsh training,Naruto was able to master Sage Mode. Soon after, he clashed against Pain in Konohagakure and managed to defeat him.
At this point in time, Naruto was much stronger than Sasuke who, although had the Mangekyo Sharingan, had no idea about how to use its true powers. Sasuke simply lacked the chakra and strength to take him down.
15Naruto Vs. Reanimated Kage
The Fourth Great Ninja War saw Naruto take the stage when the war had already begun but once he did, he made his presence known. Using his shadow clones, Naruto spread to every corner of the battlefield and fought the reanimated Kage.
He took down the Third Raikage and even defeated Mu, the Second Tsuchikage. Furthermore, he also stopped Madara’s assault on the Shinobi Alliance with Wood Release and saved everyone. At this point, Sasuke’s Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan wasn’t ready and he was much weaker.
14Naruto Fought Longer In The War
Naruto’s contribution in the Fourth Great Ninja War was immense as he helped out across the battlefield to stop the Akatsuki from killing people. While Sasuke also joined the war, he did so quite late and was thus fresh.
Naruto, on the other hand, was fighting for days and had expended quite a lot more energy than Sasuke did. Despite everything, he was able to be equal to Sasuke and even get the better of him on occasions.
