When talking aboutthe best animes of all time, most people would includeNarutoin their list. The Narutoverse is filled with complex characters,beautiful story arcs, and emotional battles. Whether it was our favorite sensei’s swan song or a character’s first time showing off their true strength, we witness how the creators weave truly meaningful and beautiful moments throughout a battle.
From world-conquering antagonists to lonely and ostracized kids, the fights include a wide range of characters and backgrounds that open viewers up to a host of different emotions.Before you know it, a beautifully choreographed fight can leave audiences in tears.
10Orochimaru vs Hiruzen
Winner: Orochimaru
The Third Hokage, Hiruzen, is seen as the authority figure in the village and Konohamaru’s grandfather. We don’t get a deep dive of him until his fight with Orochimaru. It was a beautiful fight between sensei and student, with Hiruzen trying his best to get his former student to come to his senses. However, no matter what he said, Orochimaru was dead set on destroying the village. The fight left every viewer on the edge of their seat, waiting to see how this fight could possibly be resolved. We knew things were getting bad when Hiruzen was forced to use the death reaper jutsu and could only take Orochimaru’s arms.
Up to this point, the “good guys” always won, and it almost felt expected, but this created a massive shift in the anime. For the first time, the ultimate protector, the Hokage, was killed by the big bad of the series thus far, Orochimaru.This changed the series' trajectory and raised the stakes – no one was safe.It also led to the most emotional funeral scene with perhaps the most iconic funeral anime song.
9Team 7 vs Zabuza & Haku
Winner: Team Seven
If you ask anyone aboutNaruto’sfirst death, they’ll probably mention Haku. The originalNarutoanime starts off silly and light-hearted overall. The annoying, loud, and stubborn protagonist just wants to be acknowledged by his classmates, teachers, and the village itself. The anime makes you think you’re starting off easy. Despite Narutobeing an orphan, it’s unclear how serious the series will get.The first arc comes crashing into us with a profoundly moving and emotional battle between Team 7 and Zabuza and Haku.
This is the first fight where we see Naruto show off his nine-tails chakra to protect Sasuke. More importantly, Haku moves audiences. Naruto first meets Haku in a field outside of battle but then is forced to fight Haku, who believes he is just a tool for Zabuza to use. Ultimately, Haku makes the ultimate sacrifice and saves Zabuza’s life. When we realize Zabuza truly cares about Haku, it’s the first time we realize that this anime will not paintvillainsas one-dimensional evil caricatures but three-dimensional humans with their own perspectives. No one could help but be emotional at the loss of these two “villains.”
8Naruto vs Gaara
Winner: Tie
Naruto has been ostracized his entire life for being a Jinchuriki. The infamous image of Naruto sitting on the swing alone while the Hidden Leaf people stare, whisper, and laugh. Despite this trauma, Naruto maintains a positive attitude and fights to earn everyone’s respect. However, not everyone reacts to this trauma in the same way. Gaara is also a Jinchuriki but reacted by self-isolating and letting that resentment turn into hatred,
His isolation turned him into someone bitter, and he wanted to enact that darkness onto everyone else. Naruto didn’t let him. After Gaara destroyed Rock Lee in battle, Naruto battled Gaara valiantly. While watching this fight and learning about Gaara’s tragic backstory, viewers couldn’t help but empathize with how Gaara felt.How could anyone not burn with hatred when the very people meant to protect you were the ones who hurt you?Naruto’s impassioned plea, which led to his infamous chin crawl to reach Gaara so he wasn’t alone, left audiences teary-eyed.
7Asuma’s Team vs Hidan and Kakuzu
Winner: Asuma’s Team (Sort of)
Shikamaru was the strategic mind of the kids in Naruto’s class. He was always calm, cool, and collected. Many of his classmates looked to him for help with strategy, especially in his group, Team 10. But everything changed when they and their sensei, Asuma, had to go up againsttwo Akatsuki members,Hidanand Kakuzu. After a long and complex fight, Asuma ends up dying.
While Asuma’s death was heartbreaking, the reactions of the three kids made it even harder. Seeing the cool and calm Shikamaru process the grief was especially difficult. It’s in Shikamaru’s grief, in the quiet pain of losing his sensei, that Asuma’s impact is truly felt — and why he’s remembered as one ofNaruto’sbest teachers. Asuma’s lighter became a symbol of a true bond between student and sensei. It left a lasting impact throughout Shikamaru’s journey in the series.
6Kakashi vs Obito/Tobi
Winner: Kakashi
Kakashi has been Naruto’s sensei since the beginning of the series. We all knew that the Copy Ninja was strong, but Kakashi shows his true power in The Fourth Great Ninja War.His fight against his former teammate Obito is often recognized as one of the best-choreographed fights in all ofNaruto.
The flashback scenes and the power packed behind each punch keep viewers entranced and horrified that Kakashi may not survive this fight. The non-Uchiha Sharingan user and his Uchiha comrade fight to the brink of death, as we see their young versions do the same. Knowing their backstory, it’s devastating to see how trauma can lead us to the darkest places and fighting the people we love. The fight comes to a climax when Kakashi intentionally doesn’t fatally hit Obito with Raikiri. Later, we discover that Obito did this deliberately to recreate what Kakashi did to Rin all those years ago. It was heartbreaking to watch.
5Sasuke vs Itachi
Winner: Sasuke
If there was one thing consistent about Sasuke for a majority ofNarutoandNaruto: Shippuden, it would be his hatred for his brother, Itachi, who massacred the entire Uchiha clan. Rightfully so, Sasuke couldn’t let go of this betrayal and the loss of his family. It took hundreds of episodes, but Sasuke finally went up against Itachi in a fight for the ages.
The twoUchiha brothersand masters of Sharingan fought in a perfectly matched battle, bringing out their strongest jutsus against each other.The fight goes from genjutsu to close-quarter fighting to massive, large-scale ninjutsu — it’s a masterclass.Rather than getting the answers Sasuke wants from Itachi, they get into an all-out battle to the death. However, we learn during the fight that Itachi did all of these awful things at the behest of the village’s leadership. Despite this revelation, the fight ends with Itachi’s death and Itachi’s iconic poke to Sasuke’s forehead – saying for the last time, “Sorry, Sasuke, maybe next time.”
4Might Guy vs Madara
Winner: Madara
Might Guy is used as the butt of the jokes for most of theNarutoseries. His power of youth sounds ridiculous, especially when he’s trying to fight with the always-impressive Kakashi. We see thatRock Lee’s Taijustuis impressive in his fight with Gaara, but we still can’t help but take Guy not too seriously most of the time. Of course, in his fights with Kisame, we can tell he’s strong, but there are some doubts about how strong.
Guy’s unlimited positivity, overwhelming pride, and relentless shouting leave most viewers charmed by his endearing qualities. However, no one was expecting what happened in his fight with Madara during the Fourth Great Ninja War.The ultimate power of youth we’ve fallen in love with came to the rescue.Guy releases the Eighth Inner Gates in one of themost epic moments of the entireNarutoseries. Guy uses his taijutsu against one of thestrongest villains we’ve seen inNaruto. This ultimate sacrifice fills viewers with pride and tears as they watch the underestimated Taijutsu ninja give Madara a run for his money.
3Naruto vs Sasuke (First & Second Round)
Winner: Sasuke (First Round) & Tie (Second Round)
These are two fights, but both are equally important and emotional for the series. They signpost the endpoints of bothNarutoandNaruto Shippuden. The two central leads of the series come to an ultimate clash of fists to prove their viewpoint. Sasuke is determined to choose a path of darkness. In the first fight, he chooses Orochimaru; in the second one, he wants to lead the Hidden Leaf village from the shadows. In both fights, Naruto just wants to fight for his friend. Naruto believes the path forward is not a path of isolation but a fight alongside his loved ones.
These fights are, without a doubt, the two climaxes of their respective shows.It leaves viewers’ hearts pumping and tears streaming down their faces at the realization that Sasuke was too far gone in the first fight and that Naruto will never give up on Sasuke in the second fight. This complicated and dark friendship is one of the strongest anime friendships and makes the audience want to hold their friends a little bit closer.
2Jiraiya vs. Pain
Winner: Pain
No one can forget the way they felt when they watched this fight. We’ve seen characters die before – Hiruzen, Asuma, and so on. However, the others didn’t come close to this loss. Nothing is more heartbreaking than the loss of Jiraiya and the masterful way the creators wrote his final story. Jiraiya’s death is one of thesaddestNarutoepisodes,and it ispicture-perfectfrom start to finish.
We’ve seen Jiraiya be the goofy Pervy Sage, but we’ve also watched him hone and shape Naruto into the wonderful young Shinobi we see inNaruto Shippuden. We also know that he is one of the Legendary Sannin, and seeing him lose to Pain makes viewers fear how Naruto and the gang will be able to overcome such a foe. But as we see the beautiful backstory of how Minato and Kushina ask Jiraiya to be Naruto’s godfather, we realize that Jiraiya kept his promise to Naruto’s parents and became the person that Naruto needed.In the end, Jiraiya dies knowing the world is in good hands — Naruto’s.
1Naruto vs Pain
Winner: Naruto
This battle puts us on a rollercoaster of emotions. It’s hard to name all the terrible things that are happening at this moment. Konoha is completely destroyed, and Naruto arrives in a truly epic fashion atop Gamakichi after finally mastering Sage Mode. The fight ensues, and we feel the remnants of Jiraiya’s loss in every clone ninja and Rasengan Naruto throws at Pain. Both are students of Jiraiya and are weighed down by the baggage of their pasts.
The fight has a broader and more important aspect to the story, which is why it has the most significant emotional impact on viewers. Naruto finally sees the truth and the tragedies of the cycle of war. When saving Nagato, he finally understands that he has to stop this cycle. And most importantly, by saving the village, Naruto finally gains the acceptance he always craved.His classmates and the people of Konoha no longer see him as the feared Jinchuriki sitting alone on that swing — they now recognize him as the hero of the Hidden Leaf.The moment filled viewers with pride and tears, bittersweet in knowing Jiraiya would never witness Naruto become the hero he had always believed he could become.
