How Sasuke Surpassed Madara Uchiha, Explained

This article contains spoilers from Naruto’s Final Arc.

Key Takeaways

• Sasuke played a crucial role in saving the world & attained the power of the Sage Of Six Paths.
• The Uchiha clan’s tragedy fueled Sasuke’s strength & led him to surpass Madara Uchiha.
• As an adult in Boruto, Sasuke is stronger than Madara & rivals Otsutsuki, despite losing his Rinnegan.

Sasuke Uchiha has always been a significant part of the Naruto series. In fact, it can be said that Sasuke is just as important as Naruto Uzumaki to the overarching story. Kishimoto has previously commented upon the importance of this character, stating that he sees Sasuke as the other half of Naruto, and the progression of both of these characters together is what makes Naruto so exciting.

Naturally, this sets up Sasuke to be one of the strongest characters in the series, and come the end of Naruto, he certainly achieved that status. In fact, he even went home to surpass Madara, and this is something that not many fans expected him to do.

Sasuke’s Destiny As One Of The Children Of Prophecy

• Sasuke had a hand in saving the world
• Sasuke attained half of the power of the Sage Of Six Paths

Sasuke being born into the Uchiha family was already a blessing for him. Those of the Uchiha are blessed with the power of the Sharingan, and their chakra is particularly strong. The Uchiha are the strongest shinobi clan that fans have seen in the entire Naruto series, and it is no surprise to know that Sasuke being born there gave him a certain level of privilege. That said, the Uchiha aren’t inherently world-beaters. They too need to train and attain great power, which is why Sasuke was far from achieving greatness in his early days as a ninja.

In terms of talent, he’s greater than even Itachi! – Orochimaru

While the Uchiha strive for power, the strength they gain can only come through tragedy, which is quite ironic, given that their greatest desire is to protect their loved ones. The Uchiha love so immensely that the loss of this love eventually allows them to attain greater powers. The fact that Sasuke lost just about everything at a very young age meant that he turned this grief into his power, and this explains why he was as strong as he was. Sasuke’s journey in the early parts of Naruto saw him achieve the power of the Sharingan, and then master this power to perfection. In the first part, Sasuke went on to achieve a two-tomoe Sharingan, and after his quest for power led him to seek Orochimaru, he gained a three-tomoe Sharingan.

During the time skip, Sasuke trained under the Sannin and was even administered certain drugs to boost his growth. This is why Sasuke came out of the timeskip much stronger than Naruto, and at this point, he was ready to take down Itachi. Little did Sasuke know that Itachi was actually protecting him all this time and the grief that stemmed from this loss eventually led his powers to grow even further. The power of hatred fuels the Uchiha bloodline and this hatred grew in Sasuke tremendously. At one point, Sasuke was engulfed by darkness, but, after the intervention of Itachi Uchiha in the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke actually managed to gain some proper wisdom and decided for himself what he wanted for the very first time. It was at this point that Sasuke’s role as a Child of Prophecy was jotted down in the series.

I will execute the Five Kage who led the world to this point. – Sasuke Uchiha

At first, fans believed that only Naruto Uzumaki was the Child of Prophecy. But, as the series expanded upon the lore of the Sage of Six Paths and the Child of Prophecy, it became clear that both Indra and Ashura reincarnations who came together would go on to save the world. Just like Naruto, Sasuke was also a Child of Prophecy and he realized that in the war. Sasuke, after attaining Itachi’s eyes, wanted to become the Hokage of the village, and, regardless of his goal, he decided to help greatly in the battle against Madara. After meeting Hagoromo, he gained the Rinnegan, and along with it, Six Paths Powers. This put him on an entirely different level and finally allowed him to match even the likes of Madara in power.

How Sasuke’s Strength Compared To Madara In The War

Sasuke Uchiha Was Almost As Strong As Madara During The War

Sasuke’s strength compared to Madara wasn’t too far off at the beginning. Of course, when Sasuke still had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the two weren’t close at all in strength. In fact, even without his eyes, Madara was able to beat him, and without help, Sasuke certainly would have died. But, he survived this ordeal and having met the Sage of Six Paths, he received the Rinnegan. When Sasuke returned from this, he was a different person entirely. He clashed with a much stronger version of Madara, who, at this point, had absorbed the Ten Tails inside him, and become tremendously powerful. He even absorbed the God Tree, and despite that, Sasuke was able to match him in combat. Sasuke’s speed was so impressive that even Madara could not avoid bisection by him, and together with Naruto, he would easily go on to defeat him. This is why an even stronger an enemy in the form of Kaguya Otsutsuki was brought in.

Both Naruto and Sasuke struggled in the battle against Kaguya, but eventually, they did get a few blows in. That said, both of them were inferior to Kaguya, and ended up defeating her with help. When Naruto and Sasuke fought, it became clear that Sasuke still hadn’t gained perfect control over his Rinnegan. It was only after a lot of extra fighting that Sasuke started to stabilize his control over this eye and learn how to use it properly.

It can be said that during the war, Sasuke was not stronger than Madara. He was still an unfinished product and his control over the Rinnegan was only growing. He could definitely match Madara in battle and hold his own, even going into an extended fight where he would push Madara on the back foot. However, winning against him would have been very difficult at the time and this was largely due to Sasuke not having enough control over the eye. As Sasuke trained further, over the years, he certainly grew to Madara’s level and beyond.

Adult Sasuke’s Strength In Boruto

Sasuke Is On An Entirely Different Tier Of Strength In Boruto

Sasuke’s strength as an adult in the Boruto series is far greater than that of Madara Uchiha. This is clear from the fact that Sasuke is strong enough to rival Otsutsuki by himself in the Boruto series. The likes of Momoshiki, who are above Madara in terms of strength, were easily taken on by Sasuke and given quite a difficult time. Of course, Sasuke was still not able to defeat Momoshiki, but, it must also be remembered that having transported eight people to a different dimension took its toll on his strength and likely halved it. Had Sasuke been at his best, he would easily have been able to take care of Momoshiki.

Furthermore, it has clearly been stated by Kishimoto that Sasuke and Naruto were equal as adults in the Boruto era, and given that both of them have grown even stronger, it is officially clear in the story that Sasuke has surpassed Madara right now in Boruto. However, things have changed drastically since Sasuke has lost his Rinnegan and now, he is weaker than Madara for sure. Sasuke’s future remains unknown and he could go on to attain great power once again.

Boruto is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Boruto, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 17, is set to be December 20, 2024.