Summary
- Obito has participated in 18 battles, showcasing his struggles, growth, and pivotal role in the series.
- Kakashi also engaged in 18 battles, displaying his unique abilities and memorable encounters throughout the story.
- Sasuke almost tops the list with 27 battles, evolving from a naive ninja to a powerful figure with various power-ups.
Naruto is a series renowned for its thrilling and epic battles, and while most characters have been able to show their true strength in a fight across the story, some individuals were able to do so much more frequently than others. As a result, this means that, although some people only have a single fight to their name, there are others who earned the opportunity to take on numerous opponents, usually because they play a big role in the story.
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If a character is going to be used this much though, they need to have unique and interesting abilities to keep their fights fresh, which thankfully, is the case for many of these combatants who reside in the world of ninja. It’s time to reflect on the Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series to see which characters have participated in the most battles, and who their most formidable foes were across the journey. Before jumping in, this list will only be taking into account the original manga for Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, as Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is still ongoing and could include more of these characters in the future.
8
Shikamaru Nara
Number Of Fights: 7
Before the timeskip occurred in the story, Shikamaru, alongside Neji, was highlighted as being one of the smartest and most naturally gifted Genin out of the entire cast. Though Shikamaru is pretty lazy by nature, his Shadow-Imitation Jutsu allows him to manipulate his opponent’s body, which he uses to take down numerous foes including Temari, Kin, and Tayuya of the Sound Four.
Though he doesn’t have quite as many fights in Shippuden, his encounters with Hidan and Kakuza did a lot for his character, pushing him to grow and mature as a leader after the sudden death of Asuma. In a twisted turn of events, Shikamaru and his team would be forced to take on their resurrected master who was raised back to life from Edo Tensei, marking his final fight in the series.
7
Gaara
Number Of Fights: 9
Gaara’s unique fighting style, which involves him using sand generated from his Shukaku to suffocate his enemies, has changed over time to suit the Jinchuriki’s ongoing character development. Early in the series, for example, Gaara uses his sand to crush and paralyze his opponents, as he does with Rock Lee when he breaks the young ninja’s leg.
After Naruto encourages him to let go of his hatred for the world, Gaara adopts a more focused and non-lethal fighting style to demonstrate his mercy as the standing Kazekage. His later battles with Deidara and especially Sasuke at the Five Kage Summit provide clear indications of just how far he’s come as a character.
6
Rock Lee
Number Of Fights: 9
Rock Lee, Konoha’s Green Wild Beast, is one of the most talented ninja in the entire series when it comes down to hand-to-hand combat, also known as taijutsu. Sure, he may lack the skills necessary to use ninjutsu like all of his comrades, which allows them to unleash powerful Jutsu abilities, but Lee has demonstrated his lethal taijutsu expertise on numerous occasions throughout the course of the story.
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He would first prove what he was capable of against both Naruto and Sasuke during the Chunin Exams, but the real show of strength came with his now iconic bout with Gaara which is very much a battle of hard work versus natural talent. Lee would later lend his power to Naruto when he took on Kimimaro, and also even took on several resurrected ninja during the final war.
5
Sakura Haruno
Number Of Fights: 10
Despite being the weakest member of Team 7, that doesn’t stop Sakura from partaking in a fair number of major battles across the series, though no Sakura fight is ever the same thanks to how varied she is as a fighter. In her early fight with Ino for example, Sakura tried to rely on mind games and strategic techniques, while after the timeskip, she instead uses her immense strength to clobber anyone that stands in the way of her and the mission.
Her encounter with puppet-master Sasori would be Sakura’s first opportunity to show what Tsunade had taught her, and she even manages to get a few hits on Kaguya at the very end of the series. She may not have had quite as many fights as her two teammates, but Sakura still has plenty of memorable battles under her belt.
4
Obito Uchiha
Number Of Fights: 18
Pretty much the entirety of Obito’s life is shown to fans through small flashbacks over the course of the story. As a young ninja who desperately wanted to prove himself, especially to his close friend Rin, Obito was getting into plenty of fights, though his win record wouldn’t be quite as consistent as his rival, Kakashi.
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As proven by his early defeats against Kakashi and Guy, Obito would struggle to take on formidable foes on his own, but when accompanied by his two teammates, he fared much better, at least until his body would be crushed by a boulder. After that point, Obito would slaughter numerous people in order to carry out his grand plan, and would do-battle with a medley of key characters during the final war.
3
Kakashi Hatake
Number Of Fights: 18
Similarly to Obito, fans would get to explore the entire life of Kakashi Hatake, from his childhood as a talented member of Team Minato, all the way to his time as a Jonin squad leader and beyond. While he presented himself as a goofball when facing off against Team 7 in the training field, Kakashi would put his unique copycat abilities and sharp intellect on full display in his duel against Zabuza which resulted in a now iconic fight.
Kakashi would go on to have important battles in every arc of the story. Whether it’s his face-off outside the village with the shady Itachi, his courageous bout with Hidan and Kakuzu, or the epic battle that took place between him and his long friend Obito, Kakashi has had plenty of iconic fights, and thanks to his copycat abilities, it means that every encounter feels unique and fun.
2
Sasuke Uchiha
Number Of Fights: 27
Fans have been able to watch Sasuke grow from naive ninja to a god-like being by the end of the series thanks to the sheer amount of power-ups he receives through his many fights. Sasuke’s underlying potential would show itself during his skirmish with Haku where his Sharingan would be unlocked, enhancing his power tremendously. Later, after facing his brother, Sasuke’s Mangekyo Sharingan would give him a leg up over many of his opponents, including Killer Bee, the Jinchuirki of the Eight Tails.
His battles with Dediara and Gaara would be especially important for developing his character, alongside the many duels he has with Naruto. While Sasuke has always been a pretty strong ninja, his victory over Danzo is arguably the moment that cemented him as one of the strongest in the world of Naruto.
1
Naruto Uzumaki
Number Of Fights: 59
The plucky protagonist of the series has taken on a wide array of different opponents throughout his journey to becoming Hokage. Naruto’s battles against Zabuza and in the Chunin Exams would see him rely heavily on his Shadow Clones, but the Rasengan would then become his go-to technique whenever approaching a new foe after he learned it from Jiraiya. Speaking of Jiraiya, it was the pervy sage himself who trained Naruto to become tough enough to face the many powerful opponents he meets in Shippuden.
Alongside having multiple fateful battles with Sasuke, Naruto has taken on numerous Akatsuki members, including its leader Pain, alongside a slew of other villains such as Orochimaru, Kabuto, Obito, and even Madara Uchiha, which is impressive to say the least. Naruto’s adoption of Kurama’s power, paired with his compassionate gestures, allow him to best his opponents in more ways than one. However, as shown in his fights with the likes of Neji early on in the series, Naruto is still capable of pulling a victory out of the bag with sheer willpower and dedication, making it hard for his opponents to extinguish the flame that fuels the Nine Tails Jinchuriki from within.
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