When discussing great anime characters who are rivals, it’s hard to forget the long-lasting rivalry and friendship between Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha. Their rivalry dates back to their childhood when they newly formed Team Kakashi along with Sakura Haruno and their mentor Hatake Kakashi. In the first anime, it always seemed that Sasuke had a leg up on Naruto, but Naruto earned the title of Hokage, the village’s strongest shinobi. So, does that mean Naruto is stronger than Sasuke?
Naruto and Sasuke were equally matched during the end of Naruto Shippuden as their last fight ended in a draw. However, according to all Naruto Character Official Guidebooks released as of writing, Sasuke has always been stronger than Naruto by a small margin.
Why Is Naruto Weaker than Sasuke?
Aside from the official guidebooks stating that Sasuke is stronger than Naruto, fans should remember that a huge reason why Naruto is one of the strongest shinobis is because of Kurama, commonly referred to as the Nine-Tailed beast.
Sometime during Boruto, Naruto lost the chakra of the kitsune when he entered Baryon Mode. The cost of using this mode eventually led to Kurama’s death, leaving Naruto unable to access the tailed beast’s chakra and abilities.
But Naruto is still strong, having honed his skills over the years as a ninja, and even getting to train under Jiraiya has taught him not to rely on the tailed beast’s chakra when there is no need for it. However, compared to Sasuke, the raven-haired shinobi can easily overtake him in his weakened state. Moreover, due to losing Kurama, Naruto shouldn’t act as recklessly as he used to.
How Is Sasuke Stronger than Naruto?
According to their official statistics, Sasuke has always been stronger than Naruto in Ninjutsu, Genjutsu, Intelligence, Speed, and Hand Seals. Meanwhile, both of them are usually on par when it comes to Taijutsu and Strength.
One thing that allows Naruto to bridge the gap they have when it comes to abilities is that Naruto has superior stamina than Sasuke. If you pair Naruto’s stamina with Kurama’s chakra, then it’s no wonder Sasuke had a hard time beating Naruto. Having greater stamina allows the shinobi to spam out high leveled techniques repeatedly without tiring out, which is why Naruto can extensively use the Shadow Clone Technique.
Why Did Naruto Become Hokage and Not Sasuke?
The title of Hokage is bestowed upon the village’s leader and the strongest shinobi in the village. While Sasuke is the stronger shinobi between himself and Naruto, why did the title go to Naruto instead?
Sasuke will never really be considered a clean hero to Konoha compared to Naruto, who has never betrayed the village. Because of his tarnished track record, he makes a bad candidate for the Hokage seat. However, in Boruto, Naruto calls Sasuke the “Shadow Hokage”, meaning he acknowledges Sasuke being the other person fit for the title of Hokage, especially in terms of strength.
As the Shadow Hokage, Sasuke protects the village from the outside, explaining his long absences in the Boruto series. So, technically he still performs the job of the Hokage as a protector. The key difference is he does his work without any recognition. Meanwhile, Naruto protects the village from the inside and keeps the public image up.
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