The Naruto franchise embodies a core shonen concept: the gradual rise in power levels as the story progresses. Naturally, Sasuke Uchiha, being the deuteragonist, grows stronger throughout the series, and by its end, he is undoubtedly one of the most powerful characters in the Naruto universe. Even from his introduction, the series makes it clear that he is on a continuous journey to become stronger.
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However, despite Sasukeโs immense strength by the conclusion of the series, he still cannot match certain characters. The power scaling in Naruto evolves with the narrative, and by the end, there are individuals who surpass Sasuke in various aspects. In particular, the following five characters are stronger than Sasuke in many respects.
5) Madara Uchiha
Introduced as one of the major villains of the Naruto series, Madara Uchiha is undoubtedly one of the strongest characters in the franchise, surpassing even Sasuke. As the leader of the Uchiha clan in his prime, he was able to make the Nine-Tails submit to his will and was the first Uchiha to master the Sharingan. Furthermore, after being reanimated, Madara became the ultimate powerhouse of both chakra and strength, capable of defeating an entire army on his own.
It is evident that if Sasuke and Madara were to engage in a one-on-one battle, the latter would outmatch the former in many ways. And if Sasuke were to face the reanimated Madara, there would be virtually no chance for him, or any other character, to defeat Madara alone.
4) Itachi Uchiha
While Madara was the leader of the Uchiha clan and the first to master the Sharingan, marking him as a genius, Itachi Uchiha, Sasukeโs older brother, proved to be an even greater one. It is evident that Itachiโs true mastery lay in his Genjutsu, and even years later, no character has come close to surpassing him in that regard.
What solidified Itachi as a stronger character than Sasuke was their battle. Until the very end, Itachi held back, subtly hinting that he could have ended the fight at any moment if he had truly intended to. However, he restrained himself out of affection for his brother and due to his illness. Had circumstances been different, Itachi would have clearly won the fight, arguably even against Sasukeโs strongest form by the end of Naruto.
3) Hagoromo Otsutsuki
Hagoromo Otsutsuki is one of the few characters regarded as a god and was among the first beings on Earth to wield chakra. After defeating his mother, Hagoromo divided the Ten-Tails into nine separate tailed beasts. Furthermore, he was responsible for founding the Uchiha clan by passing down his Sharingan.
With such feats, it is evident that Hagoromo is one of the most powerful characters, equipped with an immense arsenal, and would have no trouble facing Sasuke one-on-one. In fact, he could even defeat Naruto, considering he was the one who granted Naruto his tailed beast powers. With his greater control over them than either Naruto or Sasuke, Hagoromo could easily overpower either of them individually.
2) Kaguya Otsutsuki
As the ultimate villain of the Naruto series and a literal god with an unlimited chakra reserve, there is no doubt that Kaguya is stronger than Sasuke. In fact, as the main antagonist, who naturally surpasses others in power, she is clearly the strongest character in the series.
While Naruto and Sasuke were able to seal Kaguya with the help of others, in a one-on-one fight, neither Sasuke nor even Naruto would be able to stand against the godlike villain. Regarded as the mother of chakra and possessing both the Byakugan and Sharingan, there is no doubt that she would have Sasuke, or anyone else, bite the dust if they faced her alone.
1) Naruto Uzumaki
There has never been a shonen series where the deuteragonist surpasses the protagonist by the end, and Naruto, which follows the core of the shonen genre, is no exception. Its titular protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki, is undoubtedly stronger than Sasuke. Itโs not only by the end of the series that Naruto proves his superiority; he displays his physical prowess even in earlier moments.
In the final battle of the series, even after Sasuke extracts all the Tailed Beasts and seals them, Naruto is able to keep up with him without any difficulty. The fact that Sasuke was fighting to kill while Naruto was holding back, hoping to bring his friend to his senses, clearly proves that Naruto is indeed stronger than Sasuke, and will remain so by the very design of the series.
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