10 most underwhelming fights in Naruto
Given that Naruto is a shonen anime and manga series, it showcased tons of fights, some that were extremely well done and memorable. Some of the most impressive fights in the series, like Madara vs Guy, really showed just how entertaining this series can be.
However, not all fights were as memorable or well done in the series. Some of the fights were poorly executed for numerous reasons, including bad writing or the lack of character development.
Note: This list is in no particular order and reflects the opinions of the writer.
Some of the most disappointing and underwhelming fights in the Naruto series
1) Choji vs Dosu
This was one of the most underwhelming fights that took place during the chunin exams. During the fight, Dosu even managed to provoke Choji by calling him fat, and in response, tried using his Meat Tank attack against the Sound Ninja.
However, Dosu was able to dodge that attack with ease and defeated him with a move that transmitted sound waves throughout his entire body. This move decapitated him and rendered him unconscious.
2) Shino vs Zaku
Shino Aburame showcased his abilities against a Sound Ninja who was already injured. Despite the injury, Shino didn’t take it easy and was cautious during this fight. The fight was drawn out longer than it should have been when Shino was capable of beating him instantly.
This was an underwhelming fight because the outcome was quite clear from the beginning. Shino ended up beating the Sound Ninja without putting in too much effort and went through to the next round of the chunin exams.
3) Team Guy vs Clones
This was probably one of the most boring fights in the Naruto series because of how monotonous the fights were. This took place during the Kazekage Rescue Mission arc and each character had to fight against their own clones.
Viewers expected the characters to either switch it up and fight the clones of their comrades. Presumably, Guy and Lee needed to open the Gates in order to beat their clones.
But none of that happened, and the reason why they were able to beat the clones was because they were “stronger than yesterday” which wasn’t the best way to justify their win against the clones.
4) Ino vs Sakura
This was yet another underwhelming fight that took place during the chunin exams. The fight didn’t have much and there was no winner since both of them were knocked out at the same time.
They didn’t really showcase good techniques during the fight, their Taijutsu was quite slow and the fight was constantly being interrupted by flashbacks as well.
The only impressive bit in the fight was the strategy Ino used in order to execute the Mind Transfer jutsu.
5) Chiyo and Sakura vs Sasori
A lot of Naruto fans didn’t really like the fight between Chiyo and Sakura vs Sasori. Fans believed that Sasori was an extremely powerful villain who had enough skills and chakra reserves to beat these two.
His mastery of puppets would have let him win, but the win but Kishimoto wrote this to ensure Sakura and Chiyo won against him.
Sakura ends up becoming a strong character towards the end of the series, but at this stage she wasn’t quite strong and fans expected Sasori to win.
6) Itachi and Sasuke vs Kabuto
A lot of fans found this fight extremely underwhelming, given the build up leading to this fight. Fans were excited to see Sasuke and Itachi team up against Kabuto but the fight was extremely slow and was drawn out a little more than fans would have liked.
While the set-up was perfect for this showdown, the execution of the fight scene itself was quite underwhelming, to say the least. This fight didn’t reach its true potential, which left fans disappointed.
7) Fight against Kaguya
While the overall animation and the techniques used in this fight were spot on, the outcome of the fight itself was extremely disappointing. While most shonen anime series are written in a manner that gives the protagonist some advantage, Kaguya had more than enough resources and skill to defeat every single character.
The fact that Naruto needed to use a Reverse Harem jutsu to be able to beat her didn’t seem like a convincing way to beat someone who’s that strong.
8) Temari vs Tenten
Fans know that Tenten as a character was poorly written and barely received any screen time, let alone character development. Most of her fights were extremely underwhelming because her move sets are the same.
Her fight against Temari wasn’t all that enjoyable since the outcome was quite clear from the beginning. The fight tried showcasing her mental fortitude, but not giving up was something that was quite common among many shinobis in the Naruto series.
9) Sakura and Lee vs Sound Ninja
This fight showed that Sakura could fight back during tough and trying moments, but even then, she didn’t really showcase a technique that indicated her growth as a shinobi. She used a substitution jutsu and tanked a few kunais in the process, leaving her wounded.
She was able to neutralize the Sound Ninjas despite their overwhelming strength. That being said, there was not much going on during this fight and was underwhelming to say the least.
10) Naruto vs Kiba
This was another fight that was extremely underwhelming simply because it didn’t really showcase much technique on Naruto’s end. Kiba rained down attacks but Naruto was just enduring all of them and managed to defeat Kiba in the weirdest way possible.
Kiba fought valiantly but this fight didn’t have much going on and it really showed just how far behind Naruto was in terms of mastering techniques.
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