5 strongest Taijutsu users in Naruto (& 5 Ninjutsu users who can beat them)
In the Naruto universe, there is indeed an assortment of techniques at a ninja’s disposal that allow them to try out different approaches as they strive towards perfecting their skills and talent.
From Ninjutsu to Taijutsu to Genjutsu, every character in the series specializes in a particular fighting style. While there are those who excel at all three techniques, most characters in the anime dedicate their entire lives to learning a single fighting art form and taking their mastery of it to a whole new level.
Taijutsu in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden was often considered to be inferior to Genjutsu and Ninjutsu. However, it is one of the basics and ninja aspirants have to hone their Taijutsu skills well before moving on to the other two forms. Over the course of the anime, fans often get a glimpse of the amount of devastation that Taijutsu masters can cause and just how powerful this fighting style can be in the right hands.
This list will therefore go over five of the strongest Taijutsu specialists in Naruto, and 5 Ninjutsu users who will be able to match what they bring to the table.
Note: The article is subjective and represents the author’s personal views on the matter.
Who are the strongest Taijutsu users in Naruto?
1) Kaguya Otsutsuki
The first chakra wielder in the Naruto universe Kaguya Otsutsuki is considered to be one of the most powerful Taijutsu users in the series by the fanbase. The once-benevolent character turned despotic after consuming the God Tree’s fruit. While she searched for peace throughout her lifetime, her means did not justify the end.
After the consumption of the fruit, Kaguya was granted unparalleled chakra reserves, which was considered to rival or at times surpass the might of Madara while he was a jinchuriki for the Ten-Tails.
With just a bit of her chakra release, Kaguya has been shown to create massive shockwaves, and she boasts a variety of unarmed combat skills. During the Fourth Shinobi War, she was shown to easily block the multi-directional attacks from Naruto’s shadow clones. Her innate Taijutsu skills allowed her to be incredibly fast, making it seem like she was teleporting from one point to another.
Additionally, with the use of Hagoromo, Kaguya was able to regain severed limbs, allowing Naruto and Sasuke no other option than to use the Yin and Yang Seals in order to deal with her.
2) Might Guy
Might Guy gave viewers the first taste of what true Taijutsu mastery looks like in Naruto. Early on in the show, when the fighting form was not looked upon as something as versatile as Ninjutsu and Genjutsu, Might Guy was the one who opened everyone's eyes by showcasing just how overwhelmingly destructive Taijutsu can be in the right hands.
His lack of Ninjutsu capabilities fueled him to push through the most difficult of training, which allowed him to take his Taijutsu skills to a level where he was able to go toe-to-toe with Madara during the Fourth Shinobi War.
His mastery of the Eight Inner Gates made him a force to be reckoned with, and with this powerful technique up his sleeve, he was even able to create a variety of fighting styles around it.
One of his most devastating attacks, known as the Morning Peacock, allowed him to produce a series of rapid punches that ignited his hands through air friction. Using the seventh gate, he launched concentrated air pressure at the enemy, which expanded violently, almost creating a one-shot-one-kill move.
His ultimate was called Night Guy, where he showcased the full potential of his Taijutsu skills. Using the eighth gate, he unleashed a single kick of such force that it distorted the space around where it landed. This was also the move that almost spelled the end of Madara during the encounter.
3) Madara Uchiha
Madara is one of those characters in Naruto whom many fans consider to be versatile enough to excel in all three forms of ninja warfare. He is a master of Genjutsu, Ninjutsu, and even Taijutsu in his own right. During the Fourth Shinobi War, fans get a glimpse of just how overpowered he is with everything that he brings to the table.
His physical prowess is unparalleled. During his confrontation with the Fourth Division, viewers got to witness him calmly defeat thousands of trained ninjas with just his Taijutsu skills. He was able to masterfully weave through the battlefield, maiming and disarming his opponents with the greatest of ease.
His blows were incredibly precise, and with the speed with which he attacked and countered, the ninjas never really stood a chance against him.
However, apart from his physical skills, what really does set him a class apart from other Taijutsu users is his innate battle sense and battle experience. With his instincts and reflexes alone, he was shown to be as fast as Sage Mode Naruto and be able to effortlessly dodge away from a Flying Thunder God Slash.
Madara’s own Sage Mode is incredibly potent, and it raises his own tolerance for pain, allowing him to win every time during a war of attrition.
4) Sasuke Uchiha
The reincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki will be taking his spot on the list as one of the most powerful Taijutsu users in Naruto. While he is quite a skilled Ninjutsu user himself, Sasuke can more than hold his own in Taijutsu against some of the masters of the craft.
His physical prowess lies in his speed and his reaction time, which he has been gifted with since birth. Fans noticed this during the early episodes of the anime, but the awakening of his Sharingan allowed him to use his newfound ocular senses to hone his speed and reflexes further.
Rock Lee has been one of the biggest influences on Sasuke’s Taijutsu fighting style. Coupled with the Sharingan’s heightened senses, he broke past Gaara’s Shield of Sand, which lasted until the very last moments of the Chunin exam and was considered impenetrable.
Additionally, fans hypothesized that perhaps Orochimaru might have experimented on him beyond just giving him poison resistances during the training period. After encountering him again in Naruto: Shippuden, Sakura notices his improved physical abilities, and it’s highly likely that Sasuke got a tremendous boost to his Taijutsu skills after Orochimaru’s experiments.
5) Naruto Uzumaki
While he has a fair number of Ninjutsus up his sleeve, Naruto remained a mid-range fighter throughout the series. While he started to excel in Taijutsu by the end of Shippuden, this was not the case when the series first aired.
He struggled quite a bit with the form and often had to rely on tricks and quick wit to defeat his opponents, as seen during the Chunin exams against Neji and Kiba. His shadow clones were always his biggest strength, while precise chakra manipulation and unarmed combat were things he could never really master.
After his time with Jiraiya and under Fukasaku’s training, Naruto was able to fend off Taijutsu masters by relying on his own form of martial arts. He soon reached a point where his Taijutsu was able to hold its own against multiple trained opponents, and his speed reached an all-time high to the point where he was good enough to keep up with Sasuke against Kaguya Otsutsuki.
His Taijutsu became so powerful after a while that Naruto did not have to rely on his Shadow Clones or Jinchuriki abilities anymore.
5 Ninjutsu users in Naruto who can give the Taijutsu users a run for their money
1) Hagoromo Otsutsuki
Hagoromo Otsutsuki, Kaguya’s son and the Sage of the Six Paths, is considered by many to be the strongest character to have ever lived in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. Like Kaguya, he too was blessed with what seemed like an infinite reserve of chakra. He was also the first person in the Naruto universe to have been born with it.
He was the first person to have ever understood the very nature of chakra itself, and he was shown to have immaculate and precise control over it without any prior training.
He never needed hand seals for his Ninjutsu and his abilities were said to have reached an all-time high when he became the first Jinchuriki in lore history after absorbing the Ten-Tails beast into himself.
With the Rinengan, the Sharingan, and even Senjutsu at his disposal, Hagoromo Otsutsuki easily gets a spot on this list as one of the most powerful Ninjutsu users in the show who can best the masters of Taijutsu.
2) Obito Uchiha
Obito Uchiha, also known as the Second Sage of Six Paths, was considered a master of all nature types after he was trained by Madara exclusively for years at a stretch. By the start of the Fourth Shinobi War, Obito was considered one of the strongest shinobi in the field, and he was able to, almost single-handedly, crush the thousands of soldiers who were coming at him.
He was able to gain access to the Rinnengan over the course of the series and even went on to absorb the Ten-Tails inside him, which granted him the status of a god.
His prowess with Ninjutsu made him a threat to the entire shinobi world. While he did come with an abundance of chakra, his reserves and capabilities were enhanced significantly by the White Zetsu matter that was on his body. The enhancements (along with additional add-ons) allowed him to continuously perform attacks, that would drain any other ninja completely after just one use.
Obito even showcased the ability to absorb and transfer his own chakra to others, making him very powerful and incredibly versatile during combat.
3) Orochimaru
Orochimaru was always considered to be a natural genius in Naruto and one of the strongest shinobis to have ever existed. He was one of the only few who was able to go up against Hanzo, the Salamander, during his prime.
Orochimaru went on to become a Sannin, and his aptitude for Ninjutsu set him apart early on. He even earned praise from Hashirama Senju for his skills. Orochimaru is often considered by many to be more powerful than some of the Kages in the show.
He was quite feared even by the Akatsuki. While his invasion of the Hidden Leaf village was not exactly successful, it left the nation in tatters with a dead Hokage. It took Konoha years to rebuild their town after what Orochimaru did. Even after he was crippled, his weakened form continued to be a force to be reckoned with as the narrative progressed.
4) Tobirama Senju
As a Senju, Tobirama was indeed blessed with incredible control over his chakra, allowing him to make the most of his Ninjutsu skills while in combat. He had a variety of techniques up his sleeve, which included Shurikenjutsu as well as the more difficult Sword of the Thunder God.
His shadow clone jutsu was also something that rivaled that of Naruto’s. Tobirama also had the sensory skills to detect the enemy's presence and target locations by just touching the ground since his childhood.
He was so adept at it that he could sense targets from miles away and even when they were in a completely different country at times. Tobirama had a few genjutsu abilities up his sleeve as well. In Naruto, he was shown to lock a target in a state of perpetual darkness that even the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi, was not able to break out of.
His chakra mastery reached a point where he could dispel his soul out of his body to aid Sasuke, who lay dying.
5) Hashirama Senju
The Hidden Leaf’s first Hokage will be taking the final spot on the list, as the reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki was a ninja with an extremely powerful life force. This life force made his physical energy infinitely stronger and allowed him to tremendously boost not just his charka reserves but also his Ninjutsu.
Hashirama was one of the only few characters in Naruto who learned all the five elemental natures through training. His perseverance, coupled with his innate strength, allowed him to unite several small warring states under the banner of the Hidden Leaf.
His large life pool granted him immeasurable stamina, and Hashirama, in his prime, was able to keep a fight going for almost 24 hours. His impressive vitality enhanced his regenerative powers to mend any injury without any residual effects.
When it comes to his Ninjutsu, Hashirama was known more for his wood style, even though he exceled in all basic elements. His strength, coupled with what looked like an infinite reserve of stamina and chakra, made him the most powerful ninjutsu user of his generation.
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Mohini Banerjee