5 Naruto & Boruto characters who can rival Six Paths Madara (& 5 who never will)

When Madara Uchiha went into Six Paths mode at the end of Naruto, many fans thought that he would be the final boss that Team 7 was going to have to pull out all the stops to defeat. As it turned out, fans felt fairly duped in this aspect, and their disappointment has persisted to this day.

Flash forward to Boruto, and all the villains fought there, and some people cannot help but make comparisons and contrasts to the original series' penultimate villain. This article will endeavor to indulge in that speculation by going over 5 characters from Naruto and Boruto that could rival Six Paths Madara and 5 that would never stand a chance.

Disclaimer: The following article contains spoilers for Naruto and Boruto up until the current chapter of the Boruto manga. Any opinions are exclusive to the author.

5 Naruto and Boruto characters that are more than a match for Madara's Six Paths mode

1) Naruto Uzumaki

The title character earns his spot here for the many battles that he fought and the foes he's vanquished. Although Madara ended up killing him and Sasuke during the Fourth Great Ninja War, the two bounced back, thanks to the Sage of Six Paths' powers, gearing up for round 2.

Since round 2 never happened, this entry will discuss the Seventh Hokage's various feats post-original series and into Boruto. After taking complete control of Kurama's chakra, Naruto went on to beat Kaguya with the support of Team 7, vanquish Sasuke in the end, overcome Delta, empower Boruto to kill Momoshiki, fight and halt Toneri on the moon, kill Isshiki, and more.

The point being is, by the time of Boruto, Naruto has long surpassed Madara. He'd be more than a match for Six Paths Madara if their paths ever crossed again, even though Kurama's chakra no longer flows in him.

2) Sasuke Uchiha

Sasuke in battle (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The deuteragonist of Naruto, and Boruto's mentor, Sasuke has many impressive victories under his belt. He helped seal away Kaguya, went up against Isshiki and lived, was an even match for Kinshiki, fought and helped destroy Shin Uchiha and Urashiki, and more.

Even missing his Rinnegan hasn't stopped Sasuke from assisting Boruto or Sarada in their training, fighting against Code, or trying to stop Kawaki. He's gotten several notches above Madara by Boruto's time and has more than proven himself, even while still missing an arm.

Even with one arm, Six Paths Madara would find it very surprising that the once-last member of the Uchiha Clan would be able to keep pace with him. As Sasuke has blown through or otherwise fought more powerful people on even ground, Six Paths Madara wouldn't be too much trouble.

3) Kaguya Otsutsuki

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The actual "final boss" of Naruto hardly needs any introduction. Kaguya Otsutsuki may be ancient, but this extraterrestrial foe is mighty. It took her own sons, the actual Sage of Six Paths and the moon guardian and creator, several months to defeat her.

It was only through the Sage of Six Paths abilities and teamwork from all of Team 7 and Obito that she was finally sealed for good. Even then, it still took nearly everything out of Team 7 and resulted in Obito's death. Kaguya's abilities utterly dwarfed everyone that they'd fought up until that point.

Even with Madara's impressive array of skills, he's still one person that fancies himself a god up against an actual god. He'd lose handily if he ever got the chance to fight Kaguya.

4) Momoshiki Otsutsuki

The first Boruto exclusive villain that was shown off in the movie managed to handily overpower Hokage Naruto. He also managed to beat back the other Hokage and needed Naruto, Sasuke, and Boruto to combine energy and talents in order to kill him.

Even then, Momoshiki's spirit hung around like a foul order attached to Boruto Uzumaki. The Karma/Kama that was attached to Boruto even enabled Momoshiki to possess Boruto on more than one scary occasion. So, basically, Momoshiki is tough enough for even Boruto-level Naruto and Sasuke to deal with.

Having him go against Madara, even with the Sixth Paths mode, would certainly be a fight to witness. But alas, the edge would probably hit in Momoshiki's favor sooner or later owing to his already impressive power.

5) Isshiki Otsutsuki

Now, here's someone that truly eclipses Madara. Isshiki Otsutsuki was basically a god among insects that required the full efforts of Naruto, Kurama, Sasuke, Boruto, and Kawaki to fully put down. Isshiki met his match when Naruto went Baryon Mode, but that was a last resort that cost Kurama his life.

In short, Isshiki was able to wipe the floor with most if not all of Konoha's main defenders. He absorbed a version of the Ten Tails' chakra, was able to impale Koji and survive his best efforts, and took a ticking time bomb of the Baryon Mode's assault and his then-current vessel failing on him to finally kill him.

Needless to say, even with the Six Paths techniques, Madara would be dead or worse. There's always the nightmarish possibility of Madara's body becoming Isshiki's host.

5 Naruto and Boruto characters that would stand no chance against Six Paths Madara

1) Nagato/Pain

Pain was more than an adequate leader of the Akatsuki, and did more than a few things to earn his place at the top. His fight with Naruto is still one of the greatest in Naruto history, animation issues in the anime notwithstanding. The Six Paths of Pain are no joke since he killed Jiraiya, Kakashi, and nearly Naruto, Konohamaru, and Hinata with it.

That being said, various bodies of his were defeated and damaged by Tsunade, Kakashi, Konahamaru, Hinata, and Naruto. Naruto defeated Pain after a rough battle with Kurama in six-tailed mode and Sage Mode. Sage mode is a few levels below Six Paths mode, with a large power difference.

In other words, Pain would lose to Madara at full power. Madara would consider Pain a good warm-up at full strength. If all the Akatsuki fought Madara at once, that would be a different story.

2) Itachi Uchiha

An accomplished Uchiha in his own right, Itachi has more than a few tricks up his sleeve. He was able to annihilate even the most prepared of the Uchiha Clan, survived, and defeated Orochimaru and other Akatsuki members, among other things.

Though Itachi did manage to stop a newly birthed Sage Mode Kabuto, he did that while undead and it cost him an eye. Itachi was very impressive, but not on the godly level that Six Paths Madara was. There's no real evidence to suggest that he was or would be, only that he was crazy prepared on multiple fronts.

A confrontation between the two wouldn't work out in Itachi's favor at all, considering he was dying from a terminal illness by the time Sasuke came calling.

3) Might Guy

Might Guy with all Gates unleashed (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Might Guy is the sensei for Team Guy and is all-around an awesome fighter. He's a taijutsu master who has beaten many a foe that could otherwise kill him, like Kisame, and never backs down from any challenge put in front of him. Sometimes, he even brings a challenge to Kakashi like racing or sparring.

Might Guy hit Madara with a forceful kick that launched him into the stratosphere during the climax of the last Ninja War. This involved Guy using all of the Eight Gates, and nearly killing himself. It was enough to earn him Madara's respect but not enough to finish him off. Madara regenerated the damage and was about to kill Guy.

In short, Might Guy is a great fighter but is now missing a leg from that move. He would've died if not for Naruto making the save.

4) Delta

Delta in the Boruto anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

A surprise entry in Boruto was the android Delta, able to go pound for pound against the Seventh Hokage. She had a few aces up her sleeve like absorbing some attacks, and beams that could rend through any regenerative resistance that could be put up.

Delta was still defeated by Boruto, Kawaki, and Naruto working in tandem. She's a tough android but not invincible or up to the level of Isshiki. Adding onto this, Naruto even stated that he was holding back in the fight because his kids were nearby.

Fully unleashed, this would mean that Delta would be able to stand a chance against Madara. However, the battle eventually would swing in Madara's favor owing to his sheer amount of power in Six Paths form and he wouldn't be holding back.

5) Kabuto Yakushi

Sage mode Kabuto (Image via Studio Pierrot)

One of the smartest spies in the entire series, Kabuto had a knack for being as slippery as Orochimaru when it came to avoiding lethal opponents. His identity was based around being Orochimaru's sadistic assistant, allowing him access to many techniques and live prolonging jutsu.

Kabuto's biggest accomplishment was not only summoning all the dead to serve as foot soldiers during the Fourth Great Ninja War but likewise achieving his own version of Sage mode owing to having a chimera of passive abilities in himself. It was helpful when fighting the reborn Itachi and Sasuke.

The problem? He was never up to the level Madara was. Sure, he helped save Sasuke and Naruto's lives but that was the extent of his participation in the final fight. If he had to go up against Madara, he'd lose badly.

This concludes the list of Naruto and Boruto characters that can and can't defeat Six Paths Madara. As much as some fans regard Madara to be the top dog in the entire series, this doesn't translate well to canon since he's been exceeded and surpassed numerous times by Boruto.

This doesn't mean that Madara isn't powerful or is never a threat. It only means that as time goes on, he's being eclipsed by stronger people.