Naruto Uzumaki is one of the most powerful ninja in the Naruto universe, known for being the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and later becoming the Seventh Hokage. However, there are a few characters who surpass even Naruto in terms of raw power and abilities.
Madara Uchiha
One of the strongest characters in the entire Naruto series is Madara Uchiha. As one of the founders of Konohagakure, Madara possesses exceptionally strong chakra and combat skills. He has awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan and Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, granting him powerful techniques like Susanoo and fire style jutsu. After integrating Hashirama’s DNA into his body, Madara gained the Rinnegan and the ability to use Wood Style jutsu. At the peak of his power, Madara was practically immortal and could single-handedly take on the Five Kage. Although Naruto is incredibly strong in his own right, he struggled against Madara even with the power of the Nine-Tails. Madara’s superior battle experience and diverse jutsu arsenal make him more powerful than Naruto overall.
Kaguya Otsutsuki
The mother of Hagoromo Otsutsuki and the first wielder of chakra, Kaguya Otsutsuki is hands down one of the most powerful beings in the Naruto franchise. After consuming the fruit of the God Tree, she became the legendary Ten-Tails and later sealed the beast within herself. This gave Kaguya practically unlimited chakra and allowed her to cast incredibly powerful techniques like All-Killing Ash Bones and Expansive Truthseeker Orb. She can also shift dimensions at will and manifest enormous chakra arms for offense and defense. Not even Naruto and Sasuke working together could defeat Kaguya, requiring them to seal her away instead. So in terms of pure might, Kaguya eclipses even Naruto.
Isshiki Otsutsuki
As another member of the Otsutsuki Clan, Isshiki Otsutsuki is an extraordinarily powerful character introduced in Boruto. After originally being defeated by Kaguya, Isshiki is later revived and proves himself superior to Naruto and Sasuke in battle. His Dojutsu grants him the ability to shrink himself and any target he chooses, letting him easily avoid attacks and inflict massive internal damage. Isshiki can also open portals through space-time and instantly teleport himself or others. During their fight, he consistently overwhelms both Naruto and Sasuke, even though they use their most powerful techniques. Only through clever tactics and immense effort are they barely able to seal Isshiki away. At full power, Isshiki is likely stronger than Naruto and Kurama combined.
Hagoromo Otsutsuki
Better known as the Sage of Six Paths, Hagoromo Otsutsuki is revered as a god-like figure in the Naruto world for good reason. He possesses the Rinnegan, was the original jinchuriki of the Ten-Tails, and created the moon using Chibaku Tensei. Even while nearly dead and disconnected from the Ten-Tails, the Sage of Six Paths could grant powers like Six Paths Sage Mode and Yin-Yang release. At his peak during his lifetime, Hagoromo wielded nearly limitless chakra and ninjutsu power that far outstripped Naruto’s capabilities. After death, he could still briefly manifest his spirit to gift Naruto and Sasuke with new powers to seal Kaguya. For these reasons, the Sage of Six Paths stands above Naruto in might.
Momoshiki Otsutsuki
In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Momoshiki Otsutsuki arrives to claim the powerful chakra of Naruto’s son Boruto. But despite absorbing his guardian Kinshiki, Momoshiki ultimately proves inferior to Naruto and Sasuke in battle. However, this is only because Naruto received massive amounts of chakra from the other tailed beasts to enter Six Paths Sage Mode again. Under normal circumstances at that time, Momoshiki’s kekkei mora and chakra absorption abilities actually make him more powerful than an elderly Naruto without his full capabilities. Though the tables turned when Naruto regained his maximum strength, Momoshiki initially held the upper hand against him and stood out as stronger.
Toneri Otsutsuki
Toneri Otsutsuki was the main antagonist in The Last: Naruto the Movie and briefly proved himself more powerful than Naruto in both combat and abilities. As a descendant of Hamura Otsutsuki, Toneri wields the extremely rare Tenseigan that grants him numerous overpowered techniques. He can control attractive and repulsive forces, infuse objects with chakra for destruction, unleash chakra blasts, and even move the moon towards Earth. When Naruto engages Toneri in battle, he struggles against these techniques and has his chakra drained before Hinata intervenes. However, once Naruto enters Kurama Link Mode and then Tailed Beast Mode, he finally gains the upper hand against Toneri. So at his peak, Naruto surpasses Toneri in power.
Kinshiki Otsutsuki
As Momoshiki’s guardian, Kinshiki Otsutsuki possesses massive reserves of chakra and notable combat prowess. His strength allowed him to split the rocky surface of a planet in half with a single axe blow. Kinshiki can also increase his size and liquefy his body into a binding substance. When battling Sasuke in Boruto, he proves more than a match for the legendary ninja and even destroys his Susanoo armor. In the end, Sasuke had to be rescued by Naruto and the Kage before Kinshiki absorbed Momoshiki to receive an even greater power boost. Since Kinshiki overpowered adult Sasuke so easily, this places him a cut above Naruto and his capabilities as Hokage.
Orochimaru
During the events of early Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, Orochimaru stood at the pinnacle of power among the Sannin and essentially served as the overarching villain. His mastery of ninjutsu and research into forbidden techniques allowed Orochimaru to unlock a wide array of abilities. These include body modifications, cursed seals, elemental ninjutsu, genjutsu, endless regeneration, and various forbidden jutsu from his time in the Akatsuki. When Naruto and Jiraiya confronted Orochimaru, they were completely powerless against him despite their efforts. Only Tsunade landing a single punch was able to cause Orochimaru to retreat. At that point in the story, Orochimaru was simply stronger than Naruto and most other shinobi.
Obito Uchiha
During the era of the Fourth Shinobi World War, Obito Uchiha stood as one of the most powerful ninja alive thanks to the abilities granted by Hashirama’s cells. After implanting the Rinnegan and becoming the Ten-Tails jinchuriki, Obito could wield the Six Paths Technique to its utmost limit. He gained access to the powerful Truthseeker Orbs, near-invincibility, tremendous speed, and control over the Ten-Tails itself. In a one on one fight, Naruto struggled against Obito even with Killer B’s help and the combined powers of the Nine and Eight-Tails. Only with the support of Kakashi, Guy, and Minato were they able to overwhelm Obito in the end. At his peak, Obito Uchiha surpassed Naruto in power and battle prowess during the war.
Sasuke Uchiha
After defecting from Konoha, Sasuke becomes strong enough to pressure and overwhelm Naruto in many of their fights before the end of the war. While seeking vengeance against Itachi, Sasuke trains under Orochimaru to unlock his Curse Mark transformations and even masters the Mangekyo Sharingan. These abilities allow him to battle and defeat powerful shinobi like Deidara, Itachi, Danzo, and the Five Kage Summit. During the war, Sasuke proves himself equal to Naruto as an adult until Naruto gains Six Paths Sage Mode. Even then, the two battle to a draw, showcasing Sasuke’s growth. By maximizing his Sharingan, Rinnegan, and lightning abilities, Sasuke consistently matches and even overpowers Naruto for most of Shippuden.
Might Guy
As one of the strongest taijutsu masters in the Leaf Village, Might Guy possesses enough power in base to pressure Naruto during their fight against the Ten-Tails clones. However, Guy reveals his trump card during his battle with Madara by opening all Eight Inner Gates. This granted him unfathomable power and speed that could warp space, allowing Guy to batter the immortal Madara within an inch of his life. He displayed enough power to bend space and nearly kill the strongest Uchiha. While this came at a massive cost, unlocking all Eight Gates made Guy strong enough at his peak to far surpass Naruto and most other shinobi. Only Naruto’s Six Paths Sage Mode ultimately allowed him to become stronger.
Hashirama Senju
Known as the God of Shinobi for his power, Hashirama Senju is arguably the most powerful member of the Senju clan in history. He possessed unusually strong chakra and could use Wood Style to suppress the Nine-Tails. Hashirama was regarded as the strongest ninja of his time and perhaps any era, having founded the Hidden Leaf Village. The only person able to compete with him was Madara Uchiha after stealing Hashirama’s DNA. However, even Madara with the Eternal Mangekyo and Kyuubi was defeated by Hashirama in the end. Given that the reincarnated Hashirama could stalemate Edo Madara during the war, he certainly would be stronger than Naruto without the full Nine-Tails at his disposal.
Hiruzen Sarutobi
Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage, was considered the strongest ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village in his era. He earned praise from powerful shinobi like Minato, Orochimaru, and Tobirama Senju as a master of ninjutsu. Hiruzen wielded all five basic nature transformations and knew thousands of techniques, which earned him the nickname “The Professor”. During the Invasion of Konoha arc, he battled Orochimaru, the First and Second Hokage, and proved himself superior through the Reaper Death Seal. This shows prime Hiruzen in his youth would be stronger than Naruto without access to his full Nine-Tails powers. However, Naruto eventually did surpass Hiruzen like all previous Hokage.
Minato Namikaze
Minato Namikaze earned his reputation as the Yellow Flash and Fourth Hokage by being arguably the fastest ninja to ever live. He became powerful enough to defeat 1000 Hidden Stone ninja alone and outpace even Tobirama Senju. During the Nine-Tails attack, Minato displayed further mastery of sealing jutsu by containing the beast and splitting its chakra in half with the Reaper Death Seal. He also proved capable of entering Sage Mode just like his son Naruto. While his time as Hokage was short, Minato stood as the strongest ninja of his generation. Only characters like Naruto, Sasuke and Obito Uchiha would eventually become strong enough to surpass Minato.
Conclusion
Naruto Uzumaki stands tall as one of the most powerful ninja in the world of Naruto after his trials and growth into adulthood. However, the nature of the series means even more formidable rivals and enemies emerge to push shinobi to greater heights. Naruto climbs to the top in large part due to the power of his Kurama link and Six Paths Sage Mode. When limited, he can still be surpassed by the likes of Hashirama, Madara, Guy, Obito, and Minato. Characters that display greater raw power or specific abilities can also pressure Naruto when he is not fighting with his full strength. But by the end of the Fourth Ninja War, Naruto ultimately cements himself as one of the strongest ninja in the world.