As the mighty protagonist of his own anime, Naruto Uzumaki scored some of the biggest, most important victories in the Naruto anime. He was the one who defeated the Six Paths of Pain in Naruto Shippuden's best arc, and he also shredded the supposedly immortal Kakuzu with his Rasenshuriken. Naruto also played a role in the defeat of Kabuto Yakushi early on, and he also fought Gaara to a draw during Operation Konoha Crush. But not every major victory can be traced back to Naruto himself.
Given just how many villains populate the Naruto anime, it only makes sense that the rest of the heroes and even some villains had to pick up the slack. Naruto is strong, but he can't be everywhere at once, even with all his shadow clones. That's why some of the best villain downfalls took place when someone else took center stage. Characters like Shikamaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sakura, and even Sasuke are the ones who made sure certain villains met their end.
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Kisame Hoshigaki Took His Own Life to Protect His Intel
Even Naruto Would Be Hard-Pressed to Defeat Kisame For Good
Many members of the Akatsuki organization were defeated either by a non-Naruto opponent or ended their own lives. That includes the shark-themed brute Kisame Hoshigaki, who shared rather little screen time with Naruto himself. Kisame fought characters like Kakashi and might Guy instead, and he did well the entire time. Then, when Kisame was cornered, he was forced to make a tough choice.
Kisame had valuable intel about the Akatsuki, so as a true ninja, he chose to prioritize that intel over his own life. In a way, that was a call back to early Naruto episodes, where self-sacrifice, intel, and stealth were the main pillars of ninja work. As Ibiki Morino would have done, Kisame chose death over exposing his intel, thus his decision to destroy himself with water sharks.
Itachi Uchiha Allowed Himself to Die While Battling His Beloved Brother
Itachi's Death Led to the Truth of His Strange Life
Three of the most consequential and worthwhile Akatsuki members were Uchihas, including Itachi himself. He was one of the first members to ever appear, and he intrigued fans with his cold, mysterious manner. However, even if he once tried to capture Naruto for duty's sake, Itachi had even more business with his brother.
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Naruto failed to defeat Itachi during their brief clashes, so it fell to Sasuke to take on this elite villain. The brothers famously fought to the death with their Mangekyo Sharingan, but notably, Sasuke didn't finish the job. It's possible Sasuke couldn't have won in a fair fight, but it hardly mattered when Itachi chose to die. After that, Itachi left his legacy to Sasuke, only for Sasuke to twist it into something monstrous with Obito's influence.
Orochimaru Met His End When He Tried to Absorb Sasuke
Orochimaru's Death Felt a Little Ironic
It's common for a shonen hero and an overarching villain to fight to the death and care a great deal about each other's presence, but not always. Orochimaru the Sannin had only a passing interest in Naruto at most, while focusing much more on Sasuke himself. Orochimaru coveted the Sharingan eyes, and if he couldn't get Itachi's, surely he would get Sasuke's instead.
This quest for Sharingan power helped contribute to Orochimaru's downfall, which might also be interpreted as yet more plot armor for the entire Uchiha clan. Orochimaru was kidding himself if he thought he could power up Sasuke and then absorb him, since Sasuke doesn't take kindly to such things. Orochimaru ended up absorbed into Sasuke instead, an ironic reversal that made Sasuke that much stronger.
Deidara is One of Sasuke's Many Victims in Shippuden
Deidara Chose Destruction Over Defeat at Sasuke's Hands
The explosive Deidara is another Akatsuki member who had little business with Naruto Uzumaki, so the two didn't clash much. Deidara burst onto the scene when he captured Gaara in the Hidden Sand Village, and then, like several Akatsuki members, he ended up fighting Sasuke. Deidara was confident he could win with his kekkei genkai, but Sasuke's jutsu was too strong.
Deidara ended up as yet another villain who allowed himself to die, but unlike Itachi, who died for personal reasons, Deidara gave his life out of spite. He was determined to destroy Sasuke, hence his ultimate explosion, but Sasuke survived thanks to Manda's sacrifice. It's yet more plot armor for Sasuke and a reminder that no villain, however driven, can defeat Naruto's former friend.
Hidan Was Dealt With Once Shikamaru Got Revenge
No One Will Find What's Left of Hidan
Naruto personally dispatched half of the "immortal duo" of the Akatsuki with his formidable new Rasenshuriken, but it wasn't up to him to defeat both villains. It actually would have bothered Shikamaru if Naruto also defeated Hidan, given the newfound vendetta between Shikamaru and Hidan. Hidan had killed Asuma Sarutobi, so of course Shikamaru wanted vengeance.
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Only with his advanced tactics and jutsu could Shikamaru overcome Hidan's immortality and blood-based jutsu. It was immensely satisfying to see Shikamaru's clever tactics at play once again, especially for the sake of avenging Asuma's untimely demise on the battlefield.
Sasori Couldn't Stand Up to the Power of Sakura's Fists
Sasori Even Gave Sakura a Generous Parting Gift
As a jinchuriki, Naruto was a target for the entire Akatsuki organization, but he actually didn't fight most of its members. The other heroes in Naruto took care of that instead. While Naruto was seeking Gaara, it fell to Sakura to handle Sasori with Chiyo's aid, and it was an overdue chance for Sakura to glow up on the battlefield.
All credit goes to Sakura Haruno and Chiyo as they battled the ultimate puppet jutsu master in that cave. The fight was a close one, but Sakura prevailed with her indomitable spirit and strength. Interestingly, and perhaps for plot reasons, Sasori felt generous enough to give the victorious Sakura some intel about Orochimaru's planned meeting with him on a bridge. That ensured the story could keep moving and Sakura's victory could count for that much more.
Konan Died as a Redeemed Hero When Fighting Tobi
Konan Gave Her Life For Naruto's and Jiraiya's Cause
Konan is yet another Akatsuki member who did not seriously fight Naruto at all, much less lose to him. Much the opposite, Konan was won over when Naruto delivered his "talk jutsu" to both Nagato and Konan after Pain's downfall. It was a rare and much-needed instance of an Akatsuki member reviving their inner kindness to believe in something good.
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Tragically, Konan didn't spend much time after her redemption. Switching sides put her in Obito's crosshairs, and she couldn't survive that. Konan fought well against Obito, but she met her end, and she had to die praying that Naruto would realize the dream her mentor Jiraiya once had.
Madara Uchiha Got a Nasty Surprise When Black Zetsu Made a Move
It's Uncertain if Naruto Could Have Defeated Madara at All
Naruto defeated and redeemed Obito Uchiha as the fake Madara, but the real Madara Uchiha was a different story. He was beyond redemption as a vengeful, ancient shinobi who could fight entire armies solo, and it was clear no "talk jutsu" would get through to him. Instead, Naruto had to battle yet another Uchiha to save the world, and this time, things went quite differently than any fight with Sasuke or Obito.
Naruto and his friends gave it their all, but their possible victory was wiped away once Black Zetsu made a move at the last minute. That heralded the arrival of Kaguya Otsutsuki as a supervillain who kicked Madara to the side, meaning Naruto never won against Madara. It's a grim possibility that Naruto never could have triumphed over Madara at all, given the latter's titanic power.
Naruto
Display card tags widget Display card community and brand rating widget Display card main info widget- Release Date
- 2002 - 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
- Masashi Kishimoto
Cast
-
Junko Takeuchi -
Noriaki Sugiyama
WHERE TO WATCH
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Number of Episodes
- 220
- MyAnimeList Score
- 8
