As the powerful 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 Six Paths of Pain in Naruto Shippudens best bow, 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 great victory can be traced back to Naruto himself.
Considering how many villains populate Naruto anime, it only makes sense that the rest of the heroes and even some villains had to pick it up. 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 takedowns took place when someone else took center stage. Characters like Shikamaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Sakura and even Sasuke are the ones who saw to it that 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 either defeated by a non-Naruto opponent or ended their own lives. That includes the shark-themed brute Kisame Hoshigaki, who shared quite a bit of screen time with Naruto himself. Kisame fought characters like Kakashi and Might Guy instead, and he did well all the time. Then, when Kisame was cornered, he was forced to make a tough choice.
Kisame had valuable information about the Akatsuki, so like a true ninja he chose to prioritize that information over his own life. In a way, it was a call back too soon Naruto episodes, where self-sacrifice, intelligence and stealth were the main pillars of ninja work. As Ibiki Morino would have done, Kisame chose death over revealing his information, thus his decision to destroy himself with water sharks.
Itachi Uchiha allowed himself to die while fighting his beloved brother
Itachi's death led to the truth about his strange life
Three of the most significant and valuable Akatsuki members were Uchihas, including Itachi himself. He was one of the first members to ever appear, and he mesmerized fans with his cold, mysterious manner. But even though he once tried to capture Naruto for the sake of duty, Itachi had even more business with his brother.
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Naruto failed to defeat Itachi during their brief skirmishes, so it fell to Sasuke to take on this elite villain. The brothers fought to the death with their Mangekyo Sharingan, but above all, Sasuke didn't finish the job. It's possible Sasuke couldn't has 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 bit ironic
It's common for a shonen hero and an overall villain to fight to the death and care a lot about each other's presence, but not always. Orochimaru the Sannin only had a passing interest in Naruto at most, while focusing much more on Sasuke himself. Orochimaru coveted the Sharingan's eyes, and if he couldn't get Itachi's, he would surely get Sasuke's instead.
This quest for the power of the Sharingan contributed to Orochimaru's downfall, which can also be interpreted as even more intrigue armor for the entire Uchiha clan. Orochimaru was kidding himself if he thought he could push Sasuke and then absorb him, because Sasuke doesn't take kindly to such things. Orochimaru ended up in Sasuke instead, an ironic twist 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 some dealings with Naruto Uzumaki, so the two didn't fight much. Deidara entered the scene when he captured Gaara in the Hidden Sand Village, and then, like several Akatsuki members, ended up fighting Sasuke. Deidara was sure he could win with his kekkei genkai, but Sasuke's jutsu was too strong.
Deidara ended up as another villain who let himself die, but unlike Itachi, who died for personal reasons, Deidara gave his life out of defiance. He was determined to destroy Sasuke, hence his ultimate explosion, but Sasuke survived thanks to Manda's sacrifice. It's even more plot armor for Sasuke and a reminder that no villain, no matter how driven, can defeat Naruto's former friend.
Hidan was treated as Shikamaru got his revenge
No one will find what's left of Hidan
Naruto personally dispatched half of the 'immortal duo' of Akatsuki with his formidable new Rasenshuriken, but it was not up to him to defeat both villains. It would actually have bothered Shikamaru if Naruto also defeated Hidan, given the newfound vendetta between Shikamaru and Hidan. Hidan had killed Asuma Sarutobi, so naturally Shikamaru wanted revenge.
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Only with his advanced tactics and jutsu could Shikamaru overcome Hidan's immortality and blood-based jutsu. It was extremely satisfying to see Shikamaru's clever tactics play out again, especially to avenge Asuma's untimely demise on the battlefield.
Sasori could not withstand 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 didn't actually fight most of its members. The other heroes in Naruto took care of it instead. While Naruto searched for Gaara, it fell to Sakura to deal with Sasori with Chiyo's help, and it was a belated chance for Sakura to shine on the battlefield.
All credit goes to Sakura Haruno and Chiyo as they battled the ultimate jutsu puppet master in that cave. The fight was close, 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 information about Orochimaru's planned meeting with him on a bridge. It ensured that the story could continue and Sakura's victory could count for that much more.
Konan died a redeemed hero fighting Tobi
The wife gave her life for Naruto and Jiraiya's cause
Konan is yet another Akatsuki member who didn't seriously fight Naruto at all, let alone lose to him. On the contrary, Konan won over when Naruto delivered his 'talk jutsu' to both Nagato and Konan after Pain's fall. It was a rare and much needed example of an Akatsuki member reviving his 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 put up a good fight against Obito, but she met her end, and she had to die praying for Naruto to fulfill the dream her mentor Jiraiya once had.
Madara Uchiha got a nasty surprise when Black Zetsu made a move
It is uncertain if Naruto could have defeated Madara at all
Naruto defeated and redeemed Obito Uchiha as the false 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 that no 'talk jutsu' would get through to him. Instead, Naruto had to fight yet another Uchiha to save the world, and this time it went completely differently than any fight with Sasuke or Obito.
Naruto and his friends gave it their all, but their possible victory was wiped out when Black Zetsu made a move at the last minute. It heralded the arrival of Kaguya Otsutsuki as a supervillain who kicked Madara aside, meaning Naruto never won against Madara. It is a grim possibility that Naruto could never have prevailed over Madara at all, given the latter's titanic power.
Naruto
- Release date
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2002 – 2007-00-00
- Showrunner
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Masashi Kishimoto
- Directors
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Hayato date
- Author
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Masashi Kishimoto
