TheNarutoseries is quite effective because of its great drama, which holds its characters responsible for their actions.Every character has an ideology backing them that justifies their emotions. For instance, the beloved protagonist, Naruto, despite starting as a weak shinobi, is striving hard to make himself the best fit forthe position of Hokage, making people love and acknowledge him. Similarly, the antagonist group Akatsuki aspires to collect all nine-tailed beasts to put an end to the world of wars.
It’s not for noreason to rankNaruto, which has 500 episodes and is stuffed with intense battle scenes (and 11 spin-off movies), among the most beloved Shonen anime series. The series has an intricate storyline, robust character development, and well-choreographed plots, illustrating the best quotable lines.
10"Hey, are you alright, scaredy-cat?"
Naruto Uzumaki (‘Naruto’ Episode 29)
To surpass any other shinobi and climb up the ladder of potency, a few characters have made their comrades rivals. For instance, Might Guy assumes Kakashi as his rival, while Naruto considers Sasuke as a competitor. However, they all maintained a healthy relationship, where one’s upgrade motivated the other. To illustrate, asNaruto started off as a below-average shinobi, he retained no powerful attacks to prove his existence during the fight against the Demon Brothers. Sasuke disrespected Naruto by saying, “Yoo, are you hurt? Scaredy Cat”.
During the Chunin Exam Arc, Sasuke was way too outpaced by Orochimaru, disguised as a Grass Ninja. With Orochimaru’s brutal intent,Sasuke was paralyzed in fear and things seemed totally out of control. Naruto made a heroic entry and returned the “scaredy-cat” remark to Sasuke.
9"Never try to go up against one of the Legendary Sannin."
Kisame (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 138)
During the Second Great Ninja War, the leader of Amegakure village, Hanzo or Hanzo of the Salamander, precisely designates Jiraiya, Orochimaru, and Tsunade as the Three Legendary Sannins. All three of them embeda few overpowering abilities. For instance,Jiraiya’s Toad Oil Flame Bullet, Orochimaru’s Hidden Shadow Snake Hands, and Tsunade’s Medical Ninjutsu. However, among them, Jiraiya stands as the most loved Legendary Sannin.
When Naruto was training under the protection of Jiraiya and the Akatsuki duo, Kisame and Itachi were on the hunt to contain the Nine-tailed Jinchuriki. However,capturing Naruto, along with confronting Jiraiya was not an easy job. Kisame agreeably comprehended this situationand discussed it with Itachi by saying, “Never try to go up against one of the Legendary Sannin. If we fight him, both the Uchiha Clan and the Seven Swordsman of the Mist will have their names dragged through the mud.” This showcases the fearsome abilities and personality of Jiraiya sensei.
8"Do you want these clones to use Susanoo?"
By Madara Uchiha (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 320)
Perhaps there is no other smoother character than Madara Uchiha inNaruto. Being anincarnation of Indra Otsutsuki,Madara was the only character who could match the strength and abilities of Hashirama Senju. Other than Madara’s proficiency, he is known for his relatable words, which can motivate a being or demoralize their will. One such instance aired during the Fourth Great Shinobi War.
As the different units of Allied Shinobi Forces were busy engaging with notable reanimations from Kabuto’s Edo Tensei, the five Kage; Hokage, Mizukage, Kazekage, Raikage, and Tsuchikage resolved to face Madara.Even though being the leaders of five great nations, Kages stood out from the league of Madara’s overwhelming powers, like Susanoo. It appeared that Madara was simply toying with them. In the middle of the war, Madara brought out 25 clones (5 for each Kage). Madara’s line, “Do you want these clones to use Susanoo or not?” exemplifies how outclassed the Kages are and also disrespects them by giving them a choice to fight against an upgrade.
7"I, Madara, declare you the strongest of them all!”
Madara Uchiha (Naruto: Shippuden Episode 421)
Narutoboasts quite a unique and relatable thing that hard work surpasses talent. The same is demonstrated by Might Guy, who retained no Ninjutsu or Genjutsu. Even though Guy started off as a feeble character, he ended up being the strongest personality.The true illustration of his powers was shown during the Fourth Great Shinobi War, in afierce battle against Ten-tails Jinchuriki Madara Uchiha.
After all the characters get exhausted and fall short of containing Madara, Might Guy is left with no choice but to open the Eighth Gate of Death.After being impressed by the ultimate form of Night Guy and the Taijutsu skills, Madara acknowledges the true strength of Guyby declaring him the strongest of all, “Of all those who have faced me over the years, there’s nobody who surpasses you in Taijutsu. I, Madara, hereby declare you are the strongest of them all!”
6"The Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. I am honored to meet you."
Nagato Uzumaki (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 159)
What could be a better feeling than being admired and well-renowned across all Shinobi villages? There are only a few ninjas that are quite popular inNaruto. Specifically,Kakashi Hatake is the coldest among those whose names have even reached out even to the God-like figure Hagoromo Otsutsuki - The Sage of Six Paths. After his great work in the Third Great Ninja War, Kakashi earned several monikers, notably ‘Kakashi - the Copy Ninja’ and ‘Kakashi of the Sharingan Eye’.
In the Pain’s Assault arc, the leader of the Akatsuki group, alongside Konan, enters the Leaf Village to gather intel on Nine-tails Jinchuriki. However, it turns out that Naruto is on Mount Myoboku (the world of Toads) to master the Sage Mode. And admirably, none of the Leaf Village ninjas intend to disclose any information about Naruto. While Nagato Uzumaki (Pain) was on the rampage, he kept assaulting ninjas, who denied details about Naruto, until he came across Kakashi. Upon seeing Kakashi’s first sight, Pain said, “The Copy Ninja, Kakashi Hatake, I am honored to meet you.”
5"These fools can never make me sweat."
Obito Uchiha (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 330)
In various terms, Obito Uchiha and Naruto Uzumaki can be illustrated on the same page, as both of them had quite similar lives.Both of them had cool rivals (Kakashi and Sasuke), with awesome Sensei (Minato and Kakashi) and also, both loved a girl (Rin and Sakura) from their team who did not love them back.However, both chose different paths. One decided to declare war on the shinobi villages, while the other opted to put an end to the war. Nonetheless, both of these characters went on to sit on the throne of the strongest characters.
While Obito confronts Naruto, Kakashi, and Guy during the Fourth Great Ninja War, overwhelmed by the power of Sharingan and Rinnegan, Obito appears to have turned arrogant and underestimated his opponents. In the middle of such an intense battle, Obito uttered one of the coldest dialogues, “Am I Perspiring? No, It’s just rain. These fools can never make me sweat.” However, Obito did not stand up to his words and, in the end, he was pushed to his limit.
4"I am Kakashi Hatake…"
Kakashi (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 229)
Isn’t Kakashi appearing too frequently here? Well, undoubtedly, he is quite a shinobi, who raised the two most powerful incarnations; Naruto and Sasuke. Kakashi isamong a few wielders of Sharingan, not belonging to the Uchiha Clan.Despite being a Non-Uchiha, Kakashi has utilized the potency of Sharingan to its limit, made the best use of it, and even outpaced most of the Uchihas. With the ability to awaken the perfect Susanoo, Kakashi is considered the most powerful wielder of Sharingan.
InNaruto: ShippudenEpisode 229, Sai, a member of the Root division, and his companions appear to be frustrated and not using his powers to his potential. Kakashi decides to increase the morale of his comrades by saying, “I am Kakashi, the Copy Ninja. I know a thousand jutsu, and now I will use them all, and live up to my name.“Perhaps the line is far enough to furnish goosebumps among the Naruto fanbase.
3"And the weakness of your jutsu…is my existence.”
Itachi Uchiha (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 333)
The most beloved prodigy of the series, Itachi Uchiha, shared very little screen time and yet is considered the strongest and a genius ninja.A glimpse of the fearsome qualities of Itachi can be illustrated when Kakashi says, “You haven’t seen half of what he can do.“And in reality, Kakashi was absolutely correct.
During the Fourth Great Ninja War, Itachi heads towards stopping the Reanimation Jutsu from Kabuto. On arriving, Itachi finds out that the jutsu can only be stopped at the caster’s will. Kabuto laughs furiously and says, “You see, this jutsu has no weakness.” To which, Itachi replies, “Every jutsu has its weakness. And the weakness of your jutsu… is my existence.”
2"Wake up to reality!”
Madara Uchiha (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 385)
Most of the anime series have showcased that there is a strong force guiding the characters to do their job. However, things run differently when talking about antagonists. For instance, Demon Slayer characters are dedicated to saving the lives of commoners, even in exchange for their own lives. In contrast, the Demon Slayer antagonists kill people just for the sake of so-called fun.
But,Narutois an exception to such plots. Most of the major antagonists inNarutoare resolved to establish true peace.Madara Uchiha is one shinobi who suffered the most in the battle between two clans; Senju and Uchiha. After witnessing the true colors of the world, Madara hits with the most relatable quote: “Wake up to reality! Nothing ever goes as planned in this accursed world. The longer you live, the more you realize that the only things that truly exist in this reality are merely pain, suffering, and futility.”
1"This world shall know pain.”
Nagato Uzumaki (‘Naruto: Shippuden’ Episode 319)
As mentioned earlier,the nobleviews ofNarutovillainsdepict them as protagonists, but the violent ways make their actions subjective. In accomplishing the plan of Ultimate Tsukuyomi, Madara entrusted his Rinnegan to Nagato Uzumaki, who turned up as a great ninja and establishedthe strongest villain group - Akatsuki.
Nagato, popularly known as Pain, attacks the Leaf Village to capture Naruto. When Pain finds that Naruto is out of town, Pain leverages the Six Path powers and utters this line before totally eradicating the village, “Those who do not understand true pain can never achieve true peace. Now, this world shall know pain. Almighty Push.” This relatable quote ablaze the heart with perfect dubbing fromTroy Baker.
