This article contains spoilers from Naruto's Final Arc, along with spoilers Boruto, all the way up to the current saga.
Since the very start of Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto, Sasuke is presented as the protagonist's rival, and their stories run parallel to each other. Naruto's name might be on the cover, but Sasuke is just as important a figure, and his journey is not only given ample attention during both the original series and Boruto but also directly influences the development of other characters. Therefore, similar to how Naruto constantly grows stronger as he chases his dream of becoming Hokage, Sasuke also pursues power, partially in the hope of getting revenge against Itachi and partially to keep up with Naruto.
Naruto: How Sasuke Became The Strongest Uchiha In History After The Fourth Great Ninja War
Sasuke is powerful. He became the strongest Uchiha in history in Naruto.
By Naruto: Shippuden, Sasuke is firmly established as one of the strongest characters in this universe, and he is on an upward trajectory throughout the manga and anime's second half. He grew so powerful, he eventually surpassed Madara, one of the most intimidating villains in all of shonen. Sasuke reaching these heights was pretty unexpected.
Sasuke's Destiny As One Of The Children Of Prophecy
- Sasuke had a hand in saving the world
- Sasuke attained half of the power of the Sage Of Six Paths
Sasuke being born into the Uchiha family was already a blessing for him. Those of the Uchiha are blessed with the power of the Sharingan, and their chakra is particularly strong. The Uchiha are the strongest shinobi clan that fans have seen in the entire Naruto series, and it is no surprise to know that Sasuke being born there gave him a certain level of privilege. That said, the Uchiha aren't inherently world-beaters. They too need to train and attain great power, which is why Sasuke was far from achieving greatness in his early days as a ninja.
In terms of talent, he's greater than even Itachi! – Orochimaru
While the Uchiha strive for power, the strength they gain can only come through tragedy, which is quite ironic, given that their greatest desire is to protect their loved ones. The Uchiha love so immensely that the loss of this love eventually allows them to attain greater powers. The fact that Sasuke lost just about everything at a very young age meant that he turned this grief into his power, and this explains why he was as strong as he was. Sasuke's journey in the early parts of Naruto saw him achieve the power of the Sharingan, and then master this power to perfection. In the first part, Sasuke went on to achieve a two-tomoe Sharingan, and after his quest for power led him to seek Orochimaru, he gained a three-tomoe Sharingan.
During the time skip, Sasuke trained under the Sannin and was even administered certain drugs to boost his growth. This is why Sasuke came out of the timeskip much stronger than Naruto, and at this point, he was ready to take down Itachi. Little did Sasuke know that Itachi was actually protecting him all this time and the grief that stemmed from this loss eventually led his powers to grow even further. The power of hatred fuels the Uchiha bloodline and this hatred grew in Sasuke tremendously. At one point, Sasuke was engulfed by darkness, but, after the intervention of Itachi Uchiha in the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke actually managed to gain some proper wisdom and decided for himself what he wanted for the very first time. It was at this point that Sasuke's role as a Child of Prophecy was jotted down in the series.
I will execute the Five Kage who led the world to this point. – Sasuke Uchiha
At first, fans believed that only Naruto Uzumaki was the Child of Prophecy. But, as the series expanded upon the lore of the Sage of Six Paths and the Child of Prophecy, it became clear that both Indra and Ashura reincarnations who came together would go on to save the world. Just like Naruto, Sasuke was also a Child of Prophecy, and he realized that in the war. Sasuke, after attaining Itachi's eyes, wanted to become the Hokage of the village, and, regardless of his goal, he decided to help greatly in the battle against Madara. After meeting Hagoromo, he gained the Rinnegan, and along with it, Six Paths Powers. This put him on an entirely different level and finally allowed him to match even the likes of Madara in power.
Naruto: 9 Characters Stronger Than Itachi Uchiha, Ranked
Itachi was a powerful ninja, but even he was outclassed by these Naruto characters.
How Sasuke's Strength Compared To Madara In The War
Sasuke Uchiha Was Almost As Strong As Madara During The War
Sasuke's strength compared to Madara wasn't too far off at the beginning. Of course, when Sasuke still had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the two weren't close at all in strength. In fact, even without his eyes, Madara was able to beat him, and without help, Sasuke certainly would have died. However, he survived this ordeal, and having met the Sage of Six Paths, he received the Rinnegan. When Sasuke returned from this, he was a different person entirely. He clashed with a much stronger version of Madara, who, at this point, had absorbed the Ten Tails inside him, becoming tremendously powerful. He even absorbed the God Tree, and despite that, Sasuke was able to match him in combat. Sasuke's speed was so impressive that even Madara could not avoid being bisected by him, and together with Naruto, he would easily go on to defeat him. This is why an even stronger enemy in the form of Kaguya Otsutsuki was brought in.
Naruto: Could Sasuke Learn Naruto's Rasengan?
Many characters have mastered the Rasengan in Naruto, but Sasuke Uchiha is not one of them.
Both Naruto and Sasuke struggled in the battle against Kaguya, but eventually, they did get a few blows in. That said, both of them were inferior to Kaguya, and ended up defeating her with help. When Naruto and Sasuke fought, it became clear that Sasuke still hadn't gained perfect control over his Rinnegan. It was only after a lot of extra fighting that Sasuke started to stabilize his control over this eye and learn how to use it properly.
It can be said that during the war, Sasuke was not stronger than Madara. He was still an unfinished product, and his control over the Rinnegan was only growing. He could definitely match Madara in battle and hold his own, even going into an extended fight where he would push Madara on the back foot. However, winning against him would have been very difficult at the time, and this was largely due to Sasuke not having enough control over the eye. As Sasuke trained further, over the years, he certainly grew to Madara's level and beyond.
Adult Sasuke's Strength In Boruto
Sasuke Is On An Entirely Different Tier Of Strength In Boruto
Sasuke's strength as an adult in the Boruto series is far greater than that of Madara Uchiha. This is clear from the fact that Sasuke is strong enough to rival Otsutsuki by himself in the Boruto series. The likes of Momoshiki, who are above Madara in terms of strength, were easily taken on by Sasuke and given quite a difficult time. Of course, Sasuke was still not able to defeat Momoshiki, but, it must also be remembered that having transported eight people to a different dimension took its toll on his strength and likely halved it. Had Sasuke been at his best, he would easily have been able to take care of Momoshiki.
Furthermore, it has clearly been stated by Kishimoto that Sasuke and Naruto were equal as adults in the Boruto era, and given that both of them have grown even stronger, it is officially clear in the story that Sasuke has surpassed Madara right now in Boruto. However, things changed drastically during Boruto's Kara Actuation Arc, which saw Sasuke lose his Rinnegan, which likely caused him to become weaker than Madara. After that, Sasuke trained relentlessly to reclaim his strength, and he even surpassed Naruto. Sadly, he would eventually lose his chakra and become sealed, leading to the birth of his Shinju, Hidari. Although still very powerful, Sasuke is pretty much incapable of doing anything at this point. Sasuke’s future remains unknown, although he could go on to attain great power once again.
Boruto is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Boruto, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 30, is set to be January 20, 2026.
- Release Date
- April 5, 2017
- Network
- TV Tokyo
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
