In a world where people can shoot fire out their mouths, create lightning out of thin air and summon gargantuan monsters to aid in battle, many would feel hopeless without those abilities. Rock Lee is not part of this majority. Despite having no ability to perform ninjutsu or genjutsu, Lee strived to become the best ninja he could be.
Indeed, this insanely fast, bushy-browed shinobi is one of the most inspirational, and adored characters in all of Naruto. While he can’t hope to measure up to some of the more powerful ninja in the Naruto universe, Lee never gives up, providing iconic moments throughout the series, and ultimately having some seriously strong attacks. With that in mind, here are some of his strongest abilities.
6 Unmatched Taijutsu
Rock Lee could never perform ninjutsu, that means no Shadow Clones, no Chidori, and no Rassengan. He did not let that stop him, however, as together with his sensei, Might Guy, Lee learnt the art of hand-to-hand combat to a higher level than almost anyone in the ninja world. With kicks that can send anyone flying and speed that the eye can’t follow this is truly an impressive achievement.
Lee’s staggering speed is first shown in his intro fight with Sasuke, but it isn't made truly clear how fast Lee is until he removes his leg weights in his battle vs Gaara of the Sand. In this now-iconic fight, Lee staggers even Kakashi with his physical prowess. While we sadly do not get to see much of Lee’s taijutsu skills later in the series, by the time that Boruto is set, he is one of the strongest hand-to-hand fighters in the ninja world.
5 Leaf Hurricane
Utilizing his unparalleled taijutsu skills, Rock Lee spins at his opponent, using the power of youth to send them flying with a potent kick. This is often Lee’s go-to move when first entering a fight. Like all of his abilities, this was passed down to him by his over-eager sensei, Might Guy.
While this ability can not compare to some of the truly powerful attacks we see in Naruto throughout the series, it certainly isn't the Susanoo, it is still a potent ability that all but the most physically powerful shinobi would struggle to counter. Sasuke, while young, fails to track this attack with his Sharingan, proving its strength.
4 Primary Lotus
The Primarily Lotus is arguably one of the strongest attacks shown off by the Genin during the Chunin exams. So powerful, infact, that Sasuke uses his Sharingan to copy this extremely powerful attack. This attack is so powerful that it allows Lee to defy gravity without the use of Ninjutsu.
Prior to Lee’s use of the Primary Lotus, Gaara had never known what it felt like to be hit; afterwards, he was almost dead. Unfortunately, this attack is extremely physically taxing, and using it puts Lee in a difficult position, ultimately leading to his defeat by the sand ninja. Ultimately, one of the most visually impressive physical attacks in the whole series, the Primary Lotus deserves its place on the list.
3 Drunken Fist
When Lee was almost fatally injured by Gaara, medical ninjas, including Tsunade, believed that he may never walk again, let alone fight. However, Lee never gives in, and when he hears that Naruto, Choji, Kiba, Neji, and Shikamaru have left the village in search of Sasuke, he drinks some extremely potent medicine in the hope of joining them.
This medicine has the right effect, allowing him to move again, but it has one unforeseen result. Lee gets extremely, hilariously drunk. With this new-found drunkenness, comes a level of power that Lee had never experienced before. Allowing him to go toe-to-toe with Kimimaro, one of Orochimaru’s most powerful students. The unpredictability of this attack, combined with Lee’s speed and strength makes it a truly powerful ability.
2 The First Seven Gates
By the age of 12 Lee could open Five of the Eight Gates, by 17 he could open the Sixth. With every gate that opens, Lee becomes exponentially stronger and faster. This ability is so impressive, especially for a ninja that can only perform Taijutsu, that Kakashi brands Lee a genius.
The Sixth Gate provides Lee with so much strength, and so much speed, that he can successfully save Guy from one of Madara’s Truth Seeking Bombs. This is a feat only matched by Naruto’s most powerful of characters.
1 The Eighth Gate Of Death
If the first Seven Gates provide the user with almost unmatched speed and strength, the Eighth Gate of Death, the final gate, takes the user’s ability to that of a god. While we never see Lee use the Eighth Gate, if he did, he would die, we know he can because he can reach the seventh.
When Guy uses the Eighth Gate of Death, he is able to take on Madara Uchiha himself, gaining strength to surpass that of even the five kage. If Lee were to ever use this ability, he would briefly become one of the most powerful ninja on earth, although the cost would be the ultimate price.