Fights in the world of Masashi Kishimoto's Naruto are grounded in the art of deception and misdirection. The tide of a battle is always decided by analyzing an opponent's techniques, finding openings in their defense, and devising effective countermeasures to take them by surprise. Much of early Naruto thrived on this formula, and it helped set the series apart from its peers.

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However, there were instances where match-ups between characters were so unbalanced that certain combatants completely wiped the floor with their opponents. On one hand, this made for some brilliantly timed comedic moments, but it also yielded several one-sided battles. In this vein, here are the most mismatched fights in Naruto.

1 Hinata Hyuga Vs. Neji Hyuga

Winner: Neji

Right after a humorous end to the fight between Naruto and Kiba, the next match-up in the Chunin Exam Preliminaries featured two Hyuga clan members facing one another in a battle that would be critical to their character development further down the line. As the heiress to the Hyuga clan's main family, Hinata had struggled to live up to her father's expectations, constantly being overshadowed by her cousin, Neji.

Viewed as a prodigy among his peers, Neji was an exceptional user of the Hyuga's Gentle Fist Style taijutsu, and he had a point to prove. Fueled by his resentment towards the discrimination between the main and branch families of the Hyuga clan, Neji did his utmost to show Hinata that she was no match for him. Although Hinata's perseverance — inspired by Naruto's own tenacity — kept her in the fight for a little while, all it did was delay the inevitable, and only the intervention of a few jonin in the vicinity prevented Neji from taking things too far.

2 Itachi Uchiha Vs. Sasuke Uchiha

Winner: Itachi

The introduction of Itachi Uchiha upon his return to Konohagakure alongside Kisame Hoshigaki was immediately followed by a terrifying demonstration of his power, as he took out two jonin-level shinobi before proceeding to tail Naruto and Jiraiya. As he closed down on his target, Naruto — the jinchuriki of the Nine-Tails — Itachi was confronted by his younger brother Sasuke, whose eyes burned with a vengeance.

Seeking retribution for his brother's actions in the Uchiha Clan Downfall, Sasuke charged towards Itachi, preparing to unleash his new jutsu, Chidori. Unfortunately, the younger Uchiha was no match for his older brother, who schooled him about the difference in their power by easily knocking him aside. Itachi went on to use Tsukuyomi on Sasuke, forcing him to relive the deaths of their parents and other clan members. This incident left Sasuke visibly shaken, and it played a part in his eventual defection from the village at the end of Part I.

3 Tenten Vs. Temari

Winner: Temari

Pitting two strong kunoichi against one another is something that Kishimoto had dabbled in during the fight before this one in the Chunin Exam Preliminaries. While the face-off between Sakura Haruno and Ino Yamanaka was far from a one-sided affair and did well in fleshing out the pair's complex relationship, the same could not be said about the subsequent match-up between Tenten and Temari.

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Going into the fight, Tenten had the mammoth task of beating the strongest Wind Release user participating in the Chunin Exams, and her reliance on bukijutsu simply did not cut it. After launching wave after wave of shuriken, kunai, and a host of other weapons toward Temari, only to have them easily repelled by her Giant Folding Fan, Tenten was left helpless when the Sunagakure shinobi created a whirlwind that trapped her and took her out of the fight completely. To add insult to injury, Temari manipulated the air currents to force Tenten to land atop her fan like a wet rag, proving that she was no match for her.

4 Kakashi Hatake Vs. Naruto Uzumaki

Winner: Kakashi

Kicking off the fabled bell test, a tradition that almost every notable shinobi in the series has participated in, Kakashi challenged Team 7 to take the bells he had on his person by noon to determine who among them was worthy of being made a genin. Naturally, Naruto chose to go the direct route and launch a frontal attack on the jonin, which he soon regretted. After he casually dealt with Naruto's assault while reading his Icha Icha book, Kakashi began to toy with the young ninja.

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Culminating in one of the series' most iconic comedic moments — the Thousand Years of Death technique — Kakashi berated Naruto for his lack of tact and overconfidence. Even after pulling out all the stops and creating a small army of shadow clones, the difference in strength between Naruto and Kakashi was too great, and the young genin simply refused to learn from his mistakes. From outwitting Naruto's clones to placing a bell on the ground as a trap, Kakashi tried to make Naruto see the error of his ways, but it was to no avail.

5 Itachi Uchiha Vs. Kurenai Yuhi

Winner: Itachi

As far as genjutsu users go, Itachi Uchiha was always leagues ahead of everyone else in the series, and with his first real fight in Naruto, he proved that he did not even need his Mangekyo Sharingan to defeat a jonin-level shinobi. Upon his return to Konohagakure, Itachi and his partner in the Akatsuki, Kisame, were confronted by Kurenai Yuhi and Asuma Sarutobi, who questioned his boldness in choosing to show his face in the village once again.

The ensuing battle was fairly brief, but it did provide a hint of how formidable Itachi was. A seasoned genjutsu user herself, Kurenai tried to use the Demonic Illusion: Tree Binding Death Technique to immobilize Itachi and move in for the kill. Sadly, she had grossly underestimated the Sharingan's ability to see through genjutsu, and Itachi's skills, as he reflected the technique on her, leaving Kurenai trapped within the very illusion she had conjured. If not for the timely arrival of Kakashi, Kurenai and Asuma might have perished in this battle due to their recklessness, and this moment has become something akin to comic relief in the years since it debuted.

Naruto

Animation

Action

Adventure

Release Date

October 2, 2002

Studio

Pierrot

Number of Episodes

220

Streaming Service(s)

Crunchyroll , Hulu , Netflix , YouTube