For many fans, the Chunin Exams were the beginning of their fascination with the classic Shonen tournament arc. It was a time when naruto was simpler Before the rising power level of anime and the evolution towards bombastic kaiju battles, the Chunin Exams were the high point of close combat that naruto fans loved it.
One on one is a staple of any good tournament arc, allowing an anime to introduce a catalog of new characters with unique abilities in highly structured combat. But for an arc that stretches as long as this one, it’s to be expected that not every fight will be as good as fans would hope.
10 BEST: Gaara VS Rock Lee is Peak Naruto
Gaara vs Rock Lee is considered by many to be the best fight ever. naruto. Immediately, fans recognized the huge increase in animation quality as the episode began. Gaara vs Rock Lee ranks right up there with the best fights currently being animated and beats a lot of the others.
Rock Lee may not be as archetypally cool as some naruto characters, but managed to impress fans with his sheer determination to prove himself and his display of speed and strength.
9 WORST: Choji VS Dosu was an anticlimactic ending to the arc
Choji vs Dosu is the final fight of the preliminary exams, right after the fan-favorite climax of Gaara vs Rock Lee. The fight is completely normal in most ways, leading many fans to feel a sense of deflation from such an incredible battle just before.
Most fans agree that the Chunin Exams would have been better off rearranging this fight to start earlier and end the arc in a more climactic battle. From a structural point of view, Choji vs Dosu was a huge disappointment.
8 BEST: Neji VS Hinata brought depth to the supporting characters
Neji vs Hinata was a fight starring two supporting characters who had yet to make their mark on fans. Neither character has had a significant performance thus far, leading many fans to be open-minded as to what to expect. The only thing fans knew about Hinata was that she was a kind girl and she cared for Naruto.
But in this fight, she proves herself to be more than just a potential love interest. By committing herself to fighting someone arguably more powerful than her, she displays a level of character development unlike many other women in the world. naruto franchise.
7 THE WORST: Tenten VS Temari was a shame
Tenten vs Temari is the subject of many derogatory memes. The feats shown during this battle are pathetic compared to what fans were used to. Tenten showed pitiful speed compared to Sasuke or Rock Lee.
Also, her skills and jutsu feel incredibly lackluster despite the potential Tenten probably had. Most of his signature techniques revolve around randomly throwing a variety of weapons rather than simply wielding a sword with a star skill. This is a battle that many fans would forget if it wasn’t so much fun.
6 BEST: Shikamaru VS Temari showed the strategic side of Naruto
Shikamaru vs Temari earns its spot as one of the best fights in the Chunin Exams because of how surprisingly fun it is. Shikamaru’s ability to come up with cool strategies always makes him an interesting combatant. He combines that with his defining trait of laziness and you have a character that finds its way into the hearts of fans.
Unlike the fight between Temari and Tenten, Shikamaru poses enough of a threat to push Temari to interesting heights. In this fight, she reveals a sense for combat and adaptation that made her a fan favorite despite not being part of the Leaf people.
5 THE WORST: Naruto VS Kiba was just a prank fight
Naruto vs Kiba is a controversial battle in the Chunin Exams. Due to his main character status, many fans were excited to see Naruto fight anyone. But ultimately, this is one of the weirdest and most pathetic Naruto fights in all of anime.
Kiba is a mediocre opponent without any interesting techniques at this point in the story. One of Naruto’s most elaborate strategies revealed against Kiba was to fart in the boy’s face, making it clear that this is a battle played out more for jokes than any significant character development or plot advancement.
4 BEST: Sasuke VS Gaara was a clash of the titans
Sasuke vs Gaara is a fight that centers two of the most popular characters in the entire franchise. This battle took two of the strongest genins in the world and pitted them against each other. It was an exciting encounter that put each character to the test, forcing them to reveal more and more unique jutsu.
This fight raised the power level of the naruto world in a way that really made things interesting for the fans. While it didn’t get a conclusive result, many fans were thrilled to see it happen.
3 THE WORST: Sasuke VS Yoroi had no visual style
Even though Sasuke is one of the coolest characters in naruto, his fight against Yoroi is still one of the most boring fights in the entire series. Yoroi is a character that doesn’t have an interesting visual style or strategic variety when it comes to combat.
He has a simple technique that depletes his opponent’s chakra for as long as he can hold it, leading to a fight that mostly consisted of a singular position where Yoroi kept Sasuke on the ground until Sasuke fought him and won.
two BEST: Shikamaru VS Kin was short and sweet
Shikamaru vs Kin gets points for being incredibly concise, with only a brief exchange of blows before Shikamaru finally displays some clever strategy and nails his Shadow Possession jutsu, comically securing victory. It’s not the smartest thing Shikamaru will ever achieve, but it’s smart enough to be entertaining.
Furthermore, Kin manages to attract enough interest from fans through a unique combination of bells and senbon. Ninja tools are greatly underused in the overall story, making Kin’s aesthetic a welcome change for naruto combat.
1 THE WORST: Sakura VS Ino is despised by the fans
Sakura vs Ino is one of the most hated fights in naruto. At its best, this battle offers high-quality taijutsu choreography and interesting cloning tactics. But while this fight does have its high points, it’s impossible to ignore the fact that Sakura vs Ino is plagued by flashbacks more than any other fight in the Chunin Exams. Unlike some of the better fights with more interesting characters, the story of these two just isn’t narratively interesting enough.
