Naruto: How Sasuke Surpassed Madara Uchiha, Explained

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This article reveals major plot details from the final story arc of Naruto and the Boruto series, including everything that’s happened up to the latest episodes.

From the beginning of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, it was clear Sasuke was meant to be Naruto’s rival – their paths always seemed to run alongside each other. While the story focuses on Naruto, Sasuke is equally crucial. Not only does Naruto and even Boruto give a lot of time to his story, but his actions really shape what happens to other characters too. Like Naruto, who constantly strives to become stronger to achieve his dream of being Hokage, Sasuke also relentlessly pursues power. He’s motivated partly by wanting revenge for what happened with Itachi, and partly by a desire to stay on par with Naruto.

By the time the story reaches Naruto: Shippuden, Sasuke has become one of the most powerful characters in the series, and he only continues to grow stronger. He eventually becomes even more powerful than Madara, a notoriously strong villain in shonen anime and manga, which was a surprising development for many fans.

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

Being born into the Uchiha clan was a huge advantage for Sasuke. The Uchiha are known for their powerful chakra and the unique Sharingan ability, making them arguably the strongest ninja clan in the Naruto series. This gave Sasuke a head start, but it didn’t guarantee success. Like anyone else, he still needed to train hard to become a truly powerful ninja, and he wasn’t immediately exceptional when he first started his training.

In terms of talent, he’s greater than even Itachi! – Orochimaru

The Uchiha clan constantly seeks strength, but ironically, they only achieve it through suffering – especially considering their primary goal is to protect those they care about. Their deep love makes the pain of loss a catalyst for greater power. Sasuke, having experienced immense tragedy early in life, channeled his grief into strength, explaining his remarkable abilities. Initially, he unlocked the basic Sharingan, then, driven by his desire for power and leading him to Orochimaru, he developed a more advanced form.

During the time skip, Sasuke underwent intense training with one of the Legendary Sannin, and was given special drugs to help him grow stronger quickly. This is why he returned much more powerful than Naruto, prepared to confront Itachi. However, Sasuke didn’t realize Itachi had been secretly protecting him all along. The pain of discovering this truth actually made Sasuke even more powerful, as the Uchiha clan’s strength is fueled by intense emotions like hatred, which grew significantly within him. He briefly succumbed to darkness, but Itachi’s actions during the Fourth Great Ninja War helped Sasuke gain clarity and finally decide his own path. This moment established Sasuke’s importance as a key figure in the series’ prophecy.

I will execute the Five Kage who led the world to this point. – Sasuke Uchiha

Initially, fans thought Naruto Uzumaki was the only one destined to save the world. However, as the story developed and revealed more about the Sage of Six Paths, it became clear that both the descendants of Indra and Ashura – Naruto and Sasuke – were crucial to achieving peace. Sasuke, like Naruto, was a chosen one, and he understood this during the war. After gaining his brother Itachi’s power, Sasuke aimed to protect the village, and he committed himself to fighting alongside Naruto against Madara. Meeting Hagoromo granted Sasuke the Rinnegan and incredible new abilities, finally making him powerful enough to rival Madara.

How Sasuke’s Strength Compared To Madara In The War

Sasuke Uchiha Was Almost As Strong As Madara During The War

Initially, Sasuke’s power level was somewhat comparable to Madara’s. However, when Sasuke had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the gap between them was significant. Even after losing his eyes, Madara was still dominant, and Sasuke would have been defeated without assistance. Fortunately, Sasuke survived and, after encountering the Sage of Six Paths, gained the Rinnegan. This dramatically changed him. When he faced Madara again, Madara was far more powerful, having absorbed the Ten Tails. Despite this, and even after Madara absorbed the God Tree, Sasuke was able to fight on equal footing. Sasuke’s speed became so great that he could even cut Madara in half, and ultimately, he and Naruto were able to defeat him. This led to the emergence of an even greater threat: Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Naruto and Sasuke had a tough time fighting Kaguya, though they did manage to land some hits. However, Kaguya was much stronger, and they only defeated her with assistance. During the fight, it became obvious that Sasuke hadn’t fully mastered his Rinnegan. He gradually gained better control of it through continued fighting, learning to use its power effectively.

Honestly, when Sasuke fought Madara during the war, he wasn’t quite at Madara’s level yet. He was still developing, still learning to fully harness the Rinnegan’s power. He could absolutely go toe-to-toe with Madara, even push him back in a long fight, but actually winning felt like a huge challenge, mainly because Sasuke hadn’t mastered the Rinnegan. But seeing how much he grew over the years? He definitely surpassed Madara, no question about it! It’s amazing to see how far he came.

Adult Sasuke’s Strength In Boruto

Sasuke Is On An Entirely Different Tier Of Strength In Boruto

Watching Sasuke in Boruto, it’s clear he’s surpassed even Madara Uchiha in power. He’s become strong enough to genuinely contend with the Otsutsuki clan all on his own. I remember seeing him fight Momoshiki, who was demonstrably stronger than Madara, and Sasuke really pushed him – gave him a serious challenge. He didn’t quite win, but it’s important to remember he’d just teleported eight people to another dimension, which clearly drained a lot of his energy, probably cutting his strength in half. If he’d been at 100%, I think he would have finished Momoshiki off.

The creator, Kishimoto, has confirmed that adult Sasuke and Naruto were evenly matched in the Boruto timeline, and both have continued to grow stronger. This means Sasuke ultimately surpassed Madara. However, during the Kara Actuation Arc in Boruto, Sasuke lost his Rinnegan, likely making him weaker than Madara again. He then trained intensely to regain his power, eventually becoming stronger than Naruto. Unfortunately, he later lost his chakra and was sealed away, resulting in the creation of his Shinju, Hidari. While still powerful, Sasuke is currently unable to fight. His future is uncertain, but he may regain his strength again someday.

You can read the Boruto manga officially and for free on Viz Media, Shonen Jump, and the Manga Plus app. The next chapter, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 30, will be released on January 20, 2026.

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2025-12-29 16:05