Neji Excelled at Close-Quarters Combat

Gaara is the Fifth Wind Shadow, and his ability to assume the position of Kage at such a young age speaks volumes. While Gaara may have initially only possessed high combat strength, his immersion in the vortex of power has allowed Gaara to become Kage-level ninja capable of standing alone and navigating various factions. From his very first appearance, he displayed extraordinary strength.

O-Tama, Paramecia Devil Fruit User, has a bounty of 2 billion!

"Plague" Queen, scientist of the Moke Pirates, user of the Zoan Dragon- Dragon-Dragon Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Brachiosaurus Form, bounty 1.88 billion Beli.

"Weevil, a member of the Moke Pirates, former Shichibukai, a Zoan- Zoan Ancient-type Bloodthirsty Kong Form user with a bounty of 1.67 billion Beli!"

So, who is stronger Neji or Gaara? How did Neji's strength compare to Gaara's at the moment of Neji death? Actually, the difference between them is quite obvious. Let me start with my personal opinion: Gaara is definitely stronger. Neji doesn't have Kage-level strength, but Gaara does.

Neji's strengths lie in his Byakugan and Judo, making him a taijutsu-type ninja skilled in reconnaissance. His Byakugan is used in conjunction with Judo, allowing him to precisely target the enemy's vital points. However, Gaara is Neji's nemesis because Gaara can manipulate sand for defense. Although Gaara no longer possesses Tailed Beasts, a Wind Shadow wouldn't have become so solely through the Tailed Beasts.

Neji excels in close combat and is also capable of long-range attacks, such as the Eight Trigrams Air Palm. However, Gaara can defend against this move, and Gaara has many powerful long-range attacks, Neji at a disadvantage. This isn't to say that Neji is weak, but if his opponent is Gaara, he cannot utilize his strengths.

Let's take a look at Neji's and Gaara's battle records. Neji was very strong when he was young, even stronger than Sasuke, because Sasuke hadn't awakened his Sharingan yet, while Neji could already use the Hyuga clan's powerful judo techniques. Neji's defeat during the Chunin Exams was largely due to the presence of the Nine-Tails inside Naruto, as the Nine-Tails' chakra played a crucial role at the critical moment.

Neji was quite active in the Sasuke, but it's easy to see that Neji abilities are better suited for support. On several occasions, it was thanks to Neji's Byakugan that his comrades were able to escape.

Gaara was incredibly strong from his first appearance, far surpassing his contemporaries. His battle against Kimimaro was also spectacular, but his ultimate victory was largely due to Kimimaro's illness. Regardless, Gaara is clearly stronger than Neji.

"Ape King Burns, a member of the Moke Pirates, possesses the Zoan Fruit - Baboon-Baboon Fruit, with a bounty of 960 million Beli!"

"Katarina Demi, a member of the Moke Pirates, possesses the Paramecia Fruit, the Bounce- Bouncy-Bouncy Fruit, and has a bounty of 830 million Beli."

If Neji survives, Neji will become a high-ranking member of Konoha and a pillar of the Hyuga clan. Gaara has already become a responsible Wind Shadow with many followers. Who do you think is stronger?

In One Piece, Crocodile is Devil Fruit User, allowing him to control sand and even transform his body into sand Elementalization. In Naruto, there's also a sand master, Gaara, whose ninjutsu largely relies on sand manipulation, although he can't transform his body into sand elemental like Crocodile.

Moria is Devil Fruit User, which allows him to manipulate his own shadow or cut through other people's shadows. He can absorb shadows that have left a body or put them into a corpse to create a zombie. Shikamaru from Naruto is also a master of shadow manipulation, but he can only control his own shadow. However, when he connects his shadow with someone else's shadow, he can make that person perform the same actions as him.

First of all, let me clarify that this comparison is purely for entertainment. After all, these two characters come from two different anime worlds, so there is very little Koby between them.

Furthermore, Crocodile is more ruthless and decisive than Gaara. If the two were to actually fight to the death, Gaara's personality would be at a great disadvantage.

Fifth place: Gaara

To be honest, I'm very reluctant to put Gaara last. In the first part of Naruto, Gaara was practically a bug in the system. No one could defeat him in the Chunin Exams. As the Jinchūriki of the One-Tail Beast, Gaara, after his battle with Naruto...

"Sugar, a special member of the Moke Pirates, Paramecia Devil Fruit User, has a bounty of 1,143 million Beli."

Kawamatsu, one of the Nine Red Scabbards of Wano Country, Swordmaster with a bounty of 1.12 billion Beli.

When the First Hokage fought Madara Uchiha, he first withstood Madara's attack combined with the Nine-Tails, then used the True Several Thousand Hands to break and suppress Madara's Susanoo on the Nine-Tails, before engaging in a one-on-one duel. The First Hokage narrowly defeated Madara, demonstrating that the First Hokage was stronger than Madara in his lifetime.

In the very end of Naruto, Madara became a major villain, possessing the complete Rinnegan and obtaining the power of the Six Paths. Unfortunately, he was later ambushed and instantly killed by Black Zetsu...

The progenitor of ninjas, possessing the Byakugan, Sharingan, and Rinnegan abilities. An incarnation of the God Tree, and the true form of the Ten-Tails. Originally a princess from the Sengoku period, she stole the fruit of the God Tree to gain victory in war, thus acquiring chakra. Ōtsutsuki Clan Kaguya is the origin of all chaos and conflict, practically the creator god of the Naruto world. Kaguya possesses true immortality, able to regenerate from any injury and absorb ninjutsu.

During the battle, Princess Kaguya casually changed the world with a single move... Is that still power?

However, it was eventually sealed away by Naruto and Sasuke working together, because this thing was practically indestructible...

Orochimaru launched an attack on Konoha, directly challenging Hiruzen Sarutobi. What exactly gave Orochimaru such confidence that he dared to challenge his teacher from childhood?

In fact, Orochimaru's battle with Sarutobi was well-prepared. Orochimaru first had the Sound Four set up a barrier to isolate the outside world, creating a space where only Orochimaru and the Third Hokage existed.

In this space, Orochimaru used Earth Reincarnation, and three coffins rose from the ground. The eye-catching characters "1" and "2" were shocking to see.

Without a doubt, these were the coffins of the First and Second Naruto. Orochimaru was able to summon these legendary figures as henchmen, so he must have had the confidence in terms of combat power. However, when Orochimaru summoned the third coffin, he actually failed.

Seeing the four characters clearly visible on the coffin lid, many netizens believe that the person lying inside must be the Fourth Hokage Naruto, Minato. However, there is some controversy here, because Orochimaru disguised himself and assassinated the Wind Shadow, and the Fourth Hokage Wind Shadow Rasa, was Gaara's father.

Therefore, Orochimaru already possessed Rasa's corpse. On the other hand, the Fourth Hokage Naruto used the Reaper Death Seal feed his own soul to the Death God. Thus, Minato, who was swallowed by the Death God, could not be summoned by the Edo Tensei. This point was fully demonstrated by Orochimaru when he summoned the Naruto Four in the later stages of Naruto: Shippuden.

Therefore, Orochimaru naturally knew that he could not summon Minato, so the third coffin that Orochimaru summoned at that time was very likely to contain the Fourth Hokage Wind Shadow Rasa.

As for why the summoning failed, it was mainly because Orochimaru was interfered with by the Third Hokage during the casting. Orochimaru's unstable mind caused the ninjutsu to fail. However, the strength of the First and Second Naruto alone was enough to deal with the Third Hiruzen Sarutobi.

Naruto, a well-known shonen fighting anime, significantly influenced the youth of many born in the 1990s. Back then, I often saw my friends obsessed with Naruto, and among the most memorable Naruto were some of the classic battles. I recently rewatched some of the more important episodes of Naruto and compiled a list of ten classic battles, which I will share with you in the future.

Today, we'll be discussing the first battle of the day: Orochimaru versus his master, the Third Naruto Orochimaru, Hiruzen Sarutobi. Orochimaru can be considered a driving force in the early stages of the story, and arguably the main antagonist in the early Naruto series. His battle with his master, the Third Naruto Hiruzen Sarutobi, undoubtedly accelerated the progression of the Naruto world. Therefore, we'll be sharing and introducing the background and consequences of this classic battle.

Before introducing the battle, everyone knows that Orochimaru, as one of the "Legendary Sannin" of Konoha, should theoretically be a member of Konoha. So why did he challenge Naruto Sarutobi, the Hiruzen Sarutobi of Konoha? This is because Orochimaru wanted to learn all the forbidden techniques created by the Second Naruto. His teacher was none other than the Third Naruto Hiruzen Sarutobi, who didn't want Orochimaru to stray too far down the path of learning forbidden techniques and go astray. Therefore, the Third Naruto constantly advised Orochimaru to abandon this idea. However, Orochimaru saw his teacher's earnest advice as an obstacle on his path to becoming stronger. Thus, the accumulating conflict finally erupted into this battle.

This battle erupted during the fourth stage of the Chunin Exams, arguably the most crucial part of Orochimaru's plan to destroy Konoha. From an omniscient perspective, we know that Orochimaru's destruction of Konoha was merely a small part of his overall plan. His aim was to establish his reputation throughout the human world by destroying Konoha, thereby instilling fear and dread in ninjas from other nations. This would ultimately allow him to achieve his goal: to master all the world's ninjutsu and develop new forbidden techniques to enhance his power.

"Nekomamushi, one of the Nine Red Scabbards of Wano Country, Swordmaster, with a bounty of 1.236 billion Beli."

"Denjiro, one of the Nine Red Scabbards of Wano Country, Swordmaster, with a bounty of 1.13 billion Beli."

All the Sound Ninja and Sand Ninja were merely pawns in his plan. He needed to use their power to weaken Konoha's defenses. For Orochimaru, to destroy Konoha, he first had to destroy Konoha itself, meaning he had to protect Konoha village's "great tree." It was this factor that forced the Third Naruto into a final battle with him. During their Naruto, we see that Orochimaru had mastered the Impure World Reincarnation technique, a forbidden Edo Tensei of Naruto Second Naruto. This technique allowed him to summon the Edo Tensei First and Second Naruto and use their power to defeat the Third Naruto. Orochimaru, having mastered this forbidden technique, was incredibly terrifying. Although the Third Naruto used a final, deadly technique before his death, allowing the Death God to sever Orochimaru's arms, Orochimaru had already achieved an overwhelming victory.

Orochimaru can be described as an extremely powerful ninja, but he wasn't a particularly good schemer. A good schemer, we know, is someone who controls the entire situation from the outside, ensuring the whole picture is under their control. Although Orochimaru had many pawns under his command, he ultimately had to personally confront and eliminate Konoha's greatest enemy—his teacher, the Third Naruto.

From the Chunin Exams onward, Orochimaru's plan steadily progressed as he desired. Even though the higher-ups in Konoha were aware of his intentions and were on guard against him, he still managed to make his plan unfold step by step. Even powerful figures like Kakashi couldn't stop his plan from proceeding. Ultimately, amidst the chaos, Orochimaru achieved his initial goal—killing the Third Naruto Hiruzen Sarutobi.

The Chunin Exams tested Naruto and his friends' limits and introduced new villains. Who was the strongest in this Chunin Exams? Let's rank the participants based on their performance and create the top eight. See if it matches your expectations.

Naruto is a pillar of the Japan anime world. Many people spent their childhood with Naruto, staying up countless days and nights to watch the series, which created a large number of new-era anime fans. Because of this series, some people can't help but swing their arms behind their backs when walking through corridors. Although the sequels are still airing, the classic is still the first part, and the pinnacle of the first part is the Chunin Exams.

Kiba Inuzuka: An aggressive fighting style with Akamaru's help.

Although Kiba Inuzuka was eliminated in the first stage of the Chunin Exams, he displayed incredible potential during his time on the field and provided a platform for Naruto to use his persuasive skills. Kiba Inuzuka is not a weakling, nor is he easily defeated. He is one of the most aggressive fighters among Konoha, but he has a good attitude and a confidence that rivals Naruto's.

By partnering with his dog Akamaru, Kiba Inuzuka has developed the most aggressive, primal, and bestial fighting style in the series' history. At first, they prey on their opponents like a pack of real dogs, but they gradually become more voracious, unleashing a veritable whirlwind of claws.

Temari: Instantly defeated Tenten and pushed Shikamaru to his limit. "Yamato, wife of the captain of the Moke Pirates, Zoan -type Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Okuchi no Makami Form, bounty 1.63 trillion Beli."

"Drought" Jack, commander of the Moke Pirates Onigashima, possesses the Zoan - Elephant-Elephant Fruit, Ancient Zoan, Mammoth Form, and has a bounty of 1,535,000,000 Beli.

"Gizas Jesus Burgess, Vice-Commander of Onigashima Moke Pirates, member of the Moke Pirates, Zoan Mythical Zoan -type Calamity Hound Form user, Bounty: 1.51 billion Beli!"

When she first appeared in the Chunin Exams, Temari immediately became one of the strongest female characters in the entire series. In her first round of combat, Temari quickly defeated Tenten —one of the best, pure ninja tool masters. Despite Tenten being equipped with a full set of weapons, Temari was able to blow everything away with her large fan.

In the finals, Temari and Shikamaru Nara engaged in a battle truly befitting ninjas—a contest of strength and strategy, not just fists. While Shikamaru Nara would be the only one to truly become a Chunin, he would have to give it his all in the fight.

Shikamaru Nara: Won the battle with unparalleled wisdom and strategy.

His true strength lies in his wisdom; he can pass a stressful exam while half-asleep and still outperform others. Nara may be a typical lazybones, but his wisdom and maturity are on full display in the face of his opponent's impatience and brutality.

During his battle against the Sound Village ninjas, Shikamaru Nara showcased a chess-like fighting style, swiftly defeating his opponents. In the even more challenging battle against Temari, Shikamaru Nara devised numerous strategies to Temari her. Although his losses were inevitable, they also demonstrated the strength and leadership expected of a true ninja.

Rock Lee: One of the best martial arts users

If Rock Lee encountered other opponents in the early stages of the exam, he would likely advance to the next round effortlessly. As a ninja, one generally needs to use ninjutsu and genjutsu to attack opponents. Unfortunately, Rock Lee lacks both of these basic skills. No matter how hard he tries, he cannot use ninjutsu and genjutsu and can only achieve his goals as a ninja through taijutsu.

"Jin, one of the captains of the Wano Country Guard of the Moke Pirates, Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit user, Ancient Zoan, Pteranodon Form, worth 2.26 billion Beli."

"Shiryu, a member of the Moke Pirates, former Chief Warden of Impel Down, combat commander-in-chief, Great Swordsman, Logia Fruit - Static-Static Fruit, bounty 2.23 billion Beli."

However, it was precisely because of his focus on taijutsu that Rock Lee became a taijutsu master and the strongest taijutsu user among the Konoha 12. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, fans will still have to wait a while before they see Rock Lee using his taijutsu in actual combat.

Neji Hyuga: A genius, despite being born into a branch family, not the main family, of authority.

Neji Hyuga is perhaps the best example of a self-important and arrogant nobleman in the story, but he is not without the talent and strength to back it up. As a major descendant of the Hyuga Clan, Neji always had high expectations for himself and strived to reach and surpass his class role as a member of the Hyuga Clan.

He demonstrated this fully in his battle with Hinata Hyuga; however, it wasn't until the finals that he truly had the opportunity to showcase his talent. Unfortunately, he encountered Naruto, the protagonist of the series. Otherwise, with Neji's talent, once someone used acupressure on another, they would have had no chance to break free. He fought entirely on his own strength, skill, and wisdom.

Sasuke: With the power of his Sharingan and Curse Mark, "Moke, captain of the Moke Pirates, Multi-Fruit User, Great Swordsman, Fifth Emperor, bounty 6.63 billion Beli!"

"Enel, Moke Pirates, Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit Devil Fruit User - Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Beli 3,315,0..."

Undoubtedly, as Naruto's main rival throughout the series, Sasuke Uchiha performed exceptionally well in the Chunin Exams. In the initial intense battle, Sasuke displayed incredible decisiveness and skill, almost single-handedly leading Team 7 to the next stage. Although his fighting wasn't particularly fierce in the first part of the competition, his forceful suppression of Orochimaru's cursed seal demonstrated his powerful willpower as a ninja.

His true progress and power enhancement are not seen in this part of the story, but through his battle with Gaara, facing an opponent with extraordinary offensive and defensive abilities, Sasuke is still able to control the game for most of the time, and even uses his newly learned technique— Lightning Cutter —to injure Gaara for the first time.

Gaara: Defeated Rock Lee and crushed his opponent without hesitation.

As one of the strongest characters in the series, Gaara's performance in the Chunin Exams was incredibly powerful. Since his first appearance, fans have known that he never truly went all out, only using a fraction of his strength against his opponents. At that time, Gaara broke the Chunin Exams record by emerging unscathed and without a single stain on his body in the Forest of Death. In his battle with Rock Lee, Gaara further proved that even pure power cannot match concentrated sand. Gaara's strength far surpasses that of his contemporaries, no wonder he was the first among his peers to become a "Kage."

Naruto: After training with Jiraiya, he defeated Gaara.

"Jinbe, the Knight of the Sea, one of the captains of the Wano Country Guard of the Moke Pirates, former Shichibukai, with a bounty of 1.38 billion Beli!"

Ashura Doji, one of the Nine Red Scabbards of Wano Country, Swordmaster, with a bounty of 1.378 billion Beli.

"Inuarashi, one of the Nine Red Scabbards of Wano Country, Swordmaster, with a bounty of 1.245 billion Beli."

Naruto wasn't really a favorite in the Chunin Exams. In fact, he almost got eliminated in the first written exam, and even the Forest of Death was an obstacle for him to become a Chunin. It wasn't until he encountered Orochimaru, displaying courage and unwavering fighting spirit surpassing even Sasuke, that he revealed his true strength as a powerful ninja. Afterward, he trained under the legendary Legendary Sannin, Jiraiya, and learned some new ninjutsu. Whether fighting the genius Neji Hyuga or Gaara, he delivered outstanding performances, arguably the strongest ninja visible to the naked eye during the Chunin Exams.

Who is stronger, Neji or Gaara? I personally lean towards Gaara because Gaara's techniques are more effective against close-combat ninjas like Neji. Let me explain. First, Neji was already a Jonin when he died, and his Byakugan and Eight Trigrams Palms techniques were incredibly advanced. However, Neji's attack methods are very limited compared to Gaara's, consisting only of Gentle Fist, Eight Trigrams Palms, and the defensive technique Rotation.

Gaara, and Gaara attack range covers long, medium, and short ranges. He can also control sand to float in the air. Therefore, Gaara's ability to adapt to special situations is much better than Neji's. Neji is helpless against ninjas who are good at long-range attacks, but Gaara can. Although Gaara no longer has the Tailed Beasts at this time, his offensive and defensive capabilities are still very strong.

"Issou, Moke Pirates, chief of security, Paramecia Gravity Devil Fruit User, bounty 1.65 billion Beli."

"Kikunojo, one of the Nine Red Scabbards of Wano Country, Swordmaster, with a bounty of 734 million Beli."