I mean, he’s so iconic you’ll rarely even hear Naruto’s name without associating it with his. And considering the massive success of Naruto as a franchise, it’s not that hard to see why he’s so well-known. Of course, this popularity also means that he’ll more often than not be a target for comparisons – just like what we’re doing in this ranking. And let it be said this guy is not an easy opponent to beat. Nevertheless, I’ve organized this list of anime characters that either have a chance against him, or would outright trash Sasuke hands-down in a confrontation.
30. Lelouch vi Britannia
Anime: Code Geass Sasuke might have several of the strongest (and also arguably the coolest) eye jutsus in all of Naruto, but Lelouch has him beat with his Geass. One eye-to-eye contact is all it takes for the battle to be over, as it is all the “Power of Absolute Obedience” needs for it to work. Of course, his Geass also has to take effect before Sasuke puts him in a genjutsu first or before he’s ripped apart by shurikens a few seconds after the battle starts. Because let’s be honest. As much as Lelouch is a powerhouse in the brains department, he isn’t exactly the most competent fighter out there. Hence his low ranking on this list.
29. Light Yagami
Anime: Death Note It’s the same story here with Lelouch. He has a hax-tier special ability that (fortunately for him) works on humans, which would give him a landslide victory against Sasuke. And given how famous and well-renowned Sasuke’s name is in the Shinobi world, I doubt Light would even need his Shinigami eyes for this one. Of course, there’s no question that Light would be dead in a straight confrontation with Sasuke. So he’d have to find a way to write his name up before the fight even starts.
28. Meruem
Anime: Hunter X Hunter Meruem is the first character on this list with actual battle experience – and absurd physical stats to back it up. First off, his durability is outright insane. So much so that he basically yawned off Netero’s light-speed attacks without even the slightest hint of damage. He even survived a full-on nuclear explosion (in point-blank range by the way) for frick’s sake. Also, he’s very strong and fast to the point where not even Netero — the strongest hunter of the series — was able to survive against him. Does he have a chance against Sasuke? Perhaps only a little before he got his wings, but in his Post-Rose form? I’d say he’d give him a good fight all the way.
27. Tohru
Anime: Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid Sasuke’s been known to kill giant snakes to save his own skin (RIP Manda), but what about a fire-breathing dragon? Tohru might look like the perfect dragon maid waifu in her demihuman form, but this gal isn’t someone to be messed with when she’s serious at all. This much is obvious during her few fighting scenes — including one with her “playing” with Kanna while straight up obliterating their surroundings haphazardly. All in all, I’d say she’s more than a good matchup for Sasuke. Provided, of course, that she doesn’t drink her lights out before the fight.
26. Natsu Dragneel
Anime: Fairy Tail From one dragon onto the next, Natsu enters the battle with a good chance of victory against the man to beat. Natsu (for me at least) mirrors Naruto in the sense that he’s every bit as stubborn and outgoing as him. Oh, and his plot armor is also pretty darn thick. His similarities with Sasuke’s rival aside, he’s also quite a powerful character himself especially when he’s in his Fire Dragon King Mode — his strongest form yet. What’s more is that he can also eat fire (I know, it’s kinda weird). So that means no Amaterasu during the fight. And if Sasuke’s not careful, he might just come out of this one like an overdone kebab.
25. Sadao Maou
Anime: The Devil Is a Part-Timer! When we think of a “Demon Lord”, we’d more than usually think of strong, nigh-unbeatable characters that are destined to be slain by your typical hero. Then again, Sadao is not your typical Maou. And same with his eternal rival, Eri. While both of them don’t look like much in their weakened forms, these two are actually very overpowered, and are capable of destroying cities when they fight. Of course, that’s not even accounting for their full strength had they been on Ente Isla where their magical capabilities are at their fullest.
24. Akame
Anime: Akame ga Kill! Akame has (more or less) the same ability as Light Yagami. They both have a sure-kill ability that will make any opponent shake their head in absolute disgust. What makes her even more dangerous than Light, however, is that she actually knows how to fight – with her being a highly trained assassin and all. Armed with quick reflexes and tremendous agility and speed, there are very few characters in anime that Akame can’t catch with her blade. Worst yet, one cut is all it takes for anyone to die of Murasame’s poison. Thinking about it now, I actually admire Akame for having the guts to clean this sword. Yikes.
23. Accelerator
Anime: A Certain Magical Index There should be no question that Accelerator is one of the strongest anime characters of all time. And perhaps he could’ve been one of the strongest anime villains of all time as well, if he didn’t get some sense knocked into him by Touma. His history as a punk-ass villain aside, Accelerator might just be the worst matchup for most characters in anime simply because of his ability to reflect anything that comes at him. This defensive ability even has very few restrictions, and is further bolstered by his offensive quirks, especially if he decides to get his black wings out. In that form, he might just be a match for Sasuke in terms of edginess. As for strength? I’d say he’d definitely be a difficult opponent if he gets serious from the get-go.
22. Whitebeard
Anime: One Piece Whitebeard is widely known as the strongest character in One Piece – especially back when he was in his prime. Up to the time of his death, he was famous for being the “Strongest Man Alive” and is one of the Pirate King’s very few rivals. He also went to Marineford (the Marines’ very own base) to start a war with a tidal wave before making a graceful and badass exit. Not to mention he was already old and a bit sickly when he did it. Which just makes me wonder all the more what could’ve happened if he wasn’t. Factoring in all of his feats, one hit might be all it takes for him to subdue Sasuke. Which says a lot about his raw destructive power.
21. Demon King Meliodas
Anime: Seven Deadly Sins Meliodas isn’t our first demon lord-type character on this list, and he certainly won’t be the last. What separates him from the rest is his deceivingly young and easygoing appearance. But I guess most of us already know that isn’t the case. Restored to his fullest capabilities, Meliodas becomes a terrifyingly strong demon. So much so that even Escanor — yet another overpowered character himself — has had trouble keeping him down without using “The One”.
20. Tsunayoshi Sawada
Anime: Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Here we have Tsunayoshi Sawada, who won’t stop until he’s won the battle. Let me rephrase that. He literally won’t stop until he brings down his enemy, as he can’t physically die as long as the fires of his will are alive and burning. And let me tell you, Tsunayoshi’s will is as inextinguishable as they come. Immensely strong and fast beyond even many powerful anime characters, I’d say this guy is more than a good matchup for Sasuke. Naturally that also includes the characters further in this ranking.
19. Koro-Sensei
Anime: Assassination Classroom This yellow amply-tentacled creature is quite well-suited for his job as a teacher, rather than being cast as a character in your typical off-brand anime. But putting his bizarre physical appearance aside, Koro-Sensei has a lot of unique abilities under his belt. And he’s quite adept at using each of them. While he mostly uses his powers to mess with his students (and for goofs), he’s actually quite a top-tier character when it comes to OP-ness. In addition to his famous Mach-20 superspeed, Koro-Sensei also has great durability and survivability. Provided that Sasuke doesn’t get a hold of any “Anti-Sensei” weapons before the fight, then Koro-Sensei would definitely be a tough opponent to beat even for him.
18. Madara Uchiha
Anime: Naruto This guy should be a no-brainer when it comes to characters that could take on Sasuke in his own series. After all, Madara took on both Naruto and Sasuke by himself — two of the strongest shinobis of all time. And Madara held his own plenty of times. In fact, I would even go as far as to say that he would’ve undoubtedly won the Fourth Great Ninja War if he was left alone. The likes of Kaguya or Momoshiki aren’t necessary, as I’m confident that the man who stomped thousands of shinobi is already a tough enough opponent for Sasuke.
17. Rimuru Tempest
Anime: That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Rimuru is one of those characters that doesn’t look like an absolute beast of a fighter at first glance, which he actually is. But I mean, who would even see a slime that way? Aren’t they supposed to be among the first “fodder mobs” you kill for exp in every RPG game ever? Not this slime, apparently. After absorbing a ton of powerful enemies, Rimuru has grown enough in power that he can beat more than half of the anime universe in terms of feats and power scaling. And I believe that includes even Sasuke, who Rimuru might just beat quite easily.
16. Momonga
Anime: Overlord Momonga, like Rimuru, is yet another overpowered inhuman isekai character. In addition to having one of the most powerful guilds and NPCs under his leadership, he’s also one of the best spellcasters in YGGDRASIL. He has several high-level spells and items that could either decimate entire armies, or protect him from harm and render him practically invulnerable. Case in point, he’s no doubt more than a challenge for Sasuke. And I won’t even be surprised if Momonga takes this one fairly easy, all things considered.
15. Giorno Giovanna
Anime: JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure His name is Giovanna Giorno, but everybody calls him Giorno. Insert Daft Punk’s iconic EDM Putting this character’s endless potential for memes aside, Giorno quite surprisingly became unbeatable by the end of Part 5. What I mean by that is he’s virtually unbeatable with his Golden Experience Requiem, as it allows him to revert anything and everything back to zero. This essentially means that he can bend reality to his liking, and could even trap his opponents in an unending cycle of death.
14. Alucard
Anime: Hellsing Ultimate This 598-year-old vampire is the first and the strongest of his kind. He’s also immune to any conventional anti-vampire countermeasures such as sunlight and a wooden stake to the heart. What’s worse for those brave (or stupid) enough to tango with this guy is the fact that he still has higher levels of strength that he can tap into if it’s time to get serious. Of course, Sasuke might not be an exception when it comes to opponents that might find Alucard in his strongest form a bit overwhelming.
13. Jaganshi Hiei
Anime: YuYu Hakusho This is most probably the best matchup Sasuke can get. Thematically speaking. They both use eye techniques, the quintessential styled black hair, the cool moves, the black flames… and more importantly, their edginess is more or less on par with each other. What’s not on par, however, is their overall strength. Hiei even has resistances against fire and electricity, both of which make him immune or at least resistant against Sasuke’s Chidori and Amaterasu. That’s two of Sasuke’s most powerful techniques rendered practically useless. Moreover, the fight between these two is most likely the only one here that’s been explored thoroughly by well-known power scalers — as seen in this Death Battle video.
12. Ichigo Kurosaki
Anime: Bleach There should be no question that Ichigo has grown to be one of the strongest shounen MCs of all time. From struggling against scrub-tier hollows to straight-up one-shotting the final boss with a Getsuga Tenshou, it’s apparent that this guy’s potential has little to no limits. He has strength, durability, and speed (lots of it) to spare. And he’s the only character in Bleach whose soul possesses Human, Quincy, Shinigami, and Hollow properties. Ichigo might just be the most complete fighter now that I think about it. Yuri Boyka ain’t got nothing on this dude, and likely same with Sasuke.
11. Saiki Kusuo
Anime: The Disastrous Life of Saiki K. What, you didn’t think comedy/gag characters can also go toe-to-toe with Sasuke? Of course they can! In this case, Saiki is definitely a good contender against our favorite emo boy. First off, Saiki doesn’t need a good ol’ Genjutsu to manipulate his opponent’s mind. He can do it much more efficiently and to a greater extent without even lifting a finger. Not only that, but his time and mind manipulating powers can also affect the entire world if he chooses to. His telekinetic abilities are also said to be powerful enough to destroy the earth if left unchecked. That’s why he wears a limiter (the weird hairpin) on his head in the first place.
10. Saitama
Anime: One Punch Man From here down to the rest of this list, all these characters basically have a 100% chance to beat Sasuke – and they’re the characters who I think would win in a one-sided fashion. So I think it’s only natural to start the top 10 led by Saitama — a man who blows away his enemies with only one punch. From obliterating a giant meteor without barely even breaking a sweat, to beating the self-proclaimed “Dominator of the Universe”, Saitama has no shortage of incredible feats. Match him up with anyone and anything except a mosquito and you might just get yourself a short anticlimactic fight.
9. Jin Mo-Ri
Anime: God of High School Jin Mo-Ri is the only bonafide “god” in this list. But he’s a god that doesn’t technically classify as omnipotent. This means he more or less meets my discrete requirements for this list. This seemingly ordinary high school student is actually the reincarnation of Sun Wukong, who’s also coincidentally the mythical figure that Son Goku is based upon. That’s how you know he’s damn overpowered. Jin Mori goes from fighting strong, albeit still human fighters in a competition to beating godlike beings eventually, which is a testament to the tremendous power that’s always been inside him.
8. Sakamaki Izayoi
Anime: Problem Children Are Coming from Another World, Aren’t They? Speaking of beating gods to a pulp… what about someone who did it at the very first episode of his series? Sakamaki Izayoi, much like Jin Mo-Ri, is just a normal high school student at first glance. In truth, he’s anything but normal. After all, he’s actually capable of beating high-tier supernatural creatures that are on the level of actual, legendary gods with ease. What’s even more mind-boggling is that he hasn’t even shown the full extent of his powers in the anime. Sadly, we’ll probably never see the feats he accomplished in the light novel become animated, since the anime’s chances of having a 2nd season are quite low. But my point still stands.
7. Toriko
Anime: Toriko It’s no secret that Toriko loves eating. Combine that with his bottomless appetite and penchant for fighting powerful foes, and that all makes him one of the strongest Gourmet Hunters in his series. But I mean, powering up by hogging out? Sounds like everybody’s dream ability, no? I know it sounds ridiculous, but eating lots of dishes made by Komatsu is what helped him attain much of his power. More specifically, it’d be at least planet-busting levels of power.
6. Anos Voldigoad
Anime: The Misfit of Demon King Academy Anos here isn’t that much different from the “god-beaters” that came before him. The only difference is that he already had his glory days before he reincarnated and became a student in the Demon King Academy. His magic is said to be so strong that he can quite literally delete anything and everything in existence. And quite frankly, I don’t doubt it. If the anime is going to stick to its source material like most light novel-based anime usually do, then we’re just beginning to see what he’s truly capable of.
5. Tetsuo Shima
Anime: Akira Tetsuo might’ve ended up like a weird gigantic flesh baby at the end of his series. But that form doesn’t exactly do his powers justice. It might be confusing to some, but Tetsuo actually became a godlike being right after Akira sent him away. And not just your run-off-the-mill Dragon Ball Kami or Dende-type god in Dragon Ball, no. He became a literal creator of another universe. But of course, obtaining such power did cost him a lot. Much like Sasuke, in hindsight.
4. Goku
Anime: Dragon Ball Yep. You’ve probably been expecting to see this guy in here and I’m happy to say that you’re right. Sasuke can’t beat Goku. He just can’t, no matter how you look at it. This guy can shatter galaxies whenever he fights – and has already had the power to destroy planets even in his early DBZ days. In fact, I think Krillin would be a more fair character to pit Sasuke against. Then again, that matchup is still mostly an overkill if we stop to consider what our bald friend can do despite him being one of the weakest Z-fighters.
3. Madoka Kaname
Anime: Puella Magi Madoka Magica Madoka has a base (or “normal”) version that I think Sasuke can still contend with, and even beat… But against Ultimate Madoka? Sasuke doesn’t even stand a chance. While still not quite omnipotent, Madoka’s strongest form made her capable of erasing the concept of witches itself. Not to mention that this deletion extends in all planes of existence, which tells us that she might be at least multiversal-level powerful. All these things considered, that’s 1 for our magical girls and 0 for our edgy shinobi boi.
2. Simon
Anime: Gurren Lagann “Simon the Digger” might not sound like a badass nickname, but it most definitely should be. He might not have started out as the strongest of his team. But as the series progressed, he grew stronger, like your typical Shounen MC. By the end of the series he even went toe-to-toe with an abstract entity called “The Anti Spiral”, which is the embodiment of despair and hopelessness. And he won. This mad lad actually frickin’ won.
1. Usagi Tsukino
Anime: Sailor Moon If there’s something I’ve learned while searching for the strongest characters in anime, it’s that you never underestimate the power of love and justice. And that means you should never underestimate magical girls who wield them. I know Usagi might not look like it, but this girl has tanked multiple multiverse-ending attacks. And she’s fully capable of dealing with them herself. And she’s immortal in the sense that her “essence” as a warrior spirit never truly dies. So she can essentially reincarnate an infinite number of times. That makes the score 2 for our magical girls and 0 for our edgy shinobi boi. That’s a game, set, and match right there.
