Top 20 Iconic Naruto Moments

The first arc of “Naruto” aired decades ago, but people still look back fondly on it. Its antagonists, Zabuza and Haku, are especially highly regarded. Hired swords for a greedy businessman, Gatō, Haku dies saving Zabuza’s life. After a speech from Naruto, Zabuza realizes how much Haku meant to him. To make up for treating his partner less than he deserved, Zabuza decides to take down Gatō himself. Despite being near-death, he cuts his way through Gatō’s men with nothing but a kunai in his teeth! Zabuza is the first of many foes that Naruto makes better for having met, and his badass and tragic death is incredibly impactful.

Kaguya Ōtsutsuki is a powerful being from the dawn of Naruto’s world. The origin of chakra, and one of the original story’s final villains. Her power is such that Naruto and Sasuke can barely lay a finger on her, despite their own incredible new abilities. However, Naruto reveals to his rival that he has a secret jutsu, one that he has practiced even more than the Rasengan. He then creates a bunch of clones, who all turn into…handsome nude men?! As hilarious as Naruto using his stupid “sexy jutsu” on a world ending superbeing is, what’s even funnier is that it works! Truly he is the chosen one.

Naruto grew up without parents, but he had plenty of friends and mentors. One of the most important of either of these is Iruka, his teacher at the ninja academy. Before Naruto gets married to Hinata, he goes over to Iruka’s house, where his sensei is failing spectacularly at cooking dinner. Naruto asks him out for ramen, and continually puts his foot in his mouth, which gets Iruka increasingly miffed. However, Naruto eventually reveals he wanted to ask him something - to act as his father at his wedding. Iruka of course accepts, and he’s moved to the point he struggles to hold back tears. It’s a rare “Naruto” fan who doesn’t join him in that fight!

Madara Uchiha is a terrifying legend in the world of “Naruto.” And when the villain is resurrected during the war, he lives up to the hype and then some! While facing an entire division of the Allied Shinobi Army, Madara performs a jutsu using Susanoo. Soon afterwards, the sky darkens and the ninjas below react with disbelief, wondering if they’re fighting a god. And the shot zooms out to show a massive ball of rock plummeting onto them all! While veteran Tsuchikage Ōnoki manages to stop it with Gaara’s help, it’s still an iconic and terrifying illustration of the villain’s strength. Almost as epic as the fact that Madara actually summoned two meteors!

Shikamaru’s teacher Asuma is killed by Hidan, a crazed, immortal member of the Akatsuki. After using his jutsu to lure Hidan into his family’s woods, Shikamaru activates a pre-prepared trap. While he can’t kill Hidan, Shikamaru manages to trap him for the foreseeable future by burying the maniac alive. And he uses his teacher’s lighter (cigarettes in the manga) to do it, which is just the cherry on top! Revenge is a running theme in “Naruto,” but it’s rare that a character achieving it feels satisfying. This is one of those times.

The Chunin Exams are a major event for the contestants trying to get promoted and for the village hosting the event. Team 7’s first exams are endangered by many things, not the least of which is the absence of Sasuke and Kakashi, who have spent the time before the finals training. Before Sasuke’s highly anticipated match with Gaara, the Hokage sets a time limit - they can’t keep the crowd waiting forever, after all. Naturally, it all comes down to the wire, and the proctor is just about to call the match, when falling leaves swirl about and Sasuke and Kakashi appear in the middle of the stadium. Overly dramatic? Maybe - but it’s still so dang cool.

War can divide people, but it can also see them come together. Sasuke leaves the village for years and is antagonistic towards his former friends and home. But during the final war, he reunites with his former teammates once again. There’s some initial distrust, and comedy, from their peers, but Naruto and Sakura have faith in their friend, and they fight side by side once again against the Ten Tails. Even if you binge the series, it’s a long real world time between Sasuke’s departure and this moment, so seeing Team 7 finally working together again is bound to get you emotional, even if you didn’t have to wait years to see it happen!

When you put a character in a mask, sooner or later there’s going to be a big reveal. One of the most famous twists in the series is about the masked man Tobi. Initially, we’re told that Tobi is Madara Uchiha in disguise. However, when the real Madara is resurrected during the war, that throws that idea out the window! When Naruto, Kakashi, and Gai battle Tobi, they notice strange similarities between Tobi’s Sharingan powers and Kakashi’s. Finally, Naruto breaks the mask revealing the truth - Tobi is Obito Uchiha, Kakashi’s old teammate and the one who gave him his Sharingan. And sure, a lot of people guessed it beforehand. But the reveal itself is still etched in our brains!

As we’ve established, Naruto was an orphan. His parents were killed shortly after he was born. However, thanks to the magic of chakra, he gets the chance to speak to both of them. Naruto encounters his mother, Kushina, while trying to better control the Nine Tails’ chakra. He encounters her in a kind of dream space. Watching their similarities is heartwarming, as is Kushina’s story of how she and his dad met. But it’s the simple moments of love between the two that just get the waterworks going every time! It’s everything Naruto deserved, but never received.

Might Gai finally opening the Eighth Gate of Death is a momentous occasion in the series. While facing Madara Uchiha, the bushy-browed ninja unleashes his full potential, at the potential cost of his life. While their fight itself is epic, it’s the final blow that makes our list. When the rest of his impressive moves prove unable to finally do Madara in, Gai unveils his last technique - Night Gai. The splendid beast of a man moves so fast his chakra looks like a dragon! And then he hits Madara with a kick that bends space itself! Gai may not manage to kill Madara, but he cements himself as a legend here! The best part? Night Gai is basically a god-tier version of his Dynamic Entry!

Naruto and Sasuke’s friendship/rivalry is among the most pivotal parts of the series, so it’s only fitting that we start with them. During their battle after Sasuke leaves the village, Sasuke leaves behind his scratched forehead protector; symbolizing the severing of his ties to Konoha. By the end of “Naruto Shippuden,” Sasuke has finally come around and reconciled with Naruto and the village, though he still decides to leave Konoha to protect it in other ways. As he’s leaving, Naruto returns Sasuke’s scratched headband, which he has kept for years. It’s a wonderfully full-circle moment, made even more epic by the return of that classic “Naruto” theme music.

Speaking of that damaged forehead protector, the way it gets scratched is pretty epic! Naruto and Sasuke’s epic first fight at the Valley of the End features the duo slowly escalating their power and abilities against each other. Finally, their battle reaches its conclusion in the only way it could – with a clash between their signature attacks, Rasengan and Chidori. The image of the two of them in their transformed states leaping at each other in front of that waterfall is forever burned into the memories of every “Naruto” fan.

Sasuke’s greatest ambition for most of the early part of the story is achieving revenge against his brother Itachi for killing their clan. The siblings’ battle is fraught with emotion, memories, and huge attacks. But its conclusion is what sticks in our minds the most. Itachi has proven himself the stronger brother, unleashing advanced Sharingan techniques that Sasuke is no match for. With his elder brother bearing down on him, apparently intent on stealing Sasuke’s eyes for his own, Sasuke can only back against a wall in terror. However, when the moment comes, Itachi only pokes Sasuke on the forehead – just like he did when they were younger. The full significance of this moment is explored later when the truth about Itachi is revealed, but the image is immediately striking.

One of the earliest events in “Naruto” is also one of its most memorable. While the bell test has plenty of notable moments, such as the infamous “1000 years of death” technique, the conclusion of the challenge stands out the most. Despite initially failing the team, Kakashi states that he’ll give them another chance, but forbids them from giving Naruto any food. After catching them disobeying him, Kakashi seems angry at first, but when they stand up to him, the older ninja declares that they’ve passed. People who disobey the rules are bad, but those who abandon their comrades are worse! It’s a lesson that sticks with Naruto throughout the story.

Tsunade begins the story with a debilitating weakness – a fear of blood. Debilitated by a past trauma, she’s attacked by Orochimaru’s henchman, Kabuto. Despite getting wrecked by Kabuto earlier, Naruto steps in to save Tsunade. As he blocks Kabuto’s blow with his forehead protector, Jiraiya speaks elsewhere about the most important thing for a ninja – guts! Tsunade may become the Fifth Hokage, but Naruto is the one who shows her what it takes to become one! The moment is perfectly punctuated soon after by Naruto using the Rasengan for the first time on Kabuto. It’s a great character moment and an awesome attack in the same scene!

There are plenty of impactful deaths in “Naruto,” but Jiraiya’s is one of the ones that hits hardest. Naruto’s longtime teacher faces off against Akatsuki’s leader, Pain. Worn down by the fight, Jiraiya is impaled. Nevertheless, he fights through the agony and manages to deliver a coded message about Pain’s real identity on the back of one of his frog friends. Seeing him follow Naruto’s philosophy of never giving up and watching him peacefully sink underwater with a smile on his face gets us choked up every time!

Even saving the world together doesn’t mean that Sasuke and Naruto can see eye to eye. After defeating their final foe, the two of them return to the Valley of the End for one last battle. While there are plenty of standout moments throughout, it’s the conclusion that resonates most strongly. After an explosive final attack, the two of them are left barely able to move. They discuss their lives, their friendship, and what to do if they survive. It’s a moving scene, made even more poignant by the fact that both have lost one of their arms. Their blood intermingling is a gruesome, but appropriate image – they truly are brothers.

Naruto and the Nine-Tailed Fox, Kurama, have a…complicated relationship…to say the least. The supposedly demonic chakra beast sealed inside Naruto has been the source of a lot of heartache to Naruto over the course of his life. But, when faced with Tobi, who has control over most of the other tailed beasts, Kurama decides to give his aid freely to Naruto. Their long percolating friendship finally solidifies in this moment, as they go into battle together. Even Kurama, who hated Naruto for being his prison, is won over by the knuckle-headed ninja. Plus, Naruto’s awesome new transformation is great to see in action.

Gaara vs. Rock Lee is one of the best fights in “Naruto,” but this moment stands out even among the rest of it. Lee is a skilled martial artist, but he initially looks overmatched by Gaara’s seemingly impenetrable sand defense. That is, until Lee’s teacher Gai gives him permission to remove his training weights. Everyone scoffs…at least until the weights make enormous craters in the ground! Then, Lee moves so fast he manages to not only get past Gaara’s sand, but also hit him multiple times! The exceptionally executed action and stellar soundtrack, featuring wailing guitar riffs and what sound like literal bombs dropping, help turn this moment into pure, unadulterated HYPE! If this doesn’t get you pumped, check your pulse – because you are dead!

When Naruto is away training to become strong enough to face Pain, the Akatsuki leader attacks Konoha, decimating the village and many of Naruto’s friends. But just when all hope seems lost, Naruto appears in a puff of smoke along with his toad allies. Sporting an awesome new Sage form and a spiffy new outfit, Naruto’s arrival alone is great enough. However, soon after appearing on the scene he manages to take down one of Pain’s Six Paths in a single blow, when they all gave other characters a lot of trouble earlier in the arc. Naruto is the hero of the story, sure, but in this moment, he starts to become the hero of his village – just as he’s always dreamed.