Most Clever Strategies Used By Naruto

Few shonen protagonists are as well-known and beloved as Naruto, and he is still going strong more than two decades after his debut. Headstrong, driven by friendship, and a hidden chosen one with an incredibly high ceiling, Naruto is, in many ways, the quintessential battle shonen MC, and that extends to his personality. Although he can come across as a bit of an idiot at times, the ninja really should not be underestimated on the battlefield, as he proves time and again that his unorthodox nature leads to surprisingly effective strategies that catch seasoned warriors by surprise, shock, or bewilderment.

Naruto becomes very powerful by the end Shippuden, but he pretty much always goes up against beings who can equal him in brute strength to an extent. In almost every fight, Naruto’s victory comes down to a blend of skill, raw ability, and creative thinking, and the latter is particularly crucial when he is outmatched in the other two categories. To highlight Naruto’s brilliance, let’s go through his best strategies in the original series and Shippuden. Boruto will be ignored.

8

Using The Reverse Harem Jutsu On Kaguya

One Of Naruto’s Most Unpredictable Moves That Somehow Worked

Occurs In: The No. 1 Most Unpredictable Ninja (Episode 463 of Naruto: Shippuden)

No one would’ve even tried to use a joke technique against the Mother of Chakra and one of the strongest shinobi of all time. However, Naruto is cut from a different cloth and uses his Reverse Harem jutsu to successfully distract Kaguya.

This unpredictable technique catches the powerful enemy completely off guard, allowing Narutoto land a solid hit. It may not be his finest moment, but the fact that Naruto managed to outsmart someone as imposing as Kaguya counts for something.

7

Pretending To Spoil The Plot Of The New Icha Icha Book To Kakashi

Let Naruto And Sakura Finally Win The Bell Exam

Occurs In: The Jinchuriki of the Sand (Episode 4 of Naruto: Shippuden)

The re-do of the Bell Test is an excellent way to kickstart the events of Shippuden, with both Naruto and Sakura showing just how far they’d come. However, all their new techniques weren’t enough to grab a hold of the bells, which is why Naruto had to wrack his brain.

He knew Kakashi inside-out and used this knowledge against him by pretending to spoil the plot of the Icha Icha series, a series of adult novels written by Jiraiya that Kakashi loved. He closed his eyes and ears to avoid any spoilers, negating the power of his Sharingan and letting Sasuke and Naruto finally pass this test after the latter showed a flash of brilliance with this move.

6

Letting His Hand Be Impaled By Kabuto To Hold Him In Place For The Rasengan

A Brutal Strategy That Worked

Occurs In: Attack! Fury of the Rasengan! (Episode 94 of Naruto)

Naruto’s dogged nature makes him implement the riskiest tactics to succeed, and the fight against Kabuto is no exception. Orochimaru’s underling was smart and realized that Naruto could only hit a still target, which is what made the protagonist’s following actions so unexpected.

He let his arm get impaled by Kabuto’s kunai (a violent scene that was toned down somewhat in the anime) and held him in place as he unleashed a resounding Rasengan. It was a brutal tactic, but Naruto’s intelligence should be lauded since it ended up working out.

5

Digging With His Bare Hands To Launch A Surprise Attack On Neji

Helped Naruto Get One Of His Most Important Wins

Occurs In: A Failure’s True Power (Episode 62 of Naruto)

Naruto’s fight against Neji is a battle of wills and ideologies, with the protagonist fighting against the concept of destiny as he chooses to carve his way through the ninja world on his own feet. He does this by fooling Neji into believing that one of his shadow clones was the real deal, preparing a surprise attack from below.

He dug through the ground and ambushed Neji with a powerful uppercut that took out the Hyuga clan’s genius. It was a smart moment that Naruto thought up while under major duress, serving as the first instance of his impressive battle IQ.

4

Using His Shadow Clones Wisely To Fool Kakuzu

Integral To Help Naruto Land The Rasenshuriken On Kakuzu

Occurs In: Wind Release: Rasenshuriken! (Episode 88 of Naruto: Shippuden)

The Rasenshuriken was a technique so powerful that one look made it clear to Kakuzu that he needed to avoid this jutsu by any means necessary. This meant that Naruto had to get ingenious about how he used Shadow Clones.

By fooling Kakuzu into thinking that he kept his real body away from danger, Kakuzu was fooled and unable to defend himself as Naruto landed this attack flush. It was an amazing and cinematic moment that cemented Naruto as one of the strongest shinobi in the series who was only going to grow stronger over time.

3

Throwing Himself Using His Shadow Clones To Take Out Pain’s Final Body

An Ingenious Way To Come Out Victorious Against Nagato

Occurs In: The Fourth Hokage (Episode 168 of Naruto: Shippuden)

The battle against Pain is one of Naruto’s defining moments, with his Sage Mode allowing him to make quick work of most of Pain’s bodies. After going berserk, he regained his senses and decided to implement some smart tactics in his battle against the final body of Pain.

Realizing that Almighty Push worked on a timer, Naruto goaded the villain into using this technique before launching himself from a distance using his clones. This allowed him to close the distance between him and Pain in record time, unleashing one final Rasengan to end the battle for good.

2

Teaming Up With Sasuke To Employ Some Fine Teamwork On Zabuza

An Epic Moment That Cemented Their Friendship And Made Kakashi Proud

Occurs In: The Oath of Pain (Episode 8 of Naruto)

It’s always great to see Naruto and Sasuke team up, and such a moment comes early on in Naruto when Kakashi is stuck in a Water Prison and needs the help of his squad. Sasuke uses the Shadow Shuriken technique and forces Zabuza to dodge a second Fuma Shuriken after grabbing the first.

He’s mid-jump when the second shuriken transforms into Naruto, who used this distraction to throw a kunai that forced Zabuza to release the Water Prison technique. Kakashi was back in the fight once again, and he had the wits of Naruto and Sasuke to thank for this.

1

Naruto Picking The Perfect Moment To Unleash One Of Anime’s Finest Counters On Sasuke

Knew Exactly When Sasuke’s Sharingan Would Conk Out So That He Couldn’t Anticipate The Uppercut

Occurs In: Naruto and Sasuke (Episode 477 of Naruto: Shippuden)

The final fight between Naruto and Sasuke shows how well the two rivals know each other despite being separated for so long. Sasuke breaking Naruto’s Shadow Clone hand signs multiple times is a great indication of this, but the final punch that Naruto throws in this battle cements his status as one of the smartest shinobi in the series.

He knew that Sasuke was low on chakra and couldn’t activate the Chidori and Sharingan together anymore. Pretending to be helpless, he waited for Sasuke’s chakra reserves to dwindle as he moved in for the kill with his Chidori, only for the Uchiha’s Sharingan to deactivate. As a result, he was unable to anticipate Naruto’s uppercut counterattack, which sent him flying into the cliff wall.