How Sasuke Overcame Madara Uchiha, Explained

This article contains spoilers for the final arc of Naruto.

Key points

• Sasuke played a crucial role in saving the world and gained the power of the Sage of Six Paths.
• The tragedy of the Uchiha clan fueled Sasuke's strength and led him to surpass Madara Uchiha.
• As an adult in Boruto, Sasuke is stronger than Madara and rivals Otsutsuki, despite losing his Rinnegan.

Sasuke Uchiha has always been a significant part of the Naruto series. In fact, it can be said that Sasuke is as important as Naruto Uzumaki to the overall story. Kishimoto has previously commented on the importance of this character, stating that he sees Sasuke as Naruto's other half, and the progression of both of these characters together is what makes Naruto so exciting.

Naturally, this makes Sasuke one of the strongest characters in the series, and by the end of Naruto, he has certainly achieved that status. In fact, he even returned home to surpass Madara, and that's something not many fans expected from him.

Sasuke's fate as one of the children of prophecy

• Sasuke helped save the world
• Sasuke reached half the power of the Sage of the Six Paths

The fact that Sasuke was born into the Uchiha family was already a blessing for him. Those of the Uchiha are blessed with the power of the Sharingan and their chakra is particularly strong. The Uchiha are the strongest shinobi clan fans have ever seen in the entire Naruto series, and it's no surprise to know that Sasuke being born there gave him a certain level of privilege. That said, Uchihas aren't inherently world-class. They too need to train and gain great power, which is why Sasuke was far from achieving greatness in his early days as a ninja.

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

While the Uchiha strive for power, the strength they gain can only come through tragedy, which is rather ironic, given that their greatest desire is to protect their loved ones. The Uchiha love so immensely that the loss of this love ultimately allows them to gain greater powers. The fact that Sasuke lost almost everything at an early age means that he turned this pain into his power, and this explains why he was as strong as he was. Sasuke's journey in the early parts of Naruto saw him gain the power of the Sharingan and then master it to perfection. In the first part, Sasuke obtained a two-tomoe Sharingan, and after his quest for power led him to seek out Orochimaru, he obtained a three-tomoe Sharingan.

During the timeskip, Sasuke trained with the Sannin and was even given some drugs to increase his growth. This is why Sasuke came out of the timeskip much stronger than Naruto and, at this point, was ready to defeat Itachi. Little did Sasuke know that Itachi was actually protecting him all this time, and the pain from this loss ultimately led to his powers growing further. The power of hatred fuels the Uchiha bloodline and this hatred grew enormously in Sasuke. At one point, Sasuke was engulfed by darkness, but, after Itachi Uchiha's intervention in the Fourth Shinobi World War, Sasuke actually managed to gain some wisdom and decided for himself what he wanted for the first time. It was at this point that Sasuke's role as the Child of Prophecy was noted in the series.

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

Initially, fans believed that only Naruto Uzumaki was the Child of Prophecy. But as the series expanded on the lore of the Sage of the Six Paths and the Son of Prophecy, it became clear that both the reincarnations of Indra and Ashura who united would go on to save the world. Just like Naruto, Sasuke was also a Child of Prophecy and realized this during the war. Sasuke, after obtaining Itachi's eyes, wanted to become the Hokage of the village and, regardless of his goal, decided to give great help in the battle against Madara. After meeting Hagoromo, he gained the Rinnegan and, along with it, the powers of the Six Paths. This took him to a completely different level and allowed him to finally match even Madara in power.

Like Sasuke's strength compared to Madara in The War

Sasuke Uchiha was almost as strong as Madara during the war

Sasuke's strength compared to Madara wasn't that far off in the beginning. Of course, when Sasuke still had the Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan, the two were nowhere near close in terms of strength. In fact, even without his eyes, Madara managed to beat him, and without help Sasuke would surely have died. But he survived this ordeal and after meeting the Sage of the Six Paths, he received the Rinnegan. When Sasuke came back from all this, he was a completely different person. He clashed with a much stronger version of Madara, who, by this point, had absorbed the Ten Tails into him, becoming tremendously powerful. He even absorbed the Divine Tree, and despite this, Sasuke was able to match him in combat. Sasuke's speed was so impressive that even Madara couldn't avoid being cut in two by him and, together with Naruto, would have easily managed to defeat him. This is why an even stronger enemy was introduced in the form of Kaguya Otsutsuki.

Both Naruto and Sasuke struggled in the battle against Kaguya, but eventually took a few hits. That being said, they were both inferior to Kaguya and ended up defeating her with help. When Naruto and Sasuke argued, it became clear that Sasuke had not yet gained perfect control over his Rinnegan. It was only after much extra fighting that Sasuke began to stabilize his control over this eye and learn how to use it properly.

It can be said that during the war, Sasuke was no stronger than Madara. He was still an unfinished product, and his control over the Rinnegan was only growing. He could definitely match Madara in battle and hold his own, even going into a prolonged fight where he would push Madara onto the defensive. However, winning against him would be very difficult at the time and that was largely due to the fact that Sasuke didn't have enough control over his eyes. As Sasuke trained further, over the years, he certainly grew to Madara's level and beyond.

Adult Sasuke's strength in Boruto

Sasuke has a completely different level of strength in Boruto

Sasuke's strength as an adult in Boruto the series is much bigger than the Madara Uchiha series. This is clear from the fact that Sasuke is strong enough to rival Otsutsuki alone in the Boruto series. People like Momoshiki, who are superior to Madara in terms of strength, were easily dealt with by Sasuke and found themselves in a rather difficult time. Of course, Sasuke was still unable to defeat Momoshiki, but one must also remember that having transported eight people to a different dimension took a toll on his strength and probably halved it. If Sasuke had been at his best, he could have easily taken care of Momoshiki.

Furthermore, Kishimoto clearly stated that Sasuke and Naruto were the same as adults Boruto era, and as they both got even stronger, it's officially clear in the story that Sasuke has surpassed Madara right now in Boruto. However, things have changed drastically since Sasuke lost his Rinnegan and he is now definitely weaker than Madara. Sasuke's future remains unknown and he may once again achieve great power.

Boruto is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by fans officially and for free on Shonen Jump and on the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Boruto, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 17, is scheduled for December 20, 2024.