Forget Naruto and Sasuke, This Underrated Character Is Actually ‘Shippuden’s Strongest

With over 1,000 episodes across the Naruto franchise, there’s a massive number of characters featured over the past 20 years since the anime debuted. Since the setting of these shows is a world filled with ninjas of varying skills and abilities, the action is a big draw for the franchise. When fans think of the most powerful people throughout the Naruto IP, they tend to think of Naruto Uzumaki (Junko Takeuchi), Sasuke Uchiha (Noriaki Sugiyama), or Kaguya Otsutsuki (Mami Koyama) as their epic fight at the end of Naruto: Shippuden is one for the ages. Even though the power scaling starts to get confusing when there are characters who rely on special techniques like Six Paths Mode, dojutsu like the Rinnegan, or items like chakra fruit, there are still many ninjas that don’t have Kekkei Genkai—DNA anomalies that allow the user to access unique techniques.

Before the introduction of god-level powers and aliens, Naruto featured ninjas in close hand-to-hand combat using kunai, scrolls, and other weapons in their arsenal. While it’s been great to see how far the franchise has come in terms of the action, a big theme across the shows is how no one should be underestimated as a fighter. With the right amount of hard work and dedication, even someone without a Kekkai Genkai can be one of the strongest fighters in the world. And this honor goes to Might Guy (Masashi Ebara).

Might Guy Is The True Underdog of the ‘Naruto’ Franchise

Guy’s journey to being one of the most skilled fighters without a Kekkai Genkai is revealed in Naruto: Shippuden Episode 418, “The Blue Beast vs. Six Paths Madara.” The flashbacks reveal that Guy was struggling with ninjutsu and genjutsu, so he ended up failing his academy entrance exam. But that didn’t stop Guy from giving up. While Naruto was initially billed as an underdog, that was no longer the case when it was revealed that he was the son of Minato Namikaze (Toshiyuki Morikawa), the Fourth (and youngest) Hokage, also known as Yellow Flash due to his unmatched speed during combat. Guy’s father, on the other hand, Might Duy, was known in Konoha as the “Eternal Genin” because he could never advance as a ninja. When he saw that his son was going down a similar path, he gave Guy the nudge he needed to continually work hard to prove himself a worthy fighter in Konoha.

Guy attempted to run 500 laps just so he could enter the Hidden Leaf Village Academy as an alternate student. While he wasn’t able to complete them, he made a valiant effort which caught the eye of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi (Hidekatsu Shibata). As Guy advanced in the Chunin Exams as a strong taijutsu fighter, he lost to Kakashi Hatake (Kazuhuko Inoue), who he considered to be his lifelong rival. Over the years, Guy would challenge Kakashi to various contests like speed-eating, races, or even a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors. While Kakashi initially didn’t feel like Guy would be a competent rival, Guy started to close the gap, earning Kakashi’s respect and friendship. Considering how powerful Kakashi is, especially from a young age, it says a lot that he respects Guy as his peer.

Might Guy Immobilized One of the Biggest ‘Naruto’ Villains

Guy’s flashbacks continued in Naruto: Shippuden Episode 419, “Papa’s Youth,” alongside a tease for one of the most epic moments in the Naruto franchise. In the past, Guy encountered the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist while on a mission. When he felt out of his depth, Duy swooped in to protect his son. The reason why Duy had stayed a genin for so long was because he was honing a new skill—unlocking the Eight Gates. The idea is that each Gate limits the flow of chakra through the body, so by unlocking each one, the wielder’s strength, speed, and durability are heightened significantly. Although Duy was successful in unlocking all Eight Gates in his fight against the Seven Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist, it came at the cost of his life.

Duy’s sacrifice inspired Guy to perfect this skill, which paid off during his battle against Madara Uchiha (Naoya Uchida) in Naruto: Shippuden Episode 420 “Eight Gates Released Formation.” Considering that Madara is one of the most powerful villains in the Naruto franchise, Guy going up against him without any Kekkai Genkai seemed like an easy defeat. But Guy was able to unlock all Eight Gates and access a high-level forbidden taijutsu called “Evening Elephant.” This technique is a continuous attack of pressurized air that is reminiscent of an elephant’s leg. While the technique did take a massive toll on his body, Guy was able to survive in his action-packed battle against Madara. The final blow of the Evening Elephant was almost enough to defeat Madara, but he was still left standing. Thankfully, Guy didn’t die from harnessing such immense power either, but he was out for the count. The battle was so exceptional that even Madara said, “I fought thousands of shinobi over the years, and none surpasses you in taijutsu. I, Madara, hereby declare you are the strongest among all.“

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Might Guy Is One of the Best Teachers

Rock Lee, Might Guy, Tenten, and Neji sitting in a forest after training in Naruto — Image via TV Tokyo

Considering that Naruto and Sasuke are the big focus of the franchise, many of the hundreds of characters are sidelined. Although most of Guy’s appearances in Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden are comedic relief, he is not someone to be underestimated. Even with such powerful dojutsu and ninjutsu on display, Guy undoubtedly holds the title of the strongest taijutsu fighter. He’s the only character who’s been able to unlock all Eight Gates and live to tell the tale. If someone as powerful as Madara, who’s fought thousands of ninjas over the years, claims it, it must be true.

Just like his father, Guy passes on his teachings to his students, as seen through Neji Hyuga (Koichi Tochika), Tenten (Yukari Tamura), and especially Rock Lee (Yoichi Masukawa). Guy is proof that when you put in the work and have the determination, you can do anything you set your mind to. He’s not only an inspiration to his students, but to the ninja world at large in the Naruto franchise.

The Naruto franchise is streaming on Crunchyroll.