The Chunin Exam arc in Naruto showed the rest of Naruto's class in action after Team 7's time in the Land of Waves. Plot-wise, it was the next step in Naruto's path to becoming the Hokage, but in reality, it was to highlight the unique fighting abilities that the other genin had up their sleeves. The first two phases of the exam were team-based, but phase three devolved into one-on-one combats.
It's obvious that there was a sinister undertone to the exams, but that ominous feeling dissipated when the ninja began to clash. Each fight gave the contestants a chance to show what they were made of, while also introducing the audience to important characters. Although the exam was interrupted before completion, there were still plenty of fights with a clear winner.
Updated on April 16th, 2024 by Louis Kemner: This list of the best Chunin Exam fights and their winners has been updated to adhere to CBR's current publication standards. Also, while the Chunin Exam tournament's outcome didn't matter that much in the long run of Naruto's story, the match results were still a useful snapshot of how powerful the main Naruto characters were at the time, and showed how much further they still had to go as shinobi warriors.
13 Sasuke Uchiha vs. Yoroi Akado Almost Forced Sasuke to Use His Curse Mark
Winner: Sasuke
The first one-on-one battle to take place during Naruto's Chunin Exams arc was a fight between Sasuke Uchiha and Yoroi. Yoroi was a fairly forgettable ninja who ultimately couldn't stand up to an Uchiha, though that didn't stop him from fighting at his best to deliver results. His ability was stealing strength with a touch, which admittedly caused several problems for Sasuke at the start of the fight.
However, Sasuke's Sharingan's ability to learn others' techniques offered Sasuke the decisive victory. He used an attack that he'd learned from Rock Lee before this fight, and easily put Yoroi down for the count and removed him as a factor in the rest of the exam. Notably, Yoroi's ability almost forced Sasuke to rely on his Curse Mark, as Orochimaru hoped, but Sasuke ended up winning the match with taijutsu instead.
12 Shino Aburame vs. Zaku Abumi Showed How Strong Shino Really Was
Winner: Shino
This Chunin Exam fight featured another one of Orochimaru's spies, Zaku Abumi. He fought using tubes in his arms that could create sound and wind. Unfortunately for him, this was also the fight where the audience learned just how capable and scary Shino could be.
As a member of the infamous Aburame clan, Shino's body was essentially a giant nest for bugs that he could control. He tricked Zaku and ended up filling the holes in his arms with insects during a brief moment of distraction. When Zaku tried to use his ability, he ended up severely injuring himself, ending the match in a win for Shino. It was solid evidence that ninjas in the Naruto world needed more than bruce force to win -- they needed cunning tricks and deception, too.
11 Kankuro vs. Misumi Tsurugi Was a Scary Taste of Puppet Jutsu
Winner: Kankuro
One of the strangest Chunin Exam fights involved the Sand ninja Kankuro and a mysterious ninja named Misumi Tsurugi. Kankuro knew how to use puppet jutsu, one of many examples of new jutsu being introduced in the Chunin Exam story arc. Kankuro could even swap places with his puppet without anyone noticing.
Thus, Misumi thought he had won when he seized Kankuro, only for Kankuro's puppet to take his place and restrain Misumi with bone-crushing force. Kankuro was free to control his puppet with his chakra strings from a safe distance, scoring him an easy victory.
10 Sakura Haruno vs. Ino Yamanaka Was a Bitter Feud of Childhood Friends
Winner: None (Draw)
This is the first fight of the Chunin Exam where both combatants had their backstories and dreams revealed, making the otherwise battle-heavy arc feel somewhat profound and humanized. That said, the audience wasn't sure who to root for, but the girls' previous rivalry automatically led to an intense fight.
Ino seemed to display a better grasp of trickery than Sakura did — however, in the end, they both knocked each other unconscious and out of the exam. Although the fight helped them to rekindle their friendship and start anew, there was no victor for this particular fight. Instead, on a personal level, Sakura and Ino both won and became much friendlier to each other, even if they remained romantic rivals for Sasuke.
9 Tenten vs. Temari Was a One-Sided Battle of Wind vs. Weapons
Winner: Temari
This was the second fight where both characters were important, but it was also one of the most one-sided fights in the entire Chunin Exam. Tenten showed off her massive array of weapons, not to mention the devastating ability to send a flurry of projectiles toward her enemy.
Unfortunately, Temari was the perfect counter against her formidable techniques. Temari's large fan and control over wind meant that Tenten couldn't land so much as a scratch on her. After toying with Tenten for a bit, Temari easily seized victory from her unconscious opponent. Unfortunately, that also began a trend of Tenten being a distinctly underpowered ninja whose reliance on ordinary weapons made her obsolete as the power levels kept going up.
8 Shikamaru Nara vs. Kin Tsuchi Was a Fun Preview of Shikamaru's Tactical Genius
Winner: Shikamaru
Kin Tsuchi was another one of Orochimaru's spies. Unfortunately for her, however, it was revealed just how intelligent Shikamaru Nara was during their fight. Kin was very proficient with needles, and one of the first people in the show to use a genjutsu against her opponent by utilizing bells.
It initially seemed that Shikamaru would lose this by a huge margin, but after noticing a string connected to a bell, it was all over for Kin. Shikamaru was able to extend his shadow along the bottom of the thread to trap her, effectively ending the fight. This was a great showing for Shikamaru, especially as he managed to stop yet another spy.
7 Naruto Uzumaki vs. Kiba Inuzuka Showed the Hero Pull Off an Upset Win
Winner: Naruto
Naruto is portrayed as a bit of a doofus throughout the series and a total anime himbo, but it's hard to deny that he's incredibly intelligent when it comes to combat. He probably could have just rained shadow clones onto Kiba, but he maneuvered in a way to make Kiba defeat himself. He fooled Kiba twice by transforming into his dog, Akamaru.
In typical Naruto style, he even passed wind in Kiba's face, which was devastating due to the latter's enhanced sense of smell. Naruto was then able to do his own version of Lee and Sasuke's move, which he labeled the "Uzumaki Barrage." Naruto had to win this for the plot, but Kiba still put on a good display, making it an exciting taijutsu vs taijutsu clash.
6 Hinata Hyuga vs. Neji Hyuga Was an Emotionally Charged Battle With Naruto Cheering Hinata On
Winner: Neji
Similar to the Ino and Sakura fight, these two combatants had issues before the fight even began. They are both from the Hyuga clan, but Neji is part of the lesser family within the clan. This caused him to develop resentment, explaining why he took it as a personal challenge to prove that he's more than his blood.
While this is a noble endeavor, he goes about it the wrong way. Hinata sought to prove herself as well, and the two Gentle Fist users fought one another in an incredible display of skill. Unfortunately, Neji proved to be too much for Hinata and defeated her soundly before being stopped by some of the observing jonin.
5 Gaara vs. Rock Lee Was a Legendary Battle of Talent Competing With Hard Work
Winner: Gaara
This fight was easily one of the most exciting during Naruto's Chunin Exams arc, as it pitted two powerhouses against each other. Rock Lee was easily able to defeat Sasuke before the fights began, and Gaara was hyped up to the point that the audience was worried about Lee's safety.
The fight that followed was intense, and Lee removing his weights was an incredible scene to show just how far Rock Lee would go to win. Despite having enough speed and power to overwhelm Gaara's defenses, Lee was almost killed when Gaara let loose. Rock Lee's performance may have been stellar, but he just couldn't stop Gaara from winning. Worst of all, Rock Lee's character arc effectively ended with this Chunin Exam fight, since he got a little stronger but otherwise didn't change much in future episodes and arcs.
4 Choji Akimichi vs. Dosu Kinuta Was Quick and Funny Compared to the Other Matches
Winner: Dosu
The final fight of the second phase involved Dosu Kinuta, the third and final spy sent by Orochimaru. The previous two had already been eliminated, so it was no surprise when Dosu managed to defeat Choji and continue through the Chunin Exam. Choji fought valiantly but ended up causing his own undoing.
This fight also proved how limited Choji's arsenal was at the time, and led to him learning new abilities and forcing himself to become stronger. Despite moving on past this fight, Dosu foolishly chose to challenge Gaara, a decision that resulted in his death. In that sense, both fighters lost the tower's 10th and final match.
3 Naruto Uzumaki vs. Neji Hyuga Showed Naruto Using His Half-Other Powers With Incredible Results
Winner: Naruto
The first battle in the final stage was also one of the best Chunin Exam fights. Naruto was mad at Neji for going so hard against Hinata when he didn't need to, and Neji thought of Naruto as a failure who could never succeed. It was a remarkable battle with Naruto having to draw on the Nine-Tails' chakra to even compete with Neji.
That said, Naruto eventually ended up winning the battle and proving Neji wrong. This event led Neji down a redeeming path that later turned him into one of the more beloved Naruto characters. The best part was that Naruto didn't win because of the chakra loan, but by outmaneuvering Neji on his own. That made Naruto Uzumaki a fine example of a half-other anime hero written fairly well.
2 Temari vs. Shikamaru Nara Ended With a Shocking Twist
Winner: Temari
Originally, Shikamaru was supposed to fight Dosu, but Dosu was killed by Gaara before this stage of the Chunin Exam. The fight between Temari and Shikamaru was a battle between two master strategists, but Shikamaru was the better warrior between them. It seemed like he was on the defensive throughout the entire fight, but it turns out he was just manipulating Temari into a position where he could catch her with his shadow jutsu.
Despite having her completely at his mercy, he shocked everyone by forfeiting the match. This gave Temari the official win, but Shikamaru was the true winner of this battle. After all, the Chunin Exam was soon interrupted by Operation Konoha Crush, so it wouldn't have mattered even if Shikamaru won that fight against Temari after all.
1 Sasuke Uchiha vs. Gaara Was the Warmup For Operation Konoha Crush
Winner: None (Match Interrupted)
This ended up being the final fight of the Chunin exams due to Orochimaru springing a trap and hijacking the exams. Sasuke had been training diligently and was able to blitz Gaara just like Lee had done earlier. Gaara couldn't handle his speed, so he increased his defenses so that Sasuke couldn't reach him.
Sasuke then broke out his new technique, the Chidori, based on Kakashi's Lightning Blade. He was able to pierce through Gaara's defense and severely injure him with this ability. Sasuke thoroughly deserved to win this fight, and his victory only got interrupted by the Sand ninjas and Orochimaru interfering at the last moment.
