God, in the words of the immortal Lizzo, I’d been waiting for this one! Now, not to say I’m biased or anything, but as a kid, you couldn’t pull me away from Naruto Shippuden. I was such a fan girl that the moment I got an internet connection, the first thing I did was search up all the Naruto Shippuden episodes I missed out on when they stopped airing in my country. And because I was so loyal to it, you know I was constantly at war with One Piece fans. Why? Because between the two protagonists, aka Luffy and Naruto, there was always debate on who’d be the strongest.
Near 15 years later, here we are. Now, while I personally believe that Naruto Uzumaki is way stronger than Monkey D. Luffy, even in his Sun God mode, we can’t be sure. Technically, Naruto Shippuden ended a while back, whereas One Piece is still ongoing. We’ve already seen what my man Naruto can do at his peak, but Luffy is yet to reach his own. There is still plenty of time for him to catch up and maybe even surpass Naruto.
But let’s pretend that he is at his best right now when he goes Sun God mode. In that case, if we pit him against Naruto at, say, his Six Paths Sage mode, could Luffy level him? Or would Naruto wipe the floor? I mean, technically, Naruto did defeat a literal god, but that was with the help of his rival, Sasuke Uchiha. But, then again, Luffy has a power that is deemed to literally subdue enemies through ‘vibes’ alone and a solid pirate crew backing him up. However, is that going to be enough?
There are loads of things to consider, but that’s exactly what we are here to do in today’s installation of Character Versus – where we take two of the most popular characters from different franchises and see who would come out on top. There are no rules to this royal rumble, especially when it comes to power and abilities. And today, we’re taking on the indisputable Gods of the Shonen world, Naruto VS Luffy!
Monkey D. Luffy: Current Sun God, Future Pirate King!
Luffy has big dreams, dreams we have been following since the late 90s, and he’s only grown since then. From a lanky young kid who idolized the Red-Haired Shanks, to becoming one of his greatest rivals and a Yokan, to boot, Luffy has been on the up and up.
Of course, a lot of it he owes to his sheer willpower and general abilities. And hey, the Gum-Gum fruit doesn’t hurt either. Luffy is a force to be reckoned with, and the rest of the Pirate world sees him for what he is: A serious contender for the throne of the Pirate King.
After the revelation of the true identity of the fruit Luffy had consumed, Luffy now has access to divine powers from the Sun God, Nika. Coupling that up with the three forms of advanced Haki he has, well, it’s not hard to imagine his power levels are off the charts right now.
But the problem is, we’ve barely got a glimpse of what the Sun God mode truly entails. Luffy doesn’t have perfect control over it yet, so he’s still a novice at it. He can only maintain this highly strong level for extremely short bursts, which is a huge disadvantage.
Naruto Uzumaki: The Tailed Beast Hokage, A God Killer!
Now, considering we have seen Naruto’s story from start to finish, we have a pretty good idea of where Naruto’s strengths lie. He is a Fuinjutsu specialist while playing host to the Nine-Tailed Jinchūriki, Kurama. This man was the miracle that helped Konohagakure win the Fourth Shinobi War. He’s not to be taken lightly.
Apart from his natural prowess as a Shinobi, his Baryon mode is a force to be reckoned with. His powers fuse with Kurama’s in a way where they produce a completely new form of energy that rivals Nuclear Fusion. It’s the embodiment of the Will of Fire, the one thing Naruto prides himself on most. Sure, it’s a double-edged sword because he can’t use the mode for long without seriously hurting Kurama. But it’s still near hellion in its power.
I mean, he defeated Kaguya Ōtsutsuki, a literal moon goddess with reality-warping abilities. That’s not just being powerful; that’s otherworldly strength!
Winner: Naruto Uzumaki Is On Top!
Okay, disclaimer: Maybe in the future, when we see Luffy reach his peak in the story, he might be the winner. But as it is, right now, Naruto is clearly Top Dog.
There’s just no way Sun God Luffy can defeat a person that can one-up reality bending. Like, it’s just not happening. Naruto is both more seasoned and comfortable with his powers; he knows exactly how to control himself and still deal heavy damage.
Sorry One Piece fans, but this match goes to the Nandaime, Naruto Uzumaki!
