Summary
There’s no denying thatRock Leeis one of the best and most beloved characters in all ofNaruto, as his endless optimism, hard-working attitude and martial arts expertise helped him stand out from all his friends, classmates and fellow ninjas. Since he can’t use ninjutsu or genjutsu, Lee specializes in taijutsu, meaning that all of his fights are very physical and surprisingly brutal.
Rock Lee’s battles are always a joy to watch and are considered some of the most memorable ones in the entire franchise. But, for someone as popular as him, he didn’t really get many chances to fully display his fighting abilities as much as otherNarutocharacters. Nevertheless, he still took part in some extremely thrilling encounters, and these are the best ones that fans often rewatch, even to this day.
5Rock Lee vs. Naruto Uzumaki
The Perfect Introduction To His Unique Character
Like most of Konoha 11, Rock Lee was introduced during the legendary Chūnin Exams Arc, where he immediately tried to confront Sasuke Uchiha. However, seeing as he is so stubborn,Naruto Uzumakiinterfered and attacked first, which didn’t go so well for him, seeing as it only took Lee one block and one low kick to defeat him in just a few seconds.
This isn’t really much of a fight, as it is admittedly quite brief, but it still works as the perfect introduction to Rock Lee’s character and fighting style. While he may initially come off as rude during this scene – when he’s actually very kind and honest – he does know how to use his physical skills and his mastery of taijutsu to their full extent, and applying them to the protagonist of the series to establish his abilities was a great decision by author Masashi Kishimoto.
4Rock Lee vs. Rock Lee
The Only Person Who Could Match Lee’s Skills Was Himself
Unfortunately for fans of Rock Lee,he didn’t star in many one-on-one fights during the course ofNaruto Shippuden, although he did get the opportunity to fight an enemy all by himself at the very beginning of its first arc. At one point in their mission, Team Guy were confronted byshapeshifting lookalikesof themselves that were sent by Akatsuki, so Lee was forced to fight against himself.
While some fans consider most of these fights to be boring and unnecessary, Rock Lee’s confrontation is the only exception. Due to his personality and fighting style, all of his battles are always exciting and memorable, and this one even upped the ante by adding another Rock Lee that fought exactly the same as the real one. Facing another master of Taijutsu was obviously quite challenging for Lee, but he was able to come out on top at the very end with his incredible Youth Full Power kick that ultimately put a stop to his doppelgänger.
3Rock Lee vs. Sasuke Uchiha
Showcasing The Benefits Of His Hard Work
He may have been able to knock out Naruto with ease,but when Rock Lee first appeared during the Chūnin Exams Arc, he actually had his eye onSasuke Uchiha. Up to that point, Naruto’s rival was portrayed as the most dangerous and powerful member of Konoha 11, so confronting him was quite an ambitious idea for Lee. Fortunately, he had the strength and skills to back up his claims.
Despite his genetics, his ninjutsu and even his activated Sharingan, Sasuke was no match for Rock Lee’s raw martial arts and physical strength. With this confrontation, he was trying to prove his philosophy of “hard work beats innate talent” and he almost succeeded in doing so, as his Front Lotus move would have easily defeated Sasuke, if it wasn’t for Might Guy’s interruption. This brief fight definitely left a huge mark on the young Uchiha, as he later began focusing a lot more on his training, and he even developed his own version of the Front Lotus, called the Peregrine Falcon Drop.
2Rock Lee vs. Kimimaro
Revealing The Full Power Of The Drunken First
The Sasuke Recovery Mission Arc works so well because almost every prominent member of Konoha 11 got the chance to display their full fighting abilities in an exciting but challenging one-on-one fight. In the case of Rock Lee,his “hard work vs. innate talent” philosophy was put to the test when he had to faceKimimaro, the leader of the Sound Five and the user of a kekkei genkai known as Shikotsumyaku (or Macabre Bone Pulse).
This is a fascinating fight because both characters are complete opposites of each other, with Kimimaro relying on his innate power and deadly bone-related abilities, while Rock Lee constantly tried to get close by using his powerful martial arts techniques. The highlight of this encounter is, however, Rock Lee’s Drunken Fist, a fighting style in which he becomes stronger and more unpredictable after consuming a small amount of alcohol.
This technique made the fight all the more hilarious and memorableand, while unfortunately, he had to be saved by Gaara at the very end, the fact that Lee managed to push Kimimaro to his limits all by himself is nothing short of commendable.
1Rock Lee vs. Gaara
The Fight That Defined An Entire Generation Of Anime Fans
After a memorable introduction and a couple of small victories against Naruto and Sasuke,it was finally time for Rock Lee to put his abilities and mindset to the testduring the Chūnin Exams’ final tournament, where he had to faceGaarain the preliminaries. This was, without a doubt, his most challenging battle yet, as the shinobi from Sunagakure had powerful sand-based abilities and even held a mighty one-tailed beast inside of him.
Rock Lee vs. Gaara is undoubtedly one of the best fights in the entireNarutofranchise, as seeing Lee using his strong taijutsu against Gaara’s deadly sand was not only epic, but it was also inspiring, seeing as he was the underdog in this encounter.However, the moment that Rock Lee took off his leg weights- revealing that he was actually holding back his strength all this time - cemented this battle as a legendary moment, to the point that it is considered one of the best anime fights ever made, even to people who haven’t even watched or readNaruto. Gaara might have won the encounter at the end, but Rock Lee was the true highlight, and this is still his best and most memorable character moment in the entire story.
