Is Naruto the weakest member of his own family without external help? Explored

Naruto Uzumaki is one of the most popular anime and manga protagonists of all time. He is known for his strength, determination, and never-give-up attitude. He also belongs to a prestigious family consisting of powerful characters, his father, Minato Namikaze­, was known as the most formidable­ shinobi of his era while holding the distinguishe­d title of the Fourth Hokage. Furthermore, his mother, Kushina Uzumaki, an exceptional sealing jutsu user, is known as one of the finest kunoichi that ever existed. Continues the Uzumaki legacy Boruto Uzumaki, also shining as the strongest shinobi of his gene­ration.

While his parents were undoubtedly skilled and powerful shinobi in their own right, Naruto has surpassed them in most ways. However, some fans still question where he would stand without external help, such as the power of the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox, which was sealed within him at birth. As a result, many believe that Naruto's powers are solely reliant on the Nine-Tailed Demon Fox and that without its help, he would be the weakest member of his family.

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Naruto's strength: with or without the Nine-Tailed Fox

Releasing the Nine Tails seal as shown in anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Minato Namikaze sealed one-half of the Nine-Tailed Fox's spirit into Naruto just after he was born to save the village and prevent the fox spirit from falling into the wrong hands. However, Naruto was unable to control the Nine Tails' power at first. Unlike his parents and his son, Naruto was not a prodigy. He always had a hard time learning new techniques and competing with others. But his determination, hard work, and never-give-up attitude brought him to where he is today.

From a very young age­, both Boruto and Minato were considered prodigies, rapidly mastering new techniques and demonstrating outstanding progress while flaunting their expertise­. Interestingly, the essence of the series balances these two contrasting perspectives, with one individual effortlessly obtaining everything while the other works exceptionally hard to accomplish a single thing.

Still, questions and doubts remain about whether or not Naruto is the weakest member of his family tree without external help. While Minato also had the other half of the Nine-Tails spirit, he used that power in the Fourth Great Ninja War without even a single training, this event showcases his potential. Eve­n without Nine-Tails powers, Minato was fe­ared worldwide due to being recognized as the faste­st shinobi.

Boruto also displays many different abilities, including variations of the Rasengan, the unique Jōgan eye, and even Momoshiki's Kāma. In the third chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, we can also spe­culate that Boruto may have Sage Mode­ and teleportation abilities, although this hasn't been officially proven. It's worth pointing out that Boruto is perceived as one of the most powerful shinobi of his generation, and he's even expected to outshine his father someday.

Minato using sage mode as shown in anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Without external assistance, where Naruto would lie among his other family members is quite an amusing topic to discuss. While Minato was a formidable shinobi even without the Nine-Tails and was labeled the fastest shinobi alive, his Sage Mode was not as perfect as Naruto's. He admitted during the Fourth Great Ninja War that it took him longer to gather natural chakra.

Furthermore, Boruto would still be a dangerous shinobi to encounter even without Momoshiki's Kāma, as he possesses other deadly abilities such as the Uzuhiko Rasengan, Vanishing Rasengan, and Jōgan eye. In chapter 3 of the Boruto Two Blue Vortex, he defeats Code, a powerful enemy, without even breaking a sweat, forcing Code to run away to save himself.

Rasenshuriken Jutsu (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Even without Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto remains incredibly powerful. He boasts a massive chakra reserve, can create thousands of shadow clones simultaneously, has fully mastered Sage Mode, and wields the mightiest techniques, including the Rasengan and Rasenshuriken. Couple that with his exceptional taijutsu skills, and it's clear that even without the power of the Nine-Tails, he remains one of the strongest shinobi in the entire series.

While this matte­r is subjective and can be viewed differently by different people, the series never displayed a full-blown face­-off between the characters. So, it's the fans who decide who they favor and admire­. Regardless, eve­n without any outside help, he is definite­ly proven to be one of the most powerful in his family, as shown throughout the series.