Whether you’re a fan of the Star Wars franchise or have never seen a single episode, there’s a chance you’ve heard of Darth Vader.
His iconic strained breathing can be identified by people of all ages. Then there is his famously misquoted line, “Luke, I am your father,” that everyone has heard in some capacity.
Darth Vader is, of course, a popular topic of discussion among Star Wars fans. Usually, these conversations would revolve around his strength and abilities.
More often than not, Darth Vader is compared to other characters from a wide array of series’.
Today, we will be taking a look at Lord Vader in comparison to the most well-known Shinobi of all time, Naruto Uzumaki.
In this article, we will take a look at the pair’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as who would win between the two should they fight. So without further ado, let’s dive right in.
Table of Contents
Who Is Darth Vader?
As any fan would know, Darth Vader began his long career as a light-side Force-sensitive by the name of Anakin Skywalker.
Anakin was born on the sandy, dry planet of Tatooine to Shmi Skywalker. He grew up as a slave until he was recruited to be a Jedi Padawan on account of how insanely high his midi-chlorian count was.
In fact, with a count of 20,000 midi-chlorians per cell, Anakin had the highest known level in galactic history.
When he became a Padawan at the age of nine, Anakin was older than his comrades. However, that didn’t phase him as he continuously proved his elevated grasp of the Force, its techniques, and combative skills.
This led to Anakin being promoted to the rank of Jedi Knight in a mere ten years, while it took the average Padawan twice that amount of time.
Anakin kept at his training, and as a result, he earned notable stripes in and out of the Order. So much so that he gained the attention of Emperor Palpatine (Darth Sidious).
Initially, this seemed like a good thing for the Jedi, as it allowed him to sit on the High Council without having been a Jedi Master.
Not surprisingly, Anakin expected his next step to be his promotion to Jedi Master. Unfortunately for him, that would not be the case. You see, as amazing as he was, Anakin also had severe emotional issues that dictated his decision-making.
This most likely started with the murder of his mother, but it continued to fester, causing him to disregard many of the rules in the Jedi Code.
That, coupled with the fact that some Jedi Masters felt as though they could not trust the darkness festering within Anakin, resulted in him not gaining the promotion. From there, it was open season for Emperor Palpatine to make his move on Anakin.
In doing so, Palpatine successfully had Anakin convinced that the dark side was the way to save his loved ones, all while unlocking his full potential.
Unfortunately for Anakin, by the time he learned that this wasn’t the case, he was already too deep in the darkness. At that point, he already carried the moniker, “Darth Vader” (Dark Father).
Who Is Naruto Uzumaki?
Over in the marvelous world of anime, we have the “strongest Shinobi ever,” Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto was born with a tail sealed inside of him, which made him a pariah among his fellow villagers in Konohagakure.
Despite the bullying, Naruto had one goal in mind: to become Hokage. To do this, he knew he needed to work his butt off, and he did so by first joining Team Kakashi.
Once receiving the tutelage he needed, Naruto trained and fought to not only earn the respect of the villagers but also put him one step closer to his aspiration. As he grew older, Naruto withstood many hardships and was essentially put through hell in pursuit of his goal.
Still, through his outstanding endurance and the mastery of his Nine-Tailed Beast (Kurama), Naruto became an outstanding ninja, earning him the title of “Hero of the Hidden Leaf Village.” From that point, Naruto became a household name in his world.
Of course, Naruto wasn’t done, as he still had a dream to accomplish. He kept pushing and entered the Fourth Shinobi World War, which ended with him winning the war. In the end, Naruto Uzumaki became the village’s Seventh Hokage.
You would think that after fulfilling his lifelong dream, Naruto would be done, or perhaps slow down a bit. That was certainly not the case; he kept getting stronger and more talented as time went on.
This resulted in him earning the prestige nickname of the “strongest Hokage to ever live.”
Naruto Uzumaki vs. Darth Vader
As we’ve established, both Naruto Uzumaki and Darth Vader are astoundingly impressive in their own right, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t similar.
In actuality, the Hokage and the Sith Lord are more alike than some may realize.
They both had less than favorable beginnings in life, but they were driven by goals to make a better life for themselves and their loved ones. In the case of Naruto, he wanted to be Hokage, which he eventually became.
Similarly, Anakin Skywalker wanted to become the most powerful Jedi there was. Initially, Anakin was on the path to accomplishing this goal, but the combination of his anger issues and his fear of loss led to him making the switch to the dark side.
This is where his story differs from Naruto’s.
Their existence in two different universes means that they would have varied modus operandi. They have different skill sets and techniques that make them the best in their respective crafts.
That said, let’s take a look at each person’s strengths, weaknesses, and, ultimately, the winner should the pair fight.
Strengths
To begin with the world of Star Wars, Darth Vader has proven himself to be one of the best, if not the most capable swordsmen and Force-user in the galaxy.
What’s more, Darth Vader’s ruthlessness has proven to be nothing but an asset to the dark side.
The Sith was willing to cut down anyone in his way to get the job done (as proven by Order 66), and he was also far more connected to the Force than most of his opponents. Lord Vader often used Force Choke to incapacitate or take out his enemies.
Additionally, he was capable of using telekinetic powers to obliterate his victims’ organs. This is known as “Force Kill.” Finally, and perhaps most impressively, Darth Vader’s survivability and determination to gain ultimate power adds to his intimidating persona.
On the other end of the spectrum, there is the Hidden Leaf village’s Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki. In terms of strengths, he is not devoid of them, but some stand-out features make Naruto the person we know today.
Over the years, Naruto mastered Sage Mode, Rasengan, Toad Summon, and his iconic Shadow Clone Jutsu. Yet, these are only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Naruto’s skill set.
There are members of the opposing Otsutsuki Clan who have skills that could give the warrior a run for his money. Still, he is so clever and adaptable that he is hands down the best person to defend Konoha.
Additionally, Naruto is charismatic, which makes him an easy person for other characters to rally behind. Therefore, if he needed any assistance on a mission, it wouldn’t be too hard for him to get it.
Weaknesses
Of course, these characters are not infallible, and they do have weaknesses that could potentially be exploited.
For starters, Darth Vader endured far more injuries than any regular person would have survived. He had lost 90 percent of his limbs and had scorched lungs. This left him heavily reliant on his life support suit, mask, and hyperbaric chamber.
As beneficial as his support system was, the very thing that was supposed to save his life could have ended it at any moment. The suit was powered by electricity, which wasn’t exactly a good thing. It limited the number of Force techniques the Sith Lord could use.
In particular, he did not use Force Lightning because he ran the risk of short-circuiting his suit or getting hurt. This made him susceptible to attacks by Force Lighting, which is a vulnerability that his enemies could take advantage of.
On the other hand, Naruto’s immaturity was a recurring character flaw. The early stages of Naruto’s career were rocky. He was shunned for being born with Kurama, this made the youngster desperate for any attention.
Because of this, there are many accounts of young Naruto pulling pranks on the villagers. This didn’t work well in his favor, as this simply frustrated the already apprehensive village. Thankfully, Naruto grew out of this mentality.
More on the technical side of things, there were issues with Naruto’s Sage Mode. Although it was the most powerful technique he had, it required a large amount of natural chakra before it could be converted to a physical form.
This means that he may not be able to tap into Sage Mode until a battle was already in full swing.
Who would win?
The premise of Naruto Uzumaki and Darth Vader battling is certainly an intriguing one. This theoretical situation divided both the Star Wars and anime communities.
Some people think that Darth Vader would take home the win, whereas others think Naruto would emerge victorious. Based on the analysis of both characters, I would have to agree with team Naruto.
Let me explain.
As we’ve already established, Darth Vader is severely injured and is dependent on his life support system. This not only limits his ability to use the Force, but it limits his physical movements as well.
This puts him at a major disadvantage when facing off against the quick-footed, powerful, and generally uninjured Naruto. Moreover, Naruto has his Clone Jutsu, which he can use to overwhelm the Sith.
Additionally, Naruto has Kurama, who can create mass destruction simply with his roar. As a major play in Naruto’s favor, Kurama can sense negative emotions and use them to his advantage.
Even without Kurama, Naruto has an arsenal of water and fire-based attacks that Darth Vader is unlikely to have a counter for. Furthermore, once Naruto breaks Darth Vader’s mask, the influx of oxygen could be enough to defeat the Sith Lord.
Conclusion
Darth Vader is one of the most impressive and powerful villains to ever grace our screens. He sustained injuries that would end the life of any other human being.
Still, Lord Vader was a trooper and accomplished incredible feats despite his disadvantages.
Likewise, Naruto Uzumaki had his own set of flaws that could serve as a hindrance in battle. In particular, his Sage Mode weakness can potentially be fatal if his opponent is aware of its limitation.
Even so, it is feasible that in the hypothetical battle between Darth Vader and Naruto Uzumaki, the Dark Lord would take the loss. Naruto could use his speed, clones, Kurama, or simply break the Sith’s mask, and he would win.
Naturally, Darth Vader would put up a good fight and give it all he has, but he would most likely lack counterattacks to the techniques Naruto could use. Ultimately, Lord Vader would end up losing to the Hokage.