Why Naruto Is So Much Weaker As An Adult
William Smith
Published Mar 29, 2026
Naruto Uzumaki ended his eponymous anime series as the strongest ninja in the world, but his skills have weakened in adulthood. Why is that?
The titular hero in Naruto achieved phenomenal power over the course of Masashi Kishimoto's anime and manga, so why is adult Naruto so much weaker in the Boruto sequel series? When Naruto's story began in 1997, the enthusiastic ninja stayed firmly rooted at the bottom of his class, proficient at turning into a naked woman but unable to conjure the single clone required to graduate from Konoha's training academy. Very gradually, Naruto Uzumaki was able to overcome his weaknesses. Through hard work, determination and friendship, Naruto turned into the world's strongest ninja. Kurama, the immensely powerful demon fox hiding inside his stomach, probably helped too. By the final chapter, Naruto narrowly bested his longtime rival, Sasuke, to prove his strength and complete his journey.
After the original story has ended, the story picks up approximately 15 years later in the sequel series, Boruto. This story follows adult Naruto is the Hokage of Konoha village with a family of his own. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations focuses on Naruto's titular eldest child and the new crop of youngsters protecting Konoha, most of which are the offspring of characters from the original series.
Fans might expect that in Boruto, adult Naruto would be even stronger. Not only is he Hokage now, but Naruto had an extra 15 years to hone his techniques. Given how fast Naruto progressed during his teenage years, he should've become an even more renowned ninja by his thirties... right?
Why Adult Naruto Is Weaker In Boruto
Adult Naruto actually becomes weaker during the pre-Boruto interim. In The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring, Naruto faces off against Shin - a former experiment of Orochimaru's now seeking revenge. After taking damage in the fight, both Kurama and Sasuke point out that Naruto has lost his edge, which the Hokage acknowledges. Naruto goes on to have a labored fight versus Kara member Delta, before losing to Isshiki and being captured. Naruto finally exceeds Isshiki's power during their rematch, but, he only does so thanks to Kurama revealing the existence of Baryon mode. This transformation isn't a level Naruto attained recently - he could've used it as a teen, had Kurama mentioned it and, therefore, doesn't count as a power-up for Naruto in Boruto.
There are two primary in-story reasons for adult Naruto's relative lack of strength in the Boruto sequel series. First, Naruto got rusty - as pointed out by Kurama in no uncertain terms. During his teens, Naruto would train, partake in missions, and eat ramen. Motivated by the ambitious goal of becoming Hokage, he had little else to do but get stronger. As an adult, Naruto shoulders many more responsibilities. Admin work dominates his time, and Naruto's job as Hokage is to protect the village, which involves more than just learning new moves. Secondly, the ninja world is currently enjoying an era of peace, which has made all villages weaker across the board. One of Boruto's running themes is how the new generation aren't as skilled as the old guard without a war to fight, and by the time Kara appears, Naruto hasn't fought a good scrap in years.
There are also two real-world reasons for Naruto's decline. Most importantly, Naruto is no longer the protagonist of his own story - he's a supporting character, and it isn't the sequel's job to make "Boruto's dad" stronger. With his young son taking center stage, Naruto's role now is to get captured, have close fights and facilitate Boruto's story. On a similarly practical level, Naruto and Sasuke were both inconveniently strong at the end of the original series. Attaining such grandiose abilities made for an impressive battle against Kaguya, but it's not exactly conducive to further stories. Naruto's strength had to be toned down, otherwise there's no point building his son up as Konoha's next great hero.
Is Naruto Weaker Without Kurama?
Adult Naruto is massively weaker without Kurama. As a consequence of Baryon mode, Naruto's Nine-Tailed Fox is extinguished, depriving him of all the abilities associated with being a jinchuriki. His chakra is lower (though still high by virtue of being an Uzumaki), and all levels of demon fox modes are lost, leaving Sage mode as the best weapon in his Hokage arsenal. The Boruto manga highlights the severity of adult Naruto's post-Kurama power drop when Shikamaru worries about his boss taking on Code without backup. Not so long ago, Naruto's closest advisor wouldn't have thought twice about letting the Seventh Hokage charge into battle alone.
Though it's still early days for Kurama-free Naruto in Boruto, one could question whether the Seventh is even on "Hokage" level at present, having not only grown rusty over the years, but also over-relied on his inner demon for far too long. Though he may still have a secret up his orange sleeve, there's little doubt adult Naruto's strength isn't what it used to be.
