Naruto Chapter 483

[Barumonk]

Kakashi can't be beat like a bitch in his first fight as Hokage, it would completely ruin the concept of appointing him

I'm agreeing with this. Kakashi would gain a lot of credit as 'Hokage' material if he were to be able to deal with Sasuke. Power differences aside, Kakashi is still more experienced, and he has the Mangekyo trumpcard. Sasuke has only dealt with it one other time, against Itachi, and Itachi's is genjutsu based so Sasuke had plenty of time to analyze the situation and break it. Kinda hard to stop and analyze a technique when it's ripping your arms off.

[Uchiha Barles]

The Naruto story has one very enduring constant: strength trumps all. It trumps experience, it trumps inventiveness, cleverness, it trumps numbers, everything. If there's a significant strength difference between opponents, the weaker opponent certainly cannot beat the stronger, but he also cannot hide from the stronger, cannot run from the stronger, cannot outsmart the stronger to any significant effect. The only time variables other than strength matter, is when the opponents are evenly matched in strength. There used to be this rock/paper/scissors theory going around about which fighter would be able to defeat which other fighter, but clearly that's been done away by a preponderance of evidence against that theory found in the manga. Strength far outweighs all else.

Right now, it's kind of difficult to gauge what Sasuke's strength is. He's been able to use, time and time again, his ultimate eye techniques. In fact, they were his most used techniques since the start of the fight against the kages. Kakashi, died trying to use his mangekyo less than a handful of times. I'm with everyone that if Sasuke is that strong, it's complete BS. Unfortunately, that would be perfectly in line with the manga. I don't want to see Kakashi lose, but I would not be surprised either way.

[Sidnne]

The Naruto story has one very enduring constant: strength trumps all. It trumps experience, it trumps inventiveness, cleverness, it trumps numbers, everything. If there's a significant strength difference between opponents, the weaker opponent certainly cannot beat the stronger, but he also cannot hide from the stronger, cannot run from the stronger, cannot outsmart the stronger to any significant effect. The only time variables other than strength matter, is when the opponents are evenly matched in strength.

Every Shikamaru fight contradicts this.

[Archangel]

The Bleach story has one very enduring constant: strength trumps all. It trumps experience, it trumps inventiveness, cleverness, it trumps numbers, everything. If there's a significant strength difference between opponents, the weaker opponent certainly cannot beat the stronger, but he also cannot hide from the stronger, cannot run from the stronger, cannot outsmart the stronger to any significant effect. The only time variables other than strength matter, is when the opponents are evenly matched in strength. There used to be this rock/paper/scissors theory going around about which fighter would be able to defeat which other fighter, but clearly that's been done away by a preponderance of evidence against that theory found in the manga. Strength far outweighs all else.

Fixed .

[rockmanj]

it trumps inventiveness, cleverness, it trumps numbers, everything. If there's a significant strength difference between opponents, the weaker opponent certainly cannot beat the stronger, but he also cannot hide from the stronger, cannot run from the stronger, cannot outsmart the stronger to any significant effect. The only time variables other than strength matter, is when the opponents are evenly matched in strength. .

Well, according to this, it seems that you mean strength in terms of "physical prowess and power". I would say that the kyuubi chakra only served to even things up a bit; but the actual battle came down to strength vs. subterfuge; and subterfuge and inventiveness won. Even with Neji's eye powers, superior technique and cleverness, it was a deception that defeated him. And I could probably think of some other examples, unless you count strength to also mean "special power", which mitigates things.

[Uchiha Barles]

I do count "strength" to include special power. I mean strength mostly in terms of how the anime uses the word, which usually involves more than just their physical prowess. That's partly why I made a bit of an argument for Shikamaru's intelligence to actually be included as part of his "strength" because his intelligence is special compared to just about everyone else.