Not all shonen series are created equal, but when it comes to Naruto and Black Clover, there seems to be a significant amount of crossover. The two share a multitude of qualities that lead them to be often be compared by fans. This leaves one question up for a debate: which Shonen Jump series has the strongest protagonist?

Before trying to figure out who would win in a battle, let's look at the characters themselves. Both series center around an underdog protagonist (Naruto/Asta) living under the shadow of a child prodigy (Sasuke/Yuno) as said protagonist tries to obtain a position of high esteem (Hokage/Magic Emperor). Oh, and both appear possessed by a darker spirit (Nine-Tailed Fox/Liebe) At face value, it seems the two have faced adversity in a similar fashion. Both Naruto and Asta have worked undeniably hard to get to where they are in the modern-day. Despite their similarities at the start of each series, they have proven to be two exceptionally different fighters as their respective manga has progressed, proving there to be some glaring differences come up in regards to their abilities.

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In order to compare the two, a few details first have to be sorted out. Let's say we're looking at them at the same age; since Asta is in his late teens, we'll be looking at Naruto at the same age. Though the most recent depiction of Naruto in the manga is as a father in Boruto, it would be pretty rough to compare a thirty-year-old Naruto in Boruto to the skills of a teenager. Reasonably, we'd have to compare the most recent depictions of Asta to Naruto during the Fourth Grear Ninja War arc.

Fourth Shinobi World War

Secondly, each series has its own energy source that provides fighters with their powerful abilities. In Naruto, they rely on the manipulation of chakra. In Black Clover, that energy is called mana, or magic. Whether or not Asta's "Anti Magic" power, which allows him to nullify the magic of his opponent, would work on Naruto's chakra can not be decided for sure. For all intents and purposes, magic in Black Clover can be pretty closely compared to the chakra in Naruto universe due to their functionality and consequences (considering the effects of one losing either chakra or mana can be deadly). Both are internal resources that, if mastered, can aid the user in battle. Therefore, it stands to reason Asta would be able to at least have some effect on Naruto's chakra.

Now that the specifics are sorted out, let's get into the logistics. When it comes to strength at the beginning of their respective series, kid Asta seems to have kid Naruto beat. His enhanced strength makes an appearance immediately, where he can be seen doing one thousand one-armed vertical push-ups in chapter one. Their physical strength stats alone are fairly similar, though the two have varying fighting styles. Both are highly skilled melee fighters. Asta is an expert swordsman with incredible control and agility. Naruto learns to master his taijutsu through his training with Jiraya. Though Naruto originally can't compete with Asta using strength alone, he does catch up as the series progresses. By the time readers see an older Naruto, his strength seems to surpass Asta's. Once he masters Sage Mode, he proves to be a tough competitor to defeat, even against Asta in his demon form.

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With Naruto able to access his usual amount of chakra, the battle would be much tougher for Asta. It would not be impossible for Asta to come out victorious as some of Asta's abilities are direct counters to Naruto's. An exampled of this would be Black Hurricane, which Asta could use to counter Naruto's shadow clones. However, by the time Naruto reaches this arc, he is able to rely on more high powered Jutsu than just shadow clones. If Naruto can perform Jutsu like the Rasenshuriken, Asta would likely face defeat, even in his more powerful forms.

Black Clover CHapter 209

While Asta could hypothetically decrease Naruto's chakra levels significantly, his physical skills alone don't seem to stand a chance against Naruto's agility. Even with reduced chakra, Naruto has higher levels of strength, speed, and agility. If Asta could reduce his chakra, reducing the fight to physical fighting alone, Naruto has proven his advanced proficiency time and time again. At the end of chapter 537 of Naruto, as "the Fourth Great Ninja War moves into the next stage of battle," the allied shinobi forces are revealed to have suffered 50% casualties. Yet, as the chapter ends, Naruto can be seen standing with a determined look in his eyes.

Still, one could make the argument that it would be pretty difficult (though not impossible) for Naruto to defeat Asta with decreased chakra, but could he still utilize a significant amount of chakra anyways? The Nine-Tailed Fox was sealed inside Naruto when he was born. The chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox is separate from Naruto's chakra. It stands to reason that he would be able to access the chakra of the Nine-Tailed Fox, leaving him one step ahead of Asta. Still, it's just a theory, and not one strong enough to provide a definitive answer.

Though the two protagonists are often compared, the fight between them would not be balanced enough. It could just be that Black Clover as a series has not had enough time to develop as compared to Naruto. While Asta's stats are unimaginably strong, Naruto has had both a longer time to train and arguably much higher stakes. It stands to reason he would have to develop his skills incredibly in order to reach his end goal of becoming Hokage. It's true that both characters have incredible determination and will. However, Naruto has proved his ability to take on most anyone at this point using high power skills. even without enough chakra to complete such a strong Jutsu, Naruto is still often referred to as one of the strongest shinobi of all time.  Asta has a ways to go until he would be able to potentially match up against Naruto, but there is certainly potential there. The assumption that chakra functions similarly to mana gives Asta a fighting chance, but still not enough of an advantage to leave them victorious.

Next: Black Clover: Asta's Demon Form and Powers Explained