Skill vs. Power

themuna

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People talk down on certain characters all the time without considering their starting point. In my opinion, starting point has to be a factor when you talk about how "skilled" they are or whether or not they are a "genius". Most would agree that Hashi is one of the most "powerful" ninjas ever but I don't think it's fair to compare his "skill" to Minato or Hiruzen.

I think their skill or genius title should be based on what they do with what they start with. If you look at someone like Hashi, he started off with Senjus high chakra and physical stamina, as well as a unique bloodline limit. Someone else like Hiruzen probably started off with no special characteristics yet mastered everything he could master (every jutsu native to Konoha) and maxed out his Nin-Gen-Tai Jutsu (source: databook). Hashi is more powerful but I think they would be equally skilled and equally deserving of being called a "genius". Minato could be said to be in the same boat because he created jutsu that allowed him to reach the height of his own era. All three routes (honing natural gifts, learning everything available, creating new techs) have merit and show "skill".

Think about it. Most of the strong characters people talk about have an advantage of either 1 crazy high chakra (Uzumaki/Senju, etc) , 2 bloodline limit (Uchiha, etc), 3 a tailed beast, or 4 Combination of 1-3 (Naruto, Hashi, etc.)

Therefore, I think if we're talking about skill you'd have to rank characters differently Please discuss and feel free to respectfully disagree. Also, give your own "skill"-based rankings.

Edit: As Freak99 pointed out tactics such as Shikaku, or Shikamaru use are another equally important area.
 
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SonictheHedgehog

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What good is power if it can't hit a skillful person?
 

Kages

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Skill is better.
 

Rike Senju

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Power >> skill. That's just the way it is in this manga.
 

themuna

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What good is power if it can't hit a skillful person?

No good at all IMO. Look at what Shikamaru did to Temari back in the Chunnin exam days. He hardly had any chakra and she was throwing around huge moves for a Genin but he could have wrecked her if he had really felt like it.
 

htmwall

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you have nailed the main reason why the manga is no longer good as it was,first it was about skill and hard work and tactics,right now raw power or OP kkg is all it matters.
this manga right now is saying if you don't have an OP kkg or a special power you have nowhere to reach.skill doesn't even matter anymore.
 

Jetapo

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Skill is power and power is skill. It just boils down to plot no jutsu.
 

themuna

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you have nailed the main reason why the manga is no longer good as it was,first it was about skill and hard work and tactics,right now raw power or OP kkg is all it matters.
this manga right now is saying if you don't have an OP kkg or a special power you have nowhere to reach.skill doesn't even matter anymore.

I have kinda been feeling that way. No one is training anymore. Everyone just tries to get power-ups (new Sharingan, Rinnegan, TBB) Every once in a while Naruto tries to learn something new back in the day that happened between every single fight. And everyone was training, not just him.
 

Tsukuyo

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personally, this is like a quote i keep to heart: all experience is not equal

maybe im a black belt (in example; im really not a black belt), but that doesn't mean i can beat a veteran soldier

even if we both started at 10 years experience, my 10 years slaving away in a dojo is nothing to his 10 years on the field dodging shells and such

skills and power are both great to have and each have their pro's and cons, but it all comes down to how you use it.

don't fear the weapon, fear who holds the weapon
 

freaks99

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you have nailed the main reason why the manga is no longer good as it was,first it was about skill and hard work and tactics,right now raw power or OP kkg is all it matters.
this manga right now is saying if you don't have an OP kkg or a special power you have nowhere to reach.skill doesn't even matter anymore.
not agree with you... you forget about shikaku
tactics?
 

themuna

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My opinion: In terms of skill someone like Hiruzen or Rock Lee is equal to anyone else we've seen in the manga. Hiruzen mastered everything he could but of course got old. Lee has become one of the strongest people alive using only one skill that he has trained past the level of human ability.
 

htmwall

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not agree with you... you forget about shikaku
tactics?
shikaku with all his tactics,they barely were able to free the juubi from madara's control,and his tactic needed to power-up the alliance with kurama's chakra.
in the end even if you have all the tactics in the world,can any of these tactics take down madara?(who is the definition of raw power)
 

freaks99

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shikaku with all his tactics,they barely were able to free the juubi from madara's control,and his tactic needed to power-up the alliance with kurama's chakra.
in the end even if you have all the tactics in the world,can any of these tactics take down madara?(who is the definition of raw power)
why you think shikaku tactics only in giving kurama chakra?
 

htmwall

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why you think shikaku tactics only in giving kurama chakra?
because his previous tactic(the cement hole) failed before,and it only relied on the shinobi's skills and it was a good plan,but his new tactic didn't fail(while being less creative than the other one)mainly because of kurama's power.
 

Gin-San

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That is why Minato will always remain as my favorite character. He is completely skillful, developing all of his techniques from scratch. He studied, worked hard and his dedication payed off. We haven't seen tactical fighting since Naruto vs Pain.
 
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