In the world of Naruto, plenty of friendly (or unfriendly) rivals can be found across the land, and Naruto and Sasuke's rivalry is the stuff of legends. Sakura has Ino Yamanaka as her rival, and Rock Lee, the taijutsu master, chose Neji Hyuga as his official rival. But is Neji really the best rival for Rock Lee? He might not be.
Neji and Rock Lee are both taijutsu specialists and are in the same ninja team under Might Guy, but Neji is rather self-absorbed and bitter, and he isn't terribly interested in proving himself to Rock Lee. So, the optimistic and hardworking Rock Lee ought to find a new rival out there in the world of anime. Who should become his new rival and push him along?
10 Yasutora "Chad" Sado, The Gentle Giant (Bleach)
Ichigo's friend Chad may not be outgoing and energetic like Rock Lee, but he has a good heart, and Chad is hardly a coward or a quitter. As a boy, Chad had been a sullen bully, attacking others with his formidable strength. Then he learned that defending the innocent with his power is true strength, and Rock Lee would be inspired.
Chad is a melee fighter just like Rock Lee, and more than once, Chad was pushed to improve himself when he saw Ichigo in the middle of intense training. Chad and Rock Lee would definitely bring out the best in each other.
9 Izuku Midoriya, All Might's Successor, Who Never Gives Up (My Hero Academia)
Izuku Midoriya knows what Rock Lee is going through. He was born Quirkless in a world dominated by Quirks, but he did have the heart of a hero. Izuku underwent intense physical training to earn the right to One For All, and even with that Quirk, Izuku is still training hard. He won't rest for a moment.
Rock Lee would find this inspiring and relatable, and he and Izuku would both benefit greatly from a healthy rivalry to prove to the world that natural talent isn't so special after all. Who needs Quirks or ninjutsu when they have the power of the human body?
8 Bacchus Groh, The Drunk-Fu Wizard (Fairy Tail)
Bacchus Groh is a wizard, but he's not the type to shoot fireballs from a magic staff. Like Elfman Strauss, Bacchus uses magic to enhance his physical combat skills, and Bacchus relies a bit less on brute strength and more on speed and agility. When he's had a few drinks, he's tough to beat.
Bacchus can be rather overbearing at times, but he has a sense of honor. No doubt Rock Lee would impress him, and the two of them will compete intensely to see who's the real martial arts master around here.
7 Jonathan Joestar, The Noble Defender (JoJo's Bizarre Adventure)
The first Joestar hero, Jonathan, focused more on physical combat and strength than his Stand-wielding successors such as Josuke or Giorno. Jonathan Joestar has a powerful and tough body, and it's clear that he takes good care of it. Rock Lee would definitely put Jonathan on his rivalry radar.
It also helps that Jonathan has a strong sense of honor, fairness, and chivalry, and he will do anything to protect the innocent, especially his future wife, Erina Pendleton. Rock Lee has similar sentiments about Sakura Haruno (though he didn't marry her).
6 Ban, The Fox Sin Of Greed (The Seven Deadly Sins)
Ban, the fox sin of greed, grew up as a rogueish street urchin, bound only by his own needs and desires, rather than honor or duty like Rock Lee. However, he turned his life around by joining the Seven Deadly Sins holy knight group, and he formed a fierce but fun rivalry with his boss, Meliodas the dragon sin.
Based on his heated rivalry with Meliodas, Ban would make a great competitor for Rock Lee, being a hard-hitting martial artist who's always up for a do-or-die challenge or duel. Rock Lee would be challenged every day if he had Ban as his true rival.
5 Tanktop Master, The Musclebound Hero (One-Punch Man)
Some of the pro heroes in this universe are rather sleazy or goofy, but some of them do have a strong sense of honor and fairness. One of them is Tanktop Master, the commander of the Tanktop Army of heroes, and sure enough, Tanktop Master is a hero who could nearly beat Rock Lee at his own game.
Tanktop Master is all about physical strength and disciplined training, and he won't stand for dishonest or shameful behavior among his tanktop peers. Rock Lee would find Tanktop's power and honor appealing and challenge him to a fruitful rivalry. Before long, Rock Lee might be wearing a tanktop himself.
4 Monkey D. Luffy, The Aspiring Pirate King (One Piece)
Monkey D. Luffy, the captain of the Straw Hat pirates, has a great dream: to become the king of pirates. But he's not a ruthless and cutthroat schemer. Luffy is a classic shonen protagonist, valuing friendship, hard work, and honor over all else. He's also a melee fighter, with a rubbery, stretchy twist.
Rock Lee isn't too keen on the idea of pirates, but otherwise, he would enjoy making friends with the powerhouse Luffy and challenge him to endless sparring sessions and feats of strength. Luffy's crew would love to watch these competitions.
3 Ty Lee, The Chi Blocking Acrobat (Avatar: The Legend Of Korra)
Ty Lee may not have Rock Lee's brute strength, but these two Lees would still get along if they ever met. Ty Lee is not a bender; instead, she focuses on martial arts and acrobatics, being a quick and agile circus performer and fighter alike. Rock Lee would be astonished to see Ty Lee flow so elegantly across the battlefield.
Ty Lee, in turn, would be greatly impressed with Rock Lee's sheer power, and the two of them would have a lot of fun learning each other's moves and forming a friendship along the way. Ty Lee is always up for another friend, and so is Rock Lee.
2 Ranma Saotome, The Lifelong Martial Artist (Ranma 1/2)
Ranma Saotome has been training as a martial artist since his boyhood, mainly by sparring with his father, Genma. When he returned to Japan from a long training trip in China at age 16, Ranma had become a truly impressive (and unconventional) martial artist with a number of rivals.
Ranma has good instincts and quick reflexes, and he would jump at the chance to improve his craft once he met Rock Lee. After all, Ranma is competitive and is determined to be the best, and Rock Lee feels the same way. This rivalry was meant to be.
1 Kiba Inuzuka, The Canine Shinobi (Naruto)
Back in his own universe, Rock Lee has a few solid options for a rival, even if he doesn't consider Neji Hyuga. Hinata isn't very competitive and Sasuke is too self-absorbed, so the next best option may be Kiba Inuzuka, from Team 8.
Kiba no doubt has a high opinion of Rock Lee and vice versa, and these two taijutsu specialists could have a lot of fun seeing who's Konoha's #1 melee master as they compete to hone their techniques in practice matches against each other. Their teammates can cheer them on.
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