When the anime wanted to, Naruto had some excellent martial arts in it. Any fight with Rock Lee or Might Guy displayed great taijutsu, and it wasn't just them. A lot of the earlier fights were focused less on massive abilities, harkening back to the days of classic kung fu movies. There is no doubt martial artists like Bruce Lee or Jet Li would be taijutsu masters.
They each have a few movies that Naruto fans would enjoy, and they aren't the only ones. There are several films from the '80s and '90s that touch on a lot of the same subjects as Naruto does.
10 Master Of The Flying Guillotine Uses Strategy In The Same Way Part One Of Naruto Did
Master of the Flying Guillotine is the sequel to the One-Armed Boxer, a movie that unsurprisingly follows a boxer who only has one arm. That alone tells you that the fight will be more tactical than some other martial arts films. That fact is made even more apparent when the assassin sent to kill the boxer is blind.
It sets up a battle of who can outthink who rather than a typical brawl of who's the strongest warrior. The way the boxer deals with the blind assassin's flying guillotine is something straight out of the Naruto playbook.
9 Drunken Master Is Centered Around A Character That's A Mashup Of Jiraiya & Rock Lee
Unlike most martial arts films of this era, Drunken Master is packed with humor, and considering the lead actor is Jackie Chan, it's not hard to see why. Chan was always a master of both humor and martial arts, blending the two to create some unforgettable movies.
In Drunken Master, Chan plays Wong Fei-Hung, a man who is a mash-up of Rock Lee and Jiraiya. While fighting, he has the prowess of a Lee but has the personality of the pervy sage.
8 Five Deadly Venoms Utilizes Abilities Not Unlike What's Seen In Naruto
Classic martial arts movies weren't often the type to use superhuman abilities. Most staying grounded more in reality. Five Deadly Venoms is one of the exceptions to that rule, having five masters who had distinctive abilities at their disposal.
One of the masters can utilize gravity to his advantage, letting him walk and stand on walls. Another is impervious to pain everywhere save for the one weak point on his body. The fact every single one of them has a weakness harkens back to Part 1 of Naruto as well.
7 Enter The Dragon Is Similar In Plot To The Chunin Exams
As Bruce Lee's last film, it's beloved by any fan of martial arts and for more reason than just his death. It's a legitimately great film and arguably his best. The plotline is also somewhat similar to the Chunin Exams in the sense that it has fighters from across the globe participating in a massive tournament.
The stakes are a bit different, but it provides similarly intense action, all leading to Lee's final battle with O'Hara, the man responsible for his sister's death.
6 Way Of The Dragon Has A Final Battle That Any Fan Of Taijutsu Would Love
Way of the Dragon may not be Bruce Lee's most notable film, but it may be his most well-rounded. The movie showed he had comedic chops, inserting more humor into it than usual. It didn't detract from the more intense moments either, as his final battle with Colt is nothing short of fantastic.
Both Lee and Chuck Norris were masters of their craft, putting on a display that only would have been seen in Naruto, had Rock Lee and Might Guy fought.
5 Fist Of Fury Has The Same Sense Of National Pride That Many In Konoha Did
Nationalism was never a major theme in Naruto, but it was always present in Konoha and the other nations. Everyone, save for perhaps the Hidden Mist, was proud of where they were from. That sense of pride runs rampant in Fist of Fury, one of Bruce Lee's first.
The entire plotline is Chen Zhen defending the honor of China in the face of Japan, right up until the very end, where it's heavily implied he dies. That sacrifice is similar to what Naruto himself was willing to make in the series.
4 Fist Of Legend Follows A Hero Willing To Do Anything For His Nation
As a remake of Fist of Fury, Fist of Legend follows a similar story but does make some diversions in the plot. The biggest is that rather than having Chen Zhen die at the end of the movie, they stage his death, allowing him to escape.
It's a brighter ending that's more in line with what Naruto would do. Jet Li is also able to give a deeper performance than Bruce Lee did in the movie, making you feel more for the plight of the characters.
3 Once Upon A Time In China Has The Beautiful Cinematography Expected From A Taijutsu Fight
It's hard for a live-action fight to match the movements of animation in both speed and just how fluid they are, but Once Upon A Time In China comes close. The action doesn't have a breakneck pace to it, however, when the fights do happen, they are pretty jaw-dropping.
There's a reason this is one of the movies that helped propel Jet Li into superstardom. It helped show off his flawless style while telling the tale of unwanted American expansion into China.
2 Karate Kid Is A Story Of Growing Up, Just As Naruto's Is
Some may scoff or laugh at the Karate Kid being considered a martial arts classic, but it is one, without a doubt. While the sequels leave plenty to be desired, the original is nearly perfect.
The action won't be as jaw-dropping as something from Jet Li or Bruce Lee, but it makes up for that in story. The journey isn't that different from what Naruto goes through during Part One. He's taken under by two masters, each helping him grow and come of age.
1 Hero Is A More Modern Film That Follows A Character Similar To Sasuke
Considering Hero came out close to twenty years ago, it's been long enough to be considered a classic and is one of Jet Li's best movies. The story is nothing short of gripping as it follows Nameless, an assassin who starts the movie prepared to assassinate the king.
As the movie progresses, he learns that China should be unified as one rather than splintered. He calls off the assassination and willingly gets executed. It's a tale that falls in line a lot with Sasuke's need for vengeance.
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