On the 5channel (5ch) board “Nandemo Jikkyou G,” a thread discussed what people knew about Rock Lee, the ninja from NARUTO. While some gave harsh assessments calling him a “complete downgrade” of his mentor Might Guy, others pointed out that despite the handicap of being unable to use any ninjutsu at all, he shone during the Chunin Exams — and that he’s actually one of the most popular characters in the series overseas. A stream of detailed trivia about the original manga’s setup kept surfacing, such as how his signature techniques, the Reverse Lotus and the Eight Gates, are double-edged swords that damage his own body as much as his enemy’s, and how he barely appears in the sequel BORUTO — leading to a thread full of mixed opinions.
What people said
1AnonymousSep 3, 2026 20:53
Was full of himself when he first showed up
5AnonymousSep 3, 2026 20:54
Isn't it kind of harsh calling him a complete downgrade of Might Guy?
They could've given him at least one thing where he surpasses Guy.
6AnonymousSep 3, 2026 20:55
The fact that the Reverse Lotus can chip away a huge chunk of an enemy's HP
9AnonymousSep 3, 2026 20:57
Re: #6
Though it apparently chips away a huge chunk of his own HP too
7AnonymousSep 3, 2026 20:56
If it weren't for Gaara's plot armor, he might've been the strongest in the Chunin Exams
10AnonymousSep 3, 2026 20:57
He's popular enough that they made a spinoff and an anime-original episode about his dad
22AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:05
Re: #10
He's just an easy character to make content about because he's a gag character
His inspiration is Bruce Lee and the like anyway
15AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:01
The man whose mentor stole all his thunder
17AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:03
You wouldn't guess it, but overseas he's one of the top one or two most popular characters in the series
18AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:03
Even his spot as the "genius through hard work with no bloodline" gets taken by Sakura, the girl he's crushing on
20AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:05
Lmao, at some point he and Gaara just became buddies
27AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:11
He actually beats some pretty strong characters and shines in the movies, so his treatment in Part 2 of the main series is way too harsh
28AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:11
Not being able to use any ninjutsu at all is playing on hard mode — poor guy
34AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:21
Weekly Shonen Jump once ran a feature profiling two Naruto characters nicknamed "Nice Guy" and "Pocha Lee" (punning nicknames for Might Guy and Rock Lee)
39AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:25
Guy-sensei really did steal all his thunder
40AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:26
Being close with Naruto, he's a character who gets favorable treatment
42AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:27
His peak was the fight against Gaara
54AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:36
Re: #42
He was still holding strong up through the fight with Kimimaro
43AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:27
In settings focused on hand-to-hand combat, like fighting games, he instantly rockets to the top of the meta
44AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:28
If the setting had been that, to make up for being bad at ninjutsu, he could open up to the Seventh Gate without wrecking his body, he could've been an upgrade over Guy
46AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:30
In Gekitou Ninja Taisen (the fighting game), spamming the Reverse Lotus was basically an easy win
48AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:31
Just being given an ultimate technique like the Eight Gates that still gets him a moment to shine in the final arc is already pretty lucky
His classmates from the same year are stuck with dogs or bugs
51AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:35
Re: #48
Tenten's basically got zero gimmick at all
49AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:34
Someone who deserves more criticism than Naruto
A student who gets massively favored by his teacher (Guy) — if you're a fellow student, that's the worst kind of person to have around
50AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:35
The role of "the one who beats Neji" got taken from Lee by Naruto
57AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:37
During the Chunin Exams he was easily stronger than Neji
Actually, is there anyone besides Gaara who could beat Rock Lee?
58AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:37
There are two different episode/chapter subtitles literally called "Lee's Secret!"
62AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:44
A man living off the glory of the Chunin Exams alone
63AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:45
He said "the strongest genin in Konoha is on my team," but the weakest kunoichi in Konoha is also on his team 🥹
That girl who just pulls out weapons (Tenten)
65AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:46
He can't control chakra at all, yet he can move on water
92AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:08
Re: #65
Apparently he's kicking his legs at a speed too fast to see, just to keep from drowning
68AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:48
Having Guy around was actually this guy's misfortune
75AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:56
Re: #68
Without Guy he'd be useless — he wouldn't even have taijutsu
73AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:55
He got divorced from Tenten
80AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:00
Re: #73
According to the official setting (jokingly attributed to creator Kishimoto), they got swept up in a marriage boom among their friends and married on a whim, then split up soon after
77AnonymousSep 3, 2026 21:58
Haven't read it so I wouldn't know, but does he at least become a downgraded Guy in the sequel?
83AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:01
Re: #77
He doesn't show up at all
From his generation, only Shikamaru really appears
86AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:04
He has a kid named Metal Lee — they really botched that naming
87AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:05
Re: #86
If your dad's named Rock, Metal is the only option for a son's name
89AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:07
The fact that Guy always called Lee by his surname the whole time
91AnonymousSep 3, 2026 22:08
Re: #89
LOL LOL LOOOL!
He cared about him more than anyone, so why?! 😭
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
Rock Lee is almost the only major character in the NARUTO main story set up as completely unable to use ninjutsu or genjutsu; instead he fights purely with taijutsu, wielding the “Eight Gates” — an ultimate technique that sacrifices his own body. That’s the backdrop for why the Reverse Lotus and the Eight Gates kept coming up in the thread as a “double-edged sword that damages the enemy but also hurts himself.” Opinions split between those who saw him as nothing more than a “complete downgrade” of his mentor, Might Guy, and those who pointed to his standout performance in the Chunin Exams arc and his high popularity overseas (#17) as evidence of his own unique presence. What’s easy for readers to miss is that this gap in treatment isn’t simple favoritism — it stems from the built-in handicap of having no ninjutsu at all — and the fact that he barely appears in the sequel series BORUTO (#83), which symbolizes the story’s generational handoff to a new cast of protagonists.
Leave a Reply