Naruto lost arguably his closest friend Kurama after using Baryon Mode in his battle against Isshiki Ōtsutsuki. Without the power of the Nine Tailed Fox, we can assume that Naruto has become considerably weaker. Not only does he lose certain abilities, he will also have lower chakra reserves and will presumably be more susceptible to Genjutsu. Fortunately for Naruto, he will still rank amongst the strongest characters in the universe, even without Kurama.

But which abilities did he lose? To what extent can he still protect the world and his village against Kara and the other Ōtsutsuki members?

Weakness: No more Nine Tails Chakra Mode

The Nine Tails Chakra Mode won’t be accessible anymore for Naruto without Kurama. One of the major advantages this jutsu brings is that he can match up against large-scale attacks quite easily. Think about perfect Susanoo, an attack similar to Madara’s meteors or Chibaku Tensei.

Another very important asset of the Chakra Mode was that it helped Naruto with Taijutsu in battle. He was able to conjugate multiple arms and gained a considerable amount of speed in this mode. The multiple arms have also helped him in tight mid-air situations several times.

Strength: Sage Mode

Naruto visited Mount Myōboku and learned how to enter a Perfect Toad Sage Mode. This mode gives him an incredible boost in power and speed, as well as better healing and sensory skills. This mode helped him against strong opponents like Pain/Nagato and even Obito and Madara.

As the reincarnation of Asura, Naruto received chakra from the Sage of Six Paths (Hagoromo Ōtsutsuki). We can assume that Naruto can still use this chakra and enter Six Paths Senjutsu, even though this hasn’t officially been confirmed (yet). Using this form of Senjutsu gives Naruto Truth-Seeking Balls, as well as more strength overall.

Weakness: Lower Chakra Reserves

Without Kurama, Naruto will have much lower chakra reserves than before. This will have numerous negative impacts on his strength. The extent to which Naruto’s chakra reserves came from Kurama is unknown, but we can assume it’s a large amount. He will have to be more careful with the amount of Rasengans, Rasen Shurikens and Shadow Clowns uses.

Luckily for Naruto, he is a descendant of the Uzumaki clan and naturally possesses large chakra reserves. This means that his chakra reserves will still be amongst the largest of the universe. However, he will have a problem against otherworldly characters like the Ōtsutsuki Family.

Strength: Other Tailed Beasts’ Chakra

During the 4th Shinobi World War, Naruto received chakra of all the other Tailed Beasts. This enabled him to use different types of releases like: Lava Release, Magnet Release, and boil release. However, we don’t know for certain if Kurama’s chakra was needed to access these powers.

Naruto can also use all five basic nature transformations, as well as Yin and Yan release. There is also a possibility that Naruto will be able to use Wood Release in the future because he has an arm made of Hashirama’s cells and he’s a reincarnation of Asura Ōtsutsuki.

Weakness: Loss of Kurama’s Battle Experience

Fighting Naruto was like fighting 2 people at once. Not just for the abilities Kurama’s chakra provides, but his battle experience and eye for tactics as well. Naruto will have to find a way to replace this second mind in battle without Kurama. The two of them also shared a bond that allowed them to generate power that transcends normal standards.

Naruto has shown to have improved considerably from a tactical standpoint since his younger years, but he does not necessarily stand out from other characters. It will still be hard to trick him though, and his battle experience in Boruto is extremely high as well.

Conclusion: Naruto Without Kurama

Even without the Nine Tailed Fox, Naruto is still only equaled by Sasuke and the other Ōtsutsuki members. However, he has lost a major source of his power, and more importantly, he lost a close friend.

Naruto will have to find a way to somewhat make up for the loss of Kurama to still protect the ninja world. This could also be a way for other characters like Boruto or Kakashi to shine. Because let’s be fair, Naruto and Sasuke might have been a little too strong for Boruto to catch up to them.