Did Boruto: Two Blue Vortex turn Ninja ranks from Naruto irrelevant? Explored

Modified Nov 01, 2024 19:30 GMT

Did Boruto: Two Blue Vortex turn Ninja ranks from Naruto irrelevant? Explored (Image via Shueisha)

The Boruto: Two Blue Vortex series has introduced numerous new villains whose power levels dwarf that of Kaguya, the main antagonist of the Naruto series. While the protagonist, Boruto, has already experienced a power-up and risen to a level sufficient to oppose these new antagonists, the series as a whole has seen significant power level inflation.

Previously introduced Kage-level shinobi no longer appear strong in any meaningful way, and former protagonists Naruto and Sasuke have become incapacitated following the events of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.

Many fans might think the Boruto series has rendered the traditional ninja rankings obsolete due to these inflated power levels. However, the groundwork for this shift was already present in the original Naruto series and has been reinforced in Boruto.

Disclaimer- This article contains spoilers for the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex series and reflects the author's opinions.

Ninja ranks are completely inconsequential in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

Naruto as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Ninja ranks were introduced at the very beginning of the series as an easily understandable power-scaling tool, making strong shinobi recognizable simply by their ranks. The usual rankings consist of genin, chunin, special jonin, jonin, and the Hokage, with power levels rising steadily with each rank.

Ninjas like Kakashi hold the rank of jonin, while someone weaker but highly specialized in a specific skill or aspect holds the special jonin rank, such as Ibiki.

The overall power scaling of the Naruto series relied on these ranks, while the Boruto series has made the ranks nearly inconsequential due to its focus on Naruto and Sasuke's strength, who are anomalies within the rankings.

Naruto started his journey toward the Hokage position from the genin rank and became Hokage without progressing through the ranks in proper order.

Similarly, Sasuke lost his ranking after leaving the village and became a Kage-level ninja without ever holding an official rank, which persists in the story to this day.

The power levels and hierarchy began to break down during the Naruto series itself when Might Guy demonstrated fighting prowess surpassing that of the Hokage.

Both Naruto and Sasuke achieved the status of literal demigods after realizing their lineage descending from Hagoromo.

Boruto as shown in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Currently, in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, ninja ranks are simply ornamental, with rankings among different shinobi becoming increasingly obscure when translated to actual battle prowess.

Boruto and Kawaki, along with characters like Mitsuki, already surpass the ninja rankings in terms of power, rivaling the power levels of a Hokage, while jonin-ranked ninja have been relegated to background roles. Konohamaru is the only jonin receiving minimal screen time.

The ninja rankings were already becoming obsolete in the Naruto series and became completely inconsequential in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, as fighting prowess and the overall power ceiling have become too inflated to be contained within the rankings.

Final thoughts

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 16 will be released on November 20, 2024, and will reveal Boruto's new plan to subjugate the Shinju. Chapter 15 ended with Boruto and Kawaki forming an alliance against the Shinju.

Although fans were expecting a war arc centered around the shinobi's conflicting allegiances to both Boruto and Kawaki, the chapter made it clear that the conflict between the two protagonists will take a backseat for the next few arcs as they focus entirely on the Shinju.