Is Sasuke Retsuden canon to Narutoverse? Explored

Modified Aug 09, 2024 16:52 GMT

Is Sasuke Retsuden canon to Narutoverse? Explored — Sakura and Sasuke as seen in the Sasuke Retsuden manga (Image via Shueisha)

While it has been some time since the release of Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust, the light novel written by Jun Esaka is one of the most beloved storylines for the Sasuke-Sakura fandom.

This is because, unlike the main manga, it delved deep into the couple's relationship and answered some of the most important questions bugging the fandom since learning about Sasuke and Sakura's marriage.

While the novel was a fun read for the fandom, many have shown doubts about its relevance to the Narutoverse as they are often left questioning if the Sasuke Retsuden story is canon or not. Fortunately for fans, the light novel is canon to the Narutoverse.

How is Sasuke Retsuden canon to the Narutoverse?

Expand Tweet

To fans' surprise, initially, the Sasuke Retsuden light novel wasn't considered a canon story. This is evident from the author's comments on X (formerly Twitter) on the occasion of the novel's release.

They had explained how the original Naruto manga was the only canon work. However, given that the series was a masterpiece, it has spawned several spin-off works, one of which was the Sasuke Retsuden light novel. Hence, they were sure that fans would have a lot of opinions on it, but they asked them to enjoy the world of Naruto comfortably.

Sasuke Uchiha as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

But years later, this light novel series was picked up for a manga adaptation (Naruto: Sasuke’s Story—The Uchiha and the Heavenly Stardust: The Manga) by Shingo Kimura and began serializing its chapters in October 2022, releasing 10 chapters. Out of the 10 chapters, three of them were released in parts, leading up to a total of 13 chapter releases.

Following that, the manga also received an anime adaptation by Studio Pierrot as part of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime in 2023, releasing a total of five episodes as part of the story.

Sasuke as seen in the adaptation's announcement visual (Image via Studio Pierrot)

This storyline acted as a flashback for Sasuke Uchiha in the anime as he wandered different countries looking for clues about Code's location or plan.

Fans who wish to watch the anime adaptation of the Sasuke Retsuden storyline can watch episodes 282 to 286 from the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime.

What is Sasuke Retsuden about?

Sakura and Sasuke as seen in the Boruto anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Sasuke Retsuden is a storyline where Sasuke Uchiha heads off to a land called Redaku to find the cure for Naruto Uzumaki's chakra illness. Naruto had gotten ill after being exposed to Kurama's chakra for decades. Hence, Sasuke headed off to the location after hearing that the Sage of Six Paths had also gone to the country and gotten his illness healed.

While this was the story's premise, the novel majorly focused on Sasuke and Sakura's marriage as Sasuke started questioning it. The nature of his missions saw him constantly wandering outside the village, leaving his family alone. Hence, Sasuke wished to act more like a common couple and gifted Sakura an engagement ring to signify their love.