Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan awakening in Boruto changed a key Uchiha concept (and it's thanks to Sasuke)

Modified Mar 18, 2025 21:30 GMT

Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan awakening in Boruto changed a key Uchiha concept (and it's thanks to Sasuke) (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 20 is set to be released on March 18, 2025, but the spoilers for the chapter have already been revealed. The chapter finally showcases Sarada awakening her Mangekyo Sharingan to fight against Ryu for the love of her friends. This is another reminder that her awakening may be inferior to her peers. However, Sarada's awakening could be perfect given the circumstances.

The last Uchiha, Sasuke, awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan because he wanted to avenge his brother. Even before this, every Uchiha who awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan was associated with a hateful crime. However, Sasuke broke this cycle by reconciling with Naruto, which may explain why Sarada is using her Mangekyo Sharingan less than her ancestors—for a much more meaningful purpose.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga and reflects the author's opinion.

Boruto: Exploring why Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan awakening was different than her ancestors

Sarada awakening her Mangekyou Sharingan (Image via Mikio Ikemoto and Masashi Kishimoto/Shueisha)

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 20 showcased the Leaf-Sand alliance being overpowered by Ryu while Mitsuki and Araya were trapped in the Iron Sand Prison, and Yodo could not fight. However, just in time, Yodo urged Sarada to tap into her hidden powers, realizing that Sarada could use her hidden potential to save the person she loved.

The final panels of this chapter depict Sarada harnessing her Mangekyo Sharingan powers to free Mitsuki and Araya from the Iron Sand Prison. While fans highly anticipated this moment, Sarada faced criticism once again for her Mangekyo Sharingan awakening, similar to the initial reaction. However, there may be a big misconception among the fandom.

From the very beginning, the awakening of the Mangekyo Sharingan has been linked to the love of a cherished person. Itachi awakened his Mangekyo Sharingan due to Shisui's death, Sasuke did so for Itachi, and Obito awakened his for Rin. However, the motivations behind the awakening of this doujutsu differ from Sarada's.

The Mangekyou Sharingan awakening of Sarada's ancestors (Image via Studio Pierrot)

After Shisui's death, Itachi sought to avenge his brother by causing destruction. The same applies to Sasuke and Obito. This might be understandable, as the death of a loved one is triggering; however, turning that loss into a desire for destruction could be what sets Sarada apart from her ancestors, with Sasuke bearing some responsibility for this.

After the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke and Naruto established a peaceful treaty to never fight again. This came with the end of the cycle of hatred that began with Madara Uchiha. So, Sarada Uchiha not only awakened her stronger doujutsu under different circumstances, but her ambitions became much more meaningful following the awakening of her Mangekyo Sharingan.

Sarada, as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As showcased in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 20, Sarada reawakened her Mangekyo Sharingan because she realized her friends needed help. This was similar to the first time she awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan, as she was worried that Boruto was being betrayed for no reason.

Thus, her reasons for awakening may be more compassionate than those of her ancestors, who altered the entire concept of Mangekyo Sharingan awakening. However, it was all because she didn't need to go down the same pathway of hatred as Sasuke broke this cycle when his time came.

Final thoughts

Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan awakening might once again become the talk of the town in the next chapter when she uses this doujutsu. However, as previously stated, her awakening is perfect, as she does not need to follow the same path of revenge as her ancestors did.

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Edited by Shreya Das