Boruto Uzumaki with special eye in Karma mode
By
J.R. Waugh
Published 20 minutes ago
J.R. has been reading manga since the first printing of Shonen Jump in North America. This passion drove him to write about anime, manga, and manhwa since 2022, having recently served as Lead Anime Editor for ComicBook.com.
His favorite moments in media coverage include reviewing the series premieres of Zom 100 and Bleach: TYBW Part 2 back-to-back and briefly meeting Junji Ito at a VIZ gallery event in 2023.
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Warning: Spoilers Ahead for the Boruto and Naruto Manga!
Despite a heavy task ahead of itself, and being constantly weighed against Naruto's legacy, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has managed to correct the franchise's course once again. The series has become a tight, compelling narrative with thrilling battles and a confident reexamination of its world and power system. But its omission of one classic Naruto character is exceedingly frustrating.
Introduced in Naruto chapter #1, Iruka Umino was the Seventh Hokage's first real mentor and big brother figure. His faith in Naruto, despite his concealed resentment for the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within the boy, inspired Naruto to become the ninja he is today. But in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Iruka's absence is a missed opportunity beyond simple nostalgic fan service.
Iruka's Absence in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Is a Mistake
Naruto's Longest-Serving Mentor Deserves Better
Iruka Umino in Boruto Naruto Next Generations
While hardly enough of a failure to derail Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Iruka's absence disconnects longtime readers from one of Naruto's most important connections. With Naruto and Hinata imprisoned in the Daikokuten, and much of the public still believing Naruto to be dead, Iruka's processing of the news would be harrowing to see.
Beyond appearances in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations as Konoha Academy's new headmaster, Iruka's connection to Naruto is pivotal to the story. He acts as wise, yet youthful counsel to the young shinobi of the village. As shown in Naruto chapter #405, Iruka even pulls Naruto from his deepest abyss after the death of Jiraiya.
It's not a one-way street, either. Naruto recognizes the incredible influence Iruka had on him, far more than a friend and teacher who would occasionally treat him to ramen at Ichiraku. In the final episode of Naruto: Shippuden, Naruto humbly asks Iruka to attend his wedding as his father, a touching signal of how invaluable the young teacher truly was.
Simply put, despite Iruka operating in the background, even just seeing how he and fellow villagers have processed the perceived loss of Naruto over the last three years could make for a nice character-driven interlude. If Boruto: Two Blue Vortex's manga doesn't, the anime surely would benefit even just from briefly adding this as anime-canon content without padding on filler.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Faces a Different Problem From Its Predecessor
Is It Warranted or an Overcorrection?
Iruka and Kakashi in Naruto Shippuden Episode 500
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations infamously shuffled classic characters into the background. Kakashi's role is practically absent from the manga save for Hokage portraits, and others similarly only feature in the anime. On top of that, redesigns like that of Anko felt unnecessarily drastic, and the series quietly retired many legacy Naruto characters. Tenten's irrelevance remains possibly the only constant.
Now, it's important to clarify that some characters, like Ōnoki, the Third Tsuchikage, getting a fascinating storyline in the Boruto anime and a worthy sendoff. But others, like Rock Lee and his son, Metal Lee, feel annoyingly invisible outside of filler, an especially egregious problem given Might Guy is alive but permanently out of commission after fighting Madara Uchiha.
While it's nice to see characters like Ino Yamanaka feature modestly, even Choji Akamichi's absence while Shikamaru runs the village as sitting Eighth Hokage feels odd.
But in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the opposite problem instead began to show. While it's nice to see characters like Ino Yamanaka feature modestly, even Choji Akamichi's absence while Shikamaru runs the village as sitting Eighth Hokage feels odd. Konoha's many older shinobi feel frustratingly absent, and Iruka's not alone. But Iruka has particularly deep ties with Naruto, by comparison.
This can be hand-waved by explaining the clandestine plot which, while certainly appropriate for a ninja series, now flies in the face of the wide character roster that won over so many Naruto fans. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex brought back a core group of wildly-redesigned characters, showcasing real growth, even killing off minor shinobi while pushing the story forward.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex passing over important legacy characters is thus understandable especially so as to find its footing upon its return, but it's arguably been steady two years since its debut. Introducing characters like Iruka, even modestly, can help restore the emotional stakes. More importantly, it'd be fascinating seeing how others perceive Boruto now.
Iruka's Reaction to Naruto's Loss Would Parallel His Childhood
One Cycle Remains Unbroken in the World of Naruto
Iruka protecting Naruto in episode 1 from Mizuki
While fans know Naruto is ostensibly stuck in a pocket dimension and not likely dead, most of Konoha doesn't know this. Additionally, with Kawaki's deception and Eida's Omnipotence, not only has the village exiled Boruto Uzumaki; they believe Kawaki now to be Naruto's son instead, and Boruto as the killer. Iruka spotting Boruto could be a psychologically triggering event.
Iruka lost his parents in Kurama's rampage on Konoha before he was sealed as the Nine-Tailed Fox spirit in Naruto as a baby. He even outwardly admitted he hated the Fox, but still held nothing but respect for Naruto. Now, thanks to Kawaki's Omnipotence play through Eida in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter #79, Iruka believes Naruto is dead.
With him serving at times as a brotherly or even fatherly figure, instead of losing his parents, he loses a surrogate son and his Hokage to a new tragedy he couldn't prevent. Without the aid of those in on the truth like Sarada or Shikamaru, it's uncertain whether Iruka would accept that he was brainwashed. But it presents an opportunity.
Should Iruka witness Boruto's efforts to protect the village, staving off the invasive Ōtsutsuki within him, he could see Naruto in the boy more than ever.
With Mamushi beginning to run amok in Konoha, and Boruto's Kāma threatening to let Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki take over, it's a twisted instance of Naruto's son being possessed by a force he can't initially control. Should Iruka witness Boruto's efforts to protect the village, staving off the invasive Ōtsutsuki within him, he could see Naruto in the boy more than ever.
For now, this is idle speculation, especially as the release of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter #29 is still weeks away. But with this latest attack being potentially the most chaotic yet, it is a real opportunity to showcase how Konoha's people, especially its named, beloved ninjas from Naruto, react to a horrifying new existential threat.
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Like Follow Followed Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Writer Masashi Kishimoto Writers Masashi Kishimoto Penciler(s) Mikio Ikemoto Inker(s) Mikio Ikemoto Colorist(s) Mikio Ikemoto Publisher(s) Viz Media Expand Collapse
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Naruto
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-PG Animation Action Adventure Comedy Fantasy Release Date 2002 - 2007-00-00 Showrunner Masashi Kishimoto Directors Hayato Date Writers Masashi Kishimoto Franchise(s) NarutoCast
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Junko Takeuchi
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Noriaki Sugiyama
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