Warning: Spoilers for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #16
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex‘s latest chapter marks the beginning of a new exciting arc set in motion by Kashin Koji’s intervention, whose prescience jutsu makes him aware of a possible way to fight the Shinju Clones. However, even though in chapter #15, Kankuro revealed that Gaara was sealed by his adopted son to protect him, and Shinki ended up becoming the base model for Ryu, the new Shinju clone, chapter #16 gives a shocking revelation that not only opened the door to expand the series’ worldbuilding and finally give underrated characters a time to shine but also made apparent how Boruto TBV is clearly following Naruto’s steps.
In Boruto TBV chapter #16, Team Konohamaru is deployed to the Land of Wind to avoid Gaara’s imminent death since, even though he is safe for now, his seal is in danger of being broken, which revealed the undeniable parallels between Boruto and the first major arc of Naruto Shippuden.
Team Konohamaru’s New Mission in Sunagakure is a Massive Callback to the Kazekage Rescue Mission Arc
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is Setting up the First Major Arc After the Time Skip Like in Naruto’s Part II
After the events of chapter #16, the parallels between Boruto TBV and the Kazekage Rescue Mission are unmistakable, since the new alliance between the leaf and the sand ninjas, Team Konohamaru, Araya, and Yodo, will assist in securing Gaara’s survival, just like the former team Kakashi and the grandma Shiyo in Naruto Shippuden. While Boruto’s arc won’t focus on retrieving Gaara, to protect him, the alliance needs to rescue Shinki, for which they have to defeat Ryu and retrieve the thorn soul bulb.
Related
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Reveals a Sinister Truth About Its New Strongest Villains
The latest villains appearing in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex are a complicated threat, with ominous implications about where they’ll appear next.
Also, in both series, it is the first major arc after a time skip of 3 years and is focused on facing two members of a powerful group (Sasori/Deidara and Ryu/Matsuri), with one of them having ties with Sunagakure and each one with a specific target, the Akatsuki having a jinshuriki assigned to them to extract their tailed beast and the Shinju Clones having a target to “devour” and develop themselves as individuals. Additionally, just like Deidara kidnapping Gaara in Naruto, Sunagakure’s attack was perpetrated by only one of the new villains, Matsuri.
Garaa’s New Protection Squad Had the Chance to Show Their New Powers Like in Naruto: Shippuden
Boruto TBV Is Striving To Surpass Naruto: Shippuden
The Kazekage Rescue Mission arc also features Sakura’s growth after the time skip, which remains her most memorable battle, and the way that Boruto’s chapter 16 focuses on Sarada could mean she will be the main character of the arc, which will give her the chance to demonstrate her new abilities, which the manga had only shown a glimpse of so far, and possibly use her Mangekyo Sharingan in battle for the first time.
Moreover, if Sarada fights against Ryu, she will be dealing with an Iron Sand user just like Sakura against Sasori. Also, since Matsuri’s base model is Moegi, just like Tsunade sending reinforcements to Team Kakashi in Naruto, team 10 could be sent to help, like Team Guy did, which may lead to an emotional charge fight.
The number of similarities shows that Boruto’s current events are taking inspiration from Naruto, which could open up debate if it’s due to homage or because of Ikemoto’s lack of originality. However, as Boruto: Two Blue Vortex so far started with a bigger impact than Naruto’s return arc by presenting stronger enemies and a major growth for its protagonist, Boruto’s manga could be setting itself for greatness and to surpass its predecessor, which only time will tell.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex
Years after fleeing his village with Sasuke, Boruto returns to confront the dark changes that have occurred. With memories altered and Kawaki now seen as the hero, Boruto faces a world where he is the outcast. The two rivals must settle their differences as their Otsutsuki powers grow more dangerous.
- Writer
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Writers
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Colorist(s)
- Mikio Ikemoto
- Publisher(s)
- Viz Media
- Artist
- Mikio Ikemoto
