Naruto made a name for itself as one of the most exciting battle shonen anime franchises out there, scaling initially from small-scale ninja skirmishes, to clashes of godly proportions by the end. It’s a tough act to follow, and while its sequel series, Boruto, has often struggled to meet its gravitas, its next anime will introduce a powerful new Rasengan.
First revealed by Konohamaru Sarutobi in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter #11, the Wind Style: Rasen Barricade is a defensive twist able to deploy out of a regular Rasengan at a moment’s notice. Its natural Wind Release chakra properties are perfectly suited to dispel the Lightning Release of Hidari’s Chidori in the moment, a possible perfect defense exclusive to Rasengan-users.
Naruto’s Next Anime Introduces a New Perfect Defense with a Classic Jutsu
Naruto Return in Boruto Two Blue Vortex
Konohamaru’s new Wind Style: Rasen Barricade technique is first tested out against the Human Divine Tree Hidari. Hidari, using the deadly ambush potential of Code’s Claw Marks, gets the drop on the veteran shinobi, who rapidly imbued his original Rasengan with Wind chakra to create a flat spiral able to dispel what’d otherwise be a lethal Chidori hit.
While the jutsu’s natural chakra had such powerful recoil that it then sends Konohamaru flying backwards, he crucially is left unharmed by the Chidori. This is something even Gaara’s “absolute defense” from the Sand Shield couldn’t provide, with Sasuke’s Chidori breaking through and even drawing blood.
Naruto’s old friend and first pupil, Konohamaru, has at long last been allowed to prove himself in his battle against Matsuri.
What’s great about this Rasengan, unlike the massive varieties created by Minato, innovated by Naruto and Boruto, and used similarly by mentors like Minato and Kakashi, is it’s a unique, highly-useful jutsu specifically used by Konohamaru. With a wide variety of elemental releases at his disposal, Konohamaru could also reasonably create more unique Rasengans in the future.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Is Innovating Classic Jutsu in Meaningful Ways
It’s not hard to already see the careful exploration of Naruto’s pre-existing jutsu across multiple disciplines in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. Beyond Konohamaru’s new perfect defense and Boruto’s lethal Rasengan: Uzuhiko, other characters have been debuting high-profile instances of their unique techniques.
Hidden Leaf Village · Chunin Exam Naruto Trivia Challenge
🔥JinchūrikiBelieve it! 🔴SharinganCopy ninja 🌀JutsuRasengan! 🌿VillageWill of Fire ⚡BondsUnbreakable
01 Naruto Uzumaki carries an immense burden — a powerful Tailed Beast sealed inside him since birth by the Fourth Hokage. This fox demon’s chakra gives Naruto extraordinary power but also makes him an outcast. What is the name of this Nine-Tailed Beast?
✓ Correct! Kurama is the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed within Naruto by his father, the Fourth Hokage. Initially a source of fear and hatred, Kurama eventually becomes one of Naruto’s closest allies. Their bond is one of the most emotional arcs in the entire series.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Kurama. Shukaku is the One-Tail sealed in Gaara, Matatabi is the Two-Tails, and Gyuki is the Eight-Tails sealed in Killer Bee. Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox, is Naruto’s legendary partner.
02 Naruto’s greatest rival is a prodigy from a prestigious clan who possesses a powerful eye technique called the Sharingan. Consumed by a desire for vengeance against his older brother, he defects from the Hidden Leaf Village. Who is this rival?
✓ Correct! Sasuke Uchiha is Naruto’s eternal rival and best friend. After the Uchiha massacre, Sasuke’s obsession with killing his brother Itachi drives him to leave the village and seek power at any cost. Their rivalry is the emotional backbone of the entire series.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Sasuke Uchiha. Neji is a Hyuga clan genius with the Byakugan, Gaara is the Sand Village’s jinchūriki, and Rock Lee is the taijutsu specialist. Only Sasuke wields the Sharingan and defects to join Orochimaru.
03 Naruto’s signature jutsu is a spinning sphere of concentrated chakra formed in the palm of his hand. Originally created by the Fourth Hokage and taught to Naruto by Jiraiya, it becomes the foundation for many of his most powerful attacks. What is this technique called?
✓ Correct! The Rasengan is a pure chakra manipulation technique that doesn’t require hand signs. Created by Minato Namikaze and passed down through Jiraiya to Naruto, it evolves into many variations including the devastating Rasenshuriken with added Wind Release nature transformation.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is the Rasengan. The Chidori is Sasuke and Kakashi’s lightning technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu is a different Naruto staple, and the Lava Rasenshuriken is a late-series variant. The base Rasengan is Naruto’s iconic spinning chakra sphere.
04 Team 7’s leader is a mysterious, mask-wearing jonin known as the “Copy Ninja” for his ability to replicate over a thousand jutsu using his borrowed Sharingan eye. He’s always reading a certain novel. Who is this legendary sensei?
✓ Correct! Kakashi Hatake, the Copy Ninja of the Sharingan, leads Team 7 (Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura). His Sharingan was a gift from his dying friend Obito Uchiha. Always cool under pressure and perpetually reading Make-Out Paradise, Kakashi eventually becomes the Sixth Hokage.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Kakashi Hatake. Might Guy leads Team Guy, Asuma leads Team 10, and Jiraiya is one of the Legendary Sannin who later trains Naruto. Only Kakashi is the masked Copy Ninja with a borrowed Sharingan who leads Team 7.
05 Sasuke’s older brother massacred nearly the entire Uchiha clan in a single night, then joined the criminal organization Akatsuki. It was later revealed he did it all on orders from the village to prevent a coup — sacrificing everything to protect his brother. Who is this tragic figure?
✓ Correct! Itachi Uchiha is one of Naruto’s most complex characters. A pacifist genius forced into an impossible choice, he bore the hatred of the entire world — including his beloved brother Sasuke — to protect the Hidden Leaf from civil war. His final words to Sasuke remain iconic.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Itachi Uchiha. Madara is the legendary clan founder, Obito is the masked man behind much of the war, and Shisui was Itachi’s best friend. Itachi alone carried out the massacre to prevent the Uchiha coup and protect Sasuke.
06 From the very first episode, Naruto declares his lifelong dream to earn the respect of his village and prove his worth. He vows to achieve the highest rank in the Hidden Leaf — its supreme leader. What is this title that Naruto dreams of?
✓ Correct! Hokage is the title of the Hidden Leaf Village’s leader, and Naruto’s dream of becoming Hokage drives the entire series. After years of struggle, he finally achieves his dream and becomes the Seventh Hokage in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Hokage. The Kazekage leads the Sand Village, Jonin Commander is a military rank, and Anbu Captain leads black ops. The Hokage is the Hidden Leaf’s supreme leader — and Naruto’s lifelong dream since he was a lonely academy student.
07 Naruto’s father was the Fourth Hokage, known as the “Yellow Flash of the Leaf” for his incredible speed using the Flying Thunder God technique. He sacrificed his life to seal the Nine-Tails inside his newborn son. What is his name?
✓ Correct! Minato Namikaze, the Fourth Hokage and Yellow Flash, sacrificed himself using the Reaper Death Seal to seal Kurama inside baby Naruto. His love for his son and faith in Naruto’s potential made him one of the series’ most selfless characters.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Minato Namikaze. Hiruzen Sarutobi is the Third Hokage, Tobirama Senju is the Second, and Hashirama Senju is the First. Minato, the Fourth Hokage, is Naruto’s father who sealed the Nine-Tails at the cost of his own life.
08 A shy, kind-hearted kunoichi from the Hyuga clan admired Naruto from afar since their academy days. She boldly confessed her love while fighting Pain to protect him, and eventually became his wife. Who is this character?
✓ Correct! Hinata Hyuga went from a timid girl who could barely speak around Naruto to a fierce warrior who stood against Pain to protect him. Her confession during the Pain arc is one of the series’ most emotional moments. They marry in The Last: Naruto the Movie and have two children, Boruto and Himawari.
✗ Substitution jutsu failed! The answer is Hinata Hyuga. Sakura is Naruto’s teammate who loves Sasuke, Ino is Sakura’s rival from the Yamanaka clan, and Temari is a Sand Village kunoichi who marries Shikamaru. Only Hinata loved Naruto from the very beginning.
Mission Complete Your Ninja Record
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Are you Hokage material — or still at the academy practicing clone jutsu?
One popular example lately has been Sarada Uchiha’s Ohirume, her unique Mangekyo Sharingan Dojutsu, which was a long-awaited debut given the unique circumstances of her power awakening. Moments like these give characters beyond the usual suspects like Boruto or Kawaki a sense of power agency in the series, especially since Sarada used Ohirume to defeat Ryu.
Perhaps more surprisingly, though, characters like Inojin Yamanaka are also being called on to innovate their family’s distinct jutsu to help with village-wide operations. The Mind Transmission Formation jutsu has been instrumental so far to tracking down Mamushi and coordinating efforts to bring him down. Admittedly, though, even this didn’t stop disaster from striking in chapter #32.
But beyond simple techniques, certain characters are facing bold new twists on Naruto staples, like Himawari as Kurama’s new Jinchuriki. With her presented as more Tailed Beast-like in their union than previous hosts, all we’ve seen so far has been familiar attacks like Tailed Beast Balls, but with latent potential for more. Ultimately, it means more exciting surprises for the viewers.
Boruto’s Anime Return Will Be Its Most Visually Impressive
Eida and Boruto Uzumaki
It’s no secret that, outside of spectacular fights like Boruto, Naruto, and Sasuke vs Isshiki, the visuals of Pierrot’s Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime left much to be desired. But with Pierrot as a studio benefiting from a new seasonal focus prioritizing quality over quantity, it could mean cutting out filler in exchange for more limited, higher-fidelity episodes per season.
But with the eventual return of Boruto’s anime, presumably adapting the Omnipotence Arc before transitioning into Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the series could adapt its most interesting arcs yet while cutting the fluff. After all, Black Clover’s recent season 2 glimpses indicate such an approach massively paying off, and Kingdom’s anime meaningfully improved in season 3 onward.
Given the expected seasonal release of the next anime in the Naruto universe, especially since even One Piece is adopting a similar model now, it’s all the more exciting that these characters have grown and developed brand-new techniques. Seeing Sarada’s aura-farming Ohirume moment, Konohamaru’s quick defensive ingenuity, and Boruto’s brutal Uzuhiko precision, are exciting prospects in Boruto’snext anime.
Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists’ children and returning faces.
Writer
Masashi Kishimoto
Writers
Masashi Kishimoto
Penciler(s)
Mikio Ikemoto
Inker(s)
Mikio Ikemoto
Colorist(s)
Mikio Ikemoto
Publisher(s)
Viz Media
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.
