In the Naruto franchise, a Shinobi’s dojutsu often provided a significant advantage, enhancing their combat abilities and overall effectiveness. However, this trend has not continued in its successor series, Boruto. The original series prominently featured the Three Great Dojutsu: the Sharingan, Byakugan, and Rinnegan, with the Rinnegan being hailed as the elite among them. Unfortunately, this prestigious status appears to have diminished within the Boruto narrative.
As many viewers and readers will recall, in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the primary Rinnegan users have been limited to Sasuke Uchiha and select members of the Otsutsuki clan. With the recent transition to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, these characters have taken a backseat, paving the way for four new Rinnegan bearers, known as the Human God Trees.
Regrettably, these new users have not demonstrated the capabilities associated with the Rinnegan, leading to a perceived decline in its significance within the storyline.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Boruto manga.
The Diminishing Role of the Rinnegan in Boruto
Initially, the idea of the Human God Trees wielding the Rinnegan stirred excitement among fans, given the dojutsu’s history as the most powerful of the Three Great Dojutsu. This led to expectations that these new characters would pose a formidable challenge to the protagonists and their allies. However, it appears that their Rinnegan may serve merely as decorative elements rather than as functional tools in battle.
The Rinnegan is renowned for granting its users access to an extensive range of unique and powerful jutsu. Yet, in the current manga installments, the only notable application witnessed has been by Shinju Jura, who utilized the Rinnegan solely to launch a Tailed Beast Ball against his foes.
Though there’s a possibility that Mamushi harnessed the Rinnegan’s perception abilities while sensing Eida, this remains speculative, as the manga has yet to confirm such functionalities associated with the dojutsu.
Besides the aforementioned instances, no additional evidence has surfaced to indicate that the Shinju have effectively utilized the Rinnegan’s powers. This raises questions, especially considering that the Rinnegan’s perception capabilities traditionally surpass those of the Sharingan.
Shikamaru offers an interpretation suggesting that the Shinju resemble inexperienced Wild Beast Cubs, lacking in both combat experience and comprehensive mastery over chakra control. While this analogy may provide context, it does not excuse the apparent failure to utilize passive abilities such as heightened perception.
For instance, if Hidari truly harnessed the power of the Rinnegan, he would have been able to evade Sarada’s attacks more effectively during their skirmish. Instead, the Rinnegan’s portrayal has trended towards being superficial. Fans can only hope for future narrative developments that will showcase the Shinju evolving in their mastery of the Rinnegan or, ideally, provide clarity on the limitations currently being imposed on these characters.