The Rinnegan is a legendary Dojutsu introduced first by Masashi Kishimoto in the Naruto series. It is known to be an incredibly powerful eye with godly abilities that allow one to rule over life and death itself. In the Boruto series, the powers of the Rinnegan were wielded by the legendary Sasuke Uchiha, the protagonist of the series, and by some other legendary figures, such as those of the Otsutsuki, like Momoshiki. However, the Boruto series has taken a very radical approach with this and many other Kekkei Genkai.
It has now been confirmed that the Rinnegan is practically dead in Boruto, both in terms of existence and what this ability truly means for the shinobi of the world, and its return at this point seems increasingly unlikely.
Boruto Erases Sasuke’s Status As The Last Rinnegan User
At the end of the Naruto series, in Chapter 700, which was officially released on November 10, 2014, in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 50, Sasuke Uchiha was the only known person alive with a Rinnegan at his disposal. Following the timeskip that led into the Boruto era, this remained true, and even when the threat of Momoshiki and Kinshiki arrived, they did not last long. Momoshiki was eventually killed by the combined effort of Naruto, Sasuke, and Boruto, which meant that this Rinnegan user perished, leaving behind Sasuke as the sole Rinnegan user in the canon of the series.
“There, I’ve blocked your pesky space-time ninjutsu [Rinnegan]. There’s no escape for you now. It’s the second time I’ve manifested. It sure is nice being free.” — Momoshiki Otsutsuki destroys Sasuke’s Rinnegan, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter #53
Unfortunately, all this changed when Sasuke’s Rinnegan was taken from him in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Chapter 53, released officially on December 20, 2020, in V-Jump Issue 2. Momoshiki Otsutsuki, after having taken over the body of Boruto Uzumaki, stabbed Sasuke’s Rinnegan and destroyed it. Not only did this shut down Sasuke’s space-time ninjutsu, but it also took away his Six Paths Powers permanently from him, nerfing him drastically in the process. As Sasuke stood as the last Rinnegan user among the Shinobi kind, this was quite an underwhelming way for his powers to be taken away from him and for him to be nerfed permanently.
“Sorry, you’ll have to wait a bit longer, Master Sasuke.” — Boruto Uzumaki fails to save Sasuke, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #4
Over three years have passed since then in the ninja world, and Sasuke Uchiha remains without the Rinnegan. What’s worse, and even more terrible, a fate has followed him in the Two Blue Vortex series. It was confirmed in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Chapter 4, titled “The Awakening,” released on November 20, 2023, that Sasuke Uchiha is sealed away and turned into a tree. He fell prey to one of the Claw Grimes, which led to the birth of the Shinju Hidari. Now, Boruto Uzumaki and all the others are working to bring Sasuke back, but even upon his return, his Rinnegan will not be returned to him.
With No Rinnegan User, The Kekkei Genkai Is Officially Dead
The Rinnegan was once the most exalted of all Kekkei Genkai that existed in the ninja world. Its importance and power were there for all to see in the original Naruto series, so for this eye to fall off as badly as it did in Boruto is truly unfortunate. Mikio Ikemoto has underexplored many elements of the original story that Kishimoto established in Naruto. This becomes especially apparent when many other Rinnegan users simply don’t make use of this power in the way that it is intended.
“Perhaps you are the incarnation of the Sage. I have a feeling that the Sage’s hopes were bestowed upon your eyes [Rinnegan].” — Jiraiya shows the importance of the Rinnegan
For instance, all the new Shinju who were officially revealed to us in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 4 on November 20, 2023, wielded the power of the Rinnegan. However, none of them use it in the way that it is supposed to be utilized. In essence, the Rinnegan grants one the Six Paths Powers and a Seventh Path that allows them to rule over life and death. In some cases, it also grants the user unique abilities, such as Limbo Hengoku in the case of Madara Uchiha, and Amenotejikara in the case of Sasuke.
However, none of the Shinju manifest even a single ability from these, which goes to show that this eye is more of a design choice for them than actually being the useful Kekkei Genkai that it is. In other words, both in terms of practicality and spirituality, the Rinnegan is practically dead in the Boruto series, and that is quite a disappointing reality for the Naruto and Boruto fans to face.
Why The Ten Tails Dojutsu Is Not Comparable To The Real Rinnegan
Alongside the Shinju, the Ten Tails has also been utilizing the power of the Rinnegan in the Boruto series. Unfortunately, as is the case with the Shinju, this Rinnegan is there for show as well. It does not grant any specific jutsu to the user of the Ten Tails’ powers or to the Ten Tails itself. Right now, the Ten Tails has incarnated itself in the form of Jura, which was confirmed to us in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 14, released on September 20, 2024. Yet Jura does not wield even a single ability of the Rinnegan that Masashi Kishimoto set in the original Naruto series. Instead, Jura heavily relies on abilities like Tailed Beast Bombs or Wood Release in combat.
“Jura is a special case. Unlike the others, he has no prototype. He is a direct incarnation of the Ten-Tails, and the one steering this crisis we’re facing right now.” — Boruto Uzumaki confirms Jura’s power, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #14
Had the Rinnegan been utilized to its fullest potential, we would have loved to see godly abilities being shown by the likes of Jura and the other Shinju. Unfortunately, that is not the reality that we are faced with. In either case, Sasuke was the last true user of the Rinnegan, but even he was nerfed significantly in Boruto and was not allowed to use his Six Paths Powers or the Seventh Outer Path in any way or form. In his case, the Rinnegan was practically reduced to Amenotejikara and opening portals to travel between dimensions.
Right now, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is actively working towards the return of Sasuke Uchiha, with Chapter 39 expected on November 20, 2026. When Sasuke does make a comeback, he will do so without the power of the Rinnegan, but perhaps in some way or form, this eye may be restored in the future. If that is the case, we can only hope that Mikio Ikemoto learns from his mistakes and allows Sasuke and other Rinnegan users to use all the Six Paths powers alongside the Outer Path to truly show the godly status of this Kekkei Genkai that has long been undervalued in Boruto.
All chapters of Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto and Boruto by Mikio Ikemoto are available for fans to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.