Naruto Introduces Jigen’s Ant-Man Abilities

Chapter 37 of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga picks up form the epic cliffhanger of the previous chapter, with Naruto set for a major showdown with Jigen! That battle quickly reveals why Lord Jigen is such a threat, as the Kara leader reveals a deadly technique that basically makes him Naruto‘s ninja version of Marvel’s Ant-Man.

Poor Kawaki tries avert disaster by surrendering himself to Jigen, claiming that it’s the only way to save Naruto – but Lord Seventh isn’t having it, and the battle gets underway. Jigen teleports himself and Naruto to a battlefield in different dimension, where they can unleash their respective abilities in full. Jigen proves to be more powerful than Naruto ever imagined, which is why it’s fortunate that Sasuke teleports in to aid Naruto!

Even with their combined might, Naruto and Sasuke can’t seem to get a bead on Jigen. Naruto takes the lead on offense, attack the Kara leader with a Shadow Clone barrage, while Sasuke uses his Sharingan to learn the secret to Jigen’s technique. Sasuke finally realizes that he’s been over-complicating the situation by assuming Jigen has come complex or advanced jutsu, when it turns out the villain’s deadly technique is as simple as being able to shrink himself or other object, and re-enlarge them at will.

If that sounds a lot like Marvel’s Ant-Man in concept, it is. However, Jigen’s particular application of the shrinking technique is much more ruthless in its skill and deadly effect: Jigen uses rods the size of toothpicks to stick his opponents without their notice, before expanding those rods to the size of massive spears, instantly impaling his victims. Similarly, Jigen can shrink himself down to sizes undetectable to the naked eye, allowing him to avoid attacks, and/or re-position himself in places his opponents can’t track. Those abilities, combined with with Jigen’s use of the Karma mark to absorb jutsu, makes him a truly formidable warrior – possibly the most formidable the shinobi of the Hideen Leaf have faced.

Of course, Naruto and Sasuke are no pushovers: with Jigen’s ability now discerned, Naruto and Sasuke are able to battle him to standstill. However, the chapter ends with Jigen revealing a possible major trump card: the Karma seal on his abdomen, now fully charged by the chakra of the Ten-Tails he keeps prisoner. So in all likelihood, there’s still more of Jigen’s power to learn about.

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Narutofollows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.