Did Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Just Make The Anime Non-Canon? It’s Complicated

Among the many contentious issues with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, one that constantly comes up is the story’s rather messy continuity; while the anime and manga both tell the same overall story, there are notable differences between the two that are often irreconcilable, which makes the canonicity of each adaptation subject to debate.

Boruto’s canon has always been messy, but since Masashi Kishimoto is more directly involved with the manga, people tend to declare the manga as the true canon and the anime as non-canon. That idea has only gotten stronger with the latest chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, but even then, it’s not as cut and dried as people think.

Does Boruto: Two Blue Vortex’s Latest Reveal Destroy The Anime?

One of the biggest issues with Boruto’s canon stems from Boruto’s Jogan technique; while the anime has featured the Jogan heavily in several arcs, it’s usually been in stories exclusive to the anime, and it’s never been clear if Boruto uses it in the manga at times when his right eye turns white.

The issue with the Jogan has only gotten worse with Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter #29; as Mamushi launched his invasion of the village, Boruto activated the Byakugan in his right eye, not the Jogan, which suggests that Boruto uses the Byakugan in the manga instead of the Jogan, most notably in the flash forward to his fight with Kawaki.

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While the Jogan can detect hostility and generate portals, everything else feels largely derivative of the Byakugan’s abilities, with it even allowing Boruto to see chakra points. As such, it would make far more sense at this point for Boruto to develop an upgraded version of the Byakugan as opposed to having a unique jutsu in the Jogan.

Granted, it’s all but stated that Boruto is borrowing Momoshiki’s power to use the Byakugan, but if Boruto does have access to a Byakugan, then it would make sense for the manga to stick with that as opposed to trying to make the Jogan canon, especially with how it’s never once been acknowledged in the manga.

Boruto’s Continuity Has Already Been A Mess For Years

While Boruto using the Byakugan does cause an issue with the Jogan, that, unfortunately, is nothing new for the franchise. As previously stated, the anime and manga do tell the same overall story, and based on some dialogue in early chapters, it can be assumed that anime-exclusive events simply happen offscreen in the manga.

Unfortunately, it’s not as simple as that. While the anime and manga are telling the same overall story, there are many times when their content will outright contradict each other, with notable examples being Sumire’s role and abilities in each version and how Urashiki Otsutsuki only exists in the anime, despite showing up in manga arcs.

In theory, the relationship between Boruto’s anime and manga should be akin to Dragon Ball Super’s anime and manga, but while the Dragon Ball Super manga was always framed as a separate take on the anime, Boruto’s anime and manga are supposed to be telling the same story, which makes it all the more noticeable when there are continuity errors.

Whether it’s something small and negligible or something impossible to ignore, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has always had continuity issues that it rarely ever tries to address; the discourse between Boruto using the Byakugan and Boruto using the Jogan is just the latest example of such, and unfortunately, it’s unlikely to be the last.

Boruto’s Messy Continuity Is The Franchise’s Biggest Problem

Boruto’s continuity has always been a mess, and it’s one of the biggest issues plaguing the franchise. When it comes to long-running anime adaptations, the only issue a viewer should have to deal with is occasional filler, but since Boruto doesn’t make it clear what is and isn’t canon, it’s almost impossible to know which version is worth investing in.

All of that, of course, meshes terribly with the franchise’s other issues; between bad pacing, lackluster fights, and a poor handling of old and new characters alike, Boruto has largely been seen as divisive and a lackluster follow-up to Naruto from day one, and with it being hard to know what’s canon, those issues feel even worse than need be.

Granted, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations fixing its continuity issues wouldn’t resolve all of its writing problems, but it would go a long way toward generating some much-needed goodwill for the series, and hopefully, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will start by resolving the discrepancy between Boruto using the Byakugan and Boruto using the Jogan.