Naruto Makes Surprise Reference to Third Hokage’s Dead Demon Seal

Naruto Uzumaki may not be the best with seals, but the skill runs through his blood. Whether he knows it or not, Naruto has every chance to become a skilled seal master, and it is thanks to his heritage. In the past, the Uzumaki clan made some gnarly seals, and it turns out a long-gone one has reared its head.

After all, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations brought up the Dead Demon Consuming Seal, and it has got fans eyeing Konohamaru with some curiosity.

Recently, Boruto put out a new episode, and it was there fans learned another demon is on the loose. The ninja world may not see them often, but there are demons who run around the world with no physical body. One known as Soma is hellbent on terrorizing a village, and Konohamaru learns of Soma’s existence after he meets his crush Lemon at her hometown.

When she tells Konohamaru of the demon, Boruto seems skeptical, but the older ninja has no reason to be so. He says he heard tales of the demon which his grandfather, the Third Hokage, used long ago. Fans will remember the leader used the technique against Orochimaru to seal the man’s arms after he ambushed the Chunin Exams, but it cost the Third Hokage his life.

For fans, the reference to the Dead Demon Consuming Seal was a surprising one. The seal was not often seen in Naruto, but the times it was used were big. Not only did the Third Hokage use the seal years ago but so did the Fourth Hokage. Minato Namikaze used the seal which the Uzumaki clan created in order to seal the Nine-Tailed Fox in his son. Of course, this cost the Fourth Hokage his life, so fans aren’t sure they feel comfortable with Konohamaru bringing the seal back up. After all, the Jonin has plenty left to do before he kicks the bucket, but fans have a bad feeling Konohamaru may try to use a version of this seal down the line.

So, did you expect to see this deadly seal referenced again…? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows 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.