This article contains spoilers from the Boruto series.
Introduced in the second half of the Naruto series, fans know the Rinnegan to be one of the most powerful Kekkei Genkai to ever exist. In fact, in the Naruto story, the Rinnegan was a fabled power, like the Six Paths Senjutsu. The power of the Rinnegan was highly coveted in the original story, and more than that, those who did go on to wield this power became akin to god itself. Quite clearly, this eye was one step above even the Mangekyo Sharingan and fans knew that this was going to be one of the mightiest abilities in the entire verse.
It's Time To Accept The Death Of The Strongest Uchiha Sharingan In Boruto
Naruto's strongest Sharingan will end with Sasuke in Boruto. This Sharingan will not be passed down to the next generation.
Unfortunately, the Rinnegan has lost all value in the Boruto series, and it has gotten to a point where fans should simply accept its death in this sequel story. The Rinnegan is no longer significant in any way and despite being present in the story to some degree, it serves almost no purpose to the plot at all, and that is certainly sad to see.
The Rinnegan Is The Strongest Of The Three Great Dojutsu
- Wielded First By The Sage of Six Paths
- Awakened By Sasuke and Madara Uchiha
The Rinnegan belongs to the Three Great Dojutsu of the Naruto world. Fans were introduced to two of the Dojutsu at the very beginning of the Naruto series, those being the Byakugan and the Sharingan. The Byakugan of the Hyuga Clan clearly stemmed from Kaguya Otsutsuki and was then passed on to Hamura, who then passed it on to the Hyuga, his direct descendants.
The Byakugan granted great powers to its users, such as X-ray Vision and the ability to see miles ahead. More than that, the Byakugan can easily see the chakra circulatory system of someone's body and, on top of that, has only one blind spot at the back of their spine. Clearly, Byakugan is an immense power that has made the Hyuga iconic in the Naruto series.
Apart from the Six Paths, the Rinnegan has another great power. It's the severe Seventh Path, called the Outer Path. Those with the power of the fabled Rinnegan have the power to rule over life and death. Nagato is giving up his life because he trusts you. — Konan to Naruto about the Rinnegan
Then comes the Sharingan of the Uchiha, and fans know this to be one of the most incredible powers to exist in the Naruto world. Born out of great shock or loss of love, the Sharingan is an incredibly powerful eye that sees through all ninjutsu, genjutsu, and taijutsu. It can copy all jutsu that are not Kekkei Genkai and Hiden techniques, and on top of that, it can cast powerful Genjutsu as well. The Sharingan can even copy movements and allow users to see far better than the regular human eye.
Finally, there is the Rinnegan, which is a godly power only a select few have wielded in the Naruto series. The Rinnegan is essentially the Kekkei Genkai that Hagoromo Otsutsuki, also known as the Sage of Six Paths, was born with. This power was specifically wielded by him and, after him, it could only be awakened by mixing together the chakra of his two sons, Indra and Asura.
The first person to awaken the Rinnegan was Madara Uchiha, who did so by stealing Hashirama's flesh and infusing it in his body. Near his death, Hashirama ended up awakening the Rinnegan and he then went on to transplant it into Nagato. Following the death of Nagato, Obito was the one who took the Rinnegan for himself, and eventually, it found its way back to Madara. The only other person aside from Madara who went on to awaken the Rinnegan is Sasuke Uchiha, who did so due to the Sage of Six Paths directly handing this power to him in the Ninja War.
The Powers Of The Rinngan
As far as the powers of the Rinnegan go, fans know that this eye is the strongest of all three. Although it doesn't allow one to see the chakra circulatory system or grant X-Ray vision, the Rinnegan offers a unique set of abilities called the Six Paths Powers. Essentially, the Rinnegan has six different paths, and each of them offers a godly ability to the user.
In this world, wherever there is light, there are always shadows. As long as there is a concept of victors, the vanquished will also exist. The selfish desire for peace gives rise to war. And hatred is born in order to love. — Madara Uchiha, Naruto
The Rinnegan users can control the forces of attraction and repulsion freely and even create a moon-like satellite to seal someone at will. On top of that, it grants one the power to absorb any and all forms of ninjutsu, absorb chakra directly on contact, and also use mechanical appendages. They can repair any damage almost immediately, rip out souls of those around them, and even summon various animals. On top of all this, the user of the Rinnegan also has control over life and death itself and can bring anyone back from death immediately. Quite clearly, the Rinnegan is the most overpowered ability in the Naruto series, but, unfortunately, it has lost all meaning in Boruto.
The Rinnegan Has Become Irrelevant In The Boruto Series
- Sasuke's Rinnegan has been severely nerfed in Boruto
- Sasuke eventually lost his Rinnegan
The Rinnegan is incredibly overpowered, and fans know this very well. Unfortunately, in the Boruto series, there exists only one user of this power among the Shinobi kind, and that is Sasuke. What's even more surprising is that Sasuke doesn't even use his Rinnegan properly in Boruto. In the manga, Sasuke only goes on to use the Amenotejikara power of his eye. All the other Six Paths are almost non-existent, even though they are the stronger abilities of this eye.
Boruto: Sasuke's Future Rinnegan Powers, Explained
Sasuke could finally regain his Rinnegan in Boruto. This power up could allow him to compete with other characters.
Apart from Sasuke, other characters also go on to show their Rinnegan, such as Momoshiki Otsutsuki, yet he too never makes use of the Six Paths powers, only relying on the absorption of chakra and its expulsion, which was a unique ability of his eye. Then fans also got to see the Shinju with the Rinnegan, but they did not even bother to use this power once. Given how the Rinnegan has been handled in the Boruto series, it is quite clear that this eye is practically useless.
The Rinnegan's Six Paths Powers are completely ignored in Boruto, and it is almost as if they don't even exist. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to say that there is no difference between the Rinnegan and the Mangekyo Sharingan in Boruto. Just as the Mangekyo Sharingan users rely on unique abilities of their eyes, the Rinnegan has been reduced to the same thing. In many ways, it can be said that Sarada's Mangekyo Sharingan is stronger than Sasuke's Rinnegan in Boruto. While Sasuke can teleport, Sarada can control gravity and essentially crush anyone with infinite mass.
Unfortunate as it is, the Rinnegan has died a sad death in the Boruto series, and this is even truer when taking into consideration the fact that Sasuke went on to lose his eye in the story after it was stabbed by Momoshiki. In the Shinobi kind, the Rinnegan is now non-existent, and as far as the Shinju go, it is almost as if they don't even have this eye.
It's Time To Admit That Boruto Ruined The Rinnegan Forever
The Rinnegan once stood as the mightiest of all eyes in the Naruto world. Eye powers were always exciting for Naruto fans to see, and the fact that an eye with such godly abilities existed made the story richer. Now, however, the Rinnegan doesn't even exist among the shinobi kind anymore, and even when it did, it was a very cheap imitation of what it is actually supposed to be like. Needless to say, the Boruto series has ruined the Rinnegan forever, and it probably won't be the same ever again. Fans can only hope that Kishimoto somehow goes on to redeem this eye later down the line, but the chances of that happening are very low.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is the sequel to the original Boruto series, written by Mikio Ikemoto, and supervised by Masashi Kishimoto. The series follows the journey of Boruto Uzumaki, 3 years after the events of Omnipotence struck in the story. Boruto must now work to save the world from the perils it faces while dealing with his brother, Kawaki. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 30 is set for its official release on January 20, 2026. The release time of the chapter is 10 AM EST/ 3 PM UTC. As always, fans can read the chapter officially for free on the Manga Plus and the Shonen Jump apps.