Ranking the “Boruto 12”

Ranking the “Boruto 12”

Introduction

In the original Naruto series the “Konoha 11” was the name for Sasuke’s classmates who decided to chase after him. Since in Boruto nobody has run away from the village (yet), I’ve decided to refer to their group as the “Boruto 12.”

These twelve shinobi make up four different teams. Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki make up Team 7, Metal, Iwabe, and Denki are on Team 5, Inojin, Shikadai, and Chocho (Ino-Shika-Cho) are Team 10, and finally Wasabi, Sumire, and Namida form Team 15.

Along with these four teams, there are two others which haven’t gotten any screen time since the teams were first formed, so they don’t count as main or major supporting characters. In fact, I wouldn’t even know how to rank them since we know nothing about them.

Finally, before I get into the rankings, I want to make it clear that these rankings are from everything up to episode 66. It’s possible that episode 67 will change everything (I doubt it), but so far only 66 episodes have aired so that’s what I’m working with.

1. Mitsuki

Mitsuki from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Mitsuki

It should come as little surprise to anyone that Mitsuki is currently the strongest of the “Boruto 12.” For starters, he’s one of the three main characters, so that alone is one reason for his abilities to be above par, however, being a main character isn’t enough on its own.

As Orochimaru’s son, Mitsuki has a jutsu which allows his body to stretch much like Orochimaru can in his snake form. Mitsuki is also able to turn parts of his body into, as well as summon multiple, snakes, further highlighting his connection to his parent.

But that’s not all, he’s also shown to be fairly proficient at both Wind and Lightning chakra releases. Typically, a genin would only be able to use one chakra nature type, but as you’ll see, this generation is a bit more advanced than their predecessors in that department.

Finally, Mitsuki is able to use Sage jutsu, although it’s unknown what type yet (I’d guess some sort of snake or other reptile though). Other prominent Sage jutsu users are Hashirama (the first Hokage), Orochimaru, Kabuto, Jiraiya, and Naruto (the seventh Hokage). So, as you can see, it’s quite a high level ability to have.

Even though we haven’t seen Mitsuki truly use his Sage jutsu yet, simply the fact that he has the ability to use it this early on puts him a step above his comrades. Of all the new characters in the Boruto series, Mitsuki is the one I’m looking forward to see grow the most.

2. Shikadai

Shikadai Nara from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Shikadai

You may recall that Shikamaru was the only genin to be promoted to a chunin after the exams in the original Naruto series. Well, his son, Shikadai, is essentially the same character so it only makes sense for him to be one of the strongest genin at this point in Boruto.

While I liked Shikamaru’s character, I actually don’t like Shikadai that much simply because he’s so similar to his father. I want the new characters to actually be somewhat new, not just carbon copies of their parents.

However, as I mentioned, it’s the fact that Shikadai is so much like his father that makes him such a powerful shinobi at this point in time. He may not be the most physically strong, or have the most powerful jutsu, but Shikadai has the ability to out-think just about any of his classmates.

Unfortunately for him, Mitsuki is also a pretty smart shinobi, but can also back up his smarts with some powerful jutsu which Shikadai doesn’t have access to. I’m hoping Shikadai learns some new techniques in the near future so that he can continue to compete for the top spots on this list, because otherwise he’ll soon be overtaken by the next two characters.

3. Sarada

Sarada Uchiha from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Sarada

What happens when you take two of the strongest Hidden Leaf jonin and make them have a child? You get Sarada Uchiha.

Now, I know there are a lot of people who will try to argue that Sakura isn’t one of the strongest Leaf shinobi, but I’ve already laid out how she is in various other posts such as Sakura vs. Hinata. I also don’t think anyone needs me to explain how Sasuke is one of the two most powerful shinobi of the Leaf, so I’ll skip over that here too.

Sarada is essentially a combination of her parents (as you might expect a child to be). She has the chakra control (and therefore superhuman strength) of Sakura, as well as the Sharingan and jutsu techniques (such as Shuriken and Fireball Jutsus) of the Uchiha clan.

However, those abilities alone probably wouldn’t be enough to place her above the fourth shinobi on this list, so what else does Sarada have going for her? Well, like her parents again, Sarada has exceptional intuition when it comes to combat. She doesn’t plan as many steps ahead as Shikadai, but she’s able to effectively read her situation and surroundings.

For something that seems like it should be common for shinobi, reading your situations and surroundings isn’t something many genin appear to be able to do.

As Sarada increases her abilities throughout the series (especially her Sharingan), I predict she’ll surpass Shikadai. Since she’s a main character, this is all but confirmed, but even if she wasn’t, the nature of her character’s abilities allow for more growth than Shikadai’s do.

4. Boruto

Boruto Uzumaki from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Boruto

In fourth place we finally get to the protagonist of the series, Boruto. Now, if I include Boruto’s use of the Scientific Ninja Tool, then technically I would have to put him above both Sarada and Shikadia, but since that isn’t his own power, and isn’t something he uses anymore, he’s below them.

Boruto is special in that he’s able to use three different chakra natures fairly easily. I mentioned earlier that Mitsuki’s ability to use two was impressive, so the fact that Boruto can use three makes him a prodigy (Sarada can also technically use three, but I’m not counting specialty natures like Yin release).

While Boruto’s proficiency lies in Lightning style, he can also use both Wind and Water. He’s also able to use some of his father’s signature jutsu such as the Shadow Clone Jutsu and Rasengan (although not at the same level as Naruto).

Further, Boruto has his Jōgan which has yet to be fully explained, but works similarly to a Byakugan by allowing him to see chakra. Although he has this Dōjutsu, he doesn’t yet have the ability to activate it at will, and so it doesn’t really count for much.

During the last arc he also gained a seal of some kind on one of his hands which is likely to become important later on in the series, but since it doesn’t do anything yet, this also doesn’t count for anything. That said, Boruto will have a lot of potential growth going forward because of these two mostly unknown abilities, which is why he’ll surpass Shikadai, and probably Sarada.

However, while Boruto has exceptional abilities, he doesn’t yet have a good grasp on how to effectively use them in combat, which is why he’s this far down on the list. Really, I’d like to see Boruto drop even further down in order to let other characters shine, but that’s unlikely to happen.

5. Iwabe

Iwabe Yuino from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Iwabe

Iwabe is a more standard genin than the four who came before him on this list. For starters, he’s only able to use one chakra nature: Earth, which is how genin are supposed to be (although there are always exceptions). I’m looking forward to Iwabe in the future because Earth style jutsu hasn’t ever gotten much attention in the Leaf village.

Unfortunately for Iwabe, although he has exceptional strength and understanding of his own jutsu, he doesn’t really think about things ahead of time in battle. Sure, when paired up with others such as Denki he can bring out his full potential, but on his own he only has his skill to rely on.

That said, it’s not as though this makes Iwabe a weak shinobi, he’s in the top half of this list after all. What makes him so strong is really just his understanding of his Earth style jutsu as I mentioned. He’s able to use it both offensively and defensively in efficient ways.

When he’s attacking, he tends to create a giant hammer out of stone. When defending, he creates walls out of the Earth much like Kakashi does. We’ve even seen him use his Earth style to restrain his opponents, showing that he understands a variety of ways he can use his jutsu.

While I want Iwabe to become a stronger shinobi, and I’m sure he will to some extent, the fact that he makes a good team when paired up with someone like Denki hints at him never really becoming anything special. Since he has someone else who compliments his fighting style, he doesn’t really need to change or adapt.

6. Chocho

Chocho Akimichi from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Chocho

I was never a fan of Choji, and I’m not a fan of Chocho either. And yet, Chocho has successfully made it into the top half of this list. I think that says more about the characters ranked beneath her than it does about her own abilities.

While we often saw Choji use the full-body Expansion Jutsu, Chocho typically only uses the Partial-Expansion Jutsu, which I actually think is more useful and dynamic. However, much like Iwabe, Chocho tends to rely on her brute strength instead of first formulating a plan of attack.

Unlike Iwabe, though, she doesn’t yet seem to have as good of a grasp on the various ways she can use her jutsu. This could be due to the fact that Iwabe is a couple of years older than the rest of the “Boruto 12.”

For now, Chocho’s brute strength is enough to put her in the sixth position of this list, but it’s likely that she’ll drop as the series continues on. I’m interested to see if she starts using the pills that Choji used to enhance his abilities later on in the series, but I’m not sure if I would count the use of them as her own power.

7. Inojin

Inojin Yamanaka from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Inojin

Remember how Sai was an elite shinobi who was part of both the Foundation and ANBU Black Ops? Well, his son isn’t quite as good of a ninja as he was despite using the same jutsu (but now in color!).

He’s also able to use the Mind-Transfer Jutsu like his mother, but that doesn’t appear to be his specialty and so is more of a gimmick he could potentially use if needed rather than a true, combat-ready ability. This means that he almost exclusively relies on his Super Beast Scroll Jutsu, which should be enough.

I don’t know exactly why it is, but despite Inojin having jutsu which were proven to be powerful when used correctly, he’s just not a very competent ninja. This lack of competence is something you’ll see more of as the list continues on, especially when we get to Metal and Namida.

Out of the six Hidden Leaf shinobi to advance to the final round of the chunin exams, Inojin was the first one to lose a match, signifying how he’s not as strong as his teammates or the members of Team 7. You could argue that since Iwabe didn’t even make it to the final round, Inojin should be stronger, but that’s just because overall Team 10 works better together than Team 5.

8. Wasabi

Wasabi Izuno from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Wasabi

Team 15 is basically a joke, much like Tenten, but of this joke team, Wasabi is potentially the strongest. I say potentially because this team hasn’t really gotten the chance to shine much outside of Sumire who had an arc about her near the beginning of the Boruto series.

I’ve given this character a lot of flack in the past for being named Wasabi and having a green character design, but out of the three members of Team 15 she’s the one I’m most interested in. While you probably wouldn’t guess it, Wasabi specializes in sealing jutsu.

That said, she doesn’t typically appear to use sealing jutsu to seal her enemies, but rather uses it to seal abilities which she can later summon, much like how Tenten used scrolls to summon weapons. However, unlike Tenten, whose jutsu was the summoning of weapons, Wasabi’s jutsu is actually what she summons, not the summon itself.

By using her Cat Cloak Jutsu, Wasabi is able to gain the traits of various types of cats. Some are fast, some are strong, some are good at tracking, so her jutsu has a fairly wide variety of uses which I’d like to see explored more in the future. I also just like the way it looks when she uses it.

9. Metal

Metal Lee from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Metal

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Metal comes from a long line of exceptional shinobi, and yet he’s all the way down here in ninth position on the list. In case you’ve forgotten, or simply aren’t aware, I’ll briefly go over his predecessors for reference.

Might Duy, although still a genin as an adult, was able to master the Eight Inner Gates technique which has been passed down the generations of his students ever since. By using this technique, he was able to defeat all seven of the Ninja Swordsmen of the Mist single-handedly despite being a genin.

Might Guy, son of Might Duy, was the first to have the Eight Inner Gates technique passed onto him. By using this technique, he was able to fight head to head with Madara Uchiha in his ten-tails Jinchuriki form and almost defeat him. He was one of the strongest jonin in the Leaf.

Rock Lee, student of Might Guy, was the next to have this technique passed down to him. Despite having no ability to use ninjutsu, Rock Lee was able to become an exceptional jonin rank ninja solely through taijutsu and the Eight Inner Gates technique. By Metal’s age, he had already gone head to head with Gaara, who was then the one-tail Jinchuriki.

Unfortunately, Metal is nowhere near the level of his predecessors. He’s not a competent ninja by any means and he gets stage fright easily, meaning he can’t perform well if people are watching him. This is a problem since there’s always someone watching (at the very least, his opponent).

If he’s ever able to overcome his stage fright, metal has the potential to be a fairly powerful shinobi, but until then he’s going to stay toward the bottom of the list. I also don’t think he would ever rise up to be higher than position six anyway.

10. Sumire

Sumire Kakei from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Sumire

Okay, I know what you’re thinking, “Sumire was basically the antagonist for one of the beginning arcs and she gave the Leaf village as a whole a lot of trouble, so therefore she should be considered powerful.” Well, technically you’re right, but it wasn’t really her who gave the Leaf trouble, it was Nue.

Now, I know you’re going to say, “but Nue is Sumire’s summon so that should count as her power.” Well, you see, summons are often just one thing certain shinobi can do, not the only thing they can do, but for Sumire, all she can do seems to be summon Nue.

Further, when she summons Nue normally, he isn’t nearly as powerful as his unrestrained form which attacked the Leaf Village. This implies that she’s unable to control his full power, and if she can’t control it, I can’t consider that power to actually be hers.

She’s basically in the same boat as Metal, and Inojin to an extent. These characters have the potential to be powerful, but for one reason or another they just simply aren’t yet. If Sumire was actually a powerful shinobi, just the fact that she can summon Nue should have been enough to get her team through to the final round of the chunin exams.

11. Namida

Namida Suzumeno from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Namida

Namida is in a strange position. She’s technically pretty strong, but her jutsu affects her comrades as well as her enemies so it isn’t practical in too many situations. She also simply refuses to use her jutsu most of the time for whatever reason.

The jutsu she uses is a sound based one which she uses by crying (which is pretty lame). She sends out a loud sound wave which is capable of knocking out anyone nearby, so she’d probably be the perfect one to fight against Yodo of the Sand who has exceptional hearing.

Like the others at the bottom of this list, however, she’s just not a competent enough shinobi. The fact that she actively tries not to use her jutsu means that she simply can’t be strong in terms of combat. If you never fight, you can’t be considered good at fighting.

Although her jutsu also negatively affects her allies, I’m not going to count that against her at this point because I’ve mainly been talking about how each of these characters ranks individually, not as a team. That said, hopefully in the future she’ll be able to focus her jutsu more effectively so as to not hurt her teammates.

12. Denki

Denki Kaminarimon from the anime Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Denki

I feel bad for Iwabe, he has to have both Metal and Denki on his team. There’s a theory floating around that Iwabe is actually Kawaki from the opening scene of the Boruto series, and honestly, I’d probably turn against the Leaf too if I was paired up with those two.

It’s hard for me to actually refer to Denki as a ninja. Sure, he technically does some ninja-like stuff such as throwing kunai or walking up trees, but he’s not really a ninja. He’s just a nerd.

Denki doesn’t even have any jutsu of his own, or of his family. He just uses a laptop to hack into cameras and the like around the city. Now, I understand that it’s pretty useful to have someone like that in the modern world of Boruto, especially if they’re in one of the cities, but overall it seems pretty lame.

What’s Denki going to do when he and his squad are out in the middle of a forest, hack into the trees?

I know that every jutsu or ability is situational (to an extent), but they can typically still be used in any situation, the user just needs to figure out how. In Denki’s case, however, his abilities actually become completely useless if he isn’t in a modernized city.

I’d like to see him add some other gadgets to his collection going forward. Sure, his laptop is useless in a forest, but since he’s the tech guy, maybe he could use a drone which connects to his laptop and can then be used for reconnaissance. He needs something to make him more useful.

However, no matter what gadgets Denki gets in the future, I don’t think he’ll ever rise above 12th place on this list. He’s an information gathering shinobi, not one who’s meant to fight on the front lines, and so he simply doesn’t need to be strong in the same way the others do.

Conclusion

So what do you think of my rankings? Do you agree with me or do you think I don’t know what I’m talking about and have learned nothing from watching the 786 episodes of this franchise? Leave a comment below to let me know.

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