Don't like Kakashi? Don't worry, it seems Ikemoto has forgotten him too in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

As fans must have noticed, while the Boruto manga has reintroduced almost every major character from Naruto in the new series, the same hasn't been the case for Kakashi Hatake. While the former Hokage has indeed appeared in the Boruto anime, he hasn't yet shown up in the manga series.

Up until now, the Boruto manga has released over 100 chapters as part of the Naruto Next Generations and Two Blue Vortex series. Amidst this, while fans have theorized Kakashi's return on several occasions, none of those theories have come to fruition.

With that, fans now assume that Kakashi may not have a big role to play in the new era. However, that isn't what mangaka Mikio Ikemoto hinted to the fans.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinions and may contain spoilers from the Boruto manga.

Mikio Ikemoto might have forgotten to add Kakashi to Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

Kakashi Hatake as seen in the Boruto anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

As fans must remember, in 2019, around the time when the Boruto manga switched from Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump to V Jump, Mikio Ikemoto addressed Kakashi Hatake's absence in the new manga series during an interview.

Considering that many other characters from Naruto had appeared in the new series, fans wished to know where Kakashi was. In response, the mangaka confirmed that the Sixth Hokage's absence was intentional and narrative-driven; it was just a secret and not an oversight. Ikemoto added that the character would indeed appear in the future and have a significant impact on the plot.

Kakashi Hatake as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While this statement certainly left fans elated, it has been around six years since the interview, yet the series has yet to reintroduce Kakashi into the story. With that, fans can pretty much assume that Mikio Ikemoto must have forgotten about him.

Back in 2019, the Boruto manga was still releasing its chapters as part of the Naruto Next Generations series. Since then, not only has that manga ended, but the Two Blue Vortex manga has also released over 20 chapters.

Therefore, it is highly likely that while Mikio Ikemoto could have initially had a plan for Kakashi Hatake's return, the plot point must have been altered, causing further delay or eliminating Kakashi's role in the story altogether.

With that, considering how the narrative of the Two Blue Vortex manga has been moving lately, fans can only hope that Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto add Kakashi Hatake to the manga in one of the future plots. While that task might be easy, considering the entire battle against the Human God Trees, the difficult part would be to give a reason for the character's long absence.

Considering that it has been years since he gave up his position as the Hokage, the manga could note it as a possible retirement. However, that still wouldn't answer why Kakashi was absent during the Otsutsuki invasion, Naruto and Hinata's supposed death, and Jura and Hidari's invasion of the Hidden Leaf Village. Hence, creators Kishimoto and Ikemoto may have a huge task at hand.

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About the author

Gokul has been an anime writer in Pop Culture division at Sportskeeda since 2022. His love for watching anime and his interest in the ever-growing anime industry inspire Gokul to produce insightful content about the genre on a daily basis. He holds a Master's degree in Communication & Journalism, and has worked for close to 3.5 years in the field.

Gokul likes to thoroughly research about the anime he is writing about and only credits a source after verifying its credibility. He loves the popular Shonen anime, Black Clover, for its memorable characters and their development throughout the story.

When not racking his brain behind his next anime story, Gokul likes to play video games, read manga, and play football.

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Edited by Janhavi Chauhan