Sasuke Retsuden Manga overtakes Boruto on the day of release

Releasing a few days after Boruto, the highly anticipated Sasuke Retsuden manga has finally arrived. Alongside comes the latest chapter of the Boruto manga as well, i.e. chapter 74.

Just a few hours into its release, the Sasuke Retsuden manga overtook Boruto by a mile as the Naruto fandom and other anime enthusiasts flocked to various sources for a first look at the manga series written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. Needless to say, they were not disappointed.

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Sasuke Retsuden's popularity surpasses Boruto on release day, sends fans into a frenzy

Written by Jun Esaka and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto, Sasuke Retsuden was originally written as a light novel, with a manga adaptation being announced and confirmed in early 2022.

Since then, the series has had fans waiting patiently for its release. Naruto enthusiasts are also curious to see how an anime adaptation of the Sasuke Retsuden manga, similar to Boruto, will turn out.

So far, the story of our favorite Uchiha has garnered over 170,000 views, and the number is only set to go up. Boruto chapter 74, which was released simultaneously, has been left far behind in the viewership count.

Twitter was flooded with posts about the release of Sasuke Retsuden, and featured a mix of memes as well as snippets from the first chapter as fans showcased their love for the series.

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The Sasuke Retsuden story

Esaka and Kishimoto's series takes place prior to the Kawaki Arc. More specifically, it is a time between Naruto Shippuden and Boruto: Naurto Next Generations.

As the name suggests, the series will focus on the legendary Sasuke Uchiha. The promotional artwork features Sakura, hinting that she too will have an important role to play in the series.

According to the story, Naruto has been infected with a chakra-blocking disease. Watching his friend suffer, Sasuke undertakes a journey against the Hokage's wishes.

His travels take him to a certain prison in the Land of Fire. He infiltrates the prison, in search of someone or something that the prison's walls hide.

Sasuke Uchiha has often been called the Shadow Uchiha. This implies that, while Naruto protects the village from the inside as its Hokage, Sasuke does the same but from the outside. The mission in Sasuke Retsuden will probably witness the Uchiha fulfill such a role.

Other pieces of promotional artwork for the manga seem to feature what looks to be an Uzumaki clan ninja as the main antagonist. This speculation arises given the character's unique red hair and their position on the cover. The shade of hair is very similar to other clan members such as Mito, Kushina, and Karin Uzumaki.