Why Naruto Is Technically A Genin In The Boruto Sequel

Why Naruto Is Technically A Genin In The Boruto Sequel

Naruto Uzumaki is the Hokage of Konoha Village in the Boruto sequel series, but despite his lofty position, the hero is still technically a Genin.

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Why Naruto Is Technically A Genin In The Boruto Sequel

He might have achieved his goal of becoming the Hokage, but Naruto is still technically ranked as a Genin in the Boruto sequel series. In the world of Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, there are three ninja ranks to attain after passing the academy graduation exam. Newbies start out as Genin, usually graduate to Chūnin during adulthood, and then the elite are promoted to Jonin. In his typically unique way, Naruto becomes a Genin by virtue of a loophole, learning the forbidden Shadow Clone technique instead of passing the official exam. Throughout the first half of the original Naruto series, the lead character and his classmates remain at Genin level, with only the super-intelligent Shikamaru elevated to Chūnin.

During the time jump between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, the Konoha 11 all retake their exams and are promoted to Chūnin. At this time, however, Naruto has left the village and is training separately with Jiraiya. Upon his return, Naruto is among the strongest of his classmates, but due to his extended absence, is still technically ranked as a Genin, since he wasn’t present in Konoha to take the official test. This becomes a running joke throughout the second half of Naruto; the title character grows to become the most powerful ninja in the entire series, but is still only recognized as a Genin by his village.

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In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Naruto is the Hokage of Konoha Village and has a child of his own that recently graduated from the academy to begin his ninja career. Most fans would assume that adult Naruto’s current position would effectively override his status as a Genin. While there’s no mention of the character taking Chūnin or Jonin exams in between the two series, Naruto appears to have jumped from Genin straight to the top of the food chain. However, this apparently isn’t the case. In the Boruto anime, the Hokage is interviewed by the village’s news network and admits to his citizens that he never took the Chūnin exam and is still, technically speaking, a Genin despite being their esteemed leader.

Although it’s strange to think that arguably the most powerful character in the entire franchise still holds the lowest possible rank of his profession, there is a weird logic to Naruto’s confession. The Chūnin and Jonin positions both require examinations or defined qualifications to attain, with an official process of training and testing, akin to military organizations and law enforcement in the real world. Hokage, however, isn’t necessarily a rank, but more of an elected office. Although the position is usually reserved for the strongest ninja in the village, there’s no “Hokage test.” Because of this, it makes sense that becoming Hokage wouldn’t necessarily negate Naruto being a Genin on paper.

What makes less sense is why Naruto wasn’t promoted between his own series and the Boruto sequel. After the Fourth Great Ninja War came to an end, Naruto had roughly a decade while Kakashi was the village’s Hokage, during which time he surely couldn’t taken a day out to pass the Chūnin exams, which he could’ve done blindfolded. Naruto says that “a lot happened” during this era, and he never got around to taking the test. It could also be argued that Naruto’s obviously overwhelming power meant the formal process of testing him would’ve been a waste of everyone’s time.

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But this doesn’t explain why Kakashi or other Konoha officials didn’t simply grant Naruto a higher rank based on his achievements during the war. Various characters in the Naruto series have been promoted at the Hokage’s discretion. For example, both Shikamaru and Shikadai are given the rank of Chūnin because of their performance in the exams, not necessarily for coming out on top. Furthermore, the rank of Jonin can be given purely through the recommendation and approval of senior figures. It seems counter-intuitive that 10 years passed in the timeline without anyone thinking to give Naruto Uzumaki a promotion for saving the world.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/naruto-boruto-sequel-genin-hokage-reason/

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