Genjutsu is one of the three most important ninja arts in the world Narutoofficially entered into Chapter 6 of Naruto on November 8, 1999 in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #48. Known to be special hypnotic and illusionary arts, Genjutsu went on to become one of the most prized assets a ninja could hold in the latter half of the story. Despite many powerful genjutsu users that existed in the Naruto world, few were as skilled as Itachi Uchiha. In fact, Itachi can easily be called the God of Genjutsu i Naruto series.
But in Boruto era, a new God of Genjutsu has been crowned, and it is none other than Itachi's younger brother Sasuke, who is now the most powerful user of illusion techniques in the franchise.
Itachi Uchiha stood as the best Genjutsu user in the Naruto series
Itachi was an anomaly when it came to powerful Uchiha. Ever since he awakened the Sharingan, Itachi was a genius, so much so that powerful Sannin like Orochimaru craved his abilities before even leaving Konoha and maturing as a shinobi. Itachi's Genjutsu powers were taken to the next level when he awakened the Mangekyo Sharingan, as shown in the flashback of Naruto Chapter 590, released on July 9, 2012, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #30, due to the death of Shisui Uchiha.
“I tried to use Kotoamatsukami with my Mangekyo Sharingan, but Danzo stole my eye. He doesn't trust me. You, my best friend, are the only one I can trust. Protect the Uchiha name and the village.” — Shisui Uchiha leads to Itachi's Mangekyo Awakening, Naruto Chapter #590
With the awakening of his Mangekyo, Itachi Uchiha gained two unique powers. The first was Amaterasu – the ability to produce unquenchable black flames, and the second was Tsukuyomi. To date, Itachi's Tsukuyomi is one of the most powerful genjutsu ever seen in the Naruto series. With this ability, he was able to put his enemies into a Genjutsu world where he controlled space and time. In other words, spending a single second in Tsukuyomi was enough for Itachi to torture someone for an eternity. This is the only Genjutsu in the series that can officially kill anyone other than Infinite Tsukuyomi, a stronger version of the technique.
Orochimaru: This can't be! I have been caught in the Kanashibari Genjutsu. What great eye power. It's amazing.
Itachi: Orochimaru, all your Jutsu are ineffective before these eyes.
— Exchange between Orochimaru and Itachi showing the latter's amazing Genjutsu, Naruto Chapter #345
Itachi also had other powerful paralyzing Genjutsu, such as the technique he used to defeat Orochimaru in Naruto Chapter #345, released on March 26, 2007. All these tremendous Genjutsu feats made Itachi the God of Genjutsu in the world, but in the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke Uchi-up took his official brother from his official brother. Genjutsu to a level even Itachi could only dream of.
Boruto officially made Sasuke Uchiha surpass Itachi in Genjutsu ability
In it Boruto Sasuke Uchiha stands tall as one of the most powerful ninjas in the entire world. At the beginning of Boruto series, Sasuke established himself as Naruto's equal and an Otsutsuki-level shinobi. He did this by improving his Genjutsu skills, along with Ninjutsu and Taijutsu. In the Fourth Great Ninja War, Sasuke awakened the Rinnegan in Naruto Chapter 673, officially released on May 5, 2014, in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump Issue #21. Immediately after the Rinnegan was awakened, Sasuke's Genjutsu ability was taken to a whole new level, and this was first shown when he countered the effects of the Infinite Tsukuyomi with his Rinnegan. Basically, none of the Genjutsu that Itachi possesses pose a threat to Sasuke as he can easily break through them, but even more than that, Sasuke's own Genjutsu is much stronger.
“He put the Tailed Beasts under his control! But it was just a single look! Naruto, you're the only one I can leave things to now. My time here is coming to an end.” — The Sage of Six Paths shows his surprise at Sasuke's Genjutsu Prowess, Naruto Chapter #692
In Naruto chapter 692, Sasuke Uchiha used his Rinnegan to cast powerful Genjutsu on all nine Tailed Beasts at once, at a level where they couldn't even move a muscle. However, the Mangekyo Sharingan of Itachi would allow him to control one tailed beast at a time, the strongest of which is Kurama. Sasuke controlled Kurama along with all the other Tailed Beasts, and using the Rinnegan drained their chakra as well. This is a divine Genjutsu feat that puts Sasuke in a league of his own when it comes to using illusion powers.
More than that, Sasuke also successfully used Genjutsu on Sakura in Naruto Chapter 693, and she is known to be extremely resistant to Genjutsu. In The Last: Naruto the Movie, which was officially released in 2014, Sakura survived a Genjutsu that Naruto, a Perfect Jinchuriki, could not. This shows that Sakura's Genjutsu resistance is even greater than that of a Perfect Jinchuriki. In other words, for Sasuke to put her in a Genjutsu shows his immense ability to surpass all Genjutsu users before him. In the Boruto era, Sasuke's Genjutsu powers have matured further, and he stands tall as the new God of Genjutsu in the world right now.
After losing the Rinnegan, Sasuke must develop his Mangekyo Genjutsu
Unfortunately, Sasuke Uchiha lost his Rinnegan Boruto Chapter 53 on December 20, 2020. Since then, he has lost a significant amount of his power. Even so, Boruto Volume 8 confirms to us that Sasuke gained immense strength. In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #5, which was officially released on December 20, 2023, Sasuke Uchiha was seen fighting on equal footing with Code, even delivering a fatal wound to him. For context, Code is even stronger than Jigen, and for Sasuke to mortally wound him without even the Rinnegan shows that he has upgraded his skills tremendously. This suggests that Sasuke's other abilities, such as Genjutsu, have also been raised.
Code: Uchiha, you!!! How dare you take my eye?
Sasuke: Listen carefully, Boruto! There is no way we can win against him right now. So run away. Survive at all costs and build upon the skills I have instilled in you. Then no one will be able to stop you.
— Sasuke Vs Code showing Sasuke's growth in power, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter #5
When Sasuke returns after the events of the Post-Mamushi Arc, which officially began on June 18, 2026, there is a significant chance that his Genjutsu abilities will also be upgraded. If Sasuke's Genjutsu is taken to the next level, we can be sure that he will once again stand on top as the God of Genjutsu in the Naruto world. In general, ninja arts such as Genjutsu and even Ninjutsu to some extent have deteriorated significantly in Boruto series due to the ability to absorb chakra. As for Genjutsu, they have been largely ignored.
If Boruto: Two Blue Vortex intends to fix all problems with the original Boruto manga, then giving renewed importance to abilities like Genjutsu and Ninjutsu is extremely important. To do that, Boruto must give Sasuke back his strongest genjutsu abilities again. We will have to wait a couple more months before Sasuke officially returns after the fall of Hidari and the acquisition of his Thorn Soul Bulb. After his comeback, his new powers will be shown by writers Mikio Ikemoto and Masashi Kishimoto, and we absolutely cannot wait to see it.
All the latest Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapters are available to read via Manga Plus and Viz Media.
