When Masashi Kishimoto’s franchise transitioned from Naruto to Boruto, fans were excited to see the various characters from the prequel series become adults and deal with a new ninja world. However, these expectations were quickly destroyed as Boruto could not live up to the standards of Naruto and ultimately got criticized by fans.
Kishimoto had the chance to showcase the talents of the old characters and their powerful techniques, but he dropped the bags as he completely ignored any kind of nostalgic aspect. Fans were hopeful that they might once again get to see their favorite jutsus, and although some techniques from Naruto were included, one of the most prominent ones was left out.
This technique was none other than the Eight Inner Gates, which is considered to be the pinnacle of taijutsu. This technique was mastered by Might Guy in Naruto and Rock Lee in Boruto, but he never got a chance to show it, much less use it in a battle.
The Importance of The Eight Gates Technique in Naruto
One of the reasons that fans were so impressed by the taijutsu in Naruto was the eight inner gates that they first got to see during the Chunin exams arc. It was during the legendary fight between Rock Lee and Gaara that fans learned about the eight chakra points and the terrifying power that is released when these points are removed.
From here on, the Eight Inner Gates technique was deemed the strongest Taijutsu technique, and Kishimoto did a great job utilizing it through Might Guy and Rock Lee, especially during the Fourth Shinobi World War. When Might Guy used it against Madara Uchiha, he was so baffled by the taijutsu technique that he gave Guy the title of the strongest taijutsu user in history.
It was one of the biggest moments of the Fourth Great Shinobi War. It made fans understand the value of taijutsu, which was considered by many as the weakest form of jutsu and brought it to the levels of genjutsu and ninjutsu.
Metal Lee Could Not Live Upto His Father And Might Guy’s Legacy
When Boruto started, many fans believed that Rock Lee and his son Metal Lee would take this legacy forward. Considering the importance of taijutsu and the Eight Inner Gates technique in Naruto, fans hoped that Boruto would introduce it in a new setting through Metal Lee.
However, Metal Lee not only disappointed the fans but also the legacy of his father and his mentor. He was even taught about the Eight Gates technique by Rock Lee after a lot of humiliation.
Metal Lee is the most useless character in fiction, I’m not even joking. pic.twitter.com/wZoRbNgAmB
— Rez (@_Rezuke) August 31, 2024
But as of yet, Metal Lee was able to open only one gate, and that too subconsciously. Even his taijutsu is subpar and cannot be compared to other Boruto characters.
Masashi Kishimoto really dropped a ball on taijutsu and its strongest technique. In Naruto, he gave Rock Lee a lot of importance, but in Boruto, Metal Lee is not even considered as one of the major characters. Nevertheless, there is still a decent amount of plot left for Boruto, and fans can only hope that Kishimoto brings out the terrifyingly famous Eight Inner Gates and uses them in the best way possible.
Naruto and Boruto are available to watch on Hulu.
