The question keeping every Naruto fan awake at night: Could the Orange Hokage actually come back? With Boruto: Two Blue Vortex delivering its grittiest, most mature storyline yet, the fandom is ablaze with theories about Naruto's potential return from dimensional exile. After Kawaki sealed him away alongside Hinata, millions of fans worldwide have been searching "Naruto return 2025" and dissecting every manga panel for hints. The Boruto time skip didn't just age up our new generation — it reignited something primal in the fanbase: hope. Hope that the boy who never gave up, who became Hokage against all odds, might pull off one more impossible comeback. But here's the real tension: Should he return, or does his absence give Boruto the space to finally become the hero we need him to be?
The Legacy of Naruto Uzumaki
Let's be honest — Naruto Uzumaki isn't just a character. He's a cultural phenomenon who shaped an entire generation's understanding of perseverance, friendship, and redemption. From that lonely kid eating expired ramen on a swing to the Seventh Hokage protecting an entire village, Naruto's journey felt personal to millions of us.
His story resonated because it was never about being the strongest — it was about being the most stubborn. "I never go back on my word — that's my nindō!" wasn't just a catchphrase; it was a philosophy that carried kids through school, teens through heartbreak, and adults through life's toughest battles. When Naruto Shippuden ended, we didn't just watch a character complete his arc — we watched a friend achieve his dream.
But here's what makes legacy heroes like Naruto so compelling: they never truly disappear. They evolve through their successors, through the world they shaped, through the ideals they refused to compromise. Naruto's story "ended," but his influence? That's eternal. Which is exactly why the idea of his physical return hits so differently — because emotionally, he never really left us.
The Boruto Shift & the Time Skip
When Boruto: Naruto Next Generations first launched, it faced an impossible task: follow up one of the greatest anime stories ever told. Early Boruto struggled with this weight, often feeling like it was treading water in its predecessor's shadow. The tone was lighter, the stakes felt lower, and Boruto himself came across as whiny compared to his father's underdog charm.
Then everything changed with the Boruto time skip in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.
Suddenly, we're watching a series that feels dangerous again. Boruto, now a teenage fugitive marked as Konoha's enemy, carries the weight Naruto once did — but darker, lonelier, and more desperate. The pacing tightened. The character designs matured. The moral ambiguity that made Shippuden compelling returned with full force. Kawaki's betrayal and Naruto's sealing created a narrative void that the series has finally learned to fill with genuine tension.
Fan reactions have been explosive. Crunchyroll's community forums are flooded with essays analyzing each chapter. Reddit threads dissecting every Code battle reach thousands of upvotes. The Boruto manga 2025 chapters have consistently trended on social media — something that rarely happened pre-time skip. And at the center of every heated discussion? One burning question: "When is Naruto coming back?"
The time skip didn't just age up characters — it reminded us why we fell in love with this universe in the first place.
Could Naruto Return? The Theories
The internet has become a conspiracy board of Naruto comeback theories, and honestly? Some of them are compelling.
Theory #1: The Dimensional Rescue Arc. This is the most straightforward path. Kawaki sealed Naruto and Hinata in Daikokuten's dimension — not killed them. In the world of shinobi where space-time ninjutsu exists, and where we've literally seen people return from the dead multiple times, a rescue mission feels inevitable. Boruto's grown stronger, Sasuke's still out there (probably), and Kashin Koji has proven himself a wild card. Many fans believe we're building toward a massive arc where Boruto assembles allies to breach the seal, potentially mirroring how Shippuden rescued Gaara.
Theory #2: The Kurama Resonance. Here's where it gets spiritually interesting. Kurama supposedly died during the Isshiki battle, sacrificing himself for Naruto's Baryon Mode. But we're talking about a chakra entity that's existed for millennia. Some fans theorize that Kurama's essence remains dormant inside Naruto or could be reborn through Himawari (who showed Kurama-like chakra manifestations). A Naruto revival through renewed tailed beast connection would be poetic — the bond that defined his power becoming his salvation.
Theory #3: The Flashback Focus. Not every "return" means present-day action. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex could dedicate entire arcs to Naruto's experiences in the sealed dimension — his training, his reflections, maybe even encounters with other sealed beings. This approach gives us Naruto content without undermining Boruto's protagonist journey. Think of how Attack on Titan used Ymir's backstory to deepen current events.
Theory #4: The Ōtsutsuki Connection. With the series diving deeper into alien clan politics, there's speculation that Naruto's Uzumaki lineage and former jinchūriki status make him valuable to Ōtsutsuki plans. Code, Daemon, or even future antagonists might need to extract him for their own purposes, forcing a rescue scenario.
Anime News Network has reported that series creator Masashi Kishimoto remains involved in key story decisions, and he's known for meaningful character callbacks. The narrative has been careful to remind us Naruto's sealed, not dead — and in anime, that distinction matters everything.
What makes his potential return fascinating is the impact on Boruto himself. Would Naruto's comeback validate Boruto's struggle, or steal his thunder? Would father and son fight side-by-side as equals, or would Naruto need Boruto to save him? That role reversal could be the exact character development this series needs.
Why It Might (or Might Not) Happen
The case for keeping him gone: Narratively, Naruto's absence is the best thing to happen to Boruto. It forced the series to find its own identity. Boruto's growth from privileged kid to hunted outcast only works because Dad isn't there to solve everything. Keeping Naruto sealed maintains stakes and prevents the series from becoming "Naruto 2.0 featuring his son."
Some of the best storytelling comes from permanent consequences. Fullmetal Alchemist never brought back certain characters. Hunter x Hunter leaves Gon powerless. These bold choices create lasting impact.
The case for bringing him back: But let's talk business and emotion. Naruto is a brand worth billions. The Naruto Hokage figure still outsells most Boruto merchandise. When Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War brought back Ichigo properly, viewership exploded. Dragon Ball Super proved that legacy heroes returning smartly can elevate new generations rather than overshadow them.
And emotionally? We've earned this reunion. We invested 700 chapters and hundreds of episodes. Seeing an adult Boruto rescue his father, seeing them fight together as equals, seeing Naruto witness what his son has become — that's the emotional payoff two decades of storytelling has earned.
Modern anime 2025 trends show that legacy revivals work when done with respect. They don't work as nostalgia bait, but as natural story evolution.
The Verdict: Believe It or Not?
Even if Naruto never physically returns to the story, his presence is woven into every chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. He's in Boruto's rasengan, in Kawaki's twisted love, in Konoha's continued peace, in Himawari's awakening power. The Will of Fire that Naruto embodied doesn't need him present to burn bright.
But if we're being real? I think he's coming back. The narrative threads are too carefully maintained, the dimensional seal too specifically designed as temporary, the fandom demand too overwhelming. The question isn't if — it's when, and how it'll change everything.
What about you? Do you want to see Naruto return in all his Hokage glory, or do you believe Boruto's story is stronger with the legend sealed away? Drop your theories below — because if there's one thing Naruto taught us, it's that we never give up on hoping for the impossible.
Dattebayo.