Summary
- Uchiha's great eyesight is a myth; Byakugan improves vision more than Sharingan.
- Sarada needed glasses due to illness; Sharingan doesn't seem to enhance her vision when activated.
- Overusing Mangekyo Sharingan leads to blindness; Sarada's vision may deteriorate faster.
The following article contains spoilers for Naruto and Boruto.
Naruto is probably one of the Shonen Jump series with the best world building in terms of possibilities and cohesiveness. Kishimoto is just very good at establishing rules, following rules, and expanding the Naruto universe within the boundaries he created.
In Naruto, Kishimoto introduced the Uchiha clan and the tragedy surrounding it, as well as the Sharingan, a doujutsu (eye abilities). Then, in Boruto, there is Sarada Uchiha, an Uchiha who can use the Sharingan but needs glasses. Some fans even think this doesn't make much sense, but is there any real problem with Sarada wearing glasses?
Boruto: Kishimoto Has Already Teased Sarada's Most Overpowered Ability
Sarada has a great Mangekyo Sharingan ability, but she is only going to get more powerful from here onwards in Boruto TBV.
Uchiha's Great Eyesight Is Partly A Myth
Sarada Uchiha has worn glasses since she was introduced in the story, and this "trait" of hers soon caught the attention of fans. The Uchiha clan is known for having genetic traits that allow some members to awaken the Sharingan, and, thus, fans generally understand them to have great eyesight. While the Sharingan is a doujutsu, it was never explicitly stated that Uchiha clan members have the best eyesight in the series.
Those Sharingan... How much can you actually see?
— Itachi Uchiha
In fact, the Sharingan is more about power and performing genjutsu, whereas the Byakugan greatly improves the user's vision. The Sharingan does improve vision, but not to the same extent as the Byakugan. Therefore, the Hyuga clan would have the best vision in the series when they activate the Byakugan. Furthermore, the Sharingan and the Byakugan only enhance vision when activated, meaning these abilities say nothing about the user's vision when the jutsu are inactive. If a shinobi has the "right" genes, they can perform these techniques regardless of how good their eyesight normally is.
Sarada Uchiha Had An Illness When She Was a Kid
However, since the Sharingan is related to vision, it would make some sense that the genes responsible for unleashing it would be connected with good eyesight from birth. This wouldn't necessarily be the case, but it would make sense if it were — we don't have much information as to why some Uchiha can unleash the Sharingan and others cannot. The Sharingan is connected to trauma, but not necessarily all Uchiha who experience trauma will unleash it. The series has only established that there are likely some genetic mutations linked to it, and not all Uchiha members will inherit these mutations.
Either way, Sarada has needed glasses since childhood after suffering from a high fever and an unknown illness. It is rare, but some infections can lead to permanent vision damage, and that is probably what happened to her — the series never established what illness Sarada had. After that, she was given the glasses that belonged to Karin Uzumaki. Therefore, Sarada was not born with poor vision (although that would be okay).
The Sharingan Enhances Sarada's Vision
Since the Sharingan can apparently improve vision, fans expected her to take off her glasses when she activates it. However, she doesn't do it, which may be connected to the cause of her impaired vision. Fans expected the Sharingan would improve her vision because Itachi Uchiha, who also experienced vision loss due from overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan and possibly his illness, kept his Sharingan activated at all times, likely to compensate for his poor vision. Even if Sarada could do the same, it would probably be quite costly to keep the Sharingan continuously activated (chakra-wise), and, honestly, she would have no real reason to do so — her glasses work just fine.
What Could Happen If Sarada Overused The Mangekyo Sharingan?
Sarada has already proven her skill at using the Mangekyo Sharingan, as she recently showed an overpowered jutsu called Ohirume. However, overusing the Mangekyo Sharingan eventually leads to blindness. Given that Sarada's vision is already partially impaired, there is a chance that it will deteriorate more quickly than that of Uchihas with good eyesight, which would be a great addition to the story.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is available on MANGA Plus, in many languages.
- Release Date
- April 5, 2017
- Network
- TV Tokyo
Boruto is an action anime series that continues years after the events of Naruto, now in the shoes of the next generation - many of which are the children of the protagonists from the original series. Boruto follows the titular character, the son of Naruto, who seeks to impress his father. Together with the other ninjas-in-training, Boruto will battle to overcome trials and threats even more significant than his father ever faced.
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
