The latest update to the classic arena fighter series,Naruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsis set to bring the Storm games fully into the world ofBorutowhile honoringNaruto’s history. Both theBorutomanga and anime alike may currently be on hiatus, but that hasn’t stopped CyberConnect2 from bringing its signature fighting experience to that side of the ninja world. More recent versions of returning faces and new debuts are emerging from theBorutotimeline, but one major creative decision of the game has already definedNaruto x Boruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsfor many fans.
Several new fighters inStorm Connectionsare likely to redefine the series for returning players since they comprise some of the most powerful figures in the broaderNarutouniverse. Boruto’s new form wields the character’s signatureKarma mark, essentially the encrypted data of a godlike Otsutsuki that provides overpowered abilities from space-time ninjutsu to full-on chakra absorption. Kawaki and Jigen follow suit with their respective powers while Naruto and Sasuke appear in their recent incarnations, but all of these additions haven’t been as much of a source of speculation as the brand-new characters exclusively introduced for the story ofStorm Connections.
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Nanashi
The firstStorm Connections-only character shown in the game’s trailer, Nanashi is an example of a character filling a role that the cast ofmostly non-canonNarutomoviestypically occupy. Not much has been revealed about her yet, but her official description offers an uncanny insight that has already created a lot of speculation among fans.
Said to exist as a guide character within an in-universe video game called “Ninja Heroes”, it’s unknown how Nanashi could even manifest in the real world to affect the events of the game’s story. Only possible in the more technologically advanced time period ofBoruto’s events, theStormseries is sure to be shaken up by this more subversive, meta approach.
While still just speculation, rumors within theNarutocommunity about Nanashi make the character out to be unique. Possibly a young-looking member of the Uchiha clan that has somehow survived up until now, Nanashi’s bloodline potentially gifts her with apowerful genjutsuthatStorm Connections’ narrative is to feature prominently.
This circumstance may explain her association with a popular video game in theBorutoworld, but her blonde-haired, blue-eyed appearance contradicts the idea of an Uchiha heritage. There are multiple theories regarding this inconsistency, but the one that suggests that the blonde girl could merely be a fake puppet body finds credence through its association with the game’s other original character.
Merz
Seemingly the sinister antagonist of the game, Merz was introduced alongside Nanashi in a trailer showcasingStorm Connections' new content. The briefness of official details surrounding the man makes his backstory as mysterious as his appearance, as his seemingly scarred eyes are shrouded in a wrap of bandages. The only certainty known of Merz is that he wishes to start a war, potentially even the Fifth Great Ninja War in this splintered timeline.
Nothing else can be confirmed about Merz other than the fact he seems to hold power over a masked army of followers, but that hasn’t stopped speculation from circulating. Similarly to Nanashi, the rumors surrounding Merz are as outlandish as they are plausible. Boruto is seen in the trailer facing a new red Susano’o design that could belong to Merz himself, an Amegakure scientist that has implanted an artificialMangekyo Sharinganinto his own body.
He is similarly rumored to be a follower of Pain’s brutal ways, further solidifying a potential connection between him and Nanashi’s puppet body theory. Whether he turns out to be the head of the new mysterious “ZERO” organization seeking to put the whole world under a genjutsu or not, Merz is sure to bring a new darkness to the expanding world ofBoruto.
Naruto x Boruto Ultimate Ninja Storm Connectionsis in development for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
