When Does Satsuke Retsuden Take Place? Is It Canon?
Light novels as accompaniments of a manga series are usually non-canon. Some of them do get adapted in anime format, but since they are usually written by someone else and not the original author (who usually just provides illustrations, even if that is not a rule), they are considered to be non-canon unless stated otherwise. Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust is one such light novel, written by Jun Esaka with illustrations by Kishimoto, but it has since been adapted both into a manga and in the Boruto anime series. That is why we have decided to tell you when Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust takes place and whether it is canon.
Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust is a light novel that has recently been adapted into a manga and in the Boruto anime. The plot follows the Labyrinth Game Arc and precedes the Code Arc, with sources confirming that it is set years before the Code Arc, although an exact timeline has not been provided. The original light novel was initially not considered canon, but can now be considered as part of the larger narrative canon.
The rest of this article is going to focus on Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust. We will tell you what happens in this light novel, how and where it fits into the general timeline of Naruto and Boruto, and whether it can now be considered a canon work since it has been adapted both into a manga and into an anime arc.
What happens in Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust?
The Astronomy Research Institute is located very close to Redaku Country’s boundaries, on the top of a very high mountain. The Institute was established as a haven for study by Janmâru-Tataru, who was an ally of the Sage of the Six Paths. The Institute now houses Redaku criminals after being a prison for centuries. The aging Institute provides little comfort to the prisoners housed there; the cells lack furniture, the clothing is inadequate for the bitter winter, and all prisoners—regardless of their level—must undertake arduous physical labor. Unhealthy condition of being. The convicts are fed food with minimal nutritional value, and their welfare is not given much consideration by the guards at the Institute.
A man who just arrived at the Institute and is currently serving a three-year term for the murder of a family has had enough and has made arrangements to leave. He approaches Sasuke Uchiha, prisoner #487, and requests assistance over breakfast. The man inquires about Sasuke’s status as a shinobi, stating that he had attended a ninja academy when he was younger and still possesses some degree of chakra mastery. The man believes they can scale the prison walls, escape, and forage for food until they reach civilized areas. The man is informed by Sasuke that his prospects of survival are limited, and he declines to accompany him. Sasuke responds that he chose to be here when the man wonders why he doesn’t at least try to flee.
The man is persuaded by Sasuke’s assertion that Sasuke is a fool, and he departs, leaving Sasuke to his fate. He moves toward the prison walls, convinced that the guards are too unconcerned with their duties to pursue the escaping inmates. Men are the only real hindrance, but the guy is hoping that the seasonal fog will hide his movements so that the dragon won’t see them. After starting to scale the wall, he eventually reaches the summit. The man is pleased with himself because he anticipated that this trip would exhaust him much more than it actually did. Men are waiting for him when he descends on the opposite side of the wall. Menō tackles the man as he desperately tries to climb back up the wall.
From this moment, Sasuke’s Retsuden story actually begins. The light novel is divided into eight chapters, a prologue and an epilogue. The story actually saw Sasuke infiltrate the institute, which also served as a prison, to help Naruto. Namely, Naruto had fallen to an unknown illness, and Sasuke heard that Hagoromo once had the same condition and cured himself in that same location. This is why he went to the Institute, but since the only way to get inside was to become a prisoner, Sasuke pretended to be an idiot and committed himself.
Of course, while inside, Sasuke began sneaking around. Zansūru, the director of the institute and the main villain of this story, did not want Sasuke snooping around, and he constantly tried to cause problems for him, including making him fight with a dinosaur, Menō, who was a living and sentient velociraptor whose fossils had been found near the Institute and who has revived thanks to Zansūru’s research. That is why Menō was so fiercely loyal to Zansūru and why Zansūru was able to revive him constantly, thus making him a servant of his.
Sasuke had to go through a lot while in the Institute. Escape plans, getting beaten up, and even seeing Sakura having to flirt with others; in order to help him, Sakura infiltrated the Institute as well, but she did it as a supposed medical team member. While inside, she both helped Sasuke and did her own research, all for the sake of saving Naruto’s life. It is during this mission that Sasuke actually proposes to Sakura, in a way, by placing a ring on her finger that would show that she is married and that she should not be flirted with.
Sasuke later realized Zansūru’s evil plan and wanted to stop him, which culminated with yet another fight against the velociraptor (called “dragon” in the series) Menō and Sasuke, with Zansūru leaving the Institute. And while Menō was ordered by his master, Zansūru, to defeat and kill Sasuke, Sasuke used a combination of kind words and some of his skills to actually make Menō trust him and become his friend. This is how the story ended. In the following sections, we will tell you additional information about its timeline and current canon status within the larger canon narrative.
When does Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust take place?
As far as the timeline of this light novel is concerned, we know that it does take place sometime during the Boruto timeline, i.e., after the end of Shippuden. Now, the timeline has not been specified. That much we can attest to, but we do know some details. As far as the original light novel and manga are concerned, we cannot place them anywhere precisely, as they are standalone works unconnected to the main narrative.
But, the anime adaptation – the Sasuke Retsuden Arc – which is currently airing in Japan, gives us some idea on when the story takes place. The Labyrinth Game Arc directly precedes the Sasuke Retsuden Arc, and there don’t seem to be any major temporal discrepancies in that arc-to-arc transition. We also know that the Sasuke Retsuden Arc precedes the Code Arc and takes place years before it. This is not the most precise chronological classification, but it is a fairly decent one, so you can – roughly at least – determine the timeline.
Is Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust canon?
Initially, the original Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust light novel was written by Jun Esaka, illustrated by Kishimoto, and published on August 2, 2019, in Japan. Generally speaking, light novels are rarely part of the canon; they are branded and sold under the same banner, but the stories depicted in them are rarely approved by the author as being part of the original narrative canon. Now, sometimes it happens that the author acknowledges these works as canon, or they end up being incorporated into the canon somehow, but this is not usually the case. These stories, in most cases, simply serve as supplements to the main story so that the author can explore some characters, but they rarely move the story forward.
In a narrative sense, Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust is a great example of such a story, as it explores Sasuke and introduces some new characters to the lore. Initially, the story had not been considered canon, but the situation changed recently. Namely, the original light novel was adapted into a manga that is still ongoing, and it has also been adapted into an anime arc as part of the ongoing Boruto series. This is why now, from this perspective, there is some basis for us to claim that Sasuke Retsuden: The Uchiha Descendants and the Heavenly Stardust is now part of the Boruto canon. We don’t know where it fits in, as we have said, but we can now (un)officially claim that it is part of the Boruto canon.