Compared toNaruto,Borutois a story all its own, and it comes with its own set of problems. Now spanning two parts separated by a timeskip—Boruto: Naruto Next GenerationsandBoruto: Two Blue Vortex—just like its predecessor,Borutohas accumulated more than its fair share of both praise and criticism. Although it was off to a rocky start for most fans,many came around afterTwo Blue Vortex.
There’s a problem though: the young manga still hasn’t quite done enough. It’s in the unfortunate position ofstanding in the shadow of the massively influential series that spawned it.Narutohasn’t aged perfectly, but its sheer influence and magnitude provide it with wiggle room. Not to mention that, aside from a few narrative hiccups, the story remains amazing on its own.Borutolacks the same leewayNarutoearned by its originality and impact. There are a few major thingsBorutoneeds to do if it has any hope of standing on equal footing withNaruto.
5Step Away From the Aliens
Boruto’s Decision to Lean Into the Otsutsuki Twist Has Hurt It
Naruto’s Otsutsuki twist is one of the most controversial parts of the entire series.Borutodecided, in spite of that, to fully lean into the ideas that the Otsutsuki twist put in place.Boruto himself has Otsutsuki DNA, after all.
For the (somehow) uninitiated, the Otsutsuki twist iswhen it’s revealed thatNaruto’s plot is effectively the long-con game of overpowered aliens.Borutopicked up on this in a strange way. The Otsutsuki twist, in combination with the Fourth Great Ninja War, led to huge advances in technology, ushered in by an era of unprecedented international cooperation. By the timeNarutofans return to Konoha, it’s practically become a bustling, high-tech metropolis. While it’s jarring to seeNaruto-universe characters with laptops, it’s not the worst thing ever.
What is bad, though, isthat the Otsutsuki clan became a major force in a series that was originally about ninja.Borutoprompted a major shift toward science fiction away from a good old-fashioned ninja battle anime. This is notable all throughoutBoruto, but maybe a quick example could come from comparing two massive forces: Kara and Akatsuki.
“A Monster” - Boruto’s Jaw Dropping Power Level Confirmed In Two Blue Vortex
Boruto’s progress after the time skip is at the center of Two Blue Vortex, and his impressive new power level is finally confirmed.
Kara is often called theBorutoequivalent of the Akatsuki, but that’s a shallow reading. The only thing they have in common is that they’re renegade groups representing threats to the shinobi order. While Akatsuki has a tangible material origin inNaruto’s world,Kara seems prefigured, the result of an alien influence on shinobi society that comes from outside to threaten it.
IfBorutowants to win back the fans ofNarutowho loved its straightforwardly grounded ninja action, thenBorutoneeds to find a way to break away from its dependence on its science fiction and supernatural syncretism. However, the unfortunate truth of storytelling is that there are no take-backsies.Borutohas already dug its hole, and a number of fans like these very same science fiction elements. But they’ve caused some problems for the worse. This is abundantly clear when one just looks at the way that battles have changed in the series compared toNaruto.
4Acknowledge and Handle Combat Problems
Boruto’s New Mechanics Have Created a Massive Power Creep Problem
Narutohas always suffered from problems with power creep, an oft-cited example of which being Madara. At his peak, Madara was unstoppable.Borutofollows up onNaruto’s power creep. One example is how the series has taken some ofNaruto’s most broken powers and spread them around, thanks to the advances in scientific ninja tools and the embedding of the Otkutsuki clan into its whole narrative. Chakra absorption, for example, was rare enough inNarutothat nobody minded. InBoruto, ninjutsu absorption is especially ubiquitous,and it’s hurt the combat gravely.
Scientific ninja tools were developed during the timeskip. In fact, the once-leader of Kara, Jigen, played a big role in their development and proliferation; meanwhile, Konoha would develop its own team for their advancement and dispersal. They’re a cool idea in a limited context, but there are two main problems. The first is that their potential isn’t fully explored. The second is that potential itself:scientific ninja tools are absolutely broken.
From afar, it almost feels likeBorutohas no handle on its own mechanics. There’s endless escalation, from Naruto’s Baryon Mode toBoruto’s most broken jutsu, Omnipotence.All of these factors in combination have fundamentally changed how fights work inBorutocompared toNaruto, with many fights centered around taijutsu rather than ninjutsu, since ninjutsu can be absorbed and nullified. This isn’t inherently a problem on its own…
3Do Right by the Supporting Cast
Naruto’s Supporting Cast Is Fantastic, and Deserves Better Than They’ve Gotten
…except, of course, for the fact that Rock Lee is underutilized: a master of taijutsu,now more viable than ever. Rock Lee was a character who especially showed howNaruto’s power system was absolutely broken.Borutois essentially his time to shine, though. Nonetheless, he’s more or less relegated to the role of comic relief, as are so many characters from the original cast.
Not every fan has been happy with the narrative structure ofBorutoas far as its characters go. Some even go as far as to say that staples of the main cast are annoying in comparison to theirNarutocounterparts (when they even have a counterpart). That’s ultimately a matter of taste, though. However, what’s undeniable is thatNaruto’s own supporting cast has been done entirely dirty,either abandoned, nerfed, or shoehorned into vacuous helper roles.
Naruto Does Great Things With Its Sequel, But Boruto Has Wasted One Ninja’s Potential
Konohamaru had the potential to embody the next generation’s strength, but it was left untapped.
NoBorutofans make their way to the series without going throughNarutofirst. A lot of their emotional investments lie with the characters fromNaruto,who are routinely undermined inBoruto. But considering how Orochimaru, Rock Lee, Shino, and even Kabuto are treated, it sometimes feels like the characters fromNarutoare little more than fan-service. That has nothing on whatBorutohas done to one of its most important characters, though.
2Stop Throwing Naruto to the Wolves
Boruto Accidentally Undermines Naruto’s Whole Story
Above all, this affectsNaruto’s very own protagonist.Boruto’s story isn’t an accident; it’s intentionally written,and it could be written differently. This includes the story and fate of the seventh Hokage who needs no introduction, Naruto Uzumaki. Kishimoto might be on board withBoruto, but countless fans aren’t—and for good reason, especially when it comes to the main character of the series Kishimoto himself wrote.
As previously mentioned,no fan makes their way toBorutowithout going throughNarutofirst. Time and time again,Borutohas done a disservice to Naruto by undermining him. It’s one thing that he receives a colossal nerf, especially after his and Sasuke’s fight with Momoshiki. What’s worse is the massive timeskip betweenNarutoandBorutoleaves almost the entirety of Naruto’s tenure as Hokage underexplored.
What is there isn’t impressive, to say the least. A great example can be found in Amegakure—it’s not very charming, after an entire series where Naruto aspires to be Hokage and preaches love while sticking up for the possibility of change within the status quo, thatNaruto continues the trend of previous Hokage by outright ignoring or underserving the villages outside Konoha.
Here’s the simple fact: Narutocouldhave been written as a better Hokage. He just wasn’t.
As it’s clearly shown when Boruto is interrogated and tortured inTwo Blue Vortex,Naruto also hasn’t done much to change Konoha’s political structure. Naruto left the possibility in place for Shikamaru, in his absence, toturn Konoha into a surveillance state. The village has become bustling and massive, but the horrors of its administration are the same as ever. Here’s the simple fact: Narutocouldhave been written as a better Hokage. He just wasn’t.
There are moments inBorutowhereNaruto clearly struggles with whether he should have become Hokage in the first place.Borutoslaps fans in the face by making the answer to Naruto’s question a big, resounding “no”. The chance isn’t gone forever for Naruto to be fixed, though.Borutois already making big steps with this bybringing Boruto closer to Naruto in his ideals and heroism, but the famous overpowered orphan of yore has yet to be given a full comeback, himself.
1Fix Naruto’s Biggest Mistake
Boruto Finally Has a Chance to Do Something Better With Naruto’s World
The reality is thatNaruto’s ineffectiveness has been a problem with the franchise for a long time. It’s bad enough that Naruto never got the opportunity to show off his abilities as Hokage. It’s worse that the full effects of the conflicts—arguably the result, at least in part, of an ineffective Hokage—are just as underexplored as inNaruto. In fact,Borutois in many ways even more myopically Konoha-obsessed thanNarutoitself.
A big thing thatBorutocould do to truly bring itself out overNarutowould be tofocus more on its world. How has the technological world impacted the social, political, and economic life within shinobi life? The question remains apt for exploration.
One of the biggest mistakesNarutomadewasrefusing to zoom out a little bit to take the big picture of Konoha’s political power into view, thenzoom back in on the lives of the individuals who actually make the whole shinobi system work by doing the “grunt work”: the non-heroes. The shopkeepers, the citizens of other villages, the surely-complicated lives of the people just out walking their dogs.
Boruto’s Timeskip Finally Confirms It Hasn’t Ruined Shikamaru
The incredible intellect of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex’s Eighth Hokage Shikamaru has been less beneficial than fans hoped, and readers now know why.
Borutohasmore reason than ever to work on this. Now, with Konoha being bustling and with the aftermath of the Fourth Great Ninja War well in place, plus withBoruto’s big climactic fight just on the horizon, the series has plenty of opportunities to explore somethingNarutonever did and set itself apart in a crucial way. Right now, it’s easy for fans to get the impression thatBorutois just playing dress-up on a stage whereNarutohas done the costuming, aesthetics, and setting are all provided byNaruto.
However, things don’t have to be that way.Borutocan do a lot more, and in spite of its problems,it’s still a series with a ton of heart. It’s under no mandate to live in the shadow of the series that came before it. But forBorutoto outshineNaruto,it’s going to take a lot of serious introspection on the part of Kishimoto and Ikemoto.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Borutois the sequel to theNarutofranchise, created by Masashi Kishimoto and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto. It follows Boruto Uzumaki, Naruto’s son, as he navigates the challenges of being the Hokage’s child while forging his path as a ninja. The series explores the evolving world of shinobi and introduces new generations of characters while maintaining the franchise’s core themes of friendship, perseverance, and legacy.
