Masashi Kishimoto’sNarutois one of the most popular manga of all time, having run in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from 1999 to 2014. It goes without saying thatNarutogoes down in history as one of the most incredible pieces of story ever written and when Kishimoto called it quits in 2014, it felt like the story still had so much more to offer. Only a short while later, fans got to seeNaruto’ssuccessor,Borutoemerge.
Borutois an ongoing series that follows the story of Boruto Uzumaki,the son of Naruto Uzumaki, who, by this time, has already become the Seventh Hokage of the village. The times appear to have moved on and the world has advanced quite a lot. Boruto, being the protagonist, is quite an intriguing character. But what sets him apart from Naruto is that he’s considered to be a genius and hardly ever works for anything. The story ofBorutothen dives into the complex relationship that he shares with his father, with everything revolving around the Otsutsuki clan.
RELATED:Naruto: The Sequel Fans Needed Instead of Boruto
How Boruto Compares To Naruto
Written by Masashi Kishimoto and being set in the same world asNarutomeant thatBorutowas always going to be compared to its predecessor series,Naruto. While it is understandable thatBorutois its own series, the comparison withNarutois inevitable as the stories are set in the same universe and the majority of the characters in Boruto belong to the original series in the first place. As a series of its own,Borutodoes quite well to build its main characters up and has some interesting villains but the writing for the series falls short across the board.
When compared to the likes ofNaruto,Borutolacks the depththat made it special. Masashi Kishimoto’s ability to connect with the readers on a personal level through his incredible dynamic and emotionally charged story is a part of whyNarutois as successful as it is today. WithBoruto, however, this aspect of the story is completely missing, which is expected when fans have a genius as a protagonist.
Kawaki appears to be the only character written with any serious depth to him and is quite easily the most exceptional character in the story so far. In some ways, Kawaki is even better than some characters that Kishimoto wrote inNaruto, which is certainly somethingBorutoshould be proud of. While the character writing for the new generation ofBorutomight not be nearly as impressive, the relationships some of the characters share with each other are visceral and quite possibly the biggest selling point ofBoruto.
RELATED:Boruto: Things In The Story That Don’t Make Sense
Boruto Uzumaki’s relationship with his fatherwas focused on quite well during the early parts of the series and it lived up to the expectations quite well. As the series goes on, this incredible aspect ofBorutohad continued, as seen through the various relationships in the story, such as Sarada’s connection to Sasuke, and even Boruto Uzumaki and Kawaki. Sadly, aside from the few relationships that fans saw get explored inBoruto, there isn’t much to the other characters.
Whereas characters like Boruto Uzumaki and Kawaki are incredible and are focused on extremely well, the rest of the new generation cast feel almost as if they don’t matter. The cast falls flat on its face and it would hardly be an exaggeration to call it quite dull. Another incredible aspect ofNarutowas its villains and, once again,Borutodoesn’t offer much in this department. Without a doubt, the bad guys inBoruto,the Otsutsuki clan,are strong people who can wipe away planets with ease, however, they lack the depth and the character thatNarutowas known for.
Is Boruto A Successful Sequel?
Borutois certainly not a failure and as a sequel, does well to carry on the legacy ofNaruto, however, calling it anything other than average wouldn’t be accurate.Boruto’sstory is quite frankly, average at best and there isn’t much to absorb in the story at all. Often, the story feels way too disconnected from its original source, and at times,it even retcons the source. With the many Otsutsuki in the series, fans get to enjoy some incredible battles which are interesting, to say the least, however, the lack of depth and compelling character writing means that the villains don’t have much to show for themselves.
RELATED:Boruto: Every Power Upgrade Sasuke Uchiha Gained After The War
Boruto Uzumaki himself is one of the flattest protagonists in shonen history and the cast he has surrounding him, while full of potential, never gets as much attention. While the story tries to incorporate science into it time and again, often it feels way too forced, with Momoshiki’s Karma extraction being the prime example of this.
Perhaps,Boruto’sbest part is the fact that it plays well to its strengths and focuses more on what it does best rather than what it lacks. As such,characters like Kawaki and Borutokeep getting more interesting with time. Boruto also does a decent job with the likes of Naruto Uzumaki and the other characters from the old generation, keeping them relevant enough to keep the old fans hooked.
All in all,Borutodoesn’t and probably never will reach the same heights asNaruto. That’s not to say that the series is unsuccessful, however.Borutois still quite popular and has, over years, shown fans that if it plays to its strengths, it is more than just interesting. Despite the comparisons toNaruto, it continues to do its own thing and for what it’s worth, has delivered some incredible moments over the last few years. While the story won’t be remembered asNarutois, it is a decent sequel series that gives something to theNarutofans to continue enjoying.
