Rating: 3.5/5 stars
Director: Noriyuki Abe (Chief Director), Hiroyuki Yamashita, Toshirō Fujii, Masayuki Kōda
Total Episodes: Ongoing (over 290 episodes as of 2024)
Studio: Studio Pierrot
Genres: Action, Adventure, Martial Arts, Shounen, Superpowers
“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” is the sequel to the beloved Naruto series, shifting the focus from Naruto Uzumaki to his son, Boruto Uzumaki, and the next generation of ninjas in the Hidden Leaf Village. Directed by Noriyuki Abe and other key figures, the anime started in 2017 and remains ongoing. While Boruto benefits from the legacy of Naruto, it has been met with mixed reception. It both honors and diverges from its predecessor, delivering fresh content to a new generation of viewers while struggling to live up to the massive expectations set by the original.
Story & Setting
The story of Boruto begins in a world at peace, with Naruto having become the Seventh Hokage of the Hidden Leaf Village. The village has advanced technologically, with modern conveniences like trains and computers coexisting alongside traditional ninja practices. This new world presents different challenges for the younger generation, who have not experienced the war and hardships their parents faced.
At the center of the narrative is Boruto Uzumaki, a prodigious yet rebellious ninja who seeks to step out from under his father’s shadow. Unlike Naruto, who grew up an outcast striving for recognition, Boruto starts off as a naturally talented shinobi, but his relationship with his famous father is strained. Boruto resents Naruto for his absence as a father due to his responsibilities as Hokage, creating a core conflict that drives much of the early story.
Team 7, which Boruto leads, includes other notable children of legendary shinobi: Sarada Uchiha, the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura, who dreams of becoming Hokage, and Mitsuki, the enigmatic artificial human created by Orochimaru. Together, they take on a variety of missions, facing both internal village issues and new external threats.
While much of Boruto is episodic, especially in its early arcs, the larger narrative unfolds with the introduction of the Kara organization and Ōtsutsuki Clan, new enemies that pose existential threats to the ninja world. The Ōtsutsuki are particularly menacing, being god-like beings from another dimension who view Earth and its inhabitants as tools to harvest for their purposes.
The tone of Boruto balances the familiar elements of ninja battles and emotional growth with a more lighthearted and less dire atmosphere compared to Naruto Shippuden. The stakes eventually rise, but the early part of the series focuses more on the everyday life of the new generation of ninjas, school life, and family dynamics.
Characters
The heart of Boruto lies in its characters, though they have big shoes to fill, given the success and iconic status of the Naruto cast.
Boruto Uzumaki: Boruto is a talented, confident, and sometimes brash protagonist. He differs from Naruto in that he is naturally gifted and respected by his peers, but his journey is more about overcoming his resentment towards his father and finding his own path as a shinobi. While he can be impulsive, Boruto’s growth over the series is about understanding the responsibilities of a ninja and the deeper consequences of his actions.
Sarada Uchiha: Sarada is the daughter of Sasuke and Sakura, and she inherits their combined strength and intelligence. As a character, she serves as a counterbalance to Boruto’s impulsiveness, often taking a more calculated approach. Her ambition to become Hokage contrasts with Boruto’s initial indifference to that title, and her character arc involves coming to terms with her family’s legacy while forging her identity.
Mitsuki: Mitsuki is one of the more intriguing characters, being the synthetic son of Orochimaru. While he appears calm and composed, he harbors a complex inner life, questioning his purpose and the nature of his existence. Mitsuki’s loyalty to Boruto and his mysterious origins add layers to the dynamic between Team 7.
Naruto & Sasuke: Naruto and Sasuke, now adults and veterans, still play significant roles in the series, particularly as mentors to the younger generation. Their presence adds gravitas to the series, as they are now responsible for protecting the world they fought to save in their youth. Their dynamic remains strong, though the focus is now on how they deal with their roles as fathers and leaders.
Kawaki: Introduced later in the series, Kawaki becomes a pivotal character in Boruto. A former test subject of Kara, Kawaki develops a brother-like bond with Boruto, but their relationship is fraught with tension, particularly due to the mysterious marks known as Karma that both characters share. Kawaki’s tragic backstory and connection to the larger threats in the series push the narrative in darker, more mature directions.
Animation & Art
The animation in Boruto is handled by Studio Pierrot, the same studio responsible for Naruto. While the animation quality varies across episodes, there are several standout moments, particularly during major fights like the Momoshiki battle and later confrontations involving Kara members like Jigen. The series employs fluid, high-energy action sequences, particularly when it comes to ninjutsu and taijutsu battles.
However, Boruto has also faced criticism for a large number of “filler” episodes or arcs, where the animation can feel less detailed or rushed. The filler content, while giving side characters more time to develop, can detract from the central narrative, leading to pacing issues.
That said, when the animation team focuses on critical arcs, the results are impressive, rivaling some of the best fight scenes in Naruto Shippuden. The character designs stay true to Masashi Kishimoto’s original work, with a more modern flair reflecting the next generation’s style and the technological advancements in the world of Boruto.
Soundtrack & Music
Boruto features a solid soundtrack composed by Yasuharu Takanashi, who also worked on Naruto Shippuden. The music blends traditional Japanese instruments with more modern, energetic beats to match the evolving world of the series. The openings and endings are varied, with notable tracks like “Baton Road” by KANA-BOON and “Golden Time” by Fujifabric capturing the adventurous and evolving spirit of the series.
The music enhances both action-packed moments and emotional beats, though the soundtrack doesn’t quite reach the iconic status of Naruto’s themes. Nevertheless, it serves its purpose well in elevating the key moments in the story.
Themes & Social Commentary
Boruto touches on several themes that resonate with both older fans of Naruto and newer audiences:
Legacy vs. Individuality: A key theme in Boruto is the struggle of living up to one’s legacy. Boruto feels overshadowed by Naruto’s fame and achievements, while Sarada wrestles with her family’s complicated past. The younger generation is constantly compared to their parents, and much of their journey involves stepping out from that shadow and creating their own identities.
Technology vs. Tradition: The world of Boruto is marked by the introduction of modern technology into the ninja world. This brings up tensions between traditional ninja techniques and the convenience of scientific advancements. Boruto himself is initially skeptical of scientific ninja tools, and the series explores the balance between innovation and the preservation of cultural and martial traditions.
Fatherhood and Family: A recurring emotional thread in Boruto is the strained relationship between Boruto and Naruto, as well as other father-child dynamics throughout the series. Naruto’s responsibilities as Hokage have distanced him from his family, leading to Boruto’s resentment. Their relationship evolves as they learn to understand each other, providing emotional depth to the series.
Power and Responsibility: As with Naruto, Boruto deals heavily with the concept of power and the responsibilities that come with it. Both Boruto and Kawaki struggle with the Karma mark, a source of immense power that connects them to dangerous forces. The burden of protecting the world falls on the new generation, and their growth involves learning to wield power responsibly.
Criticism
Boruto has faced significant criticism, especially in its early run. One major issue is the pacing, with a large number of filler episodes that detract from the main plot. While Naruto also had its share of fillers, fans of the original series have expressed frustration with Boruto’s slower pacing and the prolonged focus on non-canon material.
Another point of criticism is the character development of Boruto himself. Early in the series, Boruto is seen as brash, entitled, and ungrateful for the peaceful world his father helped create, which rubbed some fans the wrong way. However, Boruto’s character growth does improve over time, particularly after the Momoshiki Arc, where he begins to take his responsibilities as a shinobi more seriously.
Finally, comparisons to Naruto are inevitable, and many fans feel that Boruto lacks the emotional weight and intensity of its predecessor. While Naruto dealt with themes of loneliness, perseverance and overcoming insurmountable odds, Boruto’s world is one of relative peace and prosperity, which some fans feel lessens the sense of urgency and stakes. The challenges faced by the new generation often feel smaller in scope when compared to the wars and world-ending threats Naruto and his peers faced. However, this changes with the introduction of the Ōtsutsuki Clan and the Kara Organization, which eventually raises the stakes, but it takes time for the series to hit its stride in this regard.
Final Thoughts
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is an enjoyable sequel that expands on the rich world of Naruto, offering fresh stories and new characters while maintaining the core themes of friendship, perseverance, and duty that defined its predecessor. While it may not initially reach the emotional heights or intensity of Naruto Shippuden, it offers a unique perspective by showing how the ninja world evolves in a time of peace and modernization.
The series excels when it focuses on its major story arcs and character development, particularly with Boruto’s growth and the introduction of darker, more serious threats. However, it struggles with pacing, an over-reliance on filler episodes, and early character portrayals that can be off-putting to longtime fans of the Naruto series.
For newcomers, Boruto offers an accessible entry point into the Naruto universe, though it may take some time to fully appreciate the weight of its characters and story arcs without the context of its predecessor. For fans of Naruto, Boruto may feel like a more relaxed continuation that grows into its own, providing nostalgic callbacks while offering fresh material that honors the legacy it inherits.
As the series continues, particularly with its deeper exploration of Boruto and Kawaki’s connection to the Karma and the future of the ninja world, there is potential for it to carve out a unique and compelling identity, separate from the shadow of Naruto.
