Boruto: Kishimoto’s Influence Over The Plot, Explained

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This article contains spoilers from the Boruto series.

Summary

  • Kishimoto initially wrote Boruto, but now only supervises the story developments.
  • Mikio Ikemoto is the primary writer for the Boruto series, making significant changes from Kishimoto’s original draft.
  • Kishimoto’s influence over Boruto has lessened, leading to the story deviating from his initial ideas, but still ensures it’s engaging.

Masashi Kishimoto is a highly influential manga author of recent times, best known for his creation, “Naruto“. Through this iconic work, Kishimoto has earned a place among the legends of the manga world. His masterpiece has been one of the most widely read mangas in history and, until recently, held the title as the most popular manga from the Big Three publishers overseas.

Since Naruto concluded, there’s been a significant shift in the narrative landscape. A sequel titled Boruto was introduced, centering around Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki. Regrettably, the reception hasn’t been as favorable as fans might have anticipated, sparking curiosity about Kishimoto’s involvement in these developments.

The Initial Involvement Of Kishimoto In Boruto

  • Kishimoto Wrote Boruto Initially
  • Right Now, Kishimoto Doesn’t Write The Story

The Boruto series emerged swiftly after the final chapter of Naruto. Not long after the story concluded, the foundation for Boruto was already laid. Originally, Kishimoto penned the Boruto tale, which partly explains why it happened so soon. You see, the plan initially was to create a movie. The movie, Boruto: Naruto The Movie, was indeed written by Kishimoto himself. This became apparent in the high-quality storyline that the film presented. Eventually, the movie was adapted into a manga, and the series took off from there.

As an avid fan, I can’t help but reminisce about the thrilling journey of Boruto, which evolved into Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. At its inception, Mikio Ikemoto graced us with his artistic skills, while Ukyo Kodachi penned the story. Back then, the legendary Masashi Kishimoto wasn’t just a spectator; he provided rough outlines for the team to flesh out, aiming to bring those ideas to life. It was an engaging way for Kishimoto to keep a hand in the story, and it was something that fans appreciated deeply. However, as time has passed, things have taken a different turn.

Essentially, it appears that Kishimoto’s impact on the story has significantly decreased, which might be a factor contributing to the declining interest in the series. Initially, Ukyo Kodachi was the writer, but now, all the work is being handled by Ikemoto alone. Kishimoto continues to oversee the project, but the current state of things is quite different from what it used to be.

Kishimoto Still Supervises Boruto But Isn’t The Writer

Ikemoto Serves As The Primary Writer Of The Boruto Series

Mikio Ikemoto has been penning the “Boruto” series since the change in creative direction. Although Kishimoto remains involved and holds a supervisory role, he no longer serves as the main writer. Instead, his original script, which was handed over to the team earlier, has undergone significant changes. This means that Mikio Ikemoto now has greater creative control over the characters initially developed by Masashi Kishimoto, allowing him to shape the story in ways that may be favorable or unfavorable, according to his vision. In an interview, Mikio Ikemoto clarified how the current serialization of “Boruto” operates:

Essentially, what I’m trying to say is that plans don’t always work out as expected. From the get-go, minor adjustments have been necessary. Over time, though, the narrative has taken a turn different from Kishimoto-sensei’s original blueprint. There are several reasons for this deviation. However, the primary cause is that I needed to develop my own unique conclusion for the shonen genre and a concept for the seinen genre.

After making that decision, Ada and Demon came into existence. Kashin Koji’s responsibilities were redefined, and Amado fled to Konoha. Furthermore, it was expected that Code would have perished much earlier. To put it frankly, a character who is even more crucial to the storyline was also saved from death. Although the intention may have been to enhance the manga’s intrigue, we find ourselves straying significantly from the initial plot.

Right now, I’m independently crafting the narrative for Boruto, which means adapting to unexpected changes along the way is a significant hurdle, even with Kishimoto-sensei’s approval.

It’s apparent that Ikemoto has significantly altered the original direction of the story as it was initially set by Kishimoto. Although the writers have been adhering to Kishimoto’s draft to some extent, over time, subtle adjustments were made which eventually led the plot to stray quite far from what Kishimoto had originally envisioned for it.

According to Ikemoto’s own account, the characters Ada and Demon didn’t appear in the initial plans but were added later during the writing process. The same can be said for Kashin Koji, whose role underwent significant changes. However, what stands out is that Kishimoto originally intended to kill off a key character, but Ikemoto managed to prevent this from happening. It’s possible that the character in question was Naruto Uzumaki himself.

How Much Does Kishimoto Influence The Story?

Kishimoto Influences The Story In Small Parts

The impact of Kishimoto on the Boruto series remains significant, as fans are aware that he plays a crucial role and oversees every aspect related to this series. However, it’s important to note that Kishimoto himself is not the author. Instead, Ikemoto handles the writing responsibilities with the aim of creating his unique storyline. Yet, this doesn’t mean that Kishimoto has completely stepped back. He still engages in discussions and approves Ikemoto’s work, making necessary adjustments to ensure it aligns with his vision. A Boruto chapter is only published after receiving Kishimoto’s approval.

In a sense, Kishimoto might not be considered the writer of the Boruto series in its entirety because he no longer pens the story himself and the original draft has undergone changes. However, Kishimoto still maintains a role as supervisor, reviewing and either accepting or declining ideas proposed by Ikemoto for the series.

Ikemoto plans to make more adjustments to the storyline down the line, similar to what we’ve seen so far. Previously mentioned, this series is deviating from Kishimoto’s original concept with each new chapter, but this isn’t inherently good or bad. As long as the narrative remains captivating and intriguing, fans don’t mind who’s writing it. The essential aspect is that the storyline is shaping up to be thrilling, and that’s definitely the case with Boruto right now. It can be said that Ikemoto has done a commendable job on Boruto, particularly with Two Blue Vortex. Nevertheless, fans should recognize that it may not reach the same levels of greatness as Naruto and is, in many aspects, a less impressive sequel storyline.

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2025-01-12 01:04