Kishimoto Reveals His Big Concern About Boruto

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This article contains spoilers from Naruto and Boruto.

Summary

  • Kishimoto provided a rough draft for Boruto initially.
  • Kishimoto’s involvement in Boruto is minimal now.
  • Kishimoto fears Boruto may become repetitive over time.

The animated series titled “Boruto” serves as a continuation of Masashi Kishimoto’s highly acclaimed and widely adored series, Naruto, which gained immense popularity from 1999 to 2014. Despite being nearly a decade past its initial release, the story of Naruto remains a beloved favorite among fans, if not more cherished than before.

Simultaneously, it’s evident that Boruto hasn’t quite scaled the same peaks as Naruto, even though it’s been running for nearly a decade. Fans have raised several concerns about the Boruto series, and similar sentiments are echoed by Kishimoto himself. While Boruto has persisted in its serialization, indicative of its longevity, it still grapples with problems that prevent it from matching Naruto’s past glory.

Kishimoto’s Involvement In Boruto

  • Kishimoto Did A Rough Draft For Boruto
  • His Involvement Is Minimal Nowadays

Masashi Kishimoto has consistently played a significant role in shaping the Boruto series. It’s essential for fans to remember that Kishimoto endorsed the Boruto series and he had his own motivations for wanting it to carry on. In fact, it was Kishimoto who initially conceived the idea of creating the Boruto series.

The era of shinobi is over. But, I’m still a shinobi. — Boruto Uzumaki

As a die-hard fan, I can proudly say that the foundation for what we now know as “Boruto” was laid by none other than the legendary Masashi Kishimoto himself, through the movie “Boruto: Naruto.” Following its success, a manga adaptation was announced, swiftly followed by an anime series. This progression has led us to where we are today with this captivating storyline.

It’s common knowledge that Kishimoto penned a significant portion of the plot himself, especially the epic saga involving Momoshiki – a part that many fans consider as the pinnacle of the narrative. However, there has been some speculation about how much influence Kishimoto still holds over the storyline as the manga unfolded.

Last year, our doubts were finally put to rest when Kishimoto and Ikemoto shared some insight with us fans regarding Kishimoto’s continued involvement in shaping the Boruto series. This revelation has brought a new wave of excitement among us devoted followers, as we eagerly await what the future holds for this phenomenal story!

In simpler terms, when creating Boruto, things didn’t exactly follow the original plan. From the start, adjustments were made, and the story gradually took a different direction than what Kishimoto-sensei had outlined. The main reason for this was the need to create new outcomes for both the shonen and seinen parts of the story. This led to the creation of characters like Ada and Demon, changes in Kashin Koji’s role, Amado’s escape to Konoha, and unexpected twists like Code not dying as planned and the sparing of another crucial character. Despite trying to make the manga more engaging, we’ve veered far from the original plan. Now, I find myself having to navigate unforeseen changes in the creation of Boruto, which is a challenge even for Kishimoto-sensei who approves of it.

It’s evident from Ikemoto’s statements that the Boruto series has undergone significant transformations. The original concept that Kishimoto envisioned for the story isn’t exactly how it unfolds today. Yet, it’s important to note that the narrative hasn’t veered too far from Kishimoto’s vision. This is because all decisions are approved by him personally. However, it’s clear that he is no longer the one actively writing or brainstorming ideas for the series.

Kishimoto’s Big Boruto Concern

Masashi Kishimoto Believes Boruto Could Be Repetitive

Masashi Kishimoto, creator of the Naruto series, harbors some worries regarding Boruto. He’s built an extraordinary universe in Naruto, a task now handed over to Ikemoto, whom he deeply respects. However, Kishimoto is also aware that the path for Ikemoto and Boruto won’t be an effortless one; instead, it will present numerous challenges.

In fact, Ikemoto has addressed this himself in the past. Here is what he had to say:

ME: As I embark on a fresh manga journey following the success of my previous series, I can’t help but ponder the challenges ahead. The anticipation and expectations from fans can be daunting, yet exciting at the same time. Balancing the need to create something new while still honoring the spirit of what came before is a delicate act. I’m eager to navigate this creative maze, eager to bring another captivating story to life.

Kishimoto Sensei expressed his concerns about Boruto’s story: Since Naruto’s narrative has already covered a lot of ground, there might be some repeated elements that could make the story feel too similar. Additionally, as Naruto and Sasuke grew incredibly powerful and their battles became epic, now we have children taking up the fight, which may give the impression of a smaller scale. To avoid the story feeling inadequate, it’s essential to find new ways to express things or come up with innovative ideas. These are the aspects that worry him.

It appears that Kishimoto sought to avoid repetition in the storyline of Boruto, constantly introducing novel ideas to keep things exciting. One such innovation is Scientific Ninja Technology, which was brought into the Naruto universe. Furthermore, there’s been increased focus on the Otsutsuki clan, a move that likely stems from Kishimoto’s desire for the series to maintain its freshness.

As an observer, I found it intriguing when Kishimoto pointed out that Naruto and Sasuke were exceptionally powerful characters, which posed a challenge for him as a storyteller. In his perspective, the magnitude of battles these two characters engaged in threatened to overshadow the narrative he intended to create, prompting him to seek a viable solution to maintain the balance.

The plan, as many followers understand, was to render Naruto and Sasuke unable to act permanently. This choice, which has been made by Kishimoto and Ikemoto in Boruto up until now, has caused a significant number of fans to lose interest in the story. It suggests that the authors have run out of creative ways to involve these characters significantly within the plot, leading them to remove them from their prominent positions for the development of future narratives.

Come, Otsutsuki, I’ll show you true resolve. — Naruto Uzumaki

It was truly unfortunate that icons were handled in this manner. Kishimoto’s concerns might have been validated, but his methods for addressing them left much room for debate. To this very day, fans still hold out hope that Naruto and Sasuke will regain their former prominence. However, the trajectory of the Boruto manga suggests that we may need to be patient before either character returns to play a significant role again.

* Naruto can be found for reading on MangaPlus and the Shonen Jump app. By choosing to read it there, fans are helping out the author by supporting the official release.*

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2025-02-14 01:26