Highlights
- Naruto's parenting in Boruto has sparked debate, with critics calling him a bad father and others defending his Hokage duties.
- Instances of subpar parenting include Naruto's absence, sending clones to family events, and prioritizing his role as Hokage.
- Despite struggles, Naruto fails to balance fatherhood and leadership, leading to a strained relationship with Boruto.
With the Naruto franchise extending its narrative in the form of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, fans of the show were able to witness their favorite characters once more, albeit in a more multidimensional role. This is especially true for the prequel’s titular character, Naruto Uzumaki, who has taken on the role of not just the Leaf’s Seventh Hokage, but also that of a father of two children.
However, Naruto’s parenting has been more than divisive over Boruto’s run, with some calling him out as a bad father, and others justifying his lack of presence. In either case, Naruto has set an awful precedent in the series’ parenting department, and Boruto’s dissatisfaction and constant outbursts for attention speak to this fact. Examining Naruto’s parenting debacles can shed light on the matter, determining whether he actually deserves the criticism he receives for his role as a father to Boruto.
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Naruto’s Divisive Parenting
Since the beginning of Boruto, Naruto’s parenting has been a topic of debate among the community. The earliest plotline in the show revolved around Naruto being an absent father to Boruto, and unfortunately, this trend remained unchanged for most of the series. While Naruto’s lack of absence would clearly deem him a bad father to both Boruto and Himawari, many argue that serving the Hidden Leaf as the Hokage is just as important of a role.
It could be argued that Boruto is simply an entitled child, failing to understand the complexities of his father’s position. However, placing the burden of tolerance on a mere 12-year-old child seems rather unfair, and with Naruto being the adult in this situation, the responsibility of balancing his life would naturally lie on his own shoulders.
Instances of Naruto’s Bad Parenting
The entirety of Boruto is riddled with instances of Naruto’s subpar parenting, affecting not just Boruto but the entire family. From never being home to sending shadow clones to spend time with his family, Naruto has set a precedent of bad parenting in the series, second only to Sasuke.
While Naruto had plenty of opportunities for course correction, he failed to acknowledge his family’s suffering. It’s only natural for Naruto to struggle as a parent, since he lacked parental role models growing up. On the flip side, Naruto should be more receptive to the needs of his own child, considering he experienced the same neglect and abandonment growing up.
Naruto Prioritizes His Role as Hokage
As the Hokage, Naruto is always tied up in banal paperwork and other menial duties, either pulling all-nighters at his office or showing up at home late at night. While it’s understandable to be devoted to the role of the village leader, Naruto fails to realize the effects on his family.
Now that I'm Hokage, the entire village is my family.
However, Naruto has had plenty of opportunities to leave for home, with either Shikamaru volunteering to take over, or for Naruto to simply use his clones to finish up work. He even missed Boruto’s birthday simply to finish up his Hokage duties, an incident that further divided the father-son duo.
Naruto Sends His Clones to Spend Time With His Family
Naruto is arguably the most skilled user of the Shadow Clone Jutsu, allowing him to multitask and be in more places than one. Instead, Naruto would rather send clones to spend time with his family than actually show up.
Boruto: Who Is Shin Uchiha?
Despite being one of the earliest antagonists in Boruto, Shin Uchiha was able to leave a lasting impression with his nuanced ideology.
On Himawari’s birthday, Naruto simply sent a shadow clone in his place, which ended up disappearing since he couldn’t maintain the clone. Choosing to place his family as his second priority clearly brands him as a terrible father, no matter how significant his job may be.
It's always because he's the Hokage. He never comes home because he's the Hokage! He's never there for us because he's the Hokage!
Naruto Has Been a Better Father Figure to Kawaki Than to Boruto
During the early parts of Boruto, Naruto states that he has a difficult time relating to his son. This could be attributed to his own lack of a father figure growing up. However, this fact is later contradicted when he ends up taking in Kawaki.
Naruto was more attentive to Kawaki’s needs than his own son. Given their similar downtrodden childhood, Naruto could relate to Kawaki more, understanding the pain he had been through. However, this further presented Naruto as an awful father to his own children, seeing how he was more present and attentive to his adoptive child.
The Final Verdict
Despite several clear instances of questionable parenting on Naruto’s part, it would still be somewhat of a stretch to outright call him a terrible father. The situation is rather nuanced as the duty of leading the Hidden Leaf has its own toll, and forgoing such a responsibility would deem Naruto a negligent leader.
However, this doesn’t absolve Naruto of his shortcomings as a father. The issue at hand is merely balancing the two duties of being a father and a leader, yet Naruto has somehow stupendously failed at coming up with a viable solution. While Boruto can be a handful at times, it’s certainly not wrong to pin Naruto as the cause of their somewhat estranged relationship, deeming Naruto a clearly subpar father.
Boruto is available to stream on Prime Video.
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