Highlights
- Boruto: Naruto Next Generations received mixed responses from fans, with some excited and others disappointed at the protagonist being Boruto Uzumaki.
- Fans were initially pleased with how Naruto and Sasuke were handled in the story, but their importance dwindled over time, disappointing many fans.
- The old Naruto characters, including Sakura, Rock Lee, Gaara, and Kakashi, were mostly neglected in Boruto, leading to a lack of depth in the story. The upcoming rebrand of the series may provide an opportunity to address these issues.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was the sequel series that was announced after the conclusion of Naruto. From the very beginning, the series received mixed responses from the fans. While some were incredibly excited to see Naruto continue in any shape or form, others were largely disappointed at the protagonist being Boruto Uzumaki, given that Naruto still had a lot of potential left to be explored.
While Boruto has been fun at some points, it has largely remained unconvincing for the fans as a whole. One of the major concerns that fans have had with this story is the fact that the old characters, from the Naruto era, were not treated with care and respect. With Boruto starting a completely new manga, called Boruto: Two Blue Vortex now, fans are wondering whether anything is going to change in that regard.
Naruto And Sasuke In Boruto Part 1
Naruto and Sasuke are two of the most incredible characters in not just the Naruto franchise but anime and manga as a whole. These two characters have become iconic over the years and fans have come to love them from all over the world. When Boruto was announced, quite a significant portion of the fandom was rather disappointed, given that these two characters, along with many other Naruto characters, still had a lot of depth that could have been explored. Nonetheless, fans decided to give Boruto a shot, given that these old characters would still be present in the story. When it comes to Naruto and Sasuke, fans were pleasantly surprised at how their characters were handled, at least in the beginning.
Both of these characters were central to the story and fans could see that they were living up to the legacy that they had built over the years. Naruto and Sasuke were seen as legends and the only reliable ones that the world of ninja had against stronger threats, such as the likes of the Otsutsuki. With time, however, their importance dwindled and the new characters started taking over at their expense, instead of along with them. For instance, the author decided to nerf both Naruto and Sasuke by taking away the strongest powers from them. Naruto ended up losing Kurama while Sasuke got stabbed in his Rinnegan. Both of these characters were made tremendously weaker just to give a pedestal to the Boruto character, which upset quite a lot of fans. It became quite clear to see that their initial treatment, while good, was only to get fans hooked on the series and, eventually, the next generation was given room to shine at their expense, which genuinely could have been handled much better.
Other Naruto Characters In Boruto Part 1
Naruto and Sasuke were two of the most important characters in Boruto from the old era. Their treatment was certainly not what fans expected it to be, however, when compared to the other Naruto characters, they were insanely lucky. The vast majority of the Naruto cast did not end up playing any role in Boruto at all. Sakura Haruno was on the sidelines the entire time and did not do even one significant thing in the entire manga. Kakashi, another legendary figure from the Naruto series, did not play any role in the story whatsoever. Just like him, other characters, such as Rock Lee, or Tenten, or even ninjas from the other villages, such as Gaara, didn't play much of a role in the story at all. This came as a surprise to the fans, given that these characters were beloved and could certainly have added a lot of depth to Boruto.
In fact, even characters who should have been at the receiving end of the spotlight, such as Konohamaru, the leader of the New Team 7, were also mostly cut out of the manga at all times. Konohamaru proved to be quite a disappointment to the fans and he did not do anything significant in the entire series, much to the surprise of every reader. It was quite clear that the story was fixated on the likes of Boruto and Kawaki and simply ignored every other character. Even the side characters from the new generation, such as Sarada and Mitsuki, ended up being neglected and that certainly goes to show that Boruto had its glaring flaws.
Boruto's Apparent Rebrand
The first part of Boruto made it quite clear that the story had taken a particular stance on these old characters and wanted to stick with it to the very end. This alienated quite a big section of the Naruto fans who simply gave up interest in reading this story. However, now, Boruto is undergoing what appears to be a complete rebrand. Boruto is not continuing the old manga, called Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Instead, the series is now getting a completely new part 2 manga, called Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. Instead of getting Boruto chapter 81, it is likely that fans will get Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 1.
This is a clear sign that Boruto needed an overhaul and, perhaps, this overhaul might also tackle the issues that the old characters of Naruto have faced. Before heading to the Naruto characters, however, Boruto certainly needs to do something about its own side cast. Fans have seen the likes of Boruto and Kawaki receive a tremendous amount of exposition, however, when it comes to the side cast of the new generation, such as Sarada and Mitsuki, there appears to be a lack of depth and attention given to them. What's even more sad is the fact that the other teams, such as Team 10, that are active in Konoha yet have barely appeared. The next generation ninjas from other villages appear to be nonexistent in the manga and these are all aspects of the story that need to be fixed for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex to be a success.
Will Naruto Characters Receive Better Treatment In Boruto?
When it comes to the Naruto characters, Boruto Part 2 certainly needs to improve a lot. For one, characters of the old, such as Sakura, Rock Lee, Ino, Choji, Tenten, Gaara, and even the likes of Kakashi, Tsunade, and Orochimaru deserve more time and participation in the ongoing events. These are legendary characters who certainly possess enough power and insight that would help deal with the threat of the Otsutsuki. Neglecting them completely gives the fans the idea that this story is not respectful to the original manga.
At the same time, Naruto and Sasuke are also characters that deserve special attention, given that they were the ones who carried Naruto on their backs and gave fans thousands upon thousands of moments worth of joy. These two characters were handled in a very humiliating manner towards the end of the first part of the series. Fans can only hope that the second part remedies that. As to whether Boruto will get to do that or not is something that only time will tell, however, with a rebrand, there is more of an opportunity for the series to tackle these issues and be more successful than its predecessor.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will be available to read on Viz Media.