Boruto
Japanese manga and anime series and the sequel to Naruto
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Boruto[a] is a Japanese manga series written by Ukyō Kodachi (first 13 volumes) and Mikio Ikemoto, with illustrations by Ikemoto and supervision by Masashi Kishimoto. It is a spin-off and a sequel to Kishimoto's manga series Naruto and follows the adventures of Naruto Uzumaki's son Boruto and his ninja team. The manga began serialization under the title Boruto: Naruto Next Generations[b] in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump in May 2016, with Kodachi as writer and Kishimoto as editorial supervisor. In July 2019, the series was transferred to Shueisha's monthly magazine V Jump. Kodachi stepped down in November 2020, after which Kishimoto took over as writer. In April 2023, the series concluded the first part of its story. Following a brief hiatus, it resumed in August of the same year with a second part titled Boruto: Two Blue Vortex[c] in which Boruto has been falsely accused by his allies of killing his parents, yet decides to still fight to protect his hometown.
- Mikio Ikemoto
- Ukyō Kodachi (#1–13)
- Masashi Kishimoto
| Boruto | |
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| BORUTO | |
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| Genre | |
| Created by | Masashi Kishimoto |
| Anime film | |
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| Series subtitle | |
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| Manga | |
| Written by |
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| Illustrated by | Mikio Ikemoto |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Magazine |
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| English magazine | |
| Original run | 9 May 2016 – present |
| Volumes | 27 |
| Anime television series | |
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Boruto originated from Shueisha's proposal to Kishimoto to create a Naruto sequel. Kishimoto rejected this offer and suggested his former assistant Mikio Ikemoto draw it; Ukyō Kodachi, the writer of the film Boruto: Naruto the Movie, created the plot. A 293-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Pierrot under Kodachi's supervision (episodes 1–216), was broadcast on TV Tokyo from April 2017 to March 2023; a second part has been announced to be in development. Unlike the manga, which begins as a retelling of the Boruto film, the anime starts as a prequel set before Boruto and his friends become ninjas. In addition, a light novel series adaptation has been published.
The overall manga series had over 10 million copies in circulation in Japan by October 2025. The original series initially received a mixed-to-positive response, largely due to Boruto's characterization. His main character arc is resolved in the second volume, which led several writers to anticipate his growth and rivalry with Kawaki. Although the use of characters from the previous generation was criticized, Two Blue Vortex received more positive reviews for its portrayal of a stronger and more serious protagonist. Ikemoto's artwork, particularly the fight scenes, was also praised.
Plot
Part I: Naruto Next Generations
The son of Seventh Hokage Naruto Uzumaki and his wife Hinata Uzumaki, and older brother of Himawari Uzumaki, Boruto feels so angry over his father placing and trains with a ninja team led by Naruto's protégé Konohamaru Sarutobi, alongside Sarada Uchiha and Mitsuki to impress his father. Sarada's father Sasuke warns Naruto of an impending threat related to the motivations of Kaguya Ōtsutsuki's bloodline. Their successors Momoshiki and Kinshiki Ōtsutsuki abduct Naruto so they can use Kurama, the Nine-Tailed Fox sealed inside his body, to revitalize the dying Divine Tree from the dimension they came from. Boruto, Sasuke, and the four Kages, the leaders of other ninja villages manage to save Naruto and fight together to defeat the Otsutsuki'. Momoshiki survives long enough give him a mark called "Karma".
Boruto and the others learn about a group called "Kara" searching for people with the marks called Karma. Boruto's team meets Kara's fugitive Kawaki, a boy who also has Karma. He is adopted member of the Uzumaki family as Naruto tries to protect him from Kara. Sasuke discovers all Karma users will be taken over by the Ōtsutsuki clan, including Jigen and Boruto. Meanwhile, a mutiny begins in Kara, with Koji Kashin, a clone of Naruto's late master Jiraiya, challenging Jigen, while Amado reveals the leader of Kara is Isshiki Ōtsutsuki, who has been possessing Jigen ever since he was betrayed by Kaguya when they came to Earth millennia ago, and that Karma allows the Ōtsutsuki clan to resurrect via the host's body. Isshiki attempts to find Kawaki, but Naruto faces him head-on. Due to lack of life time, Isshiki dies. Momoshiki uses this as an opportunity to possess Boruto and kill the rest, but Sasuke and Kawaki fight him until Boruto recovers his body. Isshiki requests Code, who was guarding the Ten-Tails, to carry on the Ōtsutsuki's will. Code releases the two strongest cyborgs created by Amado that were supposed to have been disposed off: Eida and Daemon. Eida agrees to help Code kill Naruto if he in turn spares Kawaki for her to have a normal romance with, because her powers of seduction hinder her from experiencing proper love except with Ōtsutsuki. Code finds Kawaki, and Boruto fights him using Karma. However, Momoshiki takes over Boruto's body, forcing Kawaki to kill him. Momoshiki revives Boruto, causing Boruto to become a full Ōtsutsuki.
Amado reveals that Eida's and Daemon's powers are shinjutsu transplanted from the corpse of Shibai Ōtsutsuki, an Ōtsutsuki who achieved godhood and transcended to another plane. He defines shinjutsu as divine abilities more powerful than ninjutsu, which can be used only by gods, including the Karma. Kawaki, having deduced that Boruto, being a full-fledged Ōtsutsuki, is likely to turn evil, sends Naruto and Hinata into another dimension, promising to free them after killing Boruto and all the Ōtsutsukis. In the ensuing fight, Boruto confronts Kawaki and sacrifices his right eye to save Sarada. Sasuke arrives and tries to stop Kawaki. Kawaki meets with Eida, who activates her Senrigan dojutsu known as the Omnipotence to rewrite everyone's memories: Kawaki and Boruto permanently swapped places, with Kawaki forcing Eida to lie that Boruto has killed Naruto and Hinata. Only Sumire Kakei and Sarada are unaffected by the Omnipotence, with Sarada convincing Sasuke of Boruto's innocence. Boruto vows to regain everything taken from him.
Part II: Two Blue Vortex
Three years have passed, Naruto and Hinata are unconscious in Kawaki's dimension, while Sarada has failed to convince the Eighth Hokage Shikamaru Nara of Boruto's innocence. Code attacks the Konoha village with an army of monsters, but Boruto arrives to fight them off. Kawaki attacks Boruto and helps Code escape from the village, before Boruto can get information about the Ten-Tails. Boruto teleports to the dimension where he encounters Code and the four Shinju clones. After escaping, Boruto is supported by Koji Kashin, who became his new mentor, while sitting next to the tree that Code has trapped Sasuke in. Boruto reunites with Sarada and Sumire in the village. He reveals the truth about what happened three years ago to Shikamaru. Shikamaru tells Boruto that until they are ready to expose Kawaki's crimes to the village, they must work together in the shadows since Boruto is still considered a criminal. After Boruto informs Shikamaru of the true purpose of the sentient Ten-Tails, two Shinju clones Jura and Hidari arrives to the village to search for Naruto's whereabouts. Himawari, who believes that Boruto is innocent and wants to help her brother, steps forth to oppose them. Boruto continues protecting the village within the shadows despite being a target by his own allies though Kawaki eventually decides to fight by his side again.
Production
When the Naruto manga concluded in 2014, the company Shueisha asked Masashi Kishimoto to draw the sequel. Kishimoto rejected the idea and proposed artist Mikio Ikemoto, who had been working as an assistant for Kishimoto ever since Naruto's early chapters, to draw it instead.[2][3] A countdown website titled "Next Generation" was used to promote the new manga. In December 2015, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations's serialisation was announced.[4][5] Kishimoto said he wanted Boruto to surpass his own work.[6] The writer of Boruto, Ukyō Kodachi, had written a light novel called Gaara Hiden (2015) and had assisted Kishimoto in writing the script for the film Boruto: Naruto the Movie.[7] Besides writing for the series, Kodachi supervises the story of the anime. Kishimoto also acted as the supervisor of the anime for episodes 8 and 9.[8] Kodachi explained that the series' setting which is notable for handling more science than Naruto was influenced by his father, a physician. In order to further combine the use of ninjutsu and technology, Kodachi was inspired by sci-fi role playing games.[9]
Despite Kishimoto revising the manga's scenario, he advised Ikemoto to make his own art style instead of imitating his. Ikemoto agreed and felt optimistic about his art style. While noting long-time fans might be disappointed Kishimoto is not drawing Boruto, Ikemoto stated he would do his best in making the manga.[10] While feeling honoured to create the art for Boruto, Ikemoto stated he is grateful the series is released monthly rather than weekly because producing the required amount of nearly 20 pages per chapter would be stressful; however, he still finds the monthly serialisation challenging. Regular chapters of Boruto tend to exceed 40 pages; creation of the thumbnail sketches takes a week, the pages take 20 days to produce, while the rest of the time is used for colouring images and retouching the chapters.[11] In drawing the characters, Ikemoto felt that the facial expressions of Boruto changed as the story moved on; Initially giving the protagonist large eyes for the character's interactions with Tento, Boruto's appearance was made more rebellious when he instead talked with Kawaki.[12] In early 2019, Ikemoto stated that the relationship between Boruto and Kawaki would become the central focus of the plot as it progressed toward their confrontation depicted in the flashforward.[12] He aimed to conclude the series in approximately 30 volumes.[12] Regarding Boruto's role in the sequel to Naruto, Ikemoto cited Keanu Reeves's character Neo from The Matrix franchise as an influence; like Neo, Boruto had the potential to become a savior to his people, and the manga therefore focused on his training to develop into such a powerful ninja.[13]
Although Kishimoto initially was not writing the series, he created multiple characters for the staff to use.[14] Kishimoto did not specify whether Naruto or another important character would die, but he said he would find a situation like this interesting and added that the authors have freedom to write the story as they wish.[15] In November 2020 it was announced that after 51 chapters and 13 volumes, Kodachi would step down as writer, with Kishimoto assuming full writing duties and Ikemoto continuing as illustrator beginning with chapter 52 in V Jump magazine on 21 November 2020.[16][17] In an August 2024 interview, Kishimoto stated that Ikemoto is completely in charge of the story and main illustrations of the series, emphasizing, "It really is Ikemoto's manga." Ikemoto stated that most of Kishimoto's villains are complex and frequently presented with a backstory that explains why they were compelled to assume their role in the narrative. However, Ikemoto maintained that he could not write villains in the same manner as Kishimoto, and as a result, the antagonists in Boruto may appear as more unreasonable antagonists.[18]
Although the series adopts a lighter tone than Naruto, it begins by foreshadowing a dark future. Kishimoto proposed this setup to give the manga greater impact and to adopt a different approach from that of the Boruto film. In this scenario, Ikemoto drew an older Boruto, though he believes this design may change once the manga reaches that point.[10] As the authors wanted the characters' fashion to reflect their personalities, the teenage Boruto wears clothes borrowed from Sasuke as a sign of respect toward his teacher and pride in his upbringing.[19] Kawaki does not wear anything notable, reflecting his lack of personal interest.[19]
Themes
Ukyo Kodachi drew a parallel between Boruto and the post–Cold War era, suggesting that although the new characters lived in a time of peace, some complicating factor could return the world to chaos. At the end of Naruto, the protagonist succeeded in ending the world war between the Shinobi Alliance and the Akatsuki forces. Boruto was destined to protect the peace forged by his father.[11] The series often focuses on family relationships, whether blood-related or not, with Kawaki feeling attached to his adoptive father, Naruto, and seeing Boruto as a brother.[20] The Japanese band Asian Kung-Fu Generation also commented on the relationship between Boruto and Kawaki, expressing the view that the series might end with the fated face-off between the two characters, and hoping that they would overcome their issues.[21] The characters also had a longing attachment to key figures they missed, which was represented by their clothing, most notably in the cases of Boruto and Sarada.[19] The improvements in technology in the world of Naruto and Boruto drew parallels to Kodachi's own upbringing.[22]
Media
Manga
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is written by Ukyō Kodachi (vol.1–13) and Masashi Kishimoto (vol.14–20) and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto.[17] It started in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump on 9 May 2016.[23][24] It ran in the magazine until 10 June 2019 and was then transferred to V Jump on 20 July of the same year.[25][26] The original series' creator, Masashi Kishimoto, initially supervised the manga, which was illustrated by his former chief assistant and written by the co-writer of the Boruto: Naruto the Movie screenplay, Ukyō Kodachi.[23] In November 2020 Kodachi stepped down, with Kishimoto taking over as writer.[16] In order to keep the entire Naruto saga within a hundred volumes, Ikemoto hopes to complete the manga in fewer than 30 volumes.[27] In April 2023, it was announced that the manga would enter on hiatus;[28] it resumed on 21 August of the same year, with a second part titled Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.[29]
Viz Media licensed the manga for English release in North America in 2017 and released the first volume alongside the English dub of Boruto: Naruto the Movie.[30]
A spin-off manga titled Boruto: Saikyo Dash Generations,[d] written by Kenji Taira, was serialised in Saikyō Jump from 1 April 2017 to 1 April 2021.[31][32] Its chapters were collected in four volumes.[33][34]
Anime
A 293-episode anime television series adaptation, produced by Pierrot, was broadcast on TV Tokyo from 5 April 2017 to 26 March 2023.[35][36] After the last episode was broadcast, a second part was announced to be in development.[37][36]
Novels
A series of light novels written by Kō Shigenobu (novels 1–3 and 5) and Miwa Kiyomune (novel 4), with illustrations by Mikio Ikemoto, based on the anime have also been produced. The first one, titled The New Konoha Ninja Flying in the Blue Sky!,[e] was released on 2 May 2017.[38] A second one was released on 4 July 2017, under the title A Call From the Shadows!.[f][39] The third novel, Those Who Illuminate the Night of Shinobi!,[g] was released on 4 September 2017.[40] The fourth novel, School Trip Bloodwind Records!,[h] was released on 2 November 2017.[41] The fifth novel, The Last Day at the Ninja Academy!,[i] was released on 4 January 2018.[42]
Video games
The video game Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker was released on 31 August 2018, and contains characters from both the Boruto and Naruto series.[43][44] In August 2018, another Boruto game was announced for PC. Titled Naruto x Boruto Borutical Generations, will be free to play, with options to purchase in-game items. The game will be available through the Yahoo! Game service.[45] Boruto Uzumaki also appears as a playable character in the crossover fighting game Jump Force.[46]
Reception
Popularity
The manga has been generally well received in Japan; the compilations appeared as top sellers multiple times. In its release week, the first manga volume sold 183,413 copies.[47][48][49] The series had one million copies in print by January 2017.[50] The overall series had over 10 million copies in circulation in Japan by October 2025.[51] In 2018, the fourth volume of the manga had received an initial print run of 450,000 copies.[52] The manga's first volume also sold well in North America,[53][54] while the series became the sixth-best-selling serialised manga in 2017 according to ICv2.[55] In 2018's fall, Boruto remained as the fourth best-selling manga in North America.[56]
Critical response
Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network (ANN) said Boruto appealed to her despite never having gotten into the Naruto manga. She praised how the writers dealt with Boruto's angst without it coming across as "teen whining" and the way Sasuke decides to train him.[57] Amy McNulty of ANN regarded the manga as appealing to fans of the original Naruto series, adding that while Mitsuki has a small role in the story, his side-story helps to expand his origins.[57] Nik Freeman of the same website criticised Boruto's lack of development in comparison with his introduction in Naruto's finale; Freeman also said there are differences between the reasons both the young Naruto and Boruto vandalised their village. Nevertheless, Freeman liked Mitsuki's backstory as he did not feel it retold older stories.[57] Reviewing the first chapter online, Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post was more negative, complaining about the sharp focus on Naruto and Boruto's poor relationship and the retelling of elements from Boruto: Naruto the Movie; Beveridge praised the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke as well as the foreshadowing of a fight involving an older Boruto.[58] Melina Dargis of the same website reviewed the first volume; she looked forward to the development of the characters despite having already watched the Boruto movie; she was also pleased by Mitsuki's role in his own side-story.[59] Though Boruto's parenting was originally flawed, multiple writers acknowledged his growth by the second volume of the manga and looked forward to seeing more of it.[60][61][62][63]
Leroy Douresseaux of Comic Book Bin recommended the series to Naruto fans, explaining how the new authors managed to use the first volume to establish the protagonists' personalities.[64] In a more negative review, Manga News compared the manga to Dragon Ball Super when criticizing it for relying on returning characters Naruto and Sasuke to fight certain Kara villains rather than using a new protagonist and thus hoped that Boruto and his friends would be more active in later events.[65] Kawaki's introduction in the series has been praised for the impact in the storyline and the rival parallels he has with Boruto in the same way the original manga had between Naruto and Sasuke.[66][67] Game designer Hiroshi Matsuyama praised the debut of Kawaki in the manga due to his involvement in the narrative as well as the fight sequences he takes part of.[68] Manga News noted that Kawaki's introduction may feel forced, but his relationship with Boruto has the potential to parallel that of Naruto and Sasuke, though it would be difficult to reach that level.[69] Critics appreciated Kawaki's character development as he interacts with the Uzumaki family; his cold demeanor begins to soften, most notably when he asks Naruto to train him as a ninja. Consequently, Manga News observed that since his introduction, Kawaki's development has played a more significant role in the narrative than that of the protagonist, Boruto.[20][70] The Fandom Post agreed, stating that Kawaki's introduction to ninjutsu and his bonds with the Uzumaki family were the highlight of the manga's ninth volume, as the young man wishes to be trained by Naruto.[71] IGN also found Kawaki's relationship with Naruto endearing, as he was willing to return to Jigen if the latter did not harm the Hokage, whom Kawaki described as his actual father.[72] After Naruto and Sasuke are defeated by Kara, IGN anticipated Kawaki and Boruto's actions to protect the Hokage, noting that their Karma seals might be explored in the future to grant them new powers, even though the antagonists were aware of and using such power.[73]
The release of True Blue Vortex earned Boruto praise from Screen Rant, Siliconera, and IGN. Screen Rant praised his the older Boruto's skills, while IGN looked forward to his fated duel with Kawaki, which attracted more readers.[74][75][76] His personality was noted as calmer and more threatening when interacting with Code, which was considered fitting for Sasuke's student.[77] Hindustan Times noted that Boruto achieved high online popularity due to the new skills he displayed while facing Code.[78] The Outerhaven also considered Boruto an impressive character in Two Blue Vortex, attributing this not only to his personality but also to the new abilities he demonstrates while fighting Code.[79] IGN noted that Sarada gained popularity among cosplayers after her appearance in Two Blue Vortex, particularly due to the work of the cosplayer Plern.[80] In a subsequent review, The Outerhaven also praised Sarada for being more open about her romantic feelings for Boruto, while the returning character Shikamaru Nara attempts to understand the truth behind Boruto being labeled an enemy of the Village. Nevertheless, the review still found Code to be a weak villain, as he failed to kill any strong character during the time-skip.[81]
Silverman praised Ikemoto's artistic style as a fitting successor to Kishimoto's original work, particularly in fight scenes.[57] Beveridge also criticised the adaptation of Kishimoto's artwork but praised the relationship between Naruto and Sasuke, as well as the foreshadowing of a fight involving an older Boruto.[58] Conversely, Ikemoto's art style was praised for its handling of multiple character designs and for its easily followed fight scenes.[82][83]
Notes
Clarifications
Translations
- BORUTO -NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS-
- BORUTO -TWO BLUE VORTEX-
- BORUTO-ボルト- SAIKYO DASH GENERATIONS
- 青天を翔る新たな木の葉たち!, Seiten o Kakeru Aratana Konoha-tachi!
- 影からの呼び声!, Kage Kara no Yobigoe!
- 忍の夜を照らす者!, Shinobi no Yoru O Terasu Mono!
- 修学旅行血風録!, Shūgakuryokō ketsu pū roku!
- 忍者学校最後の日!, Ninja akademī saigo no hi!