Pokemon Might Have Dropped Its Best Naruto Reference Yet

Pokemon is not afraid to make references to its colleagues by any stretch of the imagination. In the past, the anime has nodded to several franchises like Naruto, but it seems like Pokemon: Sun and Moon just outdid itself.

After all, a clip from the Pokemon anime went live over the weekend, and fans could not help but notice something strange about a certain Pikachu.

Over on Twitter, fans were clued in to a still taken from an upcoming episode of Pokemon: Sun and Moon. It was there fans met a new Pikachu-loving trainer who fights with the electrifying Pokemon. The only problem is that this Pokemon comes off less like a Pikachu and more like a certain ninja named Boruto.

As you can see above, the electric-type Pokemon has a very familiar haircuit that fans cannot overlook. The three-point bangs and wave back are absolutely reminiscent of the hairdo Boruto Uzumaki has. This connection is only made deeper by the fact that Boruto’s preferred elemental chakra is lightning.

This is not the first time Pokemon has paid attention to Naruto. In the past, fans were introduced to a trainer in the anime which alluded to a certain Leaf Village ninja. It was as if Rock Lee had dropped into the Pokemon anime for a spell. And now it seems like Boruto is taking a stroll into the Pokemon in a truly hilarious easter egg spot.

So, do you think this Naruto nod is an intentional one? Let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to talk all things comics and anime!

Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto for Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in 1999, Naruto follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The series ran for 700 chapters overall, and was adapted into an anime series by Studio Pierrot and Aniplex that ran from 2002 to 2017. The series was popular enough to warrant a sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and features the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.