Did Naruto Base a New Boruto Character On a BLACKPINK Member?
It seems the entire Naruto fandom is talking about it. Whether you like it or not, Boruto's own Eida is taking over the community with a new debate, and it is one you might balk at to start. After all, social media has been buzzing about Eida's close ties to one of K-pop's most famous idols, but the question remains whether the pair are really connected.
Is Eida based on Lisa, one of the rappers from BLACKPINK? The short answer is no, but once you do some digging, you can see why Naruto fans are convinced about the theory.
The whole ordeal popped up online after fans of Naruto spotted some curious ties between Eida and Lisa. Of course, the former is a new character introduced in Boruto who has the ability to see into the future, and their powers are as celebrated as their looks. Eida has been complimented time after time for their visuals, so Naruto fans were surprised when they noticed some of Boruto's cover art seemed to put Eida in Lisa's shoes.
After all, there are several Naruto covers that feature Eida in the exact same pose as Lisa from various magazine shoots. Some of the poses are simple enough to call coincidental but others are too unique to overlook. Combined with Eida's colorful wardrobe, these cover connections led Naruto fans to speculate the character was based on Lisa. But at the end of the day, Naruto has never affirmed this tie or made an overt nod to BLACKPINK in its story.
However, it does seem likely Lisa has been a reference for Naruto's artist. It is no secret that artists will take references from real life and reimagine them in their own work. For Boruto, it seems Lisa's magazine features helped artist Mikio Ikemoto craft Eida's cover looks. This is no different from how Sailor Moon's artist referenced real-world runway looks throughout their manga, and even the creator of JoJo's Bizarre Adventure drew inspiration from Tony Viramontes (and still does).
Yes, it is interesting to see how a K-pop superstar like Lisa has influenced Naruto, but the bigger story here is that Ikemoto is looking to the world around him for inspiration while drawing. When the artist began work on Boruto, their style was met with mixed reviews by fans, but Ikemoto has most certainly leveled up their art in recent years. We can only hope their use of references has helped, and if BLACKPINK ever wants to do an opening for Naruto, fans definitely won't turn down such a banger.
Does this K-pop debate impact your view of Eida at all? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.