‘Boruto’ Creator Explains How Sequel Differs From ‘Naruto’

Boruto has been around for nearly two years, and the sequel has greatly expanded the world Masashi Kishimoto created awhile back. Naruto Uzumaki has taken a back seat to his son, but there are plenty who wonder still if the heroes really have different stories.

So, in a recent interview, Mikio Ikemoto decided to share his own breakdown of how Naruto and Boruto do differ from one another.

Not long ago, the illustrator behind Boruto: Naruto Next Generations did an interview for Lucca Comics & Games. The artist was joined by a couple of Weekly Shonen Jump executives, and it was there Ikemoto told fans how his sequel differs tonally from Naruto.

Thanks to fan-translator Danbito, netizens were able to read up on Ikemoto’s thoughts. You can check out the translated summary below:

“According to Ikemoto, BORUTO addresses many issues in today’s society (e.g. the right or wrong use of technology). Unlike NARUTO, which focused on loneliness and how to overcome it, BORUTO focuses on how to shake off the inheritance of one’s own family.”

Of course, anyone familiar with Boruto will be able to point out this rather large difference. Naruto focused intensely on its titular lead and their desire to overcome the loneliness forced upon them since birth. As a true underdog, Naruto Uzumaki started from nothing to become the Leaf Village’s greatest hero, but that is not Boruto’s burden. The boy finds his burden by way of Naruto’s massive legacy and wanting to escape it. After all, there is nothing harder than living up to expectations, and Naruto skewed the scale for Boruto with how hard he overcame every hurdle put before him.

Continuing, Danbito relayed Ikemoto’s words on Kishimoto and his continued involvement with the franchise. Though the artist may not be penning every panel and script for Boruto, the creator of Naruto does come up with each arc’s “concept and initial idea.” Kishimoto makes it a mission to supervise all the work put in by Ikemoto on the sequel, ensuring that Naruto‘s legacy continues as expected and leaves room for growth down the line.

So, how would you compared Boruto to Naruto so far? 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, Naruto ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows a young ninja, with a sealed demon within him, that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 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.