New ‘Boruto’ Opening Foreshadows Big ‘Naruto’ Parallel

When you have to series as closely connected as Naruto and Boruto, it makes sense for them to overlap. While the latter has set up its own legacy, Boruto does act as a sequel, and it has made a few callbacks to its past. And, thanks to a new opening, fans think they’ve spotted another parallel.

This weekend, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations stepped out of its short break to share its latest episode. It went live with a new opening, and fans were quick to praise the clip for its aesthetic. The reel also sees Boruto take on a big battle, and a certain ninja’s appearance has fans thinking back to a mission in Naruto.

If you watch the clip above, you will find a familiar face shows up at the end as Boruto and his comrades begin their battle. The genin are pitted against a massive ice beast that could pass for a Tailed Beast. Boruto goes to fight with Shikadai’s team on his side, and they are joined by the Sand Village.

Sound familiar? Well, just think back to when the Leaf Village sent out Shikamaru’s squad to retrieve Sasuke Uchiha went he defected the leaf. After the Team 7 member skipped town in favor of Orochimaru, the Leaf Village team was sent to get him back, and the whole thing ended in Gaara’s team being deployed to provide backup. The sand user stepped in to finish a battle Rock Lee took on, and it looks like Gaara’s son will do the same for Boruto.

Not only does the opening tease that alliance, but it could become an even stronger parallel depending on when it happens. If the Leaf-Sand combo goes down during the Mitsuki Retrieval arc, that will be a hard coincidence for Naruto fans to play off. So, here’s to hoping Boruto fairs better than his dad did when he was tasked to collect his wayward teammate.

So, how do you feel about Boruto‘s on-going arc 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.