‘Naruto’ Fans Have Questions About ‘Boruto’s Next Arc

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set to enter the next big arc in the series, but with as many deviations the anime has taken from the original manga, fans have quite a few questions as to how the final events will play out.

Since the next arc is focusing on the Chuunin Exams and will be an adaptation of Boruto: Naruto the Movie, fans have been wondering whether or not the adaptation will keep one key plot point.

The arc follows the story of Boruto as he trains under Sasuke in order to impress his father and get him to pay more attention, something he’s been dealing during the entire series to this point. But as he’s hesitant to join the exams, and only does so when he’s talked into cheating by using specialized chakra technology.

Fans are wondering whether or not Boruto’s cheating would be implemented in the anime series as well since the 40 episode series has proved Boruto to be a much more capable fighter than he was in both the movie and the currently running manga series. There are events in the manga where Boruto is forced to cheat when he is outmatched, but fans are wondering if that’s even possible with the anime’s version of the character.

While the villains of the arc are a new set of ninjas from the Kaguya clan, and now with one extra member designed by original creator Masashi Kishimoto himself, the core of the Chuunin Exams arc is how Boruto comes to accept his role as Naruto’s son, as well as coming to respect Naruto’s role as the Hokage in the village.

This was all sparked by Boruto cheating and being lackadaisical about becoming a full fledged shinobi, but these plot points have already been handled in the series. By the time he graduates, he’s already primed to become a ninja and that’s a huge part of the lesson Kakashi had taught him.

If the series adapts the events of the film and manga beat for beat, fans may feel that Boruto will take a step backward given the developments he has already undergone. It’s going to need a new event to push the core themes forward.

For those unfamiliar with Naruto, it has quite a storied history. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series ran in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows Naruto, 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 featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.