'Naruto' Revisits Gai-Sensei, Rock Lee With 'Boruto'

Naruto knows how to get fans buzzing, and Boruto is all too happy to get that kind of hype going. This week, the sequel came out with its 70th episode, and the update decided to pay a visit to two very important characters.

And, what's more, the two men reminded the world of what the Spirit of Youth really means!

Yes, that is right. Boruto revisited Rock Lee and his favorite spandex-wearing teacher in its most recent episode. Gai-sensei made a surprise appearance as Rock Lee began training his son, and the episode proved filler isn't always something fans need to complain about.

The episode began with Rock Lee training his son Metal Lee, but the younger ninja is having trouble as usual. Though gifted in the ninja arts, Metal has issues performing under pressure as anxiety gets the best of him. So, when Rock Lee finds himself in over his head, he recruits the help of his mentor.

Naturally, Gai-sensei shows up in an extravagant fashion. Not only does he drop from the heavens in his wheelchair, but Gai proves he can still kick butt by showing off his new form of Taijutsu. Even though he was crippled by Madara Uchiha during the war, Gai has learned to do Taijutsu with one-leg, and he knocks Iwabe down a few pegs with his solid hits.

By the episode's end, Gai-sensei is able to reignite Metal's spirit, and Rock Lee helps his son tap into his potential from there. Though still anxious, the younger ninja is able to experience the Spirit of Youth for himself, and it is 3x as more powerful in Boruto than it was back in Naruto.

What did you make of this one-off episode? 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 featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations recently even made TV Tokyo's list of Top 5 Anime in sales and profits, coming third in sales and fifth and profits. The anime has been such a success that the Naruto franchise as a whole stills holds a top spot in many anime profits rankings as well. The series even managed to cross 235 million copies of the manga sold worldwide.