Naruto Poster Sparks Debate About Boruto's Direction

As a Shonen franchise, Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto has become one of the biggest properties to [...]

By Evan Valentine

As a Shonen franchise, Naruto by Masashi Kishimoto has become one of the biggest properties to propel to the stratosphere following its introduction in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, but a recent manga cover that has made its way online has anime fans scratching their heads as to the future of the franchise. With Kishimoto returning as a writer on the series and shaking up the structure of the ninja world with brand new characters and some major casualties along the way, it's clear that the mangaka is seeking to make some big changes to the world he created.

Naruto as a series has been one about ninjas, as nearly all anime fans know, but it has also featured ninjas that don't stick to the traditional idea of what the stealthy warriors typically would look like. Rather than sticking to the shadows, Naruto burst into battle wearing bright orange and instead of assassinating an enemy while remaining unseen, characters would summon giant energy beasts and insane flashy attacks in order to end their fights. This latest cover has re-ignited the debate regarding whether Naruto focuses enough on the "ninja," aspect of the series or if the franchise has gone off the rails when it comes to depicting its characters as stealthy combatants.

The official cover for Volume 15 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was released by Twitter Outlet WSJ_News, once again sparking the debate of whether or not Naruto has strayed too far from its original modus operandi or if the series has continued on the right course with Kishimoto returning as a writer:

Naruto has changed astronomically since its early days, with the Seventh Hokage often employing a powered-up state that many compare to Dragon Ball Z's Super Saiyan transformation, along with Sasuke and others employing world-ending attacks that many believing more fitting for the Z Fighters than anything in the world of Konoha. As the battle against the Kara Organization continues and Team 7 continues to train, we would imagine that we'll be seeing some outlandish attacks arise in the future of the Hidden Leaf Village.

Do you think Naruto as a franchise has strayed too far from its original path? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Konoha.

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