Masashi Kishimoto’sNarutoseries remains to be one of the most popular manga of all time, having been a dominant series in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump magazine for quite a long time. Along withOne PieceandBleach,Narutowas one of the “Big 3” series and it certainly had earned every bit of praise that it deserved. Having begun serialization in 1999,Narutoenjoyed quite a successful and long run in the magazine which finally came to an end in 2015. While Naruto did have 700 chapters, which feels like quite a long story, the consensus among the fans was that it still had a lot of potential and could even have continued further if the Fourth Great Ninja War was not brought to such an abrupt end withthe introduction of Kaguya Otsutsuki.
Just a few years later,Naruto’ssequel,Boruto: Naruto Next Generationswas announced and it followed the journey of Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki as he aimed to become an accomplished ninja and unravel his own path in life. Ever since its serialization in Jump,Borutohas had its ups and downsand while it definitely deserves some praise,Borutois not nearly as popular as its predecessor and neither is the quality of the story on the same level. In fact, had Naruto received a different sequel, things could’ve potentially have been much different right now.
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The Shortcomings Of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Borutodoes an average job at filling the shoes ofNarutoand it would be unfair to say that the story is a failure, however, at the same time, its low popularity among the fans and below-average sales is proof enough that the series is simply not up to the same standard as its predecessor was. While Boruto Uzumaki is a good protagonist, he isn’t Naruto Uzumaki – a character with whom felt a connection. InBoruto, Naruto was, expectedly, made into a side character for the likes ofBoruto Uzumaki, Sarada Uchiha, Mitsuki, and Kawaki. While that is exactly whatBorutoneeds, it has also proven to be its biggest downside.
Regardless of how goodBorutois, it is an undeniable fact that a lot of its popularity stems fromNarutoand the nostalgia factor that the old characters bring with them. Had the characters not been relevant inBoruto, the series would likely have been less popular than it is today. Yet, it is the very samecharacters who get constantly downplayed inBorutoto allow the next generation to take the stage and save the day.
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In theory, this works well for the series, however, with fans who are connected to the core of the story, that is, the old generation of characters, this proves to be detrimental. What’s more, Boruto often uses the old characters to attract fans to the series with Naruto and Sasuke’s major fights being a prime example. This just goes to show that hadNaruto’ssequel been focused on the characters from the series itself, it would’ve been a much bigger success and would certainly have been loved more by the fans.
The Untapped Potential Of Naruto For A Sequel
DespiteNaruto’sabrupt ending with Kaguya’s introduction, the story still carried loads of potential for a great sequel. For one, the threat of the Otsutsuki clan was already established and needed to be explored more. The plot thread could easily have been explored more with Naruto Uzumaki, Sasuke Uchiha, and the Konoha 11 in more defined roles. The time-skip era that fans never got to see could very well have made for an excellent sequel.
The story could even have headed into theBorutoera, however, instead of Boruto Uzumaki, Naruto could well have remained the protagonist of the story. It goes without saying that fans would’ve preferred a story from his perspective and one where he was the main character once again instead of having a completely new character who, often, feels like a poor imitation of his predecessor. A great example of this is howDragon Ballhandled Gohan following the events of the Cell Saga.Narutocould well have done something similar and allowed for Boruto to grow under the shadow of his father. Undoubtedly, this would’ve satisfied the fans and made for an excellent story where the threat of the Otsutsuki was explored properly.
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Another fantastic idea for a spin-off that is prevalent among theNarutofans is a series where the legends of the ninja world would’ve been explored more. Granted that this would’ve been more a prequel than a sequel, but it certainly would’ve been an incredible one where the ninja world could’ve been brought to life by Masashi Kishimoto. Often inNaruto, some legendary figures with great potential for a story were left hanging. The likes of Minato Namikaze, Jiraiya, Sakumo Hatake, Hiruzen Sarutobi, Itachi Uchiha, among many others come to mind. HadNarutocontinued with a series where the several legendary characters of the story were explored, the story and its world would’ve become even richer.
The fact is,Narutoheld tremendous potential and could’ve continued as a great series by either telling the stories of the olden days or further exploring the life of Naruto Uzumaki and coveringthe redemption arc of Sasuke Uchiha.In doing so, the story would’ve built upon its already amazing success and become a beloved piece of media. Whatever the result, it would definitely have been better thanBorutowhich, while not bad at all, just can’t reach the same heights as the original series.
