This article contains spoilers from the Boruto series.
Summary
- Naruto and Sasuke built their legacies in different ways.
- Boruto series undermines Naruto and Sasuke's achievements.
- Boruto needs to treat old characters better, but damage is already done.
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Naruto and Sasuke are two of the most iconic characters not just in the Naruto franchise but also in the entire world of anime and manga. These two characters have redefined what rivalries and bonds in anime are supposed to be like, and have given fans incredible amounts of joy over the years. Naruto and Sasuke are phenomenal characters, no matter what one thinks of them, and, in many ways, they have already been immortalized, regardless of how the Boruto series treats them.
Naruto: How Sasuke Surpassed Madara Uchiha, Explained
Madara is one of the most powerful characters in Naruto. Did Sasuke surpass him?
That said, given that Boruto is set in the same universe, fans expected great things from Naruto and Sasuke in this story as well. Unfortunately, the Boruto series did not treat Naruto and Sasuke the way they were supposed to be treated and it is painful for the fans to witness the downfall that they have endured.
How Naruto and Sasuke Built A Legacy For Themselves
- Naruto built himself from absolutely nothing
- Sasuke brought out his innate talent
Naruto and Sasuke are two of the most incredible characters, albeit with different archetypes. Naruto is more of a character who had no gifts from the get-go. Naruto was classified to be good for nothing ninja with no talent for ninjutsu at all. Despite that, he conquered all his weaknesses and, eventually, went on to earn the acknowledgment of people around him. Naruto made his legacy with his own two hands and rose to the very top of the ninja world. Undoubtedly, Naruto is the most beloved character in the entire series, and by far.
I will come for the hatred inside you too. – Naruto to Kurama
Sasuke, just like Naruto, was always beloved. Unlike Naruto, his archetype is of the character brimming with talent to the fullest. Sasuke was a genius right from birth, but that certainly doesn't take away from any amount of hard work that he put into honing his techniques. He became a phenomenal ninja with time as well, and his journey down the dark path only made his character that much more exciting. Fans know that both Naruto and Sasuke are incredibly powerful characters, but more than that, they are loved by people all over the world.
Their actions throughout the series, such as when they fought against Haku in the Mist, or, later down the line, when they combined their forces against Obito and Madara in the 4th Great Ninja War, saw to it that they established a legacy the likes of which have never been seen before in the past. It's even more surprising that both of them did this in different ways. Whereas Naruto Uzumaki trained incredibly hard and earned the acknowledgment of people around him, setting out on a path to achieve world peace, Sasuke Uchiha dwindled into darkness and carved his own path, eventually arriving at the same answer as Naruto.
It is no surprise to know that once the war ended, Sasuke and Naruto were both protectors of the world who basically prevented doom from destroying the planet. For characters who held this much importance in the Naruto series, it goes without saying that the treatment should have been much better than what they received in Boruto, and that certainly is a shame.
Boruto's Mistreatment Of Naruto and Sasuke
Boruto Keeps Undermining Naruto and Sasuke
The Boruto series was announced as a sequel to Naruto not long after the conclusion of the original series. At first, fans got a movie, titled Boruto: Naruto the Movie, and following this movie, a sequel manga was set up. This manga was certainly exciting at first, but, the more it dove deep into the plotlines, the clearer it became that Naruto and Sasuke had no place here, and at the same time, were only used to elevate the status of Boruto and Kawaki in the story. At the beginning of the Boruto series, fans saw Naruto and Sasuke clash against the likes of Momoshiki and this battle was certainly phenomenal, to say the least. It is also likely that this battle was as good as it was because Kishimoto wrote it himself for the Boruto movie. But, as Mikio Ikemoto took over, things started to change.
Boruto: Naruto's Power-Up Has Already Been Confirmed
Naruto will have a new power-up in Boruto, and Kishimoto has already confirmed it.
Of course, some fans might argue that Kishimoto still serves the supervisory role in the Boruto series, but, in the grand scheme of things, he has little input on how the Boruto manga progresses.
Farewell. You be good, Naruto! And don't join me anytime soon. – Kurama
In the Boruto series, fans saw Naruto and Sasuke being stripped of all they had achieved. When the battle against Jigen began in the Boruto manga, fans saw Naruto and Sasuke being utterly humiliated. Of course, the problem wasn't in the humiliation that they received. But, it arose from the fact that they did not even use half of the powers that they possessed, which just goes to show that the fight wasn't even written fairly, to begin with. Furthermore, when Isshiki came later, once again, these two characters proved to be no challenge, and the only way that Naruto was able to overwhelm Isshiki and defeat him was by sacrificing the power of Kurama. With Kurama out of the way, Naruto was reduced to a shell of his former self. To make things worse, he was sealed away by Kawaki, his role in the plot has been minimal, and he only serves as a plot device to give Boruto a reason to keep pushing forward.
Similarly, Sasuke too was taken out of the picture, being reduced to a shell of himself. Sasuke was then turned into a tree in the Boruto series, and once again, his legacy was tarnished. Both Naruto and Sasuke have been cut out of the Boruto series entirely, and regardless of whether they return or when they do, fans will never get over their portrayal in this series.
Will The Boruto Series Redeem Itself?
Boruto Could Do Better, But The Damage Is Done
For the Boruto series to redeem itself, it has to start treating these characters better. This doesn't just extend to Naruto and Sasuke, but also to other characters from the old generation, such as Sakura, and of course, the likes of the other Konoha 11, and even the Kage, such as Kakashi. The Naruto series didn't just focus on Team 7. Fans saw focus being thrown on characters like Jiraiya, Tsunade, the other members of the Kage, and many other individuals from the previous generation in the story.
Boruto, meanwhile, has destroyed legacies instead. Even if it does manage to salvage these characters by giving them important roles, the fact is that these characters, for the vast majority of the story, were treated incredibly badly. Unfortunately, things are unlikely to change in the future, and fans simply have to make peace with the fact that Boruto doesn't represent what Naruto and Sasuke have truly achieved and that their own legacy is immortal, no matter what the series does to these characters to make Boruto end Kawaki look better.
Boruto is available to read via Viz Media. The series can be read by the fans officially and for free on the Shonen Jump and the Manga Plus app. The release date for the next chapter of Boruto, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 17, is set to be December 20, 2024.
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