This article contains spoilers from the Boruto series.
Summary
Naruto Uzumaki is known to be one of the most popular anime and manga protagonists of all time, and much of that is down to the fact that many fans could relate to his struggles and see him better himself as they grew up.
Naruto continued to touch hearts and at his core, was one of the kindest protagonists of all time. This is one of the reasons why Naruto Uzumaki is still alive as much as he is to this day. On the flip side, Boruto Uzumaki isn’t loved as much, and Ikemoto explains why his protagonist isn’t as good as Naruto.
Kishimoto On His Hardest Time In Naruto
Masashi Kishimoto created a very compelling character in Naruto Uzumaki, but the point where his ideals were tested the most was in the Pain Arc, where he was about to give in to hate.
Now, the world shall know true pain! — Pain to Naruto
Kishimoto struggled with writing this part of the story, but in the end, he managed to create a very solid story out of it. Here’s what Kishimoto had to say about Narutoand his struggles in the Pain Arc:
Mr. Kishimoto, Mr. Ikemoto, were there any aspects of the drafting process for Naruto and Boruto that were more difficult than your other projects? Conversely, were there any parts that you were able to realize completely, just as you imagined them? And can you give us any examples?
Kishimoto:
The most difficult part for me was probably the Pain arc. Pain’s logic can be interpreted as righteous, but at the same time so can Naruto’s. Since both characters could be seen as right, I really agonized over handling the outcome correctly. That was a really difficult period for me. On the other hand, I’m very satisfied with how the resolution of Naruto and Sasuke’s conflict turned out.
Ikemoto Explains Why Fans Might Not Like Boruto As Much
Ikemoto Thinks Boruto Doesn’t Come Across As Interesting
While Naruto had a very strong backstory that led fans to love him,Borutowas the exact opposite. If anything, most fans seemed to hate Boruto Uzumaki at first, and even though his growth is impressive, the first impression is always very important.Boruto Uzumaki was never as interesting as Narutoand Ikemoto believes that it is because of the conditions of his birth that make him less interesting than Naruto. Here’s what he had to say aboutBoruto:
Ikemoto: UnlikeNaruto, Borutowas born with a silver spoon in his mouth and had everything he could ever want. Sure there might be some inconveniences that come with your father being the Hokage, but he didn’t start off the story with a clear goal like Naruto did. In retrospect, I can see how he might not have come across as an interesting manga protagonist when viewed objectively, at least for the pre-timeskip arc.
Then Kawaki,who is Boruto’s complete opposite in many ways, entered the story. He served as a driving force for the plot, and you could even say he became the de facto protagonist for some portions of the pre-timeskip arc. Switching places with Kawaki allowed Boruto to shine as a protagonist, so I’m pretty happy with how that turned out.
Naruto Is A Better Protagonist
At the end of the day, these are just opinions, and there are probably fans who think Boruto’s storyis better than Naruto’s, but, the widely accepted idea is thatBorutofails to hold a candle to his predecessor and his story isn’t nearly as compelling. Hopefully, that can change in Part 2.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 25 is set for its official release on July 04, 2025. The release time of the chapter is 10 AM EST/ 3 PM UTC. As always, fans can read the chapter officially for free on theManga Plusand the Shonen Jump apps.
