Boruto is currently suffering from hate brought about by its great Naruto and Naruto Shippuden ancestors. One may say that it is unfair to compare Boruto to its predecessors as it was not made in their likeness, but many believe that Boruto should not have been made in the first place. So why all the hate?
Boruto is hated by many people because it does not have the same feel as the Naruto universe, even if they are living in the same world. As a character, Boruto simply cannot compare to Naruto. As far as the story goes, there is not much to go on to exhibit the once glorious ninja life.
A lot of people are saying that in the event that you want to get the essence of Boruto, you should just read the manga and skip the anime. Is the anime really that bad?
As of writing this, Boruto still has a lot of unresolved arcs and it is not showing any signs of quickening the pace. So while waiting, let us take a look at the reasons why people hate Boruto.
People Do Not Like Boruto As A Character
It may come as a surprise to you that the son of the one and only Naruto is hated by many, but this is exactly what happened in the first episode. Was Boruto poorly written? Is there a chance for him to become likable?
1. Boruto Has Bad Judgments Towards Naruto
The number one reason why fans do not like Boruto is the fact that he has ill judgments towards his father.
Granted, Naruto may not be the best father as he is currently so consumed by being the Hokage, but still, it is painful and even annoying to watch Boruto ranting about his father.
Keep in mind, even if the intent of the people behind Boruto is to have an entirely different audience separate from the Naruto audience as their primary target, it is still inevitable for long-time Naruto fans to flock to Boruto.
Therefore, we know the ins and outs of Naruto. We know his struggles from when he was just a child until the time he becomes the Hokage.
Even if Naruto has Kurama, it was always difficult for him, thus through all the challenges he faced, we know that he deserves all the glory. (You might also want to read our article “Does Naruto Lose Kurama?”)
On the other hand, Boruto is this bratty kid who always seemed to complain, even if almost everything is given to him on a golden plate. All that he has to do is to man up and try to be the best.
Instead, he took on this “boy with father issues” attitude that Naruto definitely does not deserve.
Boruto did not stand a chance against the rage of Naruto fans from the moment he made side comments about Naruto.
This may be intentional, and may probably lead to a large character development in the future (which a lot of fans are hoping to happen) but in the meantime, we are stuck with the whiny Boruto.
2. Boruto Is Overpowered
It is a given that the offspring of Naruto and Hinata are going to be powerful and promising ninjas. At such a young age, Himawari knocked out her father and awakened her Byakugan.
Boruto has pure and raw talent that he is easily one of the strongest ninjas in the academy, not to mention that he has the karma mark.
Naruto may be powerful, but he was not as powerful as Boruto at the same age. Therefore, it only adds to the boring element of Boruto as he does not really have to work hard to gain power. Unlike Naruto – he had to learn everything from scratch.
It may be unfair to compare how each character got powerful, but we are talking about a shonen here. Call it a stereotype of being a shonen, but it is always a joy to watch the weak protagonist becoming stronger by conquering tough villains or challenges.
As for Boruto, it seems like he is granted a new skill or power from left and right without the constant and heavy struggle.
At this point, his character feels like an heir to a corporation and he has all the privileges of simply getting more powerful just because he can.
3. The Character Development Of Boruto Is Slow
We can blame this one on the slow pace of the show, but still, the character development arcs of Boruto who is the protagonist of the show should have been a priority especially when fans started hating on the character.
We were stuck with the annoying Boruto for so long that even if he is already showing signs of change and maturity, we pay them no heed.
In the current episodes, he somehow has a half-baked goal brought about by the inspiration from Sasuke (ironic, we know) and he is already set to protect his loved ones at any cost, but it feels forced.
There was no natural transition between Boruto, the annoying kid to Boruto, the wannabe shinobi.
There are still a lot of unresolved issues within him that it is still early to count on his current character arc that things will not change for him and just revert to his old thinking.
He might have experienced failures and pain by now, but those are not as deep as the ones that were experienced by Naruto.
In a sense, the imperfections of Naruto made him a likable protagonist while the quest for perfection for “we do not know” of Boruto is just bland.
4. Boruto Does Not Have A Clear Goal
It makes a lot of sense that the son of Naruto would have a goal as immense as that of Naruto, which is to become Hokage. Yet, when we get to Boruto, his ultimate goal from the start is to become the farthest from what his father has achieved.
It is understandable that this might have come from pressure. However, as the series unravels it is shown that Boruto’s outlook is that way simply because he is an angsty child.
He, of all people, should have firsthand knowledge as to the struggles and responsibilities of Naruto, yet he cannot cut his father some slack.
In terms of relatability, this storyline might have worked if this angsty phase lasted only for a few episodes, and then something important will happen that will slowly change his outlook, and possibly find his goal.
Sadly, this was not the case. We were stuck with whiny Boruto for far too long that it feels out of character for him when he sympathizes with Naruto.
Successful and likable shonen protagonists like Naruto, Luffy, Tanjiro, and many more, always have clear-cut goals from the beginning. The goal of the protagonist serves as the outline and even the backbone of the story.
Currently, Boruto has somewhat of a half-baked goal of truly becoming a shinobi and protecting his loved ones. There is nothing wrong with this goal.
The problem lies in the fact that his goal is redundant with all of the goals of the other ninja in the Hidden Leaf Village. Hell, even ninjas in training in the academy that are way younger than Boruto already have this goal.
This might have been intentional as the series is taking a journey into the self route, but the biggest consequence to this is that the story still does not have a purpose as the protagonist still does not have a unique goal. It seems like Boruto is taking the series with him in oblivion.
People Like The Naruto Series More Than The Boruto Series
This has always been the struggle of shows that come after successful ones. Even if it is unfair to judge them based on the previous shows, there is always that expectation that it should be better than the previous ones.
Let us take a look at the reasons why fans think that the Boruto anime is lesser than its Naruto anime counterparts.
1. The Boruto Universe Lacks Mystery
Naruto and Naruto Shippuden had a lot of fillers, but why did we stick it out until the end? It is because there is much to learn and discover. Not only do we need to know the story behind key characters, but we also need to know more about the stories of the other villages and even the villains.
In the case of Boruto, there are no signs of hidden mysteries. It is a time of peace, so there is really not much going on. Even if there is some evil abound, it is too small of a problem to be considered this glorious mystery.
There is of course the problem with the Otsutsuki. However, the entire series is banking on this one mystery. With the gap between the main storyline and the side stories, viewers can easily undermine this mystery.
Therefore, we do not have any reason to keep watching as we feel that we have learned everything about the Boruto universe.
2. Boruto Relies Heavily On The Otsutsuki Plot
We have already established that the plot of the Otsutsuki is not as interesting or deep as that of what happened with the Akatsuki and Orochimaru. Then why is Boruto still trying so hard to center the story in these shallow villains?
Spoiler alert!
It is interesting to know that there are villains out there like the Otsutsuki whose aim is to harvest chakra by way of planting seeds of ten tails in planets that will then bear fruit.
However, the villains that we are encountering now are just plain boring that there is really no sense of urgency for them to be dealt with.
The series is nowhere near its climax so we have yet to see the conflicts brought about by the Otsutsuki, but so far, the villains that we have are not that frightening nor do they pose a serious threat to the existence of the villages.
Fans are hoping that the series will show lore about the Otsutsuki just to add more mystery, but all we can do is hope.
Further, if new lore were to be introduced, they should be cautious so as not to cause plot holes in the story of Naruto and Naruto Shippuden as the Otsutsuki Clan is encompassing all three shows.
It is going to be tricky to add hidden mysteries to mysteries that have already been solved.
3. Boruto Has A Mundane Take On Ninja Life
The Boruto universe is set at a time of peace as it was years after the Fourth Shinobi War. There is really no problem with this as just like what they are doing in the series, you can easily add villains no matter how sucky they are to create somewhat of a turmoil.
However, the problem lies in the fact that there is this notion that ninjas are no longer needed.
It is not apparent in the series that they no longer have a need, they are just shown having mundane lives wherein they try so hard to do normal people’s activities.
Again, there is nothing wrong with this if only they did not show ninja-related activities that coincide with normal living in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden. Then, we saw there were ninja chefs and the like, so why is it the ninjas of today have these boring lives.
Keep in mind that what makes Naruto and Boruto interesting is that we are given a full view of the ninja life. If the ninja life is summarized as a boring day for a then-combatant ninja, then what is the point?
A slice of life genre is acceptable when it is scattered but if it is already taking center stage, then it is departing from that ninja village feel that we are expecting to get.
4. The Technology In Boruto Evolved Too Fast
I got confused when I watched Naruto and Naruto Shippuden as I simply cannot pinpoint which era they are trying to portray.
In one episode there are computers and advanced medical equipment, then in another episode, they are still using birds to communicate.
This mismatch was resolved in Boruto when they showed a lot of technological advancements that resemble technology in the 2000s.
Probably, the sudden shift is brought about by the aim of the creators to focus more on ninja tools this time around compared to jutsus.
Having advanced technology is not bad, it just breaks that illusion or fantasy that we have about this show. Will this technology spell the end of the jutsus? Will the ninjas be carrying around guns or something like chakra-infused weaponry?
Long-time fans are not ready or will never be ready to leave their ideal ninja world that was created in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.
If there is too much technology, then there will be no focus on the characters perfecting their jutsus. I do not know about you, but watching a ninjutsu unfold is more interesting, than seeing shurikens being thrown about.
5. Boruto Has Too Much Anime Canon
Anime canon is great when it is utilized as a means for a character arc, or an explanation behind the main story arc, but when it adds too much story that is not within the manga, it can create confusion. In the case of Boruto, it simply slows story progression.
As we have discussed before, this is done due to pacing issues as the manga is not yet finished.
In order to keep the show going on, original anime content that may not be in the manga is added to make up for the time when there is still no available content from the manga.
The problem with anime canons in Boruto is that sometimes they do not make sense or they go against the characterization of certain characters. Not only does this pose to become a plethora of plot holes, but also it becomes boring to watch.
Anime canon could have been much better if they gave focus on the lives of some of the side characters or glimpses of little challenges of our beloved OG characters in Naruto, but they chose to do anime canon on the new generation which makes it hard to be relatable.
Is Boruto Still Worth Watching?
With all of the reasons that we listed above, you might be dissuaded to watch Boruto. Sure, Boruto does not have the same effect as Naruto, but it is still worth watching.
Even if there are some changes that do not resonate with long-time fans, it is still fun to watch how the new generation will take care of and defend their village.
Hopefully, there is a bigger twist to the Otsutuki plot, just like what happened in the double or even triple twist in Naruto Shippuden. Probably, we still cannot see an Itachi-like reveal. So all we have to do is to be patient.
Finally, we also have to accept the fact that what we have now is born out of modern anime and does not need to be in line with classic anime which was Naruto.
In fact, new viewers of Boruto who did not watch Naruto are actually enjoying the show. Let us try to view the series with a pair of fresh eyes, and who knows? We might end up loving it as much as its predecessors.