After the manga and anime of Naruto ended, creator Masashi Kishimoto turned to a new story. Boruto had the readers’ full attention at the start, but interest faded in between. With a restart, the manga can now catapult itself to number 1 among the most popular works on Manga Plus.
Why was Boruto so unpopular for a while? The story of Naruto continued with Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. The focus is on the new generation of ninjas, including Naruto’s son Boruto Uzumaki.
However, there are several reasons why the sequel became unpopular with many anime fans (via hindustantimes.com):
- Popular characters from Naruto are hardly present
- New characters are also rarely seen
- The pace of the story seems too rushed
- The strength of characters is not clearly defined
- The animation quality of some episodes is weaker
- The strength is measured only by techniques, no longer by chakra mastery
Therefore, Boruto was not as favored by anime fans as Naruto. But author Kishimoto has come up with something, just like with Naruto, to give the story new momentum.
There are a number of video games related to Naruto and Boruto:
Boruto becomes more mature and gains popularity
Warning, spoilers: In the following section, we will discuss the story of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.
What was the idea? Boruto experienced a time jump in the summer of 2023, similar to what happened with Naruto Shippuden. Back then, Naruto left to undergo rigorous training. Upon his return to Konohagakure, he seemed much more serious and mature than before.
The same is now happening with Boruto: The second storyline is called Boruto: Two Blue Vortex and takes place 3 years after the events of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
You can see his new look in the following tweet from NARUTO OFFICIAL:
In the last chapter, the memories of all people were overwritten. They believe that Boruto killed his father and betrayed Konohagakure. There are only a few people like Sarada Uchiha who know the truth.
Naruto and Hinata are in a world created with Kawaki’s Daikokuten technique. He wished that he and Boruto would swap roles. Cyborg lady Eida granted this wish, which is why Boruto is now the most hunted person in Konohagakure.
How does this affect the manga? A new chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is released every month. Since August 2023, 6 chapters have already been released, in which Boruto is hunted by Konohagakure.
The story seems more serious than before and presents us with a more mature protagonist. Since Naruto is in a parallel world, he can no longer steal the show from his son.
The time jump seems to have positively affected its popularity: On Manga Plus, where manga chapters from the Shueisha publisher can be read for free, Boruto ranks first. This puts him ahead of giants like One Piece, Jujutsu Kaisen, and Dragon Ball Super.
There is another manga that surpassed all other works in October 2023. Kagurabachi became a success because it was pushed strongly by fans: Unknown manga surpasses Dragon Ball, Naruto, and Jujutsu Kaisen – Only 6 chapters and becomes a cult meme
