With each new chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the much-maligned sequel series is finally proving itself worthy of the Naruto legacy. As tensions mount between the young shinobi of Konoha and the sentient God Trees, the familiar Narutoverse vibe has only grown stronger. Outside the story, however, Two Blue Vortex has also impressed in another significant way: it has eliminated a longstanding “issue” that fans have cited as a reason to avoid the series.

If there’s any manga that should have been an instant and absolute success it is Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. However, despite having an enormous, ready-made, and eager fanbase – even before its first chapter ever dropped – Boruto failed to live up to the hype or engage the Naruto fandom as much as originally expected. While there are numerous reasons for its “failure to launch”, one of the oldest and most pernicious complaints centers on Boruto’s personality.

Many fans, especially those who are also fans of Naruto, believe that Boruto’s depiction in Next Generations is disrespectful to his father. From this perspective, Boruto, being a spoiled brat, is a non-starter. Indeed, the lack of gravitas by Boruto and the other children of the previous series’ shinobi turned many Naruto fans against the series.

Boruto’s Critics Ignored One Key Fact – He’s Just A Kid

Boruto’s Representation Is More Realistic Than It Seems

Despite the common opinion that Bouto’s lack of maturity played a major role in the series’ lackluster popularity, Two Blue Vortex demonstrates that criticisms about Boruto’s absence of humility and seriousness were greatly overstated or, more crucially, dependent on timing. In other words, complaints about Boruto’s attitude in Next Generations failed to take into consideration the undeniable fact that children, even those imbued with special abilities, are, at the end of the day, still kids and subject to immature attitudes and behaviors that are common to all young humans.

Indeed, many fans’ negative opinion of Boruto – simply because of him being a child who lived during a time of relative peace and stability in a household with means and social status – overlooks the unique challenges Boruto faced in navigating his own path in a world that, while peaceful, is still fraught with its own complexities and dangers. Two Blue Vortex expands upon the critique of complaints by showing that “acting the fool” as a child doesn’t mean one will be a fool later in life.

Boruto Was Always A Hero In Waiting

Without a Cause to Fight For, Boruto’s Heroic Personality Remained In Stasis

Two Blue Vortex shows that while Boruto might have had a shallow “me first” personality as a child, his true essence is much closer to his father’s sense of justice and loyalty and his mother’s willingness to make any sacrifice. Two Blue Vortex is ripe with examples of this. Firstly, there’s his decision to return to Konoha despite being labeled a public enemy and a traitor. Then there’s his decision to sneak back into Konoha to tell Sarada about her father, Sasuke, and promise to do all that he can to return him to normal. There’s also his decision to work with his sworn enemy Kawaki and go easy on his old nemesis Code.

Most importantly, and relevantly, there is the fact that during the three-year time skip, instead of turning his back on the home that rejected him, he actively worked to become its champion and savior. Notably, Boruto has demonstrated the very traits his critics claimed he lacked or was incapable of possessing. If Boruto were truly the self-centered brat his critics portray him to be, it’s unlikely he would exhibit these traits. In contrast, consider Code, whose entitled “me first” attitude has only intensified throughout the story, is revealing his true nature. He is unlikely to change his ways.

Boruto always had these characteristics – they are innate to his personality. But – like most children, his younger self was unable or unwilling to lean into them. That all changes when Eida and Kawaki steal his identity, kidnap his parents and chase him out of Konoha. A true “punk”, as more than a few of his critics have labeled him, would have used this as a motivation for revenge.

Plenty of other characters seen in Naruto, including Madara, Orochimaru, Itachi, and Sasuke himself, have used their gripes against Konoha as fuel to attack it. But not Boruto. Instead, he used an existential crisis to finally become – in Boruto:Two Blue Vortex – the hero that the Naruto fandom had always wished he’d be.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

Years after fleeing his village with Sasuke, Boruto returns to confront the dark changes that have occurred. With memories altered and Kawaki now seen as the hero, Boruto faces a world where he is the outcast. The two rivals must settle their differences as their Otsutsuki powers grow more dangerous.

Writer

Masashi Kishimoto

Colorist(s)

Mikio Ikemoto

Publisher(s)

Viz Media

Artist

Mikio Ikemoto