Boruto has received flak from most fans as an unsuccessful sequel spin-off to Naruto. As opposed to its precursor, the sequel lacks in more ways than one. Masashi Kishimoto’s magnum opus set a benchmark in Shonen through its depiction of heroism, courage, and friendships. However, even legends are bound to err and fail in some way or the other.
This holds especially true for the portrayal of female characters in the series. While writing female characters isn’t his best suit, the mangaka made a grave failure in his series with his writing of Sakura. While the spin-off isn’t the ideal sequel for most fans, it has the potential to rectify the mangaka’s mistake.
Masashi Kishimoto failed Sakura’s character in Naruto.
From her obsession with Sasuke to her ‘uselessness’, Sakura Haruno is the most hated character in Naruto. Apart from being a crucial member of Team 7, she is one of the strongest kunoichi in the series. However, the mangaka’s bad writing failed her character in the series immensely. This holds especially true with suppressing her true potential as a pivotal character.
It is a known fact that writing female characters isn’t Masashi Kishimoto’s best suit. While he developed Tsunade as an impeccable and strong female character, his efforts fall flat. This holds especially true in Sakura’s case. His move of carving out a relatable female character backfired as the fans hated her for decades. However, the mangaka revealed his difficulties later on.
Kishimoto revealed his challenges in writing Sakura Haruno’s character in an interview with La Nouvelle République. He quoted:
But it was difficult for me to understand the heart of a young woman, so I didn’t dwell on it.Something that Mikio Ikemoto achieved with Sarada, the main female character in Boruto. She’s the character that I also find the most successful graphically ,
Sarada Uchiha’s character design and personality set itself apart from that of Sakura’s blunder. While the sequel is often criticized for its illustrations, the well-written female characters are its saving grace. Moreover, the series holds potential through its reworking of Kishimoto’s female characters.
Boruto’s untapped potential lies in its writing of strong female characters.
Be it Sarada Uchiha or Chocho Akimichi, Boruto has an array of female characters with impeccable strengths. In contrast to Kishimoto’s series, the female characters in the sequel aren’t just mere showpieces. In its move to represent the new generations, the series also honors some of the original characters as well.
From Tenten’s position as a proctor to Temari’s upgrade as a jonin, Boruto redeems the female characters. As opposed to its precursor, the sequel series gives a power-up along with outlining the side characters. While it may not live up to Kishimoto’s legacy and fans’ expectations, the series is in a league of its own. Regardless of that, the series still has a long way to go.
Despite its well-written female characters and concepts, the sequel fails. This holds especially true for the series’ dependency on its older characters. While it is criticized for its artwork, the sequel has untapped potential. This is evident in its outlining of female characters as well as backstory. It may never live up to Kishimoto’s legacy but to carve its niche, the sequel needs to break from its dependency on the original series.
Naruto and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations are available for streaming on Crunchyroll. The manga is available for reading on Viz Media.
