The creative duo behind Boruto: Two Blue TornadoesMasashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto, were recently invited to the annual event held in France for the Naruto series, 'Nuit à Konoha', where they were interviewed about the sequel and their mindset as creators. During the interview, the manga artists not only shared the fact that Masashi Kishimoto's original ending for Boruto was changed, but also hinted at the possible reasons that inspired this revision and is holding back the series' potential; Boruto is the main character.
Boruto's path as a ninja is completely different from the one his father followed. Boruto has the talent to excel, but he lacks the determination that fans love about Naruto. In this way, the most promising thing about Boruto at the beginning of the story is the future foretold in the flashback, his confrontation with Kawaki, showing how completely he has changed as a character.
In the translated interview shared by Twitter user @UzuRepo, there is an insinuation in the creators' comments that Boruto's character development was necessary because he initially lacked the role of a main character..
The interviews quoted below were translated by fans of the series, so there may be some inaccuracies.
Boruto's fight for life makes him a better protagonist
The character Boruto is designed to represent both Naruto and Sasuke.
The main difference between Boruto and his father as the main character is their background. Unlike Boruto, who grew up in a caring family, It's easy for fans to root for NarutoA lonely, outcast, and uncaring son of the Fourth Hokage, Naruto's determination to achieve his dream led him to build his legend through hard work, managing to change his circumstances and become a hero and the most influential Shinobi, while also creating the family he dreamed of. However, Boruto has never experienced anything like this. to the personal tragedy his father went through and how it contributed to shaping his character.
Ikemoto mentioned the profound contrast between their circumstances when asked about Boruto's development as a protagonist compared to the development of his father, Naruto.
Naruto is a character who starts with nothing and gains everything in the end. On the contrary, Boruto is a character who starts with everything, loses everything, and then struggles to overcome it. So Boruto is like Sasuke in terms of 'loss' and Naruto in terms of 'gain' – Mikio Ikemoto.
Ikemoto's answer points out that Boruto's personality at the beginning of the story is still incomplete; he needs to lose something in order to grow. In this way, Boruto is designed not to be a clone of his father, but a combination of Naruto and Sasuke. Boruto becomes someone who knows what it is like to have something valuable and then lose it like Sasuke, but does not allow himself to be consumed by darkness despite his circumstances, and instead tries to change his life and bring his rival back like Naruto.
As Boruto goes through this process, he becomes a better protagonist. This is reflected in the reception of the first chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, where the protagonist returns as a resilient, realistic shinobi with immense power and unbreakable determination. Fans and critics alike have been positive, especially the growth of the protagonist.
Boruto needs to switch places with Kawaki to reach his potential
Competition in Boruto is still the main point, just like in the Naruto series.
It's clear that Boruto needed a personal event that pushed him to grow and develop as a ninja. This was explained by Ikemoto in an interview with French manga publisher Kana, translated and posted by Fanverse user Yagami1211, where the authors were asked about the reasons behind Boruto becoming a traitor to Konoha.
It's not that Boruto is actually a traitor. When his adventure begins, he has a situation that is the opposite of Naruto's past. He has friends and family, his main problem is an absent father. So he doesn't have any particular reason to overcome himself. But since he is the main character, we had to find a way to make him act. Kawaki, for his part, has a similar situation to Naruto. I thought that switching the roles of Boruto and Kawaki would allow the story to progress better. It was an idea I had quite early on. – Mikio Ikemoto
Naruto's motivation, not to fight for recognition or to defeat enemies physically but ideologically, is one of the best aspects of the series. So Boruto is in a situation where he has to improve himself and become stronger, not only to regain his identity but also to reach Kawaki, whom he still considers a friend and family member, is essential for him to reach his potential. In addition, Boruto's rivalry with Kawaki is different from Naruto and Sasuke because it has its own meaning; this was discussed in the Nuit à Konoha interview.
Masashi Kishimoto: Actually, Naruto and Sasuke are very similar. They're not very smart; they both have aggressive personalities, and they both have lost something important. So even though they're opposites, the essence of these characters is the same.
However, for Boruto and Kawaki, their existences are completely opposite. Boruto is a character who doesn't realize how lucky he is, despite having a lot at the beginning. Kawaki is a character who has lost everything and doesn't realize his own worth. Naruto and Sasuke, and Boruto and Kawaki are rivals in the story. But I think their relationship is quite different in Naruto and Boruto.
Mikio Ikemoto: In the Naruto-Sasuke and Boruto-Kawaki relationships, each side is a rival to the other to assert their own worth. However, their opposition is very different. In Naruto, the main character is constantly in opposition, in which he expresses and communicates what he feels to Sasuke. In this way, he develops into a main character.
On the other hand, in Boruto, Kawaki is the one who shows a strong attachment to the main character, Boruto. Boruto, as a young man, is a fully developed character from the beginning. He is deep and open-minded. Compared to Kawaki, the importance of what he carries on his shoulders is different. It would be more like Kawaki shows growth as a character. Besides, I think there are many contrasts between Naruto's plan and Boruto's.
Boruto evolves thanks to Kawaki and now understands his mistakes and has to fight with more at stake, as his village turns against him. This makes Boruto not only a more relatable and charismatic protagonist, but also one who is motivated and knows the path he will take.
So even if he may not have earned the respect of readers in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the current events of Two Blue Vortex The story has been reinforced. Boruto is a complete protagonist who honors the revolutionary resolve his father displayed in the original series.
Source: Use Rap, Fanverse.
