Though not perfect, borutoits anime did much better than its manga in dealing with the female shinobi problem naruto become famous. Many of the female characters in Naruto are pushed aside or treated unfairly, especially Hinata, and while the Boruto manga doesn’t improve much in that regard, the anime really does.
Anime Boruto has made huge strides to empower its female shinobi cast. One of the more surprisingly in-depth stories involves a character with little or no face time in the manga. aptly called the Cho-Cho arc, the anime-only storyline explores two ways the shinobi of the same name struggles with a sense of self-worth through her looks, both of which happen through the use of her family’s special Butterfly Mode technique.
While Cho-Cho’s eating habits disrupted the girls’ manners in the anime, her use of Butterfly Mode in episodes #67 to #69 addresses the very things that the whole thing. Cho-Cho’s personality and style seems to be rejected. Butterfly mode makes her thin, so she activates jutsu in front of people she wants to impress, which clearly shows how she fits into what society considers beautiful. How the Butterfly Mode affects Cho-Cho’s combat prowess and effectiveness as a shinobi in general seems to show how an eating disorder can negatively impact the body. . However, Cho-Cho eventually learns to accept her true self and show her true self to her lover, showing that pretending to be someone else makes it difficult for her to maintain her true identity.
Cho-Cho can’t really fight effectively in Butterfly Mode and Boruto’s episode #156 explains why. She can’t figure out what she wants to protect, that’s what her father does when he uses the same jutsu. Ultimately, Cho-Cho mastered Butterfly Mode by not only protecting his master, who was trapped behind a rock, but also recovering the stolen Anzo beans, which are used in his favorite sweet bean soup. her, proving that Cho-Cho’s love of food is indeed empowering her. .
In Boruto, Female Shinobi Turn Weaknesses into Strengths
Another female shinobi that doesn’t even appear in the manga, Namida is, on the surface, the embodiment of what’s wrong with Naruto and, by extension, Boruto. Not only is Namida timid and lacking in self-confidence, but her most powerful move demonstrates one of the worst stereotypes about women: crying out loud. Surprisingly, Boruto ends up using these qualities to empower Namida, as she learns to control her need to cry out of fear and instead uses this power to take down her opponents. Similar to Cho-Cho, Namida’s jutsu is a physical manifestation of a negative female stereotype that she can use to her advantage.
While still embodying some troubling female stereotypes, boruto the anime certainly tackles these issues much better than the manga or its predecessor, naruto.
Boruto: Naruto’s Next Generation streaming on Crunchyroll.