Naruto set up the main character for a potential sequel long before Shippuden and Boruto happened all around, but this character’s mistreatment ruined any chance for this to happen. In fact, the backbone of this unpopular character is so strong that he could easily become a hero in a potential third series if Naruto and Boruto don’t let him down later. This mishandling is pretty obvious just because no fan would suspect that Konohamaru Sarutobi may have had a big impact on both Naruto and Boruto, but he does.
Although his initial relationship with Naruto in the original series was intriguing enough despite being considered too silly for some readers, the series quickly placed Konohamaru in scenes where he and Naruto would compare. Compare their sexy techniques. These missteps aside, Konohamaru’s influence on Boruto and his potential impact on future sequels can be demonstrated through his compelling backstory and one moment important in the series that ironically only happens in the anime.
Boruto and Konohamaru’s stories are very similar
Easily one of Boruto’s most effective traits is how he tries to be unlike his father. When creating Boruto, this certainly provided enough variety from Naruto’s inspiration to avoid telling two stories about a boy with the same dream – to become Hokage. The problem, however, is that Konohamaru’s story is almost exactly the same as Boruto’s. The only difference is that Konohamaru’s grandfather, not his father, was the Hokage, and instead of not wanting to lead Konoha, Konohamaru initially tried to escape his grandfather’s shadow by taking his place. So both characters start from a very similar proposition, even if their methods differ.
These similarities matter because it’s clear that Boruto creator Masashi Kishimoto wanted to create a sequel where the character’s actions are also influenced by the Hokage in some way like Naruto. However, since Konohamaru’s version of the compelling story was taken away, they had to make another choice that was divisive for fans. What makes Konohamaru a much more effective character is the way he eventually comes to terms with his relationship with his famous relative, especially in relation to Boruto. By the time Konohamaru took on the role of grandfather Sarutobi, the Third Hokage had passed away. This is far more tragic than Boruto, who reconciled and accepted his father’s shared lifestyle while Naruto was still alive.
Konohamaru could be the best successor to Naruto
In the same way that Konohamaru’s plot can dilute the overall description of Boruto, the establishment of Konohamaru in Naruto automatically makes him a perfect candidate to be a potential next series hero. Although he initially wanted to become Hokage before Naruto, Konohamaru ultimately decided to let Naruto get there first. Only after Naruto had a chance to lead Konoha did Konohamaru say that he would continue the work he left off and strive to become the next Hokage. Besides being another great example of character development, this naturally makes Konohamaru the focus of future series when Naruto becomes Hokage.
This could be an amazing development simply because fans have known about Konohamaru’s dream since chapter 2 of Naruto, but he still hasn’t achieved it. Unfortunately, Konohamaru’s depictions in both Naruto and Boruto have dampened fans’ expectations for the character. As mentioned earlier, the character of Konohamaru quickly became a vehicle for promoting erotic techniques in Naruto. The anime made valiant attempts to fix this, but they were also unsuccessful. Boruto has not yet demonstrated this specific ability. Although the anime continues the tradition of exploring the character more effectively than the manga, the adaptation still mishandles Konohamaru. Ironically, even the most effective episodes that improved Konohamaru’s character failed to discover anything about his previous dreams.
Konohamaru is just a rogue Kakashi in Boruto
Konohamaru essentially serves as Boruto’s version of Kakashi in both the anime and manga, and despite playing an important role for obvious reasons, Konohamaru pales in comparison. Ironically, the anime weakens Konohamaru’s role even more than the manga despite the addition of a scene where Kakashi teaches Boruto fatal attacks like a brand new Rasengan, instead of Konohamaru doing it. The highly anticipated second part of the series, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, once again relegates Konohamaru to a secondary role as assistant to the new Hokage, Shikamaru.
With Konohamaru, Naruto has clearly built a character with the potential to become a hero in his own series. Although Naruto has clearly shifted his focus away from Konohamaru to the detriment of his character, Boruto can easily fix this. Of course, an argument could be made that delving deeper into Konohamaru’s character in Boruto would go against the series’ purpose of revolving around the next generation. However, Konohamaru’s journey could still progress in the background to build the foundation for what could be a thrilling second sequel. With the current situation, every chance of Konohamaru become the true successor Naruto was ruined and the fans had to accept Boruto instead of.