A common complaint about Boruto is that the sequel was unnecessarily re-edited. Naruto‘S Kaguya and the Otsutsuki clan became aliens and in doing so, introduced an inappropriate element into the series too late. However, Naruto: Shippuden actually hinted that Otsutsuki might be an alien through the way the anime presented Kaguya’s backstory, which effectively foreshadowed the impending “turning point” for Boruto.
In the original manga by Masashi Kishimoto, Kaguya’s story only goes back to the moment she was sealed, thus creating the moon. However, episode #460 of the anime adaptation Naruto: Shippuden went a step further by sharing Earth’s first profile of her. Kaguya appears on Earth as a glowing orb that flies through the sky and transforms into human form upon contact with the ground. Therefore, the shinobi of Earth call her “celestial maiden”. Kaguya then describes herself as the protector of the Divine Tree, in an earlier scene a meteor is seen raining from the sky.
Naruto Shippuden’s magic tree suggests that Kaguya is an alien
Even with prior knowledge of these scenes, it is understandable that some may conclude that Naruto originally portrayed Kaguya and Otsutsuki as gods and not aliens. The shinobi’s use of the word “celestial body” when referring to Kaguya evokes the image of a god rather than an alien. However, an important clue to Kaguya’s origin lies in how the Divine Tree first appeared. It arrived on Earth on a meteorite, and meteorites are generally believed to come from outer space and are therefore extraterrestrial. Meanwhile, the gods easily combine with dimensions beyond normal space. This is important because Kaguya claimed to be the guardian of the Divine Tree, and if she was a god, then as the guardian of the Divine Tree, she could have used her divine power to transported the Divine Tree to Earth instead of relying on a meteorite to do so, and the gods were said to have the ability to overcome the need for physical transportation.
Besides these obvious clues, the story of Kaguya in Naruto may be connected to her namesake in Shinto mythology, who was hailed as an alien from the moon. This origin has some similarities to Naruto turning Kaguya into the moon when she was sealed into the Ten-Tails. So research into Kaguya’s mythological origins also points to an extraterrestrial origin rather than anything divine. Of course, truly understanding a series shouldn’t rely on whether fans actively research certain characters. That’s why Naruto’s foreshadowing of the God Tree’s first appearance on Earth was so important in establishing Boruto’s alien twist. Boruto just confirms what Naruto: Shippuden hinted at years ago.
Boruto actually justifies Kaguya’s alien origin
Of course, it’s easy to see how some people might be unhappy with Naruto: Shippuden implying that Kaguya is from another planet. Without Otsutsuki’s expanded role in Boruto, the overall idea might still feel out of place when considering only the fantasy trappings of Naruto and Shippuden. However, blaming Boruto for an ineffective retcon is less justifiable because it was so good. Naruto: Shippuden foretold this Kaguya actually an alien, because effective foreshadowing always makes the unbelievable seem more believable.
Naruto: Shippuden is streaming on Crunchyroll.