WhileBorutohas its fair share of die-hard fans, for manyNarutolovers, it’s a disappointing follow-up to the first series. However, there’s one major change toNaruto’s ending that could have completely transformed its sequel for the better, or made a better sequel all on its own. This one change would allow for many ofBoruto’s most disappointing aspectsto be addressed in a way which is naturally enthralling anddoes justice to the world and characters thatNarutohas painstakingly built.
The kicker is that it’s not exactly intuitive. When it comes to the things aboutNaruto’s ending that most fans would change, the ideas are often along the lines of fixing the power-scaling, showing more of the reconstruction process after the Fourth Great Ninja War, or undoing the controversial Otsutsuki twist. However,I think what actually needs to change is the final battle between Naruto and Sasuke.
Naruto Failed Sasuke In One Huge Way
The Hit Shonen Missed Out On The Growth Of Its Greatest Antagonist
Narutois a series built on its ambiguity, and no character better represents this than Sasuke. Sasuke serves as the foil to Naruto, of course, but he’s also associated directly or indirectly with a whole barrage of people who represent the interests of Konoha. Konoha isn’t exactly a wonderful place, perfectly exemplified byJiraiya and Konoha’s relationship to Amegakure. Even Itachi, Sasuke’s clan-massacring brother who forms the foundation of Sasuke’s entire arc,was acting out of devotion to Konoha.
Sasuke stands alone, in other words—not least because his methods and intentions differ from the Kage system’s other opponents. To say this is a shame is an understatement. Against other antagonists like Pain, Madara, or Kaguya, who have their own visions of a world after the village system,Sasuke’s intentions are far more grounded(and, it’s implied, far less violent). After Sasuke showed such vehement disdain for the positions ofNaruto’s other antagonists, he almost certainly has a unique take on how the world should look.
Naruto’s Sequel Has One Major Problem It Needs to Overcome If It Wants to Succeed
Boruto has always struggled to live up to Naruto’s legacy, and the latest chapter of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex highlights a big reason as to why.
Konoha and the village system writ large isfounded on a bedrock of ideological moralizationthat sustains effectively eternal wars, the suppression of minority groups like the Uchiha, and the exploitation of peripheral villages. Whether it’s discrimination against the Uchiha or the permanent destabilization of Amegakure, it’s natural thatvillains like Madara and the Akatsuki arise. Likewise, it’s only the natural conclusion of Sasuke’s character arc as an orphan under the banner of the village that murdered his whole clan ends with him turning against this system. He does just that, too, after the stunning revelation near the end of the series that his plan is to revolt against the Kage System and the political structures of Naruto altogether.
I’ve noticed fans generally really love Sasuke’s revolt arc, and some even wish it would have started earlier in the series. While it’s telegraphed heavily, it doesn’t fully crystallize until far too late. Rubbing salt in the wound,Sasuke’s actual intentions for how the world should be are poorly elaborated. It’s as though he had been formulating an idea for a long time and Kishimoto wanted readers to see that in hindsight, but he was also unwilling to spend more time elaborating Sasuke’s actual desires.
Sasuke’s Revolt Could Have Made A Much Better Sequel Than Boruto
Boruto’s Story Kicks Off With A Broken Foundation
Suppose for a moment that fans had the chance to see how trying to build that world might play out. Perhaps Naruto and Sasuke’s final battle doesn’t end with Sasuke’s capitulation to Naruto’s ideals, and Sasuke escapes. He still goes into a self-imposed exile, but this time for very different reasons. Instead of repentant soul-searching, Sasuke journeys to build bases of guerrilla resistance in the rebuilding villages and their periphery. After the total devastation of the Fourth Great Ninja War, there would be plenty of disgruntled shinobi to go around. Whether this period is shown or not, it wouldforce Naruto’s story to show more of the reconstruction periodand its impact on villages outside Konoha.
Where things really get interesting is consideringhow Sasuke’s interactions with Konoha might play out. If Sasuke were presenting an active challenge to Konoha and its dominance, it likely wouldn’t have so easily become a superpower metropolis like it is inBoruto.Furthermore, it would force the story out of two key complaints apparent inBoruto: firstly, Naruto’s inaction as Hokage; secondly, the brazen sidelining ofNaruto’s supporting cast.
10 Major Plot Holes Naruto Left Open That We Need Answered ASAP
Naruto may have ended in 2017 but the anime still has major plot holes that remain unanswered, keeping fans intrigued and debating even to this day.
As things stand, by the time ofBoruto, the former rows, scuffles, and grudges ofNarutohave smoothed over into a domestically saccharine air of friendship. What this means in practice is thatcharacters like Rock Lee, Sasuke, or Sai lose their edge and fall far to the wayside.NarutoandBoruto’s respective generations feel detached from one another. However, if Sasuke were to be a primary antagonist, then it would force them back into the spotlight. These are characters who grew up alongside Sasuke and saw him at every point—who fought for and against him in every sense possible. Emotions would run high as those characters are pulled into the story.
Finally, assume for a second that Sasuke’s revolt succeeds. The Kage system is overthrown, as is the village system, and some other order dominates the shinobi world. As mentioned before,Naruto’s themes—and, by extension, its protagonist’s ideals—can be oppressively dogmatic. This isn’t corrected inBoruto, where Konoha remains a superpower that devolves into outright authoritarianism. A different state of affairs would give the opportunity toshowNaruto’s founding ideals actually being challenged, which might just be what the story needs to give them meat, complexity, and persuasive power. I think it’s worth seeing whether they can survive in a world where they aren’t already the ideology of power.
Naruto Still Has The Chance For An Incredible Spin-Off
The Sasuke Revolution Arc Could Be A Delight For Naruto Fans
There’s nothing wrong withNaruto’s decision to pass the torch, butBoruto’s execution of its world and original cast leave a lot to be desired. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. In fact, it’s a situation whereNarutohas a great chance for an alternate universe story.Narutois no stranger to alternate universe stories that consider vastly different narratives. A great example isRoad to Ninja: The Movie, which explored aNarutouniverse where Minato remained alive.
The Sasuke revolt is a missed opportunity. It wouldn’t have just protectedNaruto’s cast from irrelevance as the franchise makes room for another generation; it wouldallow for more intricacy in how those different generations interact. It wouldn’t just do the uncomfortable work of baring the painful underbelly of the shinobi system to itself as it cedes ground at the same time as it tries to rebuild its own fallout; it would build out its world whilemaking its moral justifications for the system that came before feel less dogmatic.Borutoisn’t by any means a bad story, butNarutoprevented it from ever having the same heart by defanging Sasuke right when shinobi life is most vulnerable.
