Upon the announcement of final villain, Kaguya Otsutsuki, and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations would expand further on the mysterious clan. While the sequel initially peeled away from the ninja series I knew and loved, part of me knew I would have to accept Boruto couldn't be the same, but I was wrong to believe it couldn't be a quality story.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations fell short of excellence, especially with its bloated anime adaptation and underutilized shinobi concepts, but as it continued to lay the groundwork, a truly intriguing path forward was eventually created. When the series begins its time-skip, Konoha's new generation of shinobi shines, with interesting twists on existing characters and a coherent, fascinating plot. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex steadily fed readers with a full year of content, and while it was a slow burn at first, things started to click for me as a reader in its most recent chapters.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Will Never Be Naruto

It's Okay to Accept and Move on

I having high hopes for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, as the Omnipotence Arc of Naruto Next Generations was finally a compelling pivot for the series, creating a potent, lasting conflict between Boruto and Kawaki. Code became the last Inner remnant of Kara, one of the least compelling villain syndicates in the Naruto franchise. It fell short of memorable groups like the Akatsuki with their fascinating ninja world history. Boruto even began to train more intensely under Sasuke, taking on his cold demeanor but with his father's genes, even if Omnipotence convinced everyone that he was the enemy in Two Blue Vortex.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will never be Naruto, but with its exciting new developments in chapters #13 and #14, it doesn't need to be.

The result was a tonally different return in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex unlike Naruto's Part 2, or Shippuden reunion of the main characters. Boruto returns as a fugitive, mixing Naruto's child with Sasuke's experiences from the original series. Shinobi continuously relied on ninjutsu again, with new and old characters showing impressive abilities and their use of scientific ninja tools being more understated, such as Koji Kashin's spy toads. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will never be Naruto, but with its exciting new developments in chapters #13 and #14, it doesn't need to be.

Part of this was an inevitable realization, as Masashi Kishimoto, creator of Naruto, collaborates more than outright controls the narrative of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, with series artist Mikio Ikemoto revising and/or adding to any drafts as necessary. As Kishimoto puts it, he trusts Ikemoto implicitly, sees his drafts turned into nemu (thumbnail sketches) and consistently sees revisions, additions, and concepts improved. As stated in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter #1, then reiterated in chapter #10, this is none other than Boruto's story, and there's a pretty clear reason.

The Story Begins to Hinge Less on Naruto Characters

They Function Best as ing Players Now

At the beginning of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, I was pleased to see several original Naruto characters thriving, with Naruto's right-hand man, Shikamaru (my favorite character), taking over as Hokage. It made sense, as he already handled the istrative duties and is a gifted shinobi general. Still, even then, his role is secondary to Boruto's, who returns to Konoha while Code attacks, setting the story's next events in motion. Shikamaru, Ino, Sakura, and Konohamaru are incorporated in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex similarly to how the parents' generation in Naruto functioned, as major characters but in a ing role.

This, combined with Naruto's continued imprisonment, ed now by Sasuke, is a way to draw in fans of Naruto who want to see the fates of their favorite characters while also enjoying a new plot development in Boruto. The Otsutsuki clan isn't even the obvious threat anymore, with their Ten-Tailed Beast ed down to Code, resulting in sentient Divine Trees being born based on whom the Claw Grimes absorbed. New villains like Jura and other Divine Trees in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex represent the simplistic goals of the Otsutsuki, but their sentience makes them more interesting.

I realized something as I saw these developments, namely with chapter #13 introducing alternate timelines and the fascinating Koji Kashin getting renewed plot relevance. I was craving appearances from Naruto mainstays less and less. I became compelled to see Boruto in action, excited by his Rasengan Uzuhiko and by Sarada Uchiha getting a fabulous amount of focus, along with Himawari being ed the torch as a Jinchūriki with Uzumaki and Hyuga blood, I could see what Ikemoto was cooking.

When Does Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Become Good?

A Classic Manga Reader Question

That old chestnut is inevitable for long-running series, including monthly ones like Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. I can confidently say that, for me, it became terrific in chapter #10, when Himawari began awakening her Jinchūriki powers against Jura. In contrast, Sarada notices eerie connections between the Divine Trees and her father as their origins become increasingly clear. The action starts to take off through Ikemoto's vision, with Prescience, dark futures, and Divine Tree variants pushing into neighboring shinobi villages.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations' plodding developments merely sow the seeds, only for Divine Trees to sprout in its sequel.

I'm typically against placing this marker on any series, but examples like One Piece's length make such questions necessary for some folks. This is a strong benchmark for the series when it lives out its potential. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations' plodding developments merely sow the seeds, only for Divine Trees to sprout in its sequel.

Why It's Good That Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Isn't Exactly Like Naruto

Originality Can Still Have Familiarity

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is to Naruto Next Generations what Shippuden or Part 2 was to Naruto, a notable shift in tone as the plot takes more serious tones and the major threats of the series begin to make their moves. However, outside of sharing the same world and virtually all the same characters, along with new ones created explicitly for Boruto, the series feels like an Ikemoto original, where his influences differ from Kishimoto's. According to an interview with Anime News Network, Ikemoto draws from Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball for its depiction of action, which is a fascinating choice.

I still use the Dragon Ball volumes as a reference for action scenes. When I'm stuck, I just grab the books off the shelf and look at them. I check the Naruto manga for reference about the abilities and things like that. Dragon Ball is great at conveying speed and movement, so that's why I use it. I use Dragon Ball and Naruto for different reasons.

-Mikio Ikemoto

As I've been experiencing an emotional renaissance re-exploring Akira Toriyama's manga art in Dragon Ball while covering the most exciting moments in Dragon Ball DAIMA, this is a striking comparison. I have griped about the inconsistent animation quality in Dragon Ball Z, but the posing and depiction of movement in the original artwork is a fantastic idea for a contemporary shonen battle series with similarly distinctive, chakra-based attacks. Ikemoto's work uses Naruto as its basis, with Dragon Ball as an occasional reference, making Boruto: Two Blue Vortex a remix of two childhood classics, an easy sell for me.