For many fans of the original series, Boruto is a bit of a disappointment. Many of the characters that were once beloved got shuffled into the background to make way for new characters that at times feel like mere clones of their parents, Shikadai an example of one. The nostalgia goggles are always present too.

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Boruto feels like it would have been better received had it been its own thing rather than a direct reboot only a few years after the original ended. Even without that, there are some things the manga does really well, even better than Naruto ever did.

10 Boruto Is Beginning To Love And Respect His Father

Naruto As Hokage

At the start of the series, Boruto was more than a little bit of a brat. He had a lot of the annoying qualities Naruto had without much of the redeeming ones. One of the more annoying of those traits was his borderline hatred of his dad for never being around. It's understandable to a degree since Naruto is always busy, but he's also the village's Hokage. After his time with Sasuke, Boruto was finally able to see his dad for who he was, a great character development that couldn't have happened in Naruto.

9 Boruto Changes His Viewpoint On Hard Work

Naruto Disowning Boruto Anime

Boruto, while smart like his dad was, lacked the dedication and drove he needed to be a real ninja. He was willing to take the easy way out at every opportunity, even during the Chunin exams, embarrassing his father in the process. Soon after, he learned his lesson, understanding that he was selfish and cheating others out of their deserved accolades. It was the first big development he had as a character, a growth that Naruto never had to go through.

8 Boruto Fleshs Out The World More Than Naruto

Boruto Technology

Naruto did a great job of laying the groundwork for its world, introducing the five villages and much of its past lore. However, it suffered from being very Konoha-centric, rarely ever showing glimpses of the rest of the world.

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Boruto remedies that some as it branches out more into the rest of the world and builds up the Otsutsuki lore that was rushed at the end of Naruto. It enhances the technology used globally, and its main antagonist faction is all enhanced by it.

7 Sasuke's Redemption Arc Was Concluded

Sasuke and Naruto

For as much as Naruto's story is about him achieving his goal of becoming Hokage, it's also about the redemption of Sasuke. For so much of Naruto, he teeters on the edge of becoming a villain, even briefly becoming one until Itachi sets him straight. Boruto allows that arc to reach its conclusion in ways that the series couldn't, showing Sasuke as Konoha's protector from the shadows, in much the same way that Itachi ended up being.

6 Boruto Has Better Written Female Characters

Sarada uses her Sharingan to train harder

The one big criticism for Naruto is that its female character rarely did anything at all. Hinata was there to love Naruto, and Sakura was rendered pointless by how much progress Sasuke and Naruto had made by the end of the war arc. They all felt incredibly replaceable. The same doesn't hold of Sarada, one of the main cast members of Boruto, and doesn't suffer the same fate as her mother. She isn't as strong as Boruto, but she still holds her own in battles with Kara.

5 Boruto Skews The Rivalry Cliche

Sasuke & Naruto's Final Fight

A key component of Naruto and a majority of shonen is the rivalry between the lead character and either a villain or teammate. For Naruto, it was Sasuke and Naruto.

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They were the story's focus, and the final battle was naturally between the two of them. Boruto goes away from that as he isn't necessarily big-time rivals with Mitsuki or Sarada, and Kawaki doesn't seem to fit the build either, even if they are building a slow brotherly bond. It's a refreshing change of pace.

4 Boruto Doesn't Rely On Heartbreaking Backstories With Its Characters

Naruto_ itachi uchiha

Tragic backstories can help craft some amazing characters, such as Itachi or Pain from Naruto. However, almost every character in Naruto seemed to have one, given the time period it took place in. Now that a time of peace has spread over the land, it makes no sense for tragedy to be at the forefront. It lets Boruto get a bit more creative and allows for some interesting character developments with Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada.

3 Boruto Doesn't Use Talk No Jutsu At All

Kara Boruto Anime

The members of Kara never flipped sides so readily, realizing the error of their ways beneath Boruto's words. With how prevalent it was in Naruto, that's a good thing. Every other villain seemed to quake beneath Naruto's words. It makes the manga feel different and works well for Boruto as a character. He isn't the same as Naruto. He doesn't aspire to become Hokage nor change the world. He's not the type to get in an ideological debate.

2 Boruto Has A Faster Pace

Momoshiki Otsutsuki Boruto manga

More feels like it happens in the first ten chapters of Boruto than it did in about thirty of Naruto. Momoshiki is introduced almost from the jump, helps speed things along, and shows the manga isn't going to move at a plodding pace. This can at times be a double-edged sword as there is such a thing as too fast a pace, but when you have manga like One Piece that feel like they will never end, it's refreshing to see one move faster.

1 Boruto Has More Realistic Art

Boruto Manga Artwork

Mikio Ikemoto makes his illustrations far more realistic looking, particularly with their eyes and mouths. Kishimoto has even had to go on record of telling him he needs to make them bigger so it better aligns with the original series. While that's true, the sense of realism he has gives the manga a unique look. It isn't just with the characters either. The backdrops look nicer and feel more filled with life than many of the ones shown in Naruto.

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