Boruto keeps the spirit of Naruto alive in a way fans don't praise enough
Boruto gets a lot of criticism from Naruto fans for not keeping up with the spirit of the original series and failing to live up to its legacy, but there is one element they both thrive on and that is the art of deception. While the original manga might have gone from smaller-scale battles to much more chaotic ones, it is an element that still persists and the sequel does the same.
Most fans of the first series could point out the Shadow Fuma Shuriken Maneuver, used by Sasuke and Naruto against Zabuza, as a great example of how to use deception to get the upper hand.
Moreover, this is something that is still prevalent in Boruto but doesn't get the credit it deserves, perhaps because of a lack of awareness or a simple dislike of the series.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a publication.
Explaining how Naruto's ninja deception is still present and thriving in Boruto
As mentioned earlier, there were several moments in Naruto where deception was pivotal to get the upper hand in battle and the sequel actually celebrates this in spades. One of the first examples is how the protagonist and Sasuke Uchiha create a distraction with the latter's sword to successfully stab Momoshiki's Rinnegan, which is a sequence that is often overlooked in the community.
There is also the time when Naruto's son was fighting the Mujina Bandits' boss and the latter had a strategy to neutralize the protagonist's Shadow Clones. However, the protagonist got Tento involved without his enemy's knowledge and the former attacked him, thus giving the Hidden Leaf Village ninja an opening to get a hit.
When fighting Boro later on, Sarada Uchiha came up with a strategy to neutralize the enemy's poison-saved attacks thanks to Mitsuki's abilities.
Then, Sasuke and Sakura Haruno's daughter pretends to be defeated so Boro can have a false sense of security, allowing her, the protagonist, and Kawaki to get the winning attack, which is something that would have also happened in the original series.
More examples of this in the sequel
Another prominent example happened when Boruto and Sasuke had to fight Isshiki in Konoha, with the duo coming up with a plan. This involves turning the protagonist into a sword and throwing it at Isshiki, with the former then using his Karma and teleport them away from the village.
It is also a nice callback to when Sasuke did something similar in his youth with Naruto when fighting Zabuza Momochi.
Kawaki also had a moment to shine against Isshiki since the former used a Shadow Clone to deceive the latter, to the point that the Otsutsuki used Karma on the fake one.
This moment stands out because Kawaki managed to get the upper hand on such a powerful entity and also surprised the reader at the time, who wasn't aware of this move.
Final thoughts
It's no secret that Boruto doesn't have the best of legacies in the manga and anime community but this doesn't mean it doesn't have moments that celebrate the best of Naruto. There have been several times when the characters have managed to deceive their opponents with compelling strategies and this sequel doesn't often get the credit it deserves in that department.
Related articles
- Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 16 teases Sumire as the next Shinju
- A Shakespearean reference in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 16 may have perfectly explained Eida and Sumire's dynamic
- Boruto's story may need Himawari to die to reach its full potential
- Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 16: Kashin Koji explains the Singularity of Fate as Sarada, Mitsuki, and Konohamaru head to Sunagakure