15 Reasons Boruto Is WAY Better Than Naruto - Screen Rant

In comparison to Naruto’s impressive 720 episodes (if combined with Naruto: Shippuden), Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is still in its infancy. That said, with a handful of memorable stories and some stellar animation out of the gate, the spin-off is certainly off to a fast start, leading fans to wonder if Boruto could actually be better than the original.

We believe it is certainly possible, and we have compiled a list of ways in which it has already vastly surpassed its predecessor. Sure, it is still far too early to call, but Boruto has been making some smart narrative decisions since its first episode, as it looks like it has learned a lot from some of the missteps taken by the beloved Naruto.

Again, we are not arguing that Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is superior to Naruto or even Naruto: Shippuden overall, but simply providing examples of aspects that the show has thus far improved upon and reasons why it may, one day, go on to surpass the original.

Here are the 15 Reasons Boruto Is Way Better Than Naruto.

15. Sasuke

Now, this may be a bit controversial, but the foundation of Sasuke’s character motivations were often shaky at best. He went from despising his brother to idolizing him and, while this is supported in the context of the anime, it never felt believable to a large portion of its audience, leading Sasuke to come off as a bit whiney despite his troubled upbringing.

Naruto did an excellent job of making audiences empathize with its antagonists, but Sasuke became more and more unlikable as the series progressed.

Not to mention, Naruto’s friendship with Sasuke-- at least in the anime-- felt a bit shoehorned retrospectively. Naruto and Sasuke were rivals first and foremost, and weren't truly revealed to be friends until Sasuke became a villain. A lot of their Ninja Academy backstory was highlighted after the fact, making Naruto’s obsession with retrieving him feel a bit disingenuous.

14. Even Shino is Now Interesting

Fan consensus easily pegs Shino Aburame as one of the original series’ least interesting characters. However, the mysterious bug-obsessed ninja has since found new life in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. As a teacher struggling to reach his respective students, Shino is now somewhat relatable and a far more likable character than ever before.

Try as hard as they might, but previously the writers could not quite crack the essence of Shino as a character. The shinobi did not receive a memorable backstory, and seeing as how most people are generally not a big fan of bugs, Shino was likely at a disadvantage going in.

As an instructor, Shino does not even feel like the same character. Sure, he still has a thing for bugs, but his personality is much more defined and he has finally been allowed to become vulnerable for the first time in this long-running series, which is certainly refreshing, to say the least.

13. Humor

Make no mistake, Naruto, as well as Shippuden, had its share of quality humor, but thus far, Boruto’s approach has been a bit more evenly dispersed, with each and every episode offering quality gags from various characters.

Early entries into the original series illustrated that there was a time to be serious and a time for levity as well. As the narrative wore on, however, the story began to take itself far more seriously, and while a more serious tone was certainly called for, it seemed as though the humor was somewhat lost.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations seems to have recaptured some of the early magic, but only time will tell if the new kid on the block will eventually head in the same tonal direction as its predecessors.

12. Boruto Already Has the Best Movie

Boruto: Naruto the Movie gave audiences arguably one of only a few worthwhile feature-length experiences from the franchise. The new protagonist had a lot to prove, but the general consensus is that Boruto gave fans one of only two “must watch” Naruto movies from the bunch.

In just one attempt, Boruto: Naruto the Movie met-- and even exceeded-- the expectations set by the countless lackluster franchise films that had come before it. Seeing as how this story is canon, it gives this spin-off series a good jumping off point.

Interestingly enough, however, the series starts before the film in the Boruto timeline, making the early episodes something of a prequel to the feature-length production. However, assuming the series largely sticks to the events as portrayed on the big screen, it would appear as though the future of this animated program is bright as well.

11. Budgetary Constraints

While the specifics of each respective series’ various budgetary figures are not readily available, it would appear as though Boruto is working with a bit more capital than its predecessors, judging by the animation. This certainly makes sense considering the popularity to which the original series achieved over the years.

Bigger budgets are certainly not an indicator of quality, but it does help in assuring that audiences are not forced to endure needless recap episodes or filler arcs with lackluster animation quality. No, a big budget does not guarantee a successful story, but the lack of a substantial budget can work to tarnish the legacy of a great story with subpar animation or numerous other potential issues.

All in all, the significant resources at Boruto’s disposal have led to some top-notch animation in the early goings.

10. A Blend of Overarching Narratives and Satisfactory Single Episodes

This is not necessarily a criticism of Naruto or its respective follow-up, but single episodes of these series were generally part of a much larger picture and not usually meant to stand on their own. Boruto, to this point in the story, has adopted a less serialized approach, in which each story fits into the grander picture, but still, tells its own unique tale.

That being said, these episodes do not feel like “monster of the week” type narratives, in which the characters are going up against some irrelevant foe. Still, these storylines have generally been wrapping up in one-- or sometimes two-- episode intervals.

Again, one approach is not necessarily better than another, but when watching a series week-to-week, it is nice to feel that your time was rewarded with a full story that also contributes to a grander narrative.

9. Better Pilot

This is certainly one of the more subjective entries on this list, because, while Naruto features a pretty solid entry point into its own respective story, the pilot for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is arguably better.

It masterfully introduces new characters, all while wasting no time getting into the action. Without the need for world building, Boruto is able to explore characters and action early on, and is thus able to refresh viewers on the details as it moves ahead.

Additionally, Boruto gives fans plenty of reason to stick around within the first few minutes with some exciting teases. So many questions have been raised, and the series bides its time introducing audiences to interesting, lovable characters.

The pilot for Next Generations had far less weight to carry in respect to its predecessor, but even still, it smartly got off to a fast start with new faces when it could have easily relied on nostalgia and fan service.

8. Filler

One of the biggest problems surrounding Naruto, as well as its subsequent series Naruto: Shippuden, was meaningless filler episodes scattered throughout the narrative.

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Sometimes filler can serve as a nice break in-between heavy story arcs, but oftentimes, the series would depart from the main storyline just as things were starting to get interesting in order to showcase a handful of unrelated (and frankly uninteresting) episodes.

While we are still early in the Boruto series, we have yet to see anything that even remotely resembles subpar filler. This can all certainly change as more episodes come out, but fans are hoping that the writers learned from the mistakes of the original series, and at the very least, can cut down on the copious amounts of filler episodes – especially those that take place in the middle of key narrative arcs.

7. A Mix of Fan Service and Quality World Building

Part of Boruto’s immediate advantage is the fact that this incredible universe has been set up and built over the course of hundreds of episodes. Utilizing this vast universe, the spin-off incorporates fan-favorite characters, but not in a way that feels cheap or disingenuous.

For example, Shino has already been introduced to audiences hundreds of episodes ago, but Boruto: Naruto Next Generations takes things a step further by adding another dimension to his character. Yes, Shino is a familiar face, but this is not the same character we knew and loved (or merely tolerated) from the original series.

Boruto has smartly incorporated some fun fan service with really intelligent character development and world building, which serves to please old fans all while allowing a new audience to tune in for the first time and enjoy the ride.

6. Highlighting Characters Early On

Boruto arrives at the plate with an unfair advantage – the universe of Naruto has already been established. While the series does a good job at explaining the world of the shinobi to newcomers without getting bogged down in unnecessary details, it is also allowed to explore characters early on in a way its predecessor could not.

Naruto featured countless lovable characters, but again, with the aforementioned advantage, Boruto is off to a much faster start in that regard. In the early arcs of the original series, the narrative could not stray too far from our point-of-view character and main protagonist. Boruto, on the other hand, is allowed to be a bit more adventurous.

Numerous episodes have already explored some ancillary characters that could very well become fan-favorites in the future. Additionally, the more we are attached to these characters – and the earlier this happens – the better off the series will likely be in the long run.