Boruto: Is Kishimoto Laying the Groundwork for Boruto to Follow Itachi's Footsteps?

The Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime has yet to catch up to the manga, and the story has advanced considerably. The manga is currently depicting the time skip and the characters have grown much stronger, with the likes of Kawaki and Sarada aging significantly and now resembling adults.

One character who has made significant progress is Himawari Uzumaki, who has begun training as a full-fledged shinobi and is excelling alongside other shinobi her age. With this progression, the Uzumaki siblings are drawing comparisons to Itachi and Sasuke Uchiha from the original Naruto and Naruto Shippuden series. Some fans speculate that the manga is positioning Boruto as the next Itachi Uchiha.

Understanding the parallels between Boruto, Himawari, Itachi, and Sasuke

The protagonist as depicted in the manga series (Image via Shueisha/Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto)

Himawari and Boruto are siblings, akin to the relationship between Sasuke and Itachi. According to fan theories prevalent on platforms like Reddit and X (formerly Twitter), Himawari shares similarities with Sasuke. This is evident in the Naruto series, where Sasuke's loss of his parents is attributed to his brother's actions.

Itachi exterminated his entire clan as part of a complex scheme devised by Danzo Shimura. Likewise, the village is led to believe that Naruto and Hinata have perished. Furthermore, Eida tampered with people's memories, framing Boruto for the supposed murder of his own parents.

Fans believe that Naruto's son could be the next Itachi due to his exceptional abilities. In a recent chapter of the Two Blue Vortex manga, he mastered every technique Sasuke had perfected and gained insight into the fighting style of the Uchiha clan. This remarkable progress took only two years.

Sasuke himself recognized the boy's remarkable talent, hailing him as a genius. This praise is reminiscent of Itachi Uchiha, who was also regarded as a genius and was appointed as an Anbu Black Ops captain at the age of 12. Itachi's early display of wisdom and maturity demonstrated his exceptional skills as a ninja. Despite this, Boruto recognizes Himawari as having even greater potential.

The depiction of Himawari in the anime and manga series is shown in the image provided by Shueisha/Studio Pierrot.

It is possible that Himawari resides with Kawaki, given that Eida has tampered with her memories. Kawaki may have also contributed to the belief that it was her brother who was responsible for their parents' deaths.

Himawari appears to be bewildered and struggles to accept the fact that her brother is responsible for killing their parents. Nevertheless, the extensive manipulation of memories and altered perceptions could potentially drive Himawari to confront her brother. These are some of the factors that have led fans to speculate that Boruto could be the next Itachi in the manga series.

Keep an eye out for further updates on anime and manga news as we move through 2024.

Editor's P/S

As an enthusiastic fan of the Naruto series, I am intrigued by the theory that Boruto may follow in Itachi's footsteps. The parallels between the Uzumaki siblings and the Uchiha brothers are undeniable, and it would be fascinating to see Boruto grapple with the same moral dilemmas that Itachi faced. However, I also believe that Boruto is his own character, and his journey will likely be unique.

While Boruto possesses exceptional abilities and has made remarkable progress in mastering various techniques, I believe that his strength lies not only in his combat prowess but also in his compassion and empathy. Unlike Itachi, who was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for the sake of his village, Boruto seems more determined to find a way to protect his loved ones without resorting to violence. I am excited to see how Kishimoto develops Boruto's character and whether he will ultimately choose a different path from Itachi.