Day 12: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations by Masashi Kishimoto, Mikio Ikemoto and Ukyo Kodachi

Creator Masashi Kishimoto wrapped up his long running Shonen Jump series “Naruto” earlier in February 2015 with its final volume but fans got a glimpse of some of their beloved characters’ future. Under the guidance of Kishimoto, artist Mikio Ikemoto and Ukyo Kodachi brought readers to that time with Boruto, son of Naruto taking the spotlight.

Many of the young ninjas prepare for the critical Chunin Exam, most except for the Seventh Hokage’s son Boruto. All he wishes for is for his father to be more active in his life, but it takes a lot to make Konoha a peaceful place. Even with more modern amenities like computers, internet, and video games in the village, Naruto does everything in his power to give everyone under his care a comfortable life. Sadly, he sacrifices time with his family which is the reason for Boruto’s disdain. It seems that he doesn’t understand the many battles his parents and their fellow shinobi fought to make the world it is now. While most of of the old foes are now part of the past, there are still a few lingering as trouble sprout from new sources.

Longtime readers may not be able to notice the small difference between Ikemoto and Kishimoto’s art styles. The Boruto artist actually drew for Kishimoto as an assistant, filling in portions of some background illustrations. Having Kodachi as Ikemoto’s writer is perfect because both are well versed in the many details about the Naruto/Boruto universe. Kodachi previously worked on the Boruto film and novel and his writing in this current manga gave readers a bit of nostalgia as they go through the new adventure. It may be safe to assume that fans can trust this duo with the continuation of the series.

As mentioned in our previous article, VIZ Media recently acquired the licence for the anime adaptation. Fans will be able to go to Hulu to watch new episodes online as they wait for the next manga installment. For more information on the series including free manga previews, visit VIZ’s page.