8 most blatant Naruto parallels in Boruto

Naruto and Boruto manga creator Masashi Kishimoto is highly regarded for his story writing. He has introduced fans to several iconic characters, storylines, and tropes that have become generational. However, not just fans but also manga creators are captivated by Kishimoto's work, as seen in several Shonen manga that have drawn inspiration from the franchise.

However, some of the storylines and tropes created by Masashi Kishimoto are so iconic that even the manga creator has notably reused them in his new series. Fortunately, these act as great parallels, allowing fans to get a nostalgic feeling despite consuming a new story. So, here we shall take a look at some of the most blatant Naruto parallels in Boruto.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the Boruto manga.

8 times Kishimoto used Naruto parallels in Boruto

1) Flashforward at the start of the series

Sasuke and Boruto as seen in their anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Naruto Shippuden and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations had a flashforward at the start of the series. While the flashforward at the start of Naruto Shippuden only saw Naruto confronting Sasuke at Orochimaru's hideout, it did leave an impact as fans were left waiting for the event.

It seems like Masashi Kishimoto wished to leave a similar impact in the new series by showing a flashforward for a Boruto vs. Kawaki fight. While the event has yet to happen after over 90 chapters, fans are still looking forward to it.

2) Female supporting character crushing on the protagonist

Hinata and Sumire as seen in their anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Both series saw a female supporting character having a crush on the respective protagonist of the series. In Naruto, the supporting character was Hinata Hyuga who went on to marry Naruto Uzumaki in the future.

As for Boruto, the supporting character is Sumire Kakei. While it does seem like she is unlucky in her quest for love, Hinata went through a similar phase. In addition, fans must note that Hinata and Sumire have similar purple color palettes.

3) Curse and Karma mark

Curse and Karma mark as seen in their anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Since the start of the Boruto series, the protagonist has been seen expressing his desire to follow Sasuke Uchiha's path and become a Shadow Hokage. Surprisingly, he is too similar to his master, not just in their attire and jutsu but also in their fates.

Sasuke and Boruto were both given a Curse and Karma mark, respectively. While they are very different marks, both serve the purpose of stealing their bodies. Orochimaru wished to use Sasuke's body to stay alive, while Momoshiki Otsutsuki wished to resurrect himself in Boruto's body.

4) Team 7 was assigned extra members

Sai and Kawaki as seen in their series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While teams in the Naruto franchise generally only have four students and one Jonin teacher, Team 7 was assigned extra members in both series. After Sasuke Uchiha abandoned the Hidden Leaf Village in Naruto, Tsunade assigned two former Anbu Black Ops members, Sai and Yamato, to Team 7. Given the numbers, the team had extra members.

A similar event was seen in the new series as Team 7 was given an extra member, Kawaki. The team already had Konohamaru as its captain and three members. Even so, they were given an extra member, Kawaki, to partake in missions.

5) Eye scar while protecting a Uchiha

Kakashi and Boruto as seen in their series (Image via Studio Pierrot, Shueisha)

Given that eye scars look cool in anime, it was acceptable for manga creator Masashi Kishimoto to give his characters the same. But surprisingly, in both series, Kishimoto gave his chosen character an eye scar through similar circumstances.

In Naruto, Kakashi Hatake received an eye scar while protecting his friend and team member Obito Uchiha from an enemy. Similarly, in Boruto, the protagonist receives an eye scar while protecting his team member Sarada Uchiha. It is surprising that both series saw the characters lose an eye while protecting another character with ocular jutsu.

6) Protagonists leaving the Hidden Leaf Village to train during a time skip

Protagonists leaving to train during a time skip (Image via Studio Pierrot, Shueisha)

Both series saw the protagonists leave the Hidden Leaf Village to train with their masters. Naruto left with Jiraiya to train and become strong enough to bring Sasuke back and fight the Akatsuki. Meanwhile, Boruto, albeit forced to, left to train with Sasuke for the upcoming fight against Code.

Both events saw the respective series experience a time skip. This helped the two series showcase major developments that took place in the protagonists' absence.

7) Protagonists returning with a new Rasengan

Big Ball Rasengan and Rasengan Uzuhiko in their series (Image via Studio Pierrot, Shueisha)

Following their training sessions during the time skip, the protagonists of the two series returned with a new Rasengen. While fans did expect them to learn new Jutsu, they weren't expecting both characters to return with a new iteration of the Rasengan.

In Naruto, the protagonist returns with the Big Ball Rasengan. Realistically, the jutsu isn't really different but a bigger version of the original ninjutsu. Meanwhile, in the new series, the protagonist returns with Rasengan Uzuhiko. This is a very different jutsu from the original; however, its concept is seemingly derived from Rasengan itself.

8) Characters being branded a criminal

Sasuke and Boruto in their respective series (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Both series saw one character, Sasuke Uchiha and Boruto, respectively, get branded as criminals. In the case of Sasuke, he had committed crimes that were worthy of punishment. However, that was not the case for the new protagonist. The protagonist was being branded a criminal for Kawaki's actions.

That said, Kawaki's actions were worthy of being deemed criminal. Hence, the protagonist being deemed a criminal after Kawaki had Eida switch their positions made sense.

These were some of the Naruto parallels in the sequel series that caught our eye. Please comment below if we missed any.