Only Masashi Kishimoto can save the Boruto manga (and the Minato manga proves it)

The Boruto manga has progressed considerably, and the series is inching closer to the Timeskip arc. A glimpse of this was shown in the very first chapter of the series, where the titular protagonist and Kawaki fight against each other in a setting that resembles the ruins of what was once the prosperous Hidden Leaf village.

However, interestingly, the entire fanbase is focusing on something else altogether. Recently, the Minato one-shot manga was released by Masashi Kishimoto and fans absolutely loved it. They were reminded of Kishimoto’s incredible artistic sense, which was showcased repeatedly when he drew the chapters for Naruto.

Given how well this one-shot manga performed, the slander against the Boruto manga and Ikemoto was unavoidable. Although, fans have good reason to criticize the artist especially, when they compare the art seen in the one-shot and the Boruto manga. Thus, fans are absolutely sure that only Masashi Kishimoto, the original creator of the series, can save the entire franchise.

Disclaimer: This article might contain spoilers from the manga chapters.

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Boruto’s criticism in the recent past, the reason, and how Masashi Kishimoto could fix it

Panels from the Boruto manga featuring arty by Ikemoto (Images via Shueisha)

It is no news to members of the anime and manga community that Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has received a ton of negative reviews from its fanbase. The anime adaptation has consistently put out poor quality art and even worked on unnecessary filler episodes, which seem to have ruined the series for many viewers.

In fact, anime-only fans have resorted to reading the manga and found the pacing to be far better. That being said, there are several ways in which the manga can show improvements.

At the time of writing, the manga storyline has kept readers on the edge of their seats. Sarada was the only one who was able to see through Eida’s trickery, and now the Seventh Hokage’s son has her and Sasuke on his side.

Kishimoto's incredible art in the latest Minato one-shot manga (Image via Shueisha/Masashi Kishimoto)

But, one area where the manga is clearly lacking is the art. At first, the dip in quality was not that apparent. However, with the release of the Minato one-shot manga, fans realized the bar that Kishimoto had set, and how his intervention could save this franchise.

Kishimoto’s art in the one-shot was incredible. Some might argue that the one-shot was not a regular chapter release and, therefore, Kishimoto had more time to work on it. This argument, however, is flawed because the current Boruto series releases a chapter every month, giving Ikemoto plenty of time to illustrate.

It is important for fans to understand that Kishimoto himself chose Ikemoto to draw the manga series. The two colleagues are close and respect each other a lot.

However, fans can’t help but feel that Kishimoto’s art is superior to Ikemoto's. If that is the case, it will be ideal if Kishimoto took over the Timeskip arc of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations series, which will most likely serve as the conclusion to the ongoing storyline. The hype surrounding the Timeskip arc has reached a fever pitch while the manga is currently on a hiatus.

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Final thoughts

There is no doubt that Ikemoto is a splendid artist who is talented and skilled. However, his illustrations seem a tad bit lackluster when compared to Masashi Kishimoto. While it is unlikely that Kishimoto will take over the illustrations for the upcoming story arc, fans hope to see the same quality that was featured in the recent one-shot manga that Kishimoto had released.

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Stay tuned for more Boruto anime and manga news as 2023 progresses.