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Boruto has proven divisive since its original introduction as a movie. The anime series surrounding Naruto's son has received plenty of praise and criticism, though criticism is more likely to happen given the tonal shift, treatment of the older Naruto characters, and the struggle the series had to justify its existence and break out of its predecessor's shadow.
Taking into consideration that Naruto was always under fire for sidelining and mistreating its female characters, it isn't surprising that Boruto faces similar criticism. We decided to ask an AI, ChatGPT to be precise, what it thought about this particular issue, and while its answers may not sway everyone, it definitely had a lot to say.
Disclaimer: The following article is subjective and will contain Naruto and Boruto spoilers, including for chapter 80. Content warnings apply for discussions based on sexism.
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Boruto put under a microscope by ChatGPT in regards to misogynistic content
After the usual disclaimer about it not being able to make moral or ethical judgements, ChatGPT proceeded to start its answering process by pointing out Boruto's typicality as a shonen anime:
"Boruto is a shonen anime, which means it is primarily marketed towards teenage boys and young men. As with many shonen anime, the main focus of Boruto is on action, adventure, and heroism, and the female characters in the show often play supporting roles to the male protagonists. However, it is worth noting that there are several prominent female characters in Boruto, such as Sarada Uchiha and Chocho Akimichi, who are portrayed as strong and capable fighters in their own right."
It's not wrong that shonen anime do end up pushing their female characters aside. Pointing out that Boruto is a shonen anime, and that shonen usually put female characters on the backburner is technically correct.
The AI then goes on to parrot some of the more common critiques:
"That being said, there have been some criticisms of the way female characters are depicted in Boruto, particularly with regards to their design and clothing. Some fans have accused the show of over-s*xualizing its female characters and catering to the male gaze. It's important to remember that these are subjective opinions and not everyone will view the show in the same way."
It also repeatedly adds disclaimers stating that a lot of these are subjective and depend on individual opinions and values. This is the correct approach, and there's more to that aspect, which will be discussed below.
The second time, the AI is asked to go further into depth and detail regarding why Boruto is misogynistic. In response, it says:
"One common criticism of Boruto is the over-s*xualization of its female characters, particularly in the way they are designed and dressed. Many of the female characters are depicted with unrealistic body proportions, revealing clothing, and s*xualized poses. This has led some viewers to argue that the show is catering to the male gaze and perpetuating harmful stereotypes about women's bodies."
While there are plenty of anime that have been criticized for revealing outfits before, most complaints that occur regarding this particular point are usually directed at Sarada, who was put into very risque clothing when it came to her original outfit and pajamas. The anime gives her more modesty in that regard.
Another point to highlight is that female characters are often sidelined in the series:
"Another criticism of Boruto is the way female characters are often sidelined or relegated to supporting roles in the story. While there are several strong and capable female characters in the show, such as Sarada and Chocho, they often play second fiddle to the male protagonists and are not given as much focus or development."
This has some weight and merit to it as a longstanding complaint in Naruto. Many of the female characters often get relegated to supporting roles, with Sakura, Hinata, and Tsunade seemingly the only ones with an arc. This issue has haunted Boruto for a while, and will be examined in depth later.
The AI's answers likewise feature more than a few other common complaints regarding how the show handles the issue of consent:
"Additionally, some viewers have criticized the way the show handles issues of gender and sexuality. For example, one episode features a male character using a love potion on a female character without her consent, which some viewers saw as promoting r*pe culture and toxic masculinity."
Love potions are usually a violation of consent. Exhaustive research trying to find a love potion episode, or its equivalent, only turned up in the case of the lovestruck Magire Kakuremino. After being rejected by Sumire Kakei, Magire was possessed by Nue into kidnapping Sumire.
Generally speaking, however, this is absolutely true. Trying to make someone fall in love without consent is very much problematic and tied to the above mentioned issues. Furthermore, while the AI also attempts to be diplomatic at the end, it cites an important point some people should take into account. That being:
"It's worth noting that not all viewers will interpret these elements of the show as misogynistic, and there are certainly other perspectives and interpretations that could be offered. However, it's important to be aware of these criticisms and to engage in thoughtful discussions about media representation and gender stereotypes."
Chat GPT's answer refuted
The AI's answers fail to provide real context, depth, or insight into the series. First, the series has more than a few male characters pushed to the back, key among them being Inojin, Shikadai, Denki, and Iwabae. Metal Lee has likewise been resigned to support status.
Saying that the female characters often play support misses out on a few things.
Sarada is a mold-breaker for Naruto as a whole since she gets her own arc throughout the show: Her identity crisis with regard to Sasuke being her father, various times where she had to save Boruto and aid Sakura against Shin Uchiha, taking down the practically unstoppable Boro after Boruto and Mitsuki distracted him, and the development of her Sharingan including attaining the Mangekyo out of a place of love instead of loss are all good examples of her development.
Sarada was also tasked with keeping an eye on Eida, a female villain who can charm anyone to her side and is incredibly dangerous, which proved crucial in the fight against Code.
She's also one of the only ones unaffected by Eida's brainwashing, the other being Sumire Kakei, and was likewise unaffected by the massive wave that made Boruto a criminal and turned Kawaki into a hero instead of vice versa in the manga. She also convinced Sasuke to do what was right in aiding Boruto.
The other thing is that the female characters are all diverse in their goals. There's Sumire Kakei, who was once a tragic villain blinded by her father's hatred and is now a scientist in training. Chocho had an entire mini-arc regarding gaining confidence in her body and abilities.
Tsubaki Kurogane, a samurai in training, has also gone on to have her own character arc about trusting her newfound team in Konoha, as well as past hangups regarding friends that turned into criminals that resulted in the life or death duel which she won during the Chunin Re-Examination arc.
Likewise, not much can be said about Boruto's female cast being used for fanservice, considering they usually wear longer clothing and those that wear short or revealing clothing are already adults. It is perhaps unrealistic that most of them are thin, but a lot of them are teens and still growing.
There's one other thing that should've been tackled: The treatment of older female characters. Sakura had to raise Sarada as well as be Konoha's number one doctor, saving tons of lives including Boruto. Ino took over her family business, and Hanabi Hyuga is a team leader who goes on missions.
The only person in the adult female cast to truly get pushed aside is either Tenten or Hinata, and even then it can be argued that Tenten still has her own weapons business and the two help where they can.
Unlike the Itachi and Uchiha Clan Massacre answer, this one is best taken with a grain of salt. The questions are posed directly and the AI tries to give very diplomatic answers to it. The problem is that it doesn't usually offer insight or examples to support its case, which begs the need for additional context.
In conclusion, none of these arguments are likely to sway those on either side of the proverbial coin. While some will continue banging the drum that Naruto's sequel is misogynistic, regardless of whatever developments occur, others will continue to downplay, ignore, or outright harass anyone who brings these issues up.
It's rather important to be on the lookout for these elements, and they do exist. But to condemn an entire anime, which is doing way better than Naruto did on the female characters' front, over a few scattered examples feels disingenuous.
