Why the Boruto anime isn't as bad as people make it out to be, explained

Modified Aug 31, 2024 06:59 GMT

Why the Boruto anime isn — Boruto as seen in the Boruto anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While fans love the Boruto manga, the same cannot be said to be about the Boruto anime as most fans dropped it halfway due to several reasons. Indeed, the anime was nowhere as good as the manga series, but it wasn't as bad as people made it out to be.

Boruto anime premiered only a short time after the end of the Naruto Shippuden anime. Hence, fans had high hopes for the anime. Unfortunately, the sequel anime failed to create the same hype around the fanbase, leading fans to start making excuses on why the sequel anime was bad compared to Naruto.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author's opinion.

Why is the Boruto anime considered bad by fans?

Boruto as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

There are several reasons why people portray Boruto anime as bad. The most recent one was that the series's animation was bad. However, that was far from the truth as it was only since episode 235 that the anime started featuring some poor animation. This meant that the anime had over 200 episodes with quality animation.

That said, the poor animation wasn't Studio Pierrot's fault as they had fewer people to work on the anime. As fans would know, the animation studio had begun the production of Bleach: Thousand-Year Blood War anime around the same time. Hence, the majority of staff may have been shifted to the Bleach project, leaving an inadequate number of staff members for the Boruto anime.

Nevertheless, as per TV Tokyo's demographics, Boruto anime far outperformed the Bleach anime.

Another reason for fans to think that the Boruto anime was bad is that the series had "too much filler." If fans remember clearly, the Naruto anime also had filler story arcs that had nothing to do with the storyline. Nevertheless, fans enjoyed watching it and seldom complained.

In comparison, the filler episodes in Boruto anime were mostly anime canon episodes. Hence, they weren't even truly filler episodes. Regardless, the sequel anime gained a bad rapport for it. If fans dislike fillers or anime canon episodes, they always have the option to only watch manga canon episodes.

Sasuke and Naruto as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Another reason fans came up with to call the anime bad was that the series was carried by Naruto and Sasuke. While it is true that fans loved the two characters, their presence had nothing to do with the anime's performance. This is especially evident from Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga in which both characters are absent. Regardless, the sequel manga series has been more well-received than the prequel manga.

The final reason why fans thought that the anime was bad was that they did not like the protagonist. As per them, Boruto was a brat who wasn't grateful for his life. In reality, if one were to think back, Naruto was a bigger brat than his son.

Naruto as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The only reason fans hated the new protagonist was because Boruto demanded Naruto's attention. But what's wrong with that? No matter the circumstance, Naruto was being a bad father. Hence, Boruto calling him out for the same was in no way a bratty behavior.