The Naruto franchise continues with a whole new group of characters in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Boruto features the children of the characters Naruto fans already know, but it also features a lot of familiar faces from the previous series.
Of course, there are plenty of fans who are still dissatisfied with how the pairings of the earlier series shook out. They still hold out hope that they might see their favorite relationship come to life. All of this “shipping”—preferring one character in a specific relationship—leads to a unique investment in the storyline. It also leads to fans creating many varieties of their own fan works. Some like to write their own stories with fanfiction, and others like to create their own imagery with fan art.
Updated on August 31st, 2022 by Tanner Fox: Debuted in 2016, the Boruto anime series has been running for quite some time and isn't likely to end any time soon. A continuation of the already incredibly-lengthy Naruto saga, there's no telling where the story could go next.
At this point, Naruto and Boruto are anime institutions; veritable must-watch series for shonen enthusiasts, the fandom surrounding these series will almost certainly continue for decades. With that in mind, it's worth celebrating the efforts of fans who've enriched the series through their ancillary artworks.
Mitsuki And Chouchou
A 2018 episode of the anime saw Chouchou discover that not all crushes end in happiness. She thought she had feelings for an actor, but he was only interested in superficial things. It was Mitsuki who brought her to her senses, comparing her moral center to the “essence” of her favorite snack, potato chips.
When Chouchou later revealed she only shared her chips with boys she liked, she handed off an entire bag to Mitsuki, giving birth to a new relationship among fans. Artist AlinaKZ-97 imagined a future in which the two found their way to one another and spent some quality time at a festival.
Inojin And Sarada
With Sarada as one of the main trio in Boruto, there are certainly a lot of fans interested in her future. Her mother ended up married to one of her teammates, but there are some fans who don’t want to see her repeat her mother’s path.
Instead, there is a small contingent of fans who think Inojin might just be a good match for her. They both are knowledgeable of ninja techniques on paper and work hard to see their practical applications pay off. AkkumaCherry imagined young adult versions of the two.
Shikadai And Himawari
A young woman falling for her best friend’s brother is one of the oldest tropes in teen fiction whether it’s on the page or the screen. Some fans think there might be a bit of a role reversal in the Boruto series in the future.
Shikadai, despite winding up on a different shinobi team, was originally introduced as Boruto’s best friend. The two know each other better than anyone thanks to the close working relationship between their fathers. Some fans think it’s a matter of time before Shikadai falls for his best friend’s little sister. In ZefiMankai’s piece, Himawari and Shikadai are a little older, but they're clearly made for each other.
Sakura And Ino
When Sakura and Ino were children, they were the best of friends. Unfortunately, hormones and a boy named Sasuke came in between them. They became frenemies who competed in everything, but neither would let anyone hurt the other. Fast-forward a couple of decades, and Sakura ended up married to Sasuke, but he disappears for long periods of time. He went more than a decade without coming home or contacting his family.
Some fans, like Tumblr artist Rainsparks, are sure that Sakura could do better than Sasuke. In fact, maybe she should have been with her first real friend Ino all along.
Konohamaru And Hanabi
Long-time fans of the Naruto franchise have had a lot of fun speculating about Konohamaru’s potential relationships. After all, they watched him go from a pint-sized admirer of Naruto to a capable adult trusted by the Hokage to be his son’s sensei.
One of those long-rumored relationships is with Hinata Hyuga’s little sister Hanabi. Konohamaru is Naruto’s surrogate little brother, so they’re practically family already. One post-episode meetup between the two had them bonding over their worry for Boruto, and fans love them together even more. Sanzo-Sinclaire sketched the two practicing a little jutsu, and it's definitely intriguing.
Shikadai And Inojin
As far as fans know, no members of the Ino-Shika-Cho trio have ever ended up in a relationship, but perhaps that could change. Inojin inherited his mother’s mind transfer abilities, but he also inherited his father’s abilities to use ninjutsu with his artwork, making him unique among the traditional team-up. Shikadai, on the other hand, primarily uses the Nara clan shadow techniques in the series so far. He has stepped away from tradition by socializing more outside the team’s family group.
Why not make this team move into even more new territory by having two of its members enter into a relationship? LittleZion captured what could be a quiet moment between the two in the future.
Kawaki And Himawari
In the Boruto anime, Kawaki emerged on the scene and was brought to stay with Boruto’s family, giving a chance to see him interact with other characters. Some fans wonder if a tragic romance with Himawari could be in his future, reminiscent of Sakura’s attempts to get Sasuke to stay in the Hidden Leaf Village.
Ro93 gave the potential pairing a more peaceful moment instead of the fighting sure to come in the series.
Shino And Tenten
Shino and Tenten were fan-favorites in the original Naruto series. As adults in Boruto, they’re the only two of Naruto’s generation who have no children or significant others that have been seen. This might be what has fans holding out hope for them ending up together.
As Boruto’s teacher at the Ninja Academy, fans saw plenty of Shino in the anime. Tenten, on the other hand, only appeared briefly, and she's the owner of her own weapons shop. Since she is also a proctor during the chunin exams, it’s likely that Tenten remains in contact with Shino. While irenukia drew the pairing before Boruto got his own series, there are still many fans who hope to see this artwork come to life.
Sasuke And Karin
When Sasuke left the Hidden Leaf Village behind to grow his power, he did so with Orochimaru. It was under Orochimaru’s tutelage that he met Karin. Like Sakura before her, Karin fell hard. The two developed an antagonistic friendship.
Years later, Karin actually helped Sakura when she went into labor with Sasuke’s child. Of course, not long after Sakura gave birth, Sasuke disappeared from her life for over a decade. Some fans still wonder if he would have been better suited for a life with Karin, who works outside of the village. Tumblr artist Vicio-Kun gave fans a glimpse at what could be “the sound of love” between them.
Shikadai And Ryogi
A laid-back guy like his father was at his age, Shikadai makes new friends pretty easily. One of those friends was a young man named Ryogi. Ryogi was caught up with a gang of criminals whom he thought he owed for saving his life. It turns out that they were the ones who got him into the mess in the first place. It was Shikadai who helped him see the light.
The two became close while playing games of shogi in the park, and some fans wish that could have blossomed into more.NertonWilliams gave the fans a taste of that with a warm embrace.
Mitsuki And Himawari
Just as there are fans who wonder if Himawari could wind up with her big brother’s best friend one day, there are others who wonder if she could end up with his teammate.
Mitsuki learned a lot about friendship and teamwork from Boruto. He’s also learned a lot about relationships from Boruto’s family. Spending so much time with Boruto and his family, it’s only natural he would grow closer with them. Here, artist hxshigaki76 imagines Mitsuki and Himawari as a power couple in the future once they both reach jonin status.
Sarada And Chouchou
Sarada and Chouchou might be members of different shinobi teams once they graduate from the Academy, but the two are still the best of friends. In fact, it’s Chouchou who is always there for Sarada, even accompanying her when she sought to find out more about her father. Chouchou frequently covers up her concern by making situations about her—like musing about the possibility of being adopted—but she’s always there for Sarada.
Some fans would like to see the Boruto series make good on the subtext that the Naruto series never did and have a same-gender couple in its main characters. Deadvampire32 imagined that couple as Sarada and Chouchou.
Sumire And Mitsuki
At first glance, Sumire and Mitsuki seem like very different people, but they have more in common than fans think. They both have some dark family history; Sumire took up her father’s cause, wanting revenge on the Leaf Village, until she connected with her Academy classmates. Mitsuki’s parent is Orochimaru, one of the best-known villains in the franchise.
The two could have become villains themselves, but, so far, they've proven to be two of the good guys thanks to a connection with Boruto. They also share an interest in science and knowledge. Mitsuki was actually born out of genetic experimentation, while Sumire went to work for a research center. The two could easily find some common ground, something artist Ro93 highlights in their work.
Metal Lee And Himawari
Himawari has such a big fan following that you can probably find fan art of her paired up with just about any character in the Naruto franchise. One of those characters happens to be Metal Lee.
While both characters have proved themselves capable of handling a fight well, they’re not getting a whole lot of screen time in the anime. Perhaps that’s why it’s easy to see the possibility of Himawari taking an interest in Metal as time goes by. Artist MetaruRicecake took inspiration from the duo’s parents when pairing them up. Both are in some of the most iconic poses used for Hinata Hyuga and Rock Lee in artwork for the franchise.
Konohamaru And Moegi
Friends when they were at the Ninja Academy, and teammates after they graduated, Konohamaru and Moegi have a lot of history. It’s a shame they don’t interact more in Boruto.
To be fair, Konohamaru keeps busy leading Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki on missions. Likewise, Moegi is the sensei to the new Ino-Shika-Cho generation. The two don’t have a lot of downtime. If they did, maybe they’d be more than friends. Artist Kazashi imagined just that in the time period between Naruto and Boruto. Maybe a relationship between the two could still be on the horizon.
Sarada And Mitsuki
On Team Konohamaru, Boruto is the clear standout—it is his series, after all. His teammates Mitsuki and Sarada are also incredibly powerful for their age. Some fans might think Mitsuki and Boruto would make quite the pair, while others favor Boruto and Sarada.
Both of them like to keep their cards close to the vest, not letting everyone know just how powerful they are unless they have to. They trust each other in a fight, but could that camaraderie blossom into something else? Alya-Chaan thinks it could, shown in their piece with the two exchanging gifts.
Shinki And Yodo
Prior to the Boruto series, the main characters fans knew from Suna were all siblings. With a new team lead by Kazekage Gaara, fans get a whole new group of kids who aren’t family.
Gaara adopted Shinki as a youngster, and his Iron Sand makes him a formidable opponent. Like Gaara before him, he’s confident in his abilities, but has a lot to learn about people. His teammate Yodo is also confident, but she underestimates the people around her. The teammates could be quite an interesting pairing. Sound is an important part of the way Yodo fights, so it’s fitting that music is how she bonds with Shinki in artwork by AlinaKZ-97.
Rock Lee And Tenten
Many fans believed Tenten was Metal Lee’s mother, but the series creators refuted that theory, leaving questions about whether Rock Lee ever married. Some fans still hold out hope for him to end up with his childhood teammate Tenten.
Rock Lee was great at hand-to-hand combat as a kid, but he didn’t have the aptitude for more “magical” ninjutsu. Tenten had the aptitude, but she prefered to use a variety of weapons in battle. They made a great team. With Lee’s excitable personality and Tenten’s down-to-earth attitude, they also balanced each other out. MilarS created a piece highlighting the possibility of them becoming a family, which is sure to make many long-time fans happy.
Iwabe And Denki
Initially seen as a bully, it turned out Iwabe was just an unhappy child who couldn’t seem to graduate from the Ninja Academy. Denki, on the other hand, came from a family that prized technology over shinobi skills. Despite their differences, both just want to prove themselves as shinobi.
At the start of the series, Denki was probably the kind of kid Iwabe would have targeted with his anger. As the story progressed, the two became teammates, and Iwabe is now the first to shield Denki in a fight. Some fans, like artist IwabeWantsTheDenki, hope the relationship between the two will grow even more.
Sarada And Shinki
They faced off during the chunin exams, but Shinki managed to get the better of Sarada. After the exams, Shinki expressed curiosity in Boruto’s behavior, but fans haven’t seen much interaction between him and Sarada.
It’s easy to see where they might find common ground; both inherited seriously powerful abilities from their family. Shinki and Sarada are also children of some of Naruto's closest allies. They both take becoming a shinobi very seriously, and CraziePhase created an image of the two in the snow that certainly makes fans want to see more of them.
Boruto And Mitsuki
The son of the Seventh Hokage and the son of former Leaf Village enemy Orochimaru might sound like an odd couple, but they definitely work well together.
When Mitsuki first came to the Ninja Academy, he had a lot to learn about friendship and teamwork. Most of it he learned from watching Boruto interact with his friends and family. Mitsuki has come a long way from simply being the subject of one of Orochimaru’s experiments. Affectionately referred to as “Sun and Moon” by fans, plenty are sure to love this art by Tumblr user teallinum.
Inojin And Himawari
As the son of Ino and Sai, Inojin inherited his father’s ability to give life to drawings. In the anime series, he found himself temporarily blocked. Instead of his father helping him, though, Sai directed him to Boruto’s little sister Himawari. She didn’t have the same ability, but her drawings were easily brought to life by those who did. Himawari’s love for drawing and the heart she put into it helped Inojin realize that he was missing that same feeling.
The two could easily develop a connection down the line. They also share a love for plants, which is something Tumblr artist cipolm used to inspire their work.
Sarada And Boruto
When they entered the Academy, their classmates thought Sarada and Boruto were close friends as a result of the closeness between their parents, but Sarada swiftly shot that down. Easily the more mature of the two, Sarada couldn't stand Boruto’s laid-back approach to anything.
Of course, the two have gotten to know one another a lot better since being assigned to Team Konohamaru. With Sarada’s ambition to be Hokage, Boruto promised to protect her and become her right hand. With that kind of future in mind, it’s not hard to understand why so many fans would also like them to become a couple. Tumblr artist pandacapuccino depicted them in a quiet moment before they reach their goals.
Sakura And Karin
Sakura became Sasuke’s wife, but it was Karin who was by his side for much of his formative years. If anyone knows what Sakura went through to become Sasuke’s wife, it’s Karin. This is exactly why some fans think the two might have been better off finding love with one another. After all, Sakura went more than a decade without so much as a note from Sasuke. Karin was even on hand to help deliver their baby and help take care of Sarada when she was ill.
Fans and artists like rxtten-violette think the two of them might have made more suitable parents for Sarada.
Naruto And Sasuke
Since the franchise began, there have been fans holding out hope that Naruto and Sasuke will do more than go from rivals to friends. Legions of Naruto fans still believe the duo should have become a romantic pairing. It seems like an unlikely trajectory for them now, as they’re both married to the women who had crushes on them as children.
Still, they might be the only two people who understand each other's busy schedules and commitment to the village. Sometimes, Naruto is the only person Sasuke communicates with for months when he’s on a mission. Artists like Daylight-Darkside still think they’d make a perfect fit.