When Naruto ended in 2017, fans were excited to have its sequel series, Boruto, start in the same year. Experiencing a serious time jump, the new series would follow Naruto's son, Boruto Uzumaki, and his friends during their ninja adventures. It took place in Konoha, but it focused on a new generation. However, other big changes affected the series, such as a huge technological boost, relative peace with a decreased need for shinobi, and Naruto becoming Hokage.
The new protagonist is Boruto, Naruto's strong-willed and brilliant son. Much like his father, he's very powerful, but he has a genius to him that his father had to work for. Furthermore, Boruto has a rebellious streak and some mysterious abilities that set him apart from his parents and the other ninja around him. He's his own ninja, no matter what he draws from his heritage.
With 90 episodes under its belt, the anime has given fans a pretty good picture of what its main hero and his friends are like. They've been on several adventures, both dangerous and light-hearted, and it's made them grow as people. Boruto went to Ninja Academy, graduated, joined Team 7 with Sarada and Mitsuki, and more. He's experienced his fair share of important and life-altering events. However, despite all of the episodes, there are some startling facts that only a few fans know about Boruto. Most of these deeper facts can only be found if fans read between the lines or read about behind-the-scenes information that add more context to his character. Either way, they're facts all fans deserve to know.
Here are 25 Things Only True Fans Know About Boruto Uzumaki.
25. He Hasn't Awoken His Byakugan (And It's Kishimoto's Fault)
By far, the most defining feature of the Hyuga clan is their Byakugan. It lets them see chakra threads, pressure points, and more. This power is unlike any other clan's and makes them very powerful. Boruto's mother, aunt, and sister all have it. In theory, he should too.
With all of his other powers, though, it is nice to see him struggle at something that should be inherent to him. However, this decision wasn't calculated. Boruto doesn't have a Byakugan only because Boruto's creator, Kishimoto, forgot to awaken it by the time he made it to page 700. Maybe Boruto will eventually wield a Byakugan, but that day will not be anytime soon.
24. He Will Become Protector Of Konoha, Whether He Likes It Or Not
Boruto starts off in the future, showing a ruined Konoha and a teenage Boruto trying to protect the village from Kawaki, a ruthless ninja. During their fight, the older Uzumaki is serious and determined, but he is battling all alone. The struggle between them is destructive and hard-fought.
However, then time goes back to when he was only a tween, preparing for Ninja Academy. In stark contrast, this Boruto is laid-back, lazy, and rebellious. Despite being a prodigy, he doesn't put too much stock into it. Also, most of all, he wants to be nothing like his father and find a completely different ninja way. It doesn't seem like that's where he ends up, though.
23. His Jōgan Is A Mystery
Mystical, powerful eyes are a staple of the Naruto universe. After all, between the Sharingan, Rinnegan, Byakugan, and more, they are a key component of some clans' powers.
However, the young Uzumaki awakens an eye that no one knows anything about. Instead of his familial Byakugan, in his eighth year, he awakes the Jōgan. The Jōgan is great at finding weaknesses, revealing hidden secrets, and targeting chakra threads. It gives Boruto information that no one else knows and gives him a huge advantage. Not even Naruto quite understands the Jōgan, though. The only people who seem to know anything are members of the mysterious and dangerous Otsutsuki clan.
22. Naruto's Bad Dad Antics Deeply Affect His Behavior
As a dad, Naruto is absolutely neglectful and does a bad job. He ditches birthday parties, sends emails instead of talking to his kids, and is generally absent from their lives. The few times he does take to talk to Boruto, they either fight or, every once in awhile, have an actual good father-son time. Of course, which follows with Naruto being neglectful again.
Naruto may think his children are stronger than his antics, but his behavior greatly affects Boruto's. The more he feels ignored, angry, and unimportant, the more stubborn, rebellious, and lazy he becomes. He's done a lot to try to get Naruto's attention with little success.
21. His Name Is Related To Neji
While most people think Boruto's name is an obvious nod to his father, Naruto, it actually has connections with a different family member: his Hyuga cousin, Neji. Neji's name means "screw" in Japan, and Boruto means "bolt." His name ties him to his Hyuga roots more than his Uzumaki.
Initially, his name was to be "Memna" or "Shinachiku," meaning seasoned bean roots. That would have related to his father's name, Naruto, which derives from fish cakes people put on ramen. Then, they both would have been ramen-based ingredients. Boruto fits him much, much better and just happens to be phonetically reminiscent of Naruto.
20. He Is A Connoisseur Of Burgers
While Naruto had his obsession with ramen, for his son, Boruto, it's burgers. That's not exactly a new fact, but the truth is that the young Uzumaki isn't just a burger fanatic, but also an expert. He doesn't just eat tons of basic burgers. Instead, he eats wild combinations with wasabi, habanero, and and more. When he commits to eating burgers, he also commits to enjoying the widest variety Konoha has to offer.
As a kid who loves burgers, Boruto is a food explorer and bravely will try any burger put in front of him. After all, he can't pass up finding the best burgers out there.
19. He's Protective Of Hinata and Himawari
Though he can be pretty selfish at times, Boruto cares a lot about the people he loves. He snuck out of Konoha to try to find Mitsuki and he disobeyed orders to help his abducted friend. When it comes to his mother and sister, he will do anything to protect them.
For example, while he openly rebels against Naruto, he'd never been as furious as when Naruto ditched Himawari's birthday. Instead of showing up, he sent a shadow clone. Boruto gave his own father a talking to about how awful it was towards Himawari. He could've gotten in serious trouble, but he didn't care. In this case, Naruto listened and came to Himawari's make-up birthday party.
18. He Was Vital In Locating The "Ghost" Perpetrator
At one point, some people in Konoha started getting possessed by the "Ghost," a dark energy that fed off negative emotions and led people to commit terrible actions. With Boruto's Jōgan, though, he could see the dark influence and identify that people were possessed. This made him vital in locating and neutralizing the Ghost's effects.
Eventually, they learned that the "Ghost" was actually Nue and Sumire trying to take revenge on Konoha for ruining her father's life. Boruto was also necessary in calming Sumire down and convincing her that her life here mattered and her classmates cared a lot about her. Between his eye and kind words, he did a lot to help mitigate and diffuse the situation.
17. He's An Uninterested Ladie's Man
In Boruto, it's been revealed that both Sumire and Sarada have crushes on the young Uzumaki. Despite being brash and a bit cocky, he is brave and has a kind, protective heart. He just wants to defend the people he cares about, no matter what. Both the class representative and the aspiring Hokage admire that in him.
However, Boruto isn't very interested in girls, at least not romantically. Though his intelligence and friendliness attract them, he's more focused on friendships and finding his own ninja way. He may have a few ladies with crushes on him, but he couldn't care less.
16. Some Of His Facial Features Resemble His Mother
Naruto and his son may not see eye to eye, but there's no doubting that the two look very similar. Anyone who knows Naruto with recognize him in his eldest child. They both even have the same cheek marks and blond hair.
When it comes to his mother, Hinata, it seems that Himawari is the only child who looks anything like her. However, for fans with keen eyes, they can catch a few similarities between Boruto and Hinata. Boruto's eyes and face shape are much more like his mother's than his father's. It's not much, but it's something of herself that she can see in her son. Also, they're small reminders that Hinata also has been impacting the man Boruto will become.
15. He Got A Perfect Score On The Written Chunin Exams
Though Boruto acts quite a lot like his father, as he is both headstrong and powerful, the two are very different. Unlike his father, he is innately knowledgable about ninja arts. While Naruto just had the power, Boruto has power and the disciplinary genius to execute his abilities and anticipate opponents.
During the Chunin Exams, Naruto boldly stayed in the room despite not answering a single question on the written test. Unlike his father, Boruto answered every question right in the writing part, even though that's not the point of the test. If anything shows the wide gap in their inherent intellect, it's this test.
14. He's Interested In Removing His Kama
When the Kama simply was an ominous mystery on his hand, Boruto accepted it, but was wary of it. However, once he met Kawaki, he learned the markings were much more dangerous and sinister. He got his from the Otsutsuki clan, but Kawaki was given his from the sacrifice of countless people.
Afterwards, he has a goal of removing the Kama. Despite its power, it ties him in pain and strength with Kawaki, who is already enough of an enigma. He doesn't have much interest in keeping it on his hand. That goal doesn't seem to succeed, though, as he still has the Kama in Boruto's flash-forwards.
13. He Modified The Rasengan
The Rasengan in a yellow-haired classic. Made by Minato, perfected by Naruto, and now learned by Boruto, it's passed down through the generations. Much like his father, though, he made the Rasengan his own. After taking the time with Konohamaru to learn the basics of the Rasengan, Boruto used his teachings with Sasuke to modify it. The young Uzumaki added lightning to his Rasengan to make it unique. After all, his father and grandfather both leaned on wind release over other nature transformations.
Even when he learns his father's old tricks, Boruto is determined to personalize them and make them even stronger than before.
12. He May Not Be Able To Host The Nine Tailed Fox
If there's one thing the Uzumaki clan in known for, it's hosting the Nine-Tailed Fox. Mito, Kushina, and Naruto all kept the powerful creature at bay by being its jinchüriki. However, when Naruto inevitably passes on, somebody will have to take over that role. Unfortunately, it's unknown if either of his children could do that.
Both Boruto and Himawari have Uzumaki blood, but they've gotten less and less of the bloodline for two generations. They have high chakra reserves, but they're not nearly as high as their father. It's very possible, in the case of losing Naruto, neither of his children could bear the Nine-Tailed Fox for him.
11. He's Strongest At Finding Others' Weaknesses
Boruto's Jōgan makes him a unique ninja with a brilliant eye. After all, that Jōgan can see chakra threads, negative energy, secrets, and most of all, is expert at finding others' weaknesses. This gives the young Uzumaki a great advantage in any battle considering he knows almost everyone's weaknesses. During his battle with Nue, the ability to find its flaws was invaluable.
In a world full of ninja and other surprise attackers, being able to see weakness and opportunities in fights with others is vital. It makes Boruto a ninja on another level.
10. He Didn't Cheat During The Chunin Exams Just To Win
While a lot of Boruto's important actions are because of his father figures, some of them are more complex. For example, one of the biggest reasons Boruto was willing to cheat during the Chunin Exams was because of his desire to win and disobey his dad.
However, he had more reasons to cause so much trouble during the event. He also did want to help the ninja tool scientists get their tech noticed. Furthermore, he was determined to have his team, and Sarada, win the Chunin Exams to help further her Hokage aspirations. Though a lot of his decisions are connected to his father, he has other, more complex reasons to do the things he does.
9. He's Terrified Of Himawari
Though Boruto is known as the prodigy of the family, Himawari is no young ninja to scoff at. During the day of Naruto's Hokage ceremony, Himawari got in a fight with Boruto over her bear. When he ripped its arm, she became enraged enough to awaken her Byakugan. Her brother ran in terror and, accidentally, she ended up knocking out their father instead.
Since then, Boruto plays the part of a protective, strong older brother. However, deep down he knows Himawari's inner strength and still fears awakening it. When she becomes older, she will be a powerful ninja.
8. His Status As The Hokage's Son Isn't Always Good For Him
Throughout Konoha, the locals know Boruto as the son of Naruto, their hero and Hokage. This gets him a lot of special treatment and acknowledgement that Boruto doesn't really care for. After all, he and his father aren't always on good footing.
However, outside of Konoha, Naruto's legacy sometimes does something worse for Boruto: it causes trouble. For example, when the young ninja went on a field trip to the Land of Water, Boruto meets Tsurushi Hachiya, who thinks that he is a spoiled brat because of his lineage. That leads him to attack Boruto, which causes everyone way too much grief on a school trip.
7. He Aspires To Be Like Sasuke
Before meeting the mysterious Uchiha ninja, Boruto didn't meet many adults or authority figures that he liked. In one way or another, most of them frustrated or disappointed him, with the worst offender being his own father. When Sasuke came back into town, though, Boruto admired his skills, his bond with Sarada despite being gone for so long, and more.
Quickly, he demanded that Sasuke become his teacher. Only once he learned the Rasengan, did he agree. It's become Boruto's new goal to become a lone, special ops ninja just like Sasuke. However, Boruto doesn't about know Sasuke's his evil, tortured past, which could cause a rift between the two.
6. His Kama Connects Him To Kawaki
At first, the Kama was just a dangerous, mysterious new power Boruto had. It awoke in times of danger to boost his abilities, but was otherwise mysterious.
When the Konoha ninja found Kawaki, though, everything became more complicated. The pair quickly realized that their Kamas connected them when one of them used it and the other felt pain. It was as if the marks drew power from the other person. Since then, Boruto was interested in removing his Kama. However, if their future battles are any indication, he was never successful. The pair were always doomed to clash.
5. He Aligned His Goals With Sarada's
When Boruto started, the young hero's goal was only to be nothing like his father. He just wanted to find his own path. However, has time went on, he found himself admiring Sasuke Uchiha and his secretive missions to protect Konoha. Furthermore, he grew closer to Sasuke's daughter, Sarada, and learned to admire her goals to protect Konoha as Hokage, too.
Between Sarada and Sasuke, he decided that he wanted to be like Sasuke and protect the Hokage by doing missions for them. Moreover, he decided Sarada would be his Hokage. He was desperate to win the Chunin Exams to help further her career. Because of their aligning goals, he forever tied himself to the new Uchiha heir.
4. His Fate Is Intertwined With The Otsutsuki Clan
Between his Kama and Jōgan, Boruto has a lot of power that stems from the Otsutsuki clan, a mysterious and dangerous group of people. With his Jōgan awakening after a vision with Toneri, and his Kama gifted by Momoshiki, only time will tell how this Otsutsuki power blends with his own abilities. Right now, it seems innocent enough, but long-time Naruto fans know better than to think it'll stay that way.
Everyone watching Boruto should expect more of the Otsutsuki clan, as the mystery of his powers, their people, and how they connect are revealed.
3. Breaking The Hokage Rock Could Mean Much More
When Boruto broke the Hokage rock, it was one of his most serious slights against his father. After all, Naruto is the current Hokage and his son just broke his village's monument. However, fans have speculated that this means so much more. Since anime is known for its foreshadowing and long-con plots, many fans believe that breaking the Hokage rock could mean the end of Hokage and even the shinobi.
Whether they think Boruto or someone else will end the shinobi culture, it's a fan theory that's been adopted by many Naruto/Boruto fans. Only time will tell if Boruto's disobedience is only the first sign of the Hokages' end or not.
2. He Uses A Combination Of Sasuke And Naruto's Abilities
As the series has gone on, Boruto has grown a lot as a ninja. Fans have watched his abilities evolve and combine to create even stronger tactics. However, for those who have watched his growth very closely, they've noticed something fascinating: his moves are a perfect blend of Sasuke and Naruto's styles.
The young Uzumaki does rely on wind releases and shadow clones like his father, even learning to do the Rasengan. However, he also leans on what he's learned from Sasuke. Much more than his father ever did, Boruto uses shurikens, blades, and lightning release. This combination of power has created the lightning charged Rasengan and object-throwing shadow clones.
1. He Is More Loyal To His Friends Than The Shinobi
Despite Boruto joining the shinobi like his father and his grandfather before him, he's not as dedicated to their ninja way. More than once, the young Uzumaki has defied orders and even left the village to protect his loved ones despite the rules the shinobi gave him. When Mitsuki left Konoha, Boruto didn't hesitate to go after his friend and teammate.
Even though it seems like Boruto is just being a good buddy, it sets the stage for him to always disobey the shinobi way in favor of what he thinks is right, which will probably lead to an interesting future.
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Were there any other important facts we missed about Boruto? Let us know in the comments!