Now that the long-running ninja anime Naruto and its sequel Shippuden are over, it’s time for the next generation of ninjas to step in. Enter Boruto: Naruto Next Generations which follows the adventures of the up and coming ninja Boruto Uzumaki, the son of the current Hokage. The anime has been doing well among newcomers and older fans, even if it has a noticeably lighter and child-friendly tone when compared to the most recent Naruto movies.
It’s because of this that Boruto’s episodes are more prone to making mistakes, since it has to strike a difficult balance between introducing new viewers to the ninja world while also keeping the original fans entertained. The results varied, with some episodes being less than stellar. Here are the 10 worst episodes of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations according to IMDb.
Shikadai's Decision (Episode 97) – IMDb Score: 5.7
Torn by his desire to pursue being a ninja and his family’s debt to the Nara Clan that wants him to become a politician, Shikadai’s focus is thrown off, affecting his missions. The episode presents an interesting dilemma for Shikadai, but doesn’t do much with it.
Instead of naturally making a choice, Shikadai comes to a decision only after some convenient catastrophes that only he can stop occur right in front of him. That, and Enchu is a terrible person who should stop influencing people’s career choices based on what he thinks is right for the clan.
The Steam Ninja Scrolls: The Haunted Inn! (Episode 108) – IMDb Score: 5.6
The second hot springs episode on this list is also one of Boruto’s more comedic outings, since this episode is basically Scooby-Doo with ninjas. While chilling in a hot spring resort, Mirai, Tenten and Kakashi investigate a ghost that’s apparently been haunting Guy.
Things go exactly the way a Scooby mystery would, with the ghostly hijinks being the work of an unseen person and flying shurikens replacing Scooby Snacks and traps. What muddies the goofy episode are the abrupt bursts of drama, especially when Mirai reveals that she doesn’t believe in ghosts because her dead father hasn’t visited her yet.
Blood, Sweat, and Namida (Episode 96) – IMDb Score: 5.5
Namida’s power is an ear-piercing cry that can easily decimate her opponents but since she’s relatively new to it, her teammates tend to get caught in the crossfire. Realizing the danger her powers pose, she decides to learn a new jutsu instead of mastering her forte.
Blood, Sweat, and Namida isn’t a terrible Boruto episode but it’s still a 20-minute training montage that goes exactly the way it’s meant to. The episode does little to change the formula or at least make Namida more than just a nervous self-pitying newbie, but overall it’s a harmless watch.
The Steam Ninja Scrolls: The Dog and Cat War! (Episode 107) – IMDb Score: 5.2
The worst of the Steam Ninja Scrolls arc is the cheesiest of the lot, as it combines a festival with nostalgia. Here, a small hot spring town is torn in two thanks to the Dog and Cat festival, where devotees of a dog deity and cat god ritualistically fight.
The episode is appropriately silly but not memorable, teaching heavy-handed lessons about choosing the peaceful option through the Dog and Cat festival. The festivities are also used to constantly remind audiences about Mirai’s parents, because everything she does apparently reminds the old-timers of their friends.
The Qualities of a Captain (Episode 113) – IMDb Score: 5.1
Now that he’s a chunin, Shikadai gets his first mission. Much to his dismay, he has to retrieve a rare medicinal flower with the help of some of the unruliest ninjas around, including Boruto.
Predictably, the mission turned out to be a test for Shikadai since Moegi wanted to judge his leadership skills by giving him a team of ninjas he wasn’t familiar with. Interestingly, the episode ends with the new captain realizing that he still has a lot to learn instead of instantly making him a great chunin.
A Heaping Helping! The Eating Contest! (Episode 94) – IMDb Score: 5.0
As stated by the title, A Heaping Helping! The Eating Contest! is just an eating contest but it finds a way to make an already corny premise even more saccharine. Through the power of food and eating, the Akimichi clan resolves their family strife.
What makes the whole episode even sillier is that the cooks go out of their way to sabotage Cho-Cho and Choji’s chances of winning, fearing that their bottomless stomachs would bankrupt their restaurants. This is possibly the pettiest villainous motive ever seen in Boruto and even Naruto.
Super Cho-Cho Love Upheaval! (Episode 69) – IMDb Score: 4.9
The conclusion to the worst Boruto episode on this list follows Cho-Cho’s journey towards self-acceptance, where she no longer hides behind her Jutsu – which makes her thinner – when flirting with the actor she likes.
While it’s better than the episode that started the arc (more on that later), Super Cho-Cho Love Upheaval! is still a saccharine watch. At the very least, it has a nice message about body positivity that’s muddied by the fact that Cho-Cho still has feelings for a guy who, one episode ago, insulted her because of her weight.
Wasabi and Namida (Episode 49) – IMDb Score: 4.3
At night, someone releases the animals from the local zoo, causing chaos. Team 15 is sent in to recapture the animals but there’s one problem: two of the team’s members, Wasabi and Namida, hate each other’s guts
What ensues is an entire episode that teaches the importance of teamwork, and it’s as corny as it sounds. Wasabi and Namida is also an inconsequential filler episode that does nothing for Boruto but kill time. Fans of the titular characters deserved a better spotlight than one where they bicker endlessly while being outsmarted by a monkey.
Super Cho-Cho Butterfly Mode! (Episode 67) – IMDb Score: 4.3
When a popular love team receives death threats, Boruto’s dad assigns Teams 7 and 10 to serve as the actors’ bodyguards. Much to Cho-Cho’s delight, one of the actors is her celebrity crush. To get his attention, Cho-Cho uses her Jutsu as often as possible because it makes her thinner.
Aside from the awkward way that the episode handles Cho-Cho’s insecurities, Super Cho-Cho Butterfly Mode! is just too corny and clichéd for its own good. It feels better placed in the Disney Channel rather than an adventurous and action-packed anime about young ninjas.
Super Cho-Cho Kiss Mode! (Episode 68) - IMDb Score: 3.7
By now, it’s obvious that IMDb users really don’t like Cho-Cho’s three-episode journey towards self-acceptance. This isn’t just because Cho-Cho is a one-note joke character whose only punchline is her weight, but because of how poorly written her solo-story was.
The second episode is considered to be the worst because it just drags out Cho-Cho’s attempts to get her crush’s attention from the first episode only for it to end with the actor insulting her for her real weight. Granted, the arc ends with a body positive message but the road going there was an arduous one.