Is Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Worth Reading?
Quick Answer
Yes, if you're curious what happens after Naruto and want the generational setup before jumping into the ongoing sequel, Two Blue Vortex, which is where the story's real payoff lands.
Quick Verdict
“The generational hook, a hero's kid searching for purpose in a world that's already been saved, is genuinely strong, even though the Kara arc takes too long to pay off.”
Best for: Readers who finished Naruto and want to see the next generation's version of the same question, what does being a ninja even mean once the saving is already done.
Not for: Readers who want Naruto-level stakes and pacing throughout, rather than a slower generational setup that's building toward a later sequel.
- Type
- Manga
- Genres
- Action, Supernatural
- Status
- Completed
- This review
- Minor Spoilers
- Author
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Artist
- Mikio Ikemoto
- Publisher
- Shueisha
- Platform
- VIZ Media
| Quick facts | |
|---|---|
| Format | Manga (shonen), 81 chapters, 20 volumes |
| Run | 2016–2023 · completed |
| Community score | AniList 6.7 · MangaUpdates 5.9 |
| Content | Shonen action violence, consistent with the Naruto franchise. |
| Where to read | VIZ Media — official |
Overview
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows Naruto's son growing up in a Hidden Leaf Village that's long since made peace, trading the original's war-torn stakes for academy life, team missions, and a generational question the story keeps circling back to: what does it mean to be a ninja in a world that doesn't need saviors the way it used to. Boruto resents living in his father's shadow and initially rejects ninjutsu tradition for shortcuts and gadgets, while his team, Sarada Uchiha and Mitsuki, chase their own goals around him. Over its run the story escalates from academy-level stakes into a darker thread involving Kara, an organization hunting the tailed beasts' remaining power, and ends with a confrontation that reshapes Boruto's relationship to his own future.
What it does well
The generational framing is the manga's strongest idea: putting a famous hero's kid in a world that no longer has an obvious enemy gives Boruto's arc real thematic teeth, his conflict isn't about surviving a war, it's about finding purpose in peacetime, which is a genuinely different problem than Naruto's. Mikio Ikemoto's art is clean and confident from the start, and the handful of fights that get real attention, including the generational torch-passing final confrontation, look as sharp as anything in the original series. Sarada and Mitsuki also get real arcs of their own rather than staying pure sidekicks, Sarada's push to become Hokage and Mitsuki's uncertainty about his own origins both carry genuine weight.
Where it falls short
The later chapters are where the story's pacing problems show up most: the Kara arc takes a long time to develop before it actually pays off, and several stretches read as table-setting for a bigger conflict that keeps getting deferred rather than escalating on its own terms. Boruto himself can also be a harder lead to root for than Naruto was at the same age, his initial rejection of ninja tradition is a reasonable hook, but the story doesn't always give him enough forward momentum between major arcs to make that resentment feel like it's going anywhere. And because this run ends specifically to set up a relaunch, the ending lands more as a transition than a resolution in its own right.
Verdict
Naruto Next Generations is a solid, occasionally sharp generational follow-up that's at its best when it leans into what makes Boruto's problem different from his father's, and at its weakest when it stalls out waiting for Kara to become relevant. It's worth reading for anyone curious what happens after Naruto, with the understanding that the story's real payoff, and its actual ending, comes later in Two Blue Vortex.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths
- A genuinely strong generational hook: what does being a ninja mean in a world that's already been saved, rather than just repeating Naruto's war-era stakes.
- Mikio Ikemoto's art is confident from the start, and the handful of fights that get real focus land as sharp as anything in the original series.
- Sarada and Mitsuki get real arcs of their own, not just sidekick roles, which keeps the supporting cast from feeling decorative.
- A clean generational handoff that rewards longtime Naruto readers without requiring them to relearn the world from scratch.
Weaknesses
- The Kara arc takes a long time to develop before it pays off, and several stretches read as table-setting for a conflict that keeps getting deferred.
- Boruto's initial resentment toward ninja tradition is a reasonable hook but doesn't always get enough forward momentum between arcs.
- Built to set up a relaunch, so the ending reads as a transition rather than a resolution in its own right.
Similar Titles
The direct sequel this run sets up, by the same creative team, where the story's larger stakes actually pay off.
The original series this continues from, following Boruto's father's own coming-of-age story a generation earlier.
Where to Read Officially
| Platform | Format | Pricing | Region notes | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VIZ Media | Print and digital volumes | Free + Paid | Region availability varies | Open |
Prefer to watch? There's an anime
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: see where to stream it legally, plus episode guides and trailers, on Watchanimee.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to read Naruto before Boruto: Naruto Next Generations?
Yes, it's a direct generational sequel and assumes you already know Naruto, Sasuke, and how the original series ended. It isn't written to stand alone.
Is Boruto: Naruto Next Generations finished?
Yes, this specific run is complete at 20 volumes (81 chapters), published 2016 to 2023. The story continues directly into the sequel, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, by the same creative team.
Is there an anime adaptation of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations?
Yes, it ran for 15 seasons and over 290 episodes, plus the earlier Boruto: Naruto the Movie that preceded the manga. Crunchyroll streams it outside Japan.
How does this compare to the original Naruto in tone and darkness?
Lighter and slower for most of its run; it's a peacetime academy story before escalating into the Kara arc's higher stakes, and never reaches the war-era intensity of late Naruto until its final stretch.
