Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has enjoyed a strong start to the manga, and now that the series is building up towards more intense arcs, it is clear to see the improvements that the series has made on its predecessor. While Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was an exciting story, Two Blue Vortex takes things to a whole new level by introducing darker plot points, stronger characters, and more than that, by fixing the biggest problem of the original series by giving more attention to the side cast.
In that sense, Boruto is fixing one of Kishimoto's biggest mistakes with the original Naruto series, which is fleshing out the side cast more. For the very first time, the Naruto franchise is listening to the fans and making huge progress in this department. Whereas the latter half of the Naruto series specifically focused only on the likes of Naruto and Sasuke, Boruto recognizes the value of its side cast and carefully allows them to build their own character without being engulfed by the overarching narrative.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Is Finally Giving Time To Side Cast
When Boruto: Two Blue Vortex began, fans had very few expectations from this sequel series. After all, the first part of the Boruto series highlighted that Kawaki and Boruto Uzumaki would be the most important characters, and the others simply didn't matter as much. At the same time, the villains were starting to get stale and the power system was losing fan interest as well. However, Two Blue Vortex turned all these problems on their heads and delivered what is easily one of the most compelling battle shounen of the last few years.
While Boruto: Two Blue Vortex gets a lot of undeserved criticism at times, it must also be said that it has done incredibly well to fix some of its predecessor’s biggest mistakes. In fact, to some extent, it has even fixed the mistakes going as far back as Naruto. One of these mistakes is to give the side cast the much-deserved attention. In Two Blue Vortex, Boruto Uzumaki and Kawaki are central to the plot, but they are not the only ones who are being developed by Ikemoto and Kishimoto. Along with them, the side cast is also getting stronger, and it is clear to see.
Himawari’s Character Progression
At the very beginning, fans got to see Himawari being revealed as a human Tailed Beast, and her powers of Kurama allowed her to take part in the battle against Jura. Normally, such a development would never happen in the Boruto series, as all focus would be taken up by the likes of Boruto and Kawaki. Himawari wasn't the only character who received this much attention. Sarada Uchiha, and even the side characters from the Hidden Sand Village, such as Araya and Yodo, received a lot of attention from the author in the subsequent arc. Sarada awakened her Mangekyo Sharingan, giving her the much-deserved character progression, and fans also got to see the Hidden Sand shinobi fight for their friends, adding to the characterization and depth of the overall story of Two Blue Vortex.
Inojin’s Character Progression
Still, one could argue that the likes of Sarada and Himawari were always going to be important to the plot, but Boruto truly proved that it cares about the side cast when Inojin was given some focus as well. The Mamushi arc of the Boruto series saw Inojin develop a new jutsu in just a single day. For the Boruto series to throw so much attention on its side cast so early into the story just goes to show that it truly cares about all characters, not just the main ones. At the same time, it also sets a precedent for what is to come in the future, because now that these characters have been built up to be stronger and allowed to fight against dangerous enemies, they can most certainly go on to play an important role in the arcs to come.
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Naruto's Second Part Largely Ignored Side Characters
Naruto Built Its Legacy Around Naruto Uzumaki And Sasuke Uchiha
Where Boruto: Two Blue Vortex shines, the second part of Naruto largely failed. While Naruto is a beloved series and certainly one of the most legendary ones all over the world, it cannot be denied that it did a huge disservice to its sidecast towards the end of the story. Naruto and Sasuke became the centre point of everything that happened in the world, with the Uchiha receiving the bulk of the attention. All power-ups went to these two individuals, with the likes of Sakura receiving only crumbs, and the remainder of Konoha 11 barely getting any attention from the author at all.
I am more of a brother to Sasuke than you could ever be. — Naruto to Itachi Uchiha
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In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the balance is a bit more fair. While the side characters might not be necessarily written as well, the development is certainly there, and there is potential for them to improve tremendously as it continues. Of course, Boruto and Kawaki are always going to be central to the plot and will get more attention than the others, but as long as the side character keeps developing next to them, fans will be largely satisfied.
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Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Is A Major Upgrade On The First Part
Boruto Keeps Getting Better With Each Chapter
When looking back at the beginning of the Boruto series, one of the biggest reasons why readers started dropping the manga entirely was that the attention that it gave to the main cast was not enough to keep them hooked. Too much of the screen time went to the likes of Boruto Uzumaki and Kawaki. The likes of Mitsuki and Sarada, who were set up to be important characters, were pushed to the back. Konohamaru, who had to play the role of Kakashi in the story, was practically irrelevant, and even Naruto and Sasuke were not given enough attention at times, especially towards the end.
My job is to bring together the Uzumaki household and put some sense into my idiot brother. — Boruto Uzumaki
Then, when speaking of the ninja villages from the rest of the world, it was almost as if they did not even exist, and their shinobi held no importance in the story whatsoever despite them being active in the Chunin exams arc at the very beginning. Boruto was clearly struggling to diversify its cast and make them interesting, but Two Blue Vortex has done remarkably well in that regard to fix one of the biggest issues that the original series had.
If this continues, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex could end up having a very exciting cast of side characters that will all be well-developed and properly fleshed out. Fans of the series would love absolutely nothing more than that, and what's more, it could attract even more Naruto fans to give this manga one more chance and see for themselves what it truly offers.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is available to read via Manga Plus.
- Release Date
- April 5, 2017
- Network
- TV Tokyo
Boruto is an action anime series that continues years after the events of Naruto, now in the shoes of the next generation - many of which are the children of the protagonists from the original series. Boruto follows the titular character, the son of Naruto, who seeks to impress his father. Together with the other ninjas-in-training, Boruto will battle to overcome trials and threats even more significant than his father ever faced.
- Creator
- Masashi Kishimoto
- Streaming Service(s)
- Crunchyroll
