Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Boruto: Naruto Next Generation's logo.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (BORUTO -ボルト- -NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS-, Boruto: Naruto Nekusuto Jenerēshonzu) is a monthly manga series written by Ukyō Kodachi and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto, which is supervised by original manga creator Masashi Kishimoto, who also defines every concept and initial idea. The series serves as the official continuation of the Naruto franchise. It adapts the story-line of Boruto: Naruto the Movie and then continues the story afterward. The manga launched on May 9, 2016, in the 23rd issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump, and is simultaneously published in Weekly Shonen Jump digital magazine in English. The serialisation of the manga was transferred to V Jump in July 2019. On November 16, 2020, it was announced that Kishimoto would take over writing duties from Kodachi, starting with the November release.

Manga

Kodachi compares the story of Boruto to the Cold War, where a world at peace is threatened by a resumption of its prior chaos. Ikemoto's illustrations for the series are much more realistic than what was used in Naruto, and in fact he is regularly reminded by Kishimoto to make characters' mouths and eyes bigger in order to better align the two series. Ikemoto hopes to conclude the story of Boruto within 30 volumes. Kishimoto, though he has no direct role in the manga's creation, nevertheless oversees each chapter as it's being worked on. When asked if he was worried that new characters in Boruto would come off as clones of their parents, Kishimoto admitted it was a concern. He labelled Shikadai as essentially a clone of his father, while Chōchō is more a combination of her parents; he believes that both characters serve archetypal roles that are common to manga series.

So far, there are four arcs in the manga:

1. Versus Momoshiki Arc
2. Mujina Bandits Arc
3. Ao Arc
4. Kawaki Arc

SD Version

Similar to Rock Lee's Springtime of Youth Full Power Ninja Chronicles, there is also an "SD" version of the Boruto manga, titled Boruto: Saikyo Dash Generations.

Anime

In December 2016, it was announced at the annual Jump Festa that an original anime would begin to air on April 5, 2017 on TV Tokyo. The English dub premiered on September 29, 2018 in the United States on Adult Swim. Kodachi, who supervises the screenwriters of the anime, is responsible for the screenplay of the anime. As such, the several screenwriters submit their stories to him, with Kodachi monitoring everything in the event a scene could dramatically change the characterisation of a character.

So far, there are seventeen arcs in the anime:

1. Academy Entrance Arc
2. Sarada Uchiha Arc
3. School Trip Arc
4. Graduation Exams Arc
5. Genin Mission Arc
6. Byakuya Gang Arc
7. Chūnin Exams Arc
8. Chōchō Arc
9. Mitsuki's Disappearance Arc
10. Parent and Child Day Arc
11. Jūgo Arc
12. Steam Ninja Scrolls Arc
13. Konohamaru's Love Arc
14. One-Tail Escort Arc
15. Time Slip Arc
16. Mujina Bandits Arc
17. Kara Actuation Arc

Novels

Parts of the anime are also being adapted into a novel series titled Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Novel (BORUTO -ボルト- -NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS- NOVEL, Boruto: Naruto Nekusuto Jenerēshonzu Noberu). There have been five such novels released:

1. The New Leaves Soaring Through the Blue Sky! (青天を翔る新たな木の葉たち!, Seiten o Kakeru Aratana Konoha-tachi!), released on May 2, 2017; covers episodes 1 to 6.
2. A Call from the Shadows! (影からの呼び声!, Kage Kara no Yobigoe!), released on July 4, 2017.
3. Those Who Illuminate the Night of Shinobi! (忍の夜を照らす者!, Shinobi no Yoru o Terasu Mono!), released on September 4, 2017.
4. School Trip Bloodwind Records (修学旅行血風録, Shūgakuryokō Keppūroku), released in November 2017.
5. The Last Day at the Ninja Academy! (忍者学校最後の日！, Akademī Saigo no Hi!), released on January 4, 2018

Timeline

The current timeline of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations novels.