Similar to Naruto, Boruto started as a mischief-causing brat, causing trouble to catch attention. But, it was not the same as Naruto caused mischief because he wanted to get acknowledged for his existence, whereas boruto already had acknowledgment, being the Hokage’s (Naruto) son and of course not being hated by everyone in the village for carrying nine tails inside of him. But, he also wants to have his own identity which is not just that of being Naruto’s son.
Throughout the series, there have been many ups and downs in his life, but…I believe that he has developed a lot as a character and I’m sure you’ll agree to this too. So, here I’ll try to highlight the events that have made him a more likable character than ever.
1. Sumire and Nue arc
In the earlier parts of the show, Boruto was shown to possess a jougan(pure eye). He was now able to sense things that even byakugan was not able to. He was able to find out who was behind the incidents that were happening. And it turned out to be their class rep whose father had some grudge against the village and imparted the same grudge to Sumire along with the resources to destroy Konoha. If it weren’t for Boruto’s jougan Sumire would have succeeded in her plan. However, Boruto steps in, not as a shinobi but as a friend and her classmate, and uses Naruto’s ultimate talk no Jutsu and stops her from executing her plan and saving her from the darkness she had inside of her.
This was the first incident that showed that boruto had the potential to be a great shinobi like his father, even though he chose to follow Sasuke. Even though he showed promise he was still uncertain about being a shinobi because of his feelings for Naruto at that time.
2. The chunin exams
Even though he was quite privileged, he chose to use scientific ninja tools in the exam which were prohibited, just to get Naruto’s acknowledgment. His headband was taken from him and he lost everything he was trying to work for. Just then Momoshiki attacks the village causing destruction and kidnapping Naruto. Boruto felt that it was all his fault and realizes what Naruto wanted him to do. Also, Sasuke tells him that only he can surpass Naruto because he’s an even bigger loser than Naruto (and I felt that). It may not make sense to you but if you have seen Naruto you’ll realize what he meant. Sasuke, other kages along with Boruto successfully rescues Naruto and boruto deals the finishing blow to Momoshiki.
This was the arc that made him see the true character and true worth of Naruto, which is much different than he was thinking. He lost so much in this arc but got and learned much more than what he lost.
3. Mitsuki arc
This was a really necessary arc for more development of Boruto. He had a lot of growth as a shinobi and as a character. But as a person and as a friend he still had things to learn. Mitsuki had been his teammate for quite a long time. Yet he never really understood Mitsuki and neither did he try to see what he was feeling. And Mitsuki had now his own free will and was not dependent on Boruto, being his sun, anymore. He wanted to be with people who were more like him and understood how he felt. When Boruto realizes this he attempts to pursue Mitsuki but failed to see why Mitsuki left. The arc goes on with some conspiracy and Mitsuki being a spy for Konoha. But, he wanted boruto to understand more about him. And when the arc ends, Boruto tries to understand how he feels and tries to make him feel more at home than before.
4. Ao’s arc
I can say that this can be the conclusion of Boruto’s development arc. I’m saying this without having anything to back it up. It’s more of what I feel.
Ao was a strong foe and had a connection with the Kara inners as well. He’s a war veteran and killed Mugino. To not lose his worth he used scientific tools given by Kara and let himself be used as a weapon. He was quite a foe since he killed a Jonin and team 7 had a hard time dealing with him as well. But Boruto formulates a plan to defeat Ao and defeats him single-handedly.
After the chunin exams he had grown used to hating scientific tools, but he was mature enough to realize that his hate was just personal and the use of tech is what makes it good or bad. And so he used those tools to help him defeat Ao, which was a great sight to see as we witnessed his wits and strength.
Ao lived along with the belief that he was just a mere tool but once again Boruto’s talk no jutsu comes into play as he forgives him for what he did to Mugino and makes him realize that he’s much more than just a tool. This showed how much depth his character now has. He has grown into a much stronger shinobi and has grown a lot as a person.
I’d conclude this article by saying ” Thank you very much for taking your time to read up to this point”. I appreciate it. Thank you and have a nice day.
