Naruto set up the main character for a potential sequel long before Shippuden and Boruto was happening around, but this character’s mistreatment ruined any chance of this happening. In fact, this unpopular character’s backbone is so strong that he could easily become a hero in a potential third series if Naruto and Boruto don’t disappoint him later on. This mishandling was quite obvious simply because no fans suspected it Konohamaru Sarutobi may have had a big impact on both Naruto and Boruto, but he does.
Although his initial relationship with Naruto in the original series was intriguing enough despite being considered too silly for some readers, the series quickly placed Konohamaru in scenes where he and Naruto would compare. Compare their sexy techniques. These missteps aside, Konohamaru’s influence on Boruto and his potential impact on future sequels can be demonstrated through his compelling backstory and one moment important in the series that ironically only happens in the anime.
Boruto and Konohamaru’s stories are very similar
It is easy to see that one of Boruto’s most effective traits is the way he tries not to be like his father. When creating Boruto, this certainly provided enough variety from Naruto’s inspiration to avoid telling two stories about a boy with the same dream – to be Hokage. The problem, however, is that Konohamaru’s story is almost exactly the same as Boruto’s. The only difference is that Konohamaru’s grandfather and not his father is the Hokage, and instead of wanting to lead Konoha, Konohamaru initially tried to escape his grandfather’s shadow by replacing him. So both characters start from a very similar clause, even if their methods are different.
These similarities matter because it’s clear that Boruto creator Masashi Kishimoto wanted to create a sequel where the character’s actions are also influenced by the Hokage in some way like Naruto. However, since Konohamaru’s version of the compelling story was taken away, they had to make another choice that was divisive for fans. What makes Konohamaru a much more effective character is the way he eventually comes to terms with his relationship with his famous relative, especially in relation to Boruto. By the time Konohamaru took on the role of grandfather Sarutobi, the Third Hokage had passed away. This is far more tragic than Boruto, who reconciled and accepted his father’s shared lifestyle while Naruto was still alive.
Konohamaru could be the best successor to Naruto
Much like how Konohamaru’s backstory can dilute the overall depiction of Boruto, establishing Konohamaru in Naruto automatically makes him a perfect candidate to be the hero in a potential sequel series. Although he initially wanted to become Hokage before Naruto, Konohamaru ultimately decided to let Naruto achieve it first. Only after Naruto had the chance to lead Konoha did Konohamaru say that he would pick up where he left off and strive to become the next Hokage. Besides being another great example of character development, this naturally makes Konohamaru the focus of the series going forward when Naruto becomes Hokage.
This could be an amazing development simply because fans have known about Konohamaru’s dream since chapter 2 of Naruto, but he still hasn’t achieved it. Unfortunately, Konohamaru’s depictions in both Naruto and Boruto have dampened fans’ expectations for the character. As mentioned earlier, the character of Konohamaru quickly became a vehicle for promoting erotic techniques in Naruto. The anime made valiant attempts to fix this, but they were also unsuccessful. Boruto has not yet demonstrated this specific ability. Although the anime continues the tradition of exploring the character more effectively than the manga, the adaptation still mishandles Konohamaru. Ironically, even the most effective episodes that improved Konohamaru’s character failed to discover anything about his previous dreams.
Konohamaru is just a rogue Kakashi in Boruto
Essentially, Konohamaru serves as Boruto’s version of Kakashi in both the anime and manga, and despite playing an important role for obvious reasons, Konohamaru pales in comparison. Ironically, the anime undermines Konohamaru’s role even more than the manga despite the addition of Kakashi teaching Boruto critical attacks like a brand new Rasengan, instead of Konohamaru doing it. The much-anticipated second installment of the series, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, once again relegated Konohamaru to a secondary role as the new Hokage’s assistant, Shikamaru.
With Konohamaru, Naruto has clearly built a character with the potential to be the hero of his own series. Although Naruto has clearly shifted focus away from Konohamaru to damaging his personality, Boruto can easily remedy this. Of course, it could be argued that delving deeper into Boruto’s Konohamaru character would go against the purpose of revolving around the next generation of the series. However, Konohamaru’s journey may still progress in the background to build the foundation for what could be a thrilling second sequel. With the current situation, every chance of Konohamaru become the true successor Naruto was ruined and fans had to accept it Boruto instead of.
