Summary
The first season of the Boruto anime has ended, but the second season will not begin immediately with the time period depicted in the manga. The anime will need to cover a significant portion of the manga before it reaches the timeskip, including Code's attempt to kidnap Amado and the introduction of Eida. The anime has about 3 to 5 volumes of manga content left to adapt before the timeskip can begin. The decision to end the first part of Boruto was because Studio Pierrot needed a break to improve the quality of the anime.
Warning: SPOILERS for episode #293 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation The series' long first part Boruto anime ends in 2023, and fans expect that when the second season comes out, it will pick up with the time skip that pushed Boruto's story several years into the future in the manga's second season, Two Blue Votex. However, even though the manga's time skip has passed for quite some time, when the anime returns, it will have a lot to deal with before it gets to that point.
The world of Boruto is undergoing rapid changes as the manga now delves into a new era. After many years of construction, the story is finally approaching the moment foretold in the first chapter through a short film, in which the two main characters Boruto and Kawaki appear as adults fighting to the end. die in a space not too far away. future.
Given this, it would only make sense for the anime to take a break and return to adapt Boruto's Two Blue Vortex era. However, fans who have read the manga and watched the anime may have taken issue with this line of thinking.
Boruto's anime still has one final arc to adapt before the Time Skip
Many fans believe that Season 2 of the Boruto anime will be a Naruto Shippuden version, starting several years in the future with the main characters grown up, but this will not be the case. The final episode of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations saw the conclusion of the chaotic battle between Code, Kawaki, and Momoshiki Otsutsuki, who took full control of Boruto's body. To stop him, Kawaki did not hesitate to kill Boruto, but Momoshiki used her power to revive him, thus temporarily losing control of his body.
With Code also pushed back, peace seemed to return to Konoha, but only briefly. Kawaki's final ominous words to Boruto in the episode are a reminder that, as long as Momoshiki is in his body, he still sees his adopted brother as a threat to Naruto and the village. HoweverKawaki's decision to kill Boruto, causing the timeskip, will not happen immediately.
Before getting to that point, the anime would need to adapt a lengthy arc of the manga, detailing Code's attempt to kidnap Amado to restore his full Karma powers, and then his decision to betray him. Eida's code and moves to Konoha to be closer to her beloved Kawaki. . It's a strange part of the manga that many fans have described as an attempt to turn Boruto into a romantic comedy, and it ends abruptly when Kawaki finally decides to attack Boruto. However, it will take more anime episodes to get there.
How many more parts of Boruto's Pre-Time Skip manga need to be adapted?
The final episode of the Boruto anime, Farewell, has been adapted to the 70th chapter of the manga, meaning the anime still has 10 manga chapters to adapt before it can fully begin the Two Blue Vortex era. Of course, the number of chapters an anime episode can adapt will vary, but the Boruto anime usually adapts two to three chapters at a time when continuing the manga.
All of this implies that Boruto's anime could have anywhere from 3 to 5 episodes of content to adapt. before it can start skipping time. All of this puts the anime in a strange position regarding the ending of the first season, as it's unclear why the anime stopped when it was much closer to a more natural conclusion.
Can Boruto achieve the time skip with a movie?
Anime sequels are becoming increasingly popular so it would make sense
While adapting the next ten chapters of the manga into a handful of episodes could seriously impact the pacing of the Boruto anime, a solution could be found in how other anime series handle shorter runs. Increasingly, it has become more common for famous anime to be fully adapted into films. Demon Slayer: Mugen Train is truly a trendsetter, as franchises like Jujutsu Kaisen and more recently Chainsaw Man have chosen to make films in contrast or parallel to the new installments.
While this may seem like a strange choice, Studio Pierrot has said they're aiming for Demon Slayer. Studio Pierrot CEO Manyiki Honma recently suggested that Boruto will aim for a seasonal schedule inspired by the success of Demon Slayer. Given this, it's not hard to imagine Pierrot looking at the huge success of Mugen Train and wanting to replicate it with one of their biggest franchises in Boruto.
Boruto can recreate the success of hit movies like Demon Slayer: Mugen Train
Demon Slayer: Mugen Train, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 and Chainsaw Man: Reze All Provide Blueprints
While this actually makes sense, there are definitely some downsides that make a Boruto movie less than warranted. The first is that Pierrot only made one Boruto movie and that was a prequel to the rest of the series and technically part of the Naruto franchise. However, the much bigger problem for Pierrot is that Boruto's final installment may not work as close to a movie as Mugen Train, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 or the upcoming Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc.
For anime series that adapt a main arc to their series instead of creating a non-canon arc, the adapted arcs will be shorter and more self-contained. Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a prequel that requires little knowledge of the original series while Mugen Train only requires a basic understanding of the series. In contrast, Boruto's final season is the culmination of many different plot lines, meaning it may be difficult for casual audiences to understand.
However, both of those barriers are insurmountable. While a direct adaptation of the manga's final arc may be difficult to parse, Pierrot was able to make changes to make the conflict and characters easier to grasp.
If Pierrot doesn't want to go see the movie, their best bet might be to split the first season of Boruto's return into different parts. The first season could cover the end of Naruto Next Generations, while the second season could adapt the first few chapters of Two Blue Vortex. Jujutsu Kaisen did the same thing with its second season, where the first season was a five-episode miniseries before continuing the series' story with a much longer second season.
The decision to end Boruto's first season as it happened may have been surprising from a story perspective, but Studio Pierrot was clearly overworked, which had a rather negative impact on the anime. . A break is needed so Pierrot can take the time needed for Boruto to finally meet fans' expectations. Sadly, this means Season 2 of Boruto will be very different from Naruto Shippuden, as it will not start skipping Two Blue Vortex times.