More relevant side characters will help Boruto, but the window is closing fast

It won’t be far-fetched to say that the Boruto saga is about to hit a plateau. This is not to say that this saga has not been amazing. In fact, it has been stellar for most of its run. Although it is not as good as the original, it is a series that can stand on its own and that deserves applause. However, in Boruto’s bid to stand out, it loses what makes a story compelling or what made Naruto interesting.

The original Naruto was a simple story with a main character who was a dreamer. However, the initial premise made Naruto just good. What gave Naruto its hall of fame status were its side characters. These were not just the main characters in the story; the little ones were included, too. The Haku’s, the Zabuza’s, and the Teuchi’s, characters whose roles were minor but had a large impact on the story.

While Boruto has included a roster of characters, it has failed to tie these characters to the general narrative. To make things worse, the anime is on a hiatus, and all viewers have is the manga. The manga has failed to include the number of characters the anime had, and this discrepancy needs to be addressed promptly. Side characters help free viewers from fatigue and serve as interesting parallels to the protagonist.

Disclaimer: This article reflects the author’s views and may contain spoilers.

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Why Boruto needs more side characters

Denki and Iwabe are yet to make an appearance in the manga (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The first reason why side characters are needed in the Boruto saga is continuity. While the story is written to stand on its own, a lot of elements in the story have their origins in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.

When a character like Shikamaru holds the position of provisional Hokage, viewers must see the people he grew up with: Choji and Ino. In Two Blue Vortex, Ino plays a huge role in one of the arcs, and Choji is a ghost.

For continuity's sake, characters who were part of trios and duos from the beginning of the Narutoverse need to remain as they were. If those pairings do not exist anymore, fans need to be given a reason, or else, there will be gaping holes that the story can’t fill.

Denki should have been introduced in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (Image via Studio Pierrot)

One of those large gaping holes is currently with Sakura. Sasuke is a rogue ninja in Two Blue Vortex, and his disappearance, combined with Hidari’s appearance, should be enough reason for her to emerge, but instead, she remains hidden.

Kakashi is another ninja who should be coordinating the search for Naruto’s supposed killer, but Ikemoto has yet to introduce him. These characters not making an appearance is taking a lot out of the story, and if they don’t show up soon, it could jeopardize the story’s future.

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Final thoughts

While there are new characters in Boruto, many of these characters have a connection to the ninja from the previous series. Someone like Metal Lee, the son of Rock Lee, should be close to the young Uzumaki due to their parents being close.

Some characters from the anime should have also shown up in the manga much earlier. Denki is one character that needed to be in the manga, as he represents what the future of the Shinobi world would look like. Characters from the anime also serve as an important world-building tool.

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