Naruto not being able to parent in Boruto is realistic, here’s why

The Boruto saga has done a fairly good job of transitioning the characters from Naruto and Naruto Shippuden into Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Two Blue Vortex. While many characters haven’t been carried over, some important ones have been included.

Characters like Shikamaru, Sakura, Ino, and Konohamaru are mainstays and are nurturing the next generation of Konoha Shinobi. This means they pass down their values that viewers saw them develop in Naruto and Naruto Shippuden to their children.

The characters most responsible for passing on their values in the Boruto saga are, unfortunately, the previous main characters: Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke bears the responsibility of taking on covert missions and investigations to protect Konoha, which often keeps him away. Naruto, on the other hand, is the Hokage, which makes him extremely busy, but there is another issue: Naruto struggles with parenting.

Most fans don’t want to admit that Naruto is a poor parent, but the reality is clear. While Naruto demonstrates many admirable traits to most of Konoha, he finds it difficult to show the same to his son. This is evident in Boruto’s actions during the Chunin war and his earlier acts of vandalism.

Naruto’s lack of parenting skills reflects a sense of realism from Kishimoto and Ikemoto, as the Uzumaki didn’t grow up with a parent himself, so he doesn’t know what good parenting looks like.

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

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Why Naruto being a terrible parent is realistic in Boruto

Hiruzen was meant to be a father figure to Naruto, but he was not (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Many fans like to paint Boruto as some black sheep, as the ungrateful son who is living a life with so much luxury, but these fans can’t see from the young Uzumaki’s point of view. For the longest time, the young Uzumaki had seen his peers’ parents spend time with their kids, but he could never experience that because his father was tasked with protecting the village.

The series shows that he is constantly working, but more often than not, it is just administrative work. Work that can be done with a Shadow clone. If Konoha were at war, it would be easy to understand how busy Naruto is, but Konoha is at a time of peace and prosperity. Most of Naruto’s actions can easily be delegated.

Sasuke and Naruto are both terrible fathers (Image via Studio Pierrot)

The reason Naruto does not delegate is that he doesn’t know how to be a father and often feels uncomfortable in that role, which adds to the series' realism. Naruto grew up without a mother or father, and he lacked a strong family support system. As a result, he often had to face challenges alone.

When Naruto interacts with Boruto, he somewhat expects his son to learn and grow on his own, but that is poor parenting. Kids don’t come into this world by themselves; they are shaped by their parents’ choices. Leaving them to figure things out on their own isn’t good for any child. Still, parenting is unfamiliar territory for the Uzumaki, which is why he struggles to raise Boruto.

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Final thoughts

Another person who also struggles to be a good parent in the Boruto saga is Sasuke. Sasuke is a terrible parent because he is never around, and viewers who have watched the anime have seen the dissonance faced just because her father was not around.

While Sarada and the young Uzumaki have adapted to their father’s roles in the village, their understanding is also some sort of compromise. They are foregoing all the moments they can share with their parents for something else.

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