Naruto didn’t reach his full potential, and it seems like Boruto won’t too

Naruto didn't reach its full potential. Many will see that sentence and immediately disagree, but the statement is correct on various fronts. Naruto failed to meet its potential as a story; this can not be denied. This was a story with a very interesting world, but only a little bit of that world is explored. All viewers are left to do is guess or imagine to quench their curiosity about other lands.

The Boruto saga also does the same thing that Naruto does. It paints a huge world, but does not let the other areas in the world have as much impact. The only viewers who feel the impact of the other areas are in the anime of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, and those episodes where the Mist and other villages are explored, it feels like filler.

This article isn’t about how the Naruto series fell short, but about how Naruto as a character stayed static despite his potential. He’s shown to be a highly skilled ninja, and he is, but his limited range of techniques makes him seem boring and weak for someone at his level.

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

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Why Naruto didn't reach his full potential in the series

The protagonist does not grow organically after his battle with Pain (Image via Studio Pierrot)

When Naruto finishes, viewers have an underwhelming feeling when it comes to the protagonist. They know he is the strongest ninja, but in every battle he is in, he still looks like the same character who just finished learning the Sage Mode. All the protagonist does in the series is to become faster and use larger Rasengan. In contrast, Sasuke feels more rounded.

Sasuke has his signature move, the Chidori, but that is not the full scope of his abilities. His Taijutsu keeps on getting better, and then the addition of his Kenjutsu makes him look extraordinary. There is also a series of ninjutsu moves he uses that are separate from his Chidori, and this is why Sasuke always feels like the better fighter.

Sasuke is more rounded than the protagonist (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Every move the Uzumaki develops is based on the Rasengan and the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and while this made sense early on, as the Nine Tails impaired with Naruto's chakra control, that is not the case anymore. The Uzumaki and Kurama have become close buddies, and this means the floor is open for any jutsu to be learned.

In the Boruto saga, the Uzumaki looks weak; it is almost like he regressed from the ninja who kept up with Kaguya and Madara. More than ten years have passed since the fourth ninja war, and the protagonist should also be in his prime, but why is he stuck using the same moves? What is further infuriating is that he does not develop any new jutsu.

This is a huge error. With the hindrance of Kurama gone, and a predisposition to all elements, the amount of jutsu the Uzumaki should have access to should be wide. His taijutsu should also see some improvement, and reflect the high-level opponents he has faced.

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Final thoughts

The reason why the protagonist never reaches his full fighting potential is Kishimoto. Kishimoto made some questionable writing decisions. At some point, it seems like Kishimoto was not invested in slowly giving characters abilities as he once did.

The ending of the series saw characters being given power-ups in the series, and this has caused a problem in Boruto, where there is a problem with powerscaling. Even Boruto faced this problem as he was far too powerful for an academy student. However, Ikemoto has tried to fix this problem in Two Blue Vortex using the time skip.

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