The adults couldn't be this useless in Boruto when Naruto has already shown their true power

Boruto is a series that has been criticized for a wide variety of reasons, some fair and some not so much, but one element that needs a lot more attention is how the adult characters are handled. The vast majority of them hail from the Naruto series and are capable of contributing to the plot by all intents and purposes, but writer and artist Mikio Ikemoto has failed to give them prominence.

Furthermore, it is also worth pointing out that many of these characters, such as Kakashi Hatake, Sakura Uchiha, Tsunade Senju, and many more, are still capable of fighting in Boruto and have connections to the main plot. There is also the fact that the presumed death of Naruto has not been given the attention it deserves within the world of the series, which is a major plot hole.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers from the manga/anime and reflects the opinions of the writer.

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Explaining why the older Naruto generation is not doing anything in Boruto makes no sense

Tsunade is nowhere to be seen in the sequel (Image via Studio Pierrot).

The vast majority of the sequel has been centered around the titular protagonists, Kawaki and Sarada Uchiha, coupled with antagonists such as the Otsutsuki, Eida, and the Shinju clones. However, the adults in the series are nowhere to be seen, which becomes even more problematic once the likes of Naruto Uzumaki and Sasuke Uchiha are removed from the story.

This is shown by the fact that the likes of Kakashi Hatake and Sakura Uchiha, two characters who are very important in the franchise as a whole, are not involved at all in the main plot. It is even more incoherent in Sakura's case when considering that one of his best friends (Naruto) was murdered, his husband (Sasuke) has gone missing, and her daughter (Sarada) is constantly fighting the Shinju and Otsutsuki.

Kakashi and Tsunade Senju are former Hokage who haven't helped Shikamaru during his tenure at the helm in any way and haven't contributed to the story despite still being able to. There is also the example of characters from other villages, such as Gaara and Killer Bee, whose roles have been strongly diminished despite losing a very good friend in Naruto.

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The ramifications of Naruto's death

Naruto and Sasuke have been sidelined in the sequel (Image via Studio Pierrot).

Another element that needs to be criticized in Boruto is the fact that Naruto Uzumaki has been presumed dead for the last three years, and there are no major consequences across the shinobi world. The adults who fought by his side in the original series are not seen having a reaction, which makes sense because Mikio Ikemoto made it clear to the audience that he is still alive, but the people within the story don't know that, so their lack of reaction feels weird.

When considering how Naruto and Sasuke were sidelined, it makes it even more bizarre that the adult ninjas don't get involved in the main plot since they have lost their strongest and most experienced fighters. And the Hidden Leaf Village still has the likes of Sakura, Tsunade, Rock Lee, Kakashi, and many more useful shinobi who could contribute to the story, but Ikemoto has not given them any meaningful role.

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Final thoughts

All in all, one of the biggest flaws in the Boruto manga is the lack of importance that the older characters from the Naruto series, which causes a lot of problems in the narrative. Furthermore, there is a lack of justification in the story, making this even harder to justify.

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