Why is Naruto often considered a bad dad?

While Naruto might be one of the most beloved characters in the Boruto series, he certainly has his set of flaws. Because of his unrelenting efforts to become a better shinobi and his attitude to never give up in the face of adversity, fans fell in love with Naruto. People knew they could count on him to neutralize a threat no matter how bad the situation was. He is the Seventh Hokage who saved the village from the likes of Isshiki Otsutsuki.

Despite this, he is criticized in the Boruto series for not being an ideal parent to his children. We know that Naruto didn’t have the best childhood and often suffered from loneliness. Since that was the case, fans expected him to be a better parent. So, let’s understand why the Seventh Hokage is perceived as a bad parent in the Boruto series.

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Things that Naruto is expected to do as a parent, but failed to do so

Before we get into this topic, it is essential to understand a little bit about his past since it plays a role in amplifying the fanbase’s feelings toward Naruto being a bad parent.

When he was a child, he never got to spend time with his parents, and he always regretted that. He always wanted to meet his parents to know what they were like.

One of the most emotional scenes in the Naruto series was when he met his mother, and they had the most wholesome conversation. The fanbase could feel Naruto’s emotions when he embraced his mother. This happened when he attempted to force Kurama to submit.

When this is the kind of experience Naruto had as a child, the fanbase expected him to bring his A-game when it came to parenting. The biggest reason fans are disappointed in the Seventh Hokage is that he barely spends time with his kids.

In the Boruto series, he isn’t able to spend as much time with his kids because of his duties as a Hokage. Naruto had always dreamt of being the Hokage since it would be the ultimate form of acknowledgment as this title is given to the village’s strongest and most capable shinobi.

One can understand that a Hokage will always be busy since they’re responsible not only for the village’s safety but also for the overall administration of the village. However, it hurt Boruto and the fanbase’s sentiments when Naruto didn’t show up to his daughter’s birthday party.

To make things worse, he had sent a Shadow Clone in his place, and the family found this out in the worst possible manner. The Shadow Clone’s chakra ran out when it was carrying Himawari’s birthday cake and hence, dropped the cake on the floor. This left Himawari upset that her father did not hold up his end of the promise.

These are some reasons why fans believe that the Seventh Hokage isn’t the ideal parent to his children. It will be interesting to see if things remain the way they are or if he decides to prioritize spending more time with his family and delegate his work to other people in the village.