#boruto meta

[everyneji]

I really liked these scenes in Boruto episode #132 so I took a lot of screenshots of them. Let's chat about it. Like yes it's filler but I think it's also really interesting, natural extrapolation of Neji in canon.

Hinata's privilege is best exemplified by how she can be almost careless in her informality with Neji. It's not malicious but it is ignorant to how aware Neji is of the difference in status between them. It can be a concern for how informality in return could be seen as dangerously presumptuous of him, and also, as I've said before while discussing their relationship, it can also be protective of Hinata. Her 'lowering herself' to treat him as her respected elder and brother may reflect poorly on her. After all, he's willing to have tea with her despite these words of caution, so it's not as if he's totally denying a relationship with her. Regardless, it's very loaded to have this uneven dynamic in their forms of address.

When they first meet, Neji sees her as a potential peer, maybe a first friend, but from the moment he's handed over to the head family he always addresses her formally, if not always respectfully. By trying to make their relationship more casual and familial, Hinata is in a way trying to erase that shift in their dynamic, and so by extension denying what was done to him.

(...)

This had me pausing the episode to mald but like tea. I'm going to end up talking about this a lot around Neji's death but Neji's defeatist fatalism is supposed to contrast his limitless potential and strength. He needs to believe in himself and Naruto gave him that by being the first person to not only tell Neji he's a genius, but to say that genius can take him anywhere. Hizashi loves his son and tells him he's a genius who should live (which Viz doesn't consider important because they're hacks), but Hizashi is also exhausted and miserable after years of oppression and humiliation and seeing no way out, so he ultimately says, 'You're great, but your circumstance will always define you.'

Hizashi is a very tragic figure in so many ways. He doesn't want to hand his son over into this life but he felt he had no choice. It gives Neji such a complex about his value as a person and his limits. Neji lets go of the grief and anger because he's also letting go of this idea of his father -- and so him -- as totally helpless. Agency is priceless.

"All of us have one thing in common ... one shared fate ..."

Neji is also a tragic figure ... like so many of our beloved trauma victims in Naruto, he was a very sweet kid before the clan got their claws in him and losing his father worsened this fatalistic view of his. His perceptive nature has been core to his character since he first appeared, but it's always underpinned with a natural empathy. Even at his lowest, his calculated words carry a kernel of this. He can't just go 'kys Hinata-sama', he has to talk about how her kindness has burdened her. He doesn't just beat Lee down to bully him, he cautions Lee that he will be better off with a rival his level.

His admiration of Naruto is rooted in how Naruto is an empathetic individual as well, but one that seeks to uplift others instead of cutting them down. This is why Naruto has 'better eyes' than him -- Naruto can't just see the person, but also a fate for them other than death. (Not spiritually resigning yourself to an ending before you really tried beginning.) And seeing how kind people suffer, being a kind person that has suffered, makes Neji worry so much more about what Naruto's kindness will cost him.

You have to consider too that though Neji isn't really a 'weapon' on par with our walking nukes like Naruto and Gaara, he's still a 'spear and shield' for Hinata and the clan. To be 'marked by fate' is to wear some sign that others have tried to decide what you will do and done their best to take away all your other options. This is being a 'tool.' He knows what this fate feels like for Naruto, and what it could cost him ... and mind you, being a jinchūriki has made Naruto hurt friends, nearly hurt the village, and ultimately comes very close to killing him outright, so Neji isn't wrong about how Naruto is walking a knife's edge.

Speaking of Naruto nearly dying ... under this concern for Naruto's kind nature, this idea of 'to the death' can go both ways. Neji doesn't want to lose Naruto ... boy, that sure won't be relevant later. You know what I think about a lot? Gaara's Infinite Tsukiyomi dream where he's a kid with a whole and happy family ... but what completes it is having Naruto there to play with. This feeling resonating through time into its most extreme distillation in Boruto with Kawaki's, "A world without [Naruto] has no worth to me. I'd rather be dead."

Caught yapping about the guy you like .... tween embarrassment experiences are universal.

I think a lot about Neji being willing to put his family on blast in the chunin exams. He had to think there would be consequences; maybe he hoped there would be some accountability on the village's behalf to protect him -- more likely he just didn't care anymore.

What gets me is 'The Naruto Factor', which is to say Naruto brings something out of people. This is the power of his empathy and his boldness. He got Hinata to get the fuck back up and he got Neji to open up about something that was obviously still very painful for him. Neji is brave for doing this -- it was what was needed to give a little bit of peace and justice back to his father's name, and to ultimately change the clan ('change the clan'; change the clan?) -- but he was also in the right place, against the right opponent, to have the chance to express himself.

Throughout the course of the series we see how Naruto comes to represent safety, comfort, protection, solidarity, and an open ear to everyone he meets ... he lets people be shameless and vulnerable. That Naruto as a series is about empathy and not being afraid to love -- that love is the thing that saves us and that love is the only truly immortal thing ... and the Neji who 'lives right here' (Naruto pounds his chest) is so important to these themes. I consider Neji and Gaara essential elements to understanding Naruto as both a character and a series through this lens.

Sidenote that Hinata says a similar thing earlier about feeling weirdly comfortable around Boruto because he reminds her of Naruto. They really are two sides of the same coin lmao.

"He's a chad, Boruto."

Neji is saying this in ultimate response to Boruto saying who wouldn't pity Naruto. Naruto is strong; Naruto has inhuman willpower. What Naruto needs is companionship and trust. This is what Naruto gave him -- saying 'You can do whatever you believe you can.' I'll tell you something about my guy Neji: after feeling so disenfranchised and helpless for so long, it's obviously very important to him to have that agency I was talking about. That is to say, per 'what story are we telling with Naruto and Neji and empathy and understanding', Neji is also talking about himself here. He wants to be able to save himself -- to be the bird that can pick the lock to its own cage.

This idea that so long as you are not alone, so long as you are recognized, you can find the strength you need is very "Ashura" by the way.

[There's another bit here I like but I'll save it for another post.]

Cute ........

Sob ... Boruto being named after Neji is a really nice way to continue the idea of "Neji lives on" they put forward around Neji's death. His legacy. How is Boruto as a legacy of Neji? The recurring theme of fate in the series often has me thinking of him. That endlessly branching future, baby ... and Boruto as this actor in it. This idea that 'the more you know of fate, the narrower the future becomes' -- that you can be limited by your own perception. Neji, 'the only fate we share is death', dying, but dying for something he believes in, saving the lives of those he loves -- does intent create so big a gulf between two superficially identical futures? All I can is that I think Neji would approve of how determined Boruto is to not let someone else tell him to not do something because it's fated to go badly -- and that either way, he will risk it for sake of his comrades.

Also, Boruto managed to reverse engineer techniques because he knew he'd be able to do them in the future and it got me thinking again about Neji teaching himself techniques of the main family. In their fight Naruto points out that Neji, despite all his fatalism, was still defying fate in his own way. You can interpret that a lot of ways! As an inevitability of fate -- his talent is so insistent he couldn't have done otherwise, almost an unthinking thing. Him testing the limits of his cage -- knowing that he'd have to stretch his wings for if he ever did see the sky. The only defiance he could think of -- 'call me lesser, but in this I'm always better.' The power of belief under the defeatism -- that he knew he could do it, that he had that faith in himself and his talents, that he was able to do something so incredible.

Neji speaks very straight-forwardly but he's a complicated guy -- one who is a master of a deceptively gentle technique, based in a circular art of evasion and redirecting force ... that he's good at these things says something about him and how he interacts with the world. He isn't ignorant of nuance, but he wants to find a way to step forward in a way that lets him feel like he's always reaching new heights without being destructive. He's absolutely a hero-type, and I think it's very fitting that his namesake is the big damn hero of the next generation.

[itachis-eyes]

Naruto's Good Faith VS Kawaki's Upbringing

Good morning, yes, I'm Borutoposting again.

One of my favorite things about the introduction of Kawaki into the series and his eventual hyper obsession over Naruto is how real it is.

Naruto did not expect and was not prepared- and would have never been prepared for how attached and ultra protective Kawaki would become of him. It's not Naruto's fault, nor is it Kawaki's, no one was equipped to deal with this correctly. It reached the only natural outcome it could.

Kawaki's life sucked. It really just did! Out of many characters he definitely had the right to excuse his behavior on his upbringing- he literally did not know anything different. His biological Father used him as a punching bag, sold him off for cash, and then his new "father figure" Jigen experimented on him and ruthlessly trained him to become his next vessel. There was literally no love in his life, Jigen reminded him of this every chance he could. Jigen is not even an effective manipulator (like Orochimaru was), Kawaki hated every second he spent there and had no loyalty for Jigen. He directly expresses in conversation with Boruto that he wishes the experiment was a failure and he had died.

So Kawaki just has...no one! No one at all he can trust. Everyone is an enemy to him, and it's not until Naruto holds him and tells him he's safe after Kawaki accidentally triggers himself that his feelings for Naruto begin to change.

For the first time in his life, he has a Father figure who cares. Who genuinely cares about his health, well-being, and about forming relationships with other people (seeing as he wants him and Boruto to get along as well). Despite Kawaki consistently testing him (because it has to be a farce right? I'm just some punk nobody--), Naruto never resorts to physical violence to "punish" or "correct" Kawaki. There's plenty of chidings for him misbehaving and starting fights, but not a single blow.

I'd say that's great strides for a man who very often used to boast about wanting to break every bone in Sasuke's body to drag him back to Konoha. I like this development. He knows Kawaki needs a gentle hand and a figure he can trust implicitly. He gives that figure to Kawaki, and it works.

But Kawaki doesn't just go from 0 to 100. He goes from 0 to 1000. There was never going to be any reality where Kawaki forms a normal Father/Son attachment to Naruto. He became Kawaki's everything, and Naruto was not prepared for the intensity of Kawaki's attachment and desire to protect him.

And nothing could be done about that! Naruto didn't do anything wrong, he treated Kawaki incredibly well. He gave him the security and shelter that Kawaki craved. But he- nor anyone else, was not ready that Kawaki would go that far.

To us readers- the writing is on the wall. We could see it from a mile away. But to the characters within, they just didn't have any tools to predict it nor deal with it, nor prevent Kawaki's attachment from progressing to the point he unintentionally used Eida's omnipotence to completely rewrite everyone's history of his and Boruto's positions in their lives.

Kawaki's transition makes perfect sense. It really wasn't gonna go any other way. I'm so glad it was written that way.

[awinterrosesstuff]

Personally, I agree with the people who say that Sarada is disappointing because being a half-breed Uchiha she can't handle the use of the Mangekyou Sharingan. I've seen theories based on Itachi's first encounter with Kakashi. The latter, tired of using the sharingan so much, Itachi points out that his body is not that of an Uchiha, many fans mentioned that this is why in the Uchiha clan they married among their own members, precisely to avoid this kind of problems, Pointing out Izumi and Sarada, who are not 100% Uchiha, and they commented that they fainted when using sharing They also say that Itachi and Sasuke also got a seizure when using Mangekyo Sharingan, but what I remember is that they abused their ability or used it while being at their limit. Sarada didn't fight, so I don't think it's the first time she used her ability. He must have trained her to figure it out. They also blame Sakura, saying that she never had good physical condition and didn't last that long in battles. They use Gaiden and his constant fainting. I don't know what you personally think, but to me Sarada seems like a character that was only created to show a new generation uchiha. I'm on the same page as other fans: the clan ended with Sasuke; Sarada's children (if she will ever have any) will cease to be uchiha as the generations go by.

Hello anon !

Thanks for the ask! I tried to organize my thoughts. I don’t have any "theories" about Sarada’s "conditions" or her handling of the Mangekyō Sharingan. When it comes to her, I’m more bothered by her writing since the timeskip.

First, I’m going to be honest: this part of your message sounds a bit weird to me.

to me Sarada seems like a character that was only created to show a new generation uchiha.

Because that doesn’t only apply to Sarada. Why do you think Boruto was created in the first place? Or Chocho? Inojin and Shikadai? They were all created to represent a new generation of their respective clans. Boruto is the most obvious example. I mean, he looks exactly like Naruto—blue eyes, blond hair, and the whisker marks. In "Boruto: The Movie," Kishimoto wasn’t shy about showing the parallels. He was compared to his dad at least three times (by Sasuke, then Hinata, and finally Naruto).

He’s impulsive, uses shadow clones, learns the Rasengan, and craves attention and recognition—doesn’t that sound like Naruto? Now, he also has some of Sasuke's traits (though Sasuke is still far better), but he still retains Naruto's impulsivity. I think he’s meant to be a mix of both Naruto and Sasuke.

To be clear, Boruto (the character & the story) was only made for money.

Sarada didn't fight, so I don't think it's the first time she used her ability. He must have trained her to figure it out.

I had to reread the chapter in question. How did you interpret that from the chapter? It’s not just a matter of thinking or not; it’s the first time she uses that ability, and she didn’t train to figure it out.

Sasuke and Boruto talked about the fact that Sarada wasn’t aware she had the Mangekyō Sharingan and that “she will realize it.” I remember Sasuke awakening a new ability from his own Mangekyō Sharingan and understanding it immediately to save Karin.

Sarada is clear in saying that it’s the same for her. This aligns with what Naruto shows us regarding this aspect. Sasuke didn’t need to train his Mangekyō abilities to understand how to use them.

I think the abilities are supposed to reflect what they need the first time they use them. Just like Sasuke, who awakened an ability to save Karin. It seems that the Mangekyō Sharingan is designed to manifest powers that align with the user's immediate needs in critical moments.

I've seen theories based on Itachi's first encounter with Kakashi. The latter, tired of using the sharingan so much, Itachi points out that his body is not that of an Uchiha

Going back to the beginning of your point, it’s definitely true that Kakashi can’t handle the Sharingan as well as the Uchiha because he doesn’t have the chakra reserves or capacity of the clan. But Itachi also states that Kakashi uses it well for a non-Uchiha. Plus, there’s the fact that Kakashi can’t deactivate the Sharingan. You can definitely improve your skills. Kakashi trained hard to be able to use the Mangekyō Sharingan in the second part.

Is it the same for Sarada? Maybe. But let me tell you something: Sarada was using her regular Sharingan just fine during the Chunin Exam and against Boro. In particular, against Boro, she used it multiple times to analyze the fight without getting tired. I believe it’s even the first time she uses the Chidori. Thanks to her, they discover his weakness. You can check it if you want.

She also uses the Cherry Blossom Impact/Sakura's strength effectively too. Just a few examples.

Like, did you see her strength since the timeskip? Did you notice her using her regular Sharingan for anything other than the Chidori? I didn't. It feels like Ikemoto forgot she had other abilities and could use her Sharingan for more than just the Chidori. I totally get why anyone would be disappointed in her writing since the timeskip. I like the ability of her Mangekyō Sharingan. It's something new and interesting. But honestly, it would have been better if she fought harder, like she used to, by utilizing her strength or her regular Sharingan.

At the beginning of the post, I mentioned that I was more bothered by her writing. Let me expand on that. Since the timeskip, she’s super focused on Boruto (everything in the manga revolves around him, honestly). But before that, she had meaningful interactions with her mom, Chocho, and Kawaki. Her friendship with Sumire wasn’t centered around Boruto either. She admired Naruto and tried to be more like him. She even offered her friendship to Kawaki. But now? Sarada and Sakura don’t even share the same panel. She’s a bit worried about Sasuke, but that’s about it. Everything is just about Boruto.

Sarada was a great character before the timeskip. What happened? Honestly, I don't think there will be children after this generation, or at least, I hope not. The manga seems to be getting worse.

[badly-drawn-pigeon]

I find it a shame that Boruto plot did not really follow the whole "the age of shinobi is over" premise that it set up in the first chapter.

In a world where all major conflict has ceased to exist and the ninja villages had to find other sources of income, they ended up turning into commerce centers. The need for large military force within the major countries is currently next to none and has become seen as an unnecessary strain on their budgets. On the top of this, rapid technological progress makes civilians less willing to rely on a bunch of superpowered people with questionable ethics: they have better alternatives these days. The role of shinobi has been gradually vastly reduced. They have organically erased their own system from existence by creating lasting peace, similar to the real world ninjas who organically erased their own system from existence by earning enough wealth to lose interest in risking their necks for money.

In the middle of this, the new generation of children who have never seen war and have never felt threatened by one, can't figure out why anyone would be even considering becoming a ninja. They don't care for things the older generation was willing to die for. In their eyes, war memories and traumatizing experiences of their parents don't evoke the same emotions: it's some incomprehensible nonsense that their folks dwell on too much rather than keeping up with the modern world. Words like "Back in my day, kids had to be capable of survival and self-defence at 12 if they wanted to live" are dismissed with the local equivalent of "OK Boomer". Shinobi are no longer glorious to them. They are not even evil or terrifying. They are lame. It's an old people's thing. The generation gap is the widest in centuries. After 1000 years of its supremacy, the shinobi system has become utterly irrelevant, and broad adherence to its values will most likely die out with Naruto's generation. Naruto won, but the resulting world is far from what he expected or is able to comprehend.

This could be a simple slice of life manga about kids who try to carve their own path among the living fossils of a dying world. This could also continue to be a shonen where the kids need to try their own ways to deal with new dangers posed by modern technology that the traditional shinobi are simply too obsolete to handle (and desperately refuse to acknowledge it).

The plot of Boruto even started going more or less that way, but it was abandoned within maybe 10 chapters. A loss if you ask me, because I can see how this could be pulled off by a moderately competent writer.

[chaosnojutsu]

i’m not sure if this is a comment about the writing or the character, but something strikes me about the fact that after growing up without a family, naruto didn’t have a secure safety net in place for his kids in case something happened to him and hinata. “kids grow up without guardians all the time in konoha” naruto knows that. he was one of those kids. we can speculate that hiashi or hanabi would step in and keep an eye on himawari (and/or kawaki) but we don’t see that. and to me that feels like something the audience would see even if it was just a glimpse, something that would be important, something to show naruto changed a cycle.

[chrimsonfoxdon]

WAIT PLEASE ANYONE WHO HAS SEEN BORUTO DOES SASUKE INTERACT WITH HIS IN LAWS PLEASE I GOTTA KNOW

[tavrodeos]

Discussing Orochimaru's Gender

Everyone's favorite snerson.Trigger warnings:mentions of transphobic stereotypes that Orochimaru falls into, mentions of bioessentialism"Breathe" fanfic:http...

brawley youtuberfication arc

next video im finally going to bE talking about boruto fashion like i’ve been saying i would for a million years

[badbadbucky]

I was thinking about the common trope of next generation stories where the heroes we love seem to be terrible parents with children that resent them.

I started watching Boruto and was thinking about how and why this has played out with his relationship with his dad Naruto.

Naruto did not have a family for like the first 11 years of his life. Then he had Iruka, but he didn’t live with Iruka, Iruka wasn’t there every night to tuck him in and didn’t eat every meal with him. Then Naruto had Kakashi and Jiraiya and Tsunade as more parental figures but these people would all be absent from his life for weeks or months or years of his life but he never considered them less of a member of his family because of it.

Naruto is used to absent parent figures. Compared to what he had growing up he probably feels like he just be smothering Boruto with how much he’s around. Or at the very least it might not really occur to him that he should be spending more time with his kids because he still makes it home just about every night. He’s alive, he’s the Hokage so he’s in the village more than the parental figures he had (save for Iruka), and so I think that is where the disconnect occurs.

Naruto has never had a traditional family before and so he doesn’t know what the expectations are. Boruto has only ever had a traditional family and so they can’t understand each other’s circumstances.

Sort of similar to a guy who gets rich through his hard work but still remembers what it was like to have nothing and is completely disconnected from his children who were born into privilege.