Anime Doesn't Need a New All Might. It Already Has a Successor in Naruto, Okay?

My Hero Academia's All Might is one of the most iconic characters the anime industry has produced. Embodying the classic traits of Superman, All Might stands as one of the strongest characters, representing hope and strength unparalleled in the medium. While All Might's role as a beacon of hope and his unmatched power set him apart, Naruto has long embodied similar hopeful traits, even before All Might's time.

Starting as an orphaned child who was hated and feared by others, Naruto never strayed onto the wrong path. With crucial support from Iruka Umino, he transformed his feelings of hatred into determination, striving to become Hokage to earn respect and recognition. Through relentless effort, Naruto achieved remarkable feats, and at just 16 years old, he defeated Kaguya, saving the world from the threat of global genocide. This highlights his unparalleled strength, and at his current age, he should have been the strongest in the sequel, yet he is not one, highlighting Boruto's sometimes lackluster writing.

Naruto Embodies All Might's Best Traits

Naruto Embodies Both Hope and Strength

All Might became the Symbol of Peace by acting on his genuine desire to help people and protect what they could not. This drive led him to achieve goals that few other heroes could even aspire to. Alone, All Might ended the century-long reign of All For One, restoring hope and a sense of normalcy to society. In his prime, he stood as the hero who defeated All For One, showcasing unparalleled strength until the time came to pass his quirk to Deku.

The development of All Might's character was profoundly executed, and a closer look at Naruto's life reveals that he, too, embodies the same ideals that All Might represented. While All Might's desire to help others stemmed from the loss of his parents to villains and growing up in a dark era, Naruto's path to becoming Hokage was driven by his longing for recognition, born from the trauma of being seen as a monster.

While it could be argued that Naruto's journey began from a selfish desire, he ultimately achieved profound results that positively impacted society, with one of the first being his heroic act of saving the Konoha Village from Pain's terrorism. After stopping Pain's terrorism, Naruto became the hope and hero of the Konoha Village, fulfilling the determination that had driven him.

As he continued to accomplish great feats and grow stronger, Naruto even managed to stop the threat of an alien at just 16 years old, solidifying his place as the strongest character in Naruto. With his unmatched strength and continued development over the years, Naruto should have become an unstoppable force and a beacon of hope, much like All Might. However, his sidelining of Boruto highlights the flaws in the series' writing.

Boruto Should Have Organically "Nerfed" Naruto Like My Hero Academia Did With All Might

Boruto Fails to Put Naruto on the Sidelines in an Organic Way

Boruto fully embraced the alien theme introduced with Kaguya in the Naruto series. While fans were always skeptical of alien elements in Naruto, the issue with Boruto lies in how it abruptly sidelined Naruto. By the end of Naruto, both Naruto and Sasuke were at the peak of their strength, and with time, their power should have only grown. Their battle against Momoshiki should have showcased their unparalleled abilities, highlighting their continued dominance.

This battle should have been an opportunity to give Naruto a genuine, organic injury or a meaningful restriction that sidelined him while still leaving fans satisfied, so that the new generation could shine. Instead, the introduction of alien themes and the sudden surge of power shifted the focus away. The fight instead highlights Boruto being thrust into the role of protagonist through the powers of the alien.

If this fight had weakened Naruto, perhaps with Momoshiki successfully extracting the Tailed Beasts' power, it could have mirrored All Might's journey. After suffering a grave injury from All For One, All Might naturally began to decline from his prime, adding depth and stakes to his character arc, and also explaining why the new generation has to carry on the fight. With such an injury in place, the stakes in Naruto's later fight against Isshiki could have been significantly higher, leaving fans genuinely concerned for his life.

The battle with Isshiki could have been the moment where Naruto is forced to exhaust all of his power to confront the extraterrestrial being and save the day, solidifying his role as the hero, much like All Might during his climactic fight against All For One in Kamino Ward. By giving his all, Naruto could then transition naturally into the role of mentor for the next generation, rather than being rendered obsolete without a meaningful foundation. Even so, there might still be a way for Naruto to shine as a hero while authentically passing the torch.

Bortuo Still Has a Chance to Make Naruto the Mentor He Was Supposed to Be

With Naruto losing his powers and Kurama's death, fans assumed this marked the endgame for the iconic hero. However, he became relevant again at the end of the first part of the series, when he was trapped by Kawaki in another dimension. This sidelined Naruto again but also completely took him out of the story, thus stopping him from becoming a mentor like All Might.

However, the reintroduction of Kurama in Himawari's body in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex suggests that Naruto could take on the role of a teacher, guiding his daughter to master Kurama's powers, if he is freed by Kawaki before the final battle against the Divine Trees. Alternatively, he might reclaim Kurama and once again become the vessel for the Nine-Tails.

Unfortunately, it seems that My Hero Academia was able to handle it "powerful figure from another generation" character in a much more meaningful and organic way compared to Boruto. Hopefully, it's still not too late for Naruto to come back and take the mantle of mentor for a new generation that he deserves.