Fans Don't Like It, But Naruto's Next Anime Won't Abandon Its Controversial Storyline

Published Jun 9, 2026, 11:15 PM EDT

Initially, this seemed like a one-off story that briefly introduced a cosmic being and explained how the shinobi were created. Surprisingly, though, Boruto continued the plot by introducing more Ōtsutsuki clan members like Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki. While there was nothing inherently wrong with these characters, their escalating power levels seemed far less relatable.

The anime even made them seem far stronger than some of the best-written Naruto villains, like Madara, and, as the manga suggests, it will continue this trend in the upcoming chapters.

Naruto's Ōtsutsuki Story Will Continue In Boruto's Next Chapter

Boruto will soon cover the Two Blue Vortex arc from the original manga, which unfolds after a big time jump. It introduces four major villains who originate from the Ten-Tails and Divine Tree systems, which are concepts introduced through the Ōtsutsuki lore. Their entire existence seems to depend on the franchise's established story beats surrounding everything from chakra harvesting to Ōtsutsuki evolution.

Riffing on the established Ōtsutsuki lore, four prominent villains will be seen in the anime's story ahead:

• Bug Clone
• Moegi Clone
• Isshiki Clone
• Sasuke Clone (Hidari)

Among them, the fourth one will be incredibly threatening, as he will be portrayed as a direct clone of Sasuke Uchiha. He will possess some of Sasuke's best abilities, including Chidori, along with the massive chakra of the Ten-Tails and two Rinnegan. The other three villains will also be incredibly overpowered, which, as the manga suggests, will completely disrupt the anime's established power scale.

Many viewers still miss the grounded storytelling and action that drove Naruto's early arcs. Owing to this, the introduction of cosmic threats and godlike alien villains seems to drift the anime away from everything that initially made it incredibly successful. While it is understandable where this sentiment comes from, one can argue that anime benefits from these developments in more ways than one.

As Controversial As It May Be, Naruto Needs Ōtsutsuki For 1 Solid Reason

More often than not, some of the greatest shōnen anime hit a major power ceiling after their main characters level to a point where they become literal gods. This is one issue that even plagued the Dragon Ball Z franchise. Naruto, too, hit the metaphorical ceiling with characters like Naruto and Sasuke and had to find creative ways to justify its continuation.

The old conflicts and rivalries in the series were certainly far more relatable and grounded, but they would have seemed a little too redundant if Boruto, too, had blatantly repeated them. Instead of emulating its parent anime's formula, Boruto cleverly targets the previous generation's strengths by introducing the Ōtsutsuki "Karma" mechanic and the new Shinju clones.

It instills nostalgia while still creating some novelty by showing how its new overpowered villains can absorb traditional jutsu or clone themselves to old heroes like Sasuke. This seems to neutralize incredibly strong heroes from previous generations and effectively shifts the focus to Boruto and his peers, who must find new ways to overcome the threat.

Beyond making some of the best heroes and villains look tame and significantly raising the stakes, the Two Blue Vortex arc also explores the higher implications of Omnipotence. It allows the Naruto franchise to evolve far beyond traditional shōnen conflicts and delve into sci-fi and philosophical themes surrounding perception and the consequences of reality-altering powers.

While this massive escalation in stakes undoubtedly comes with its own set of issues and complications, it is hard not to appreciate the creative risks the Naruto franchise is willing to take to justify its continuation.

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