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WhenNarutoended, many fans were satisfied with how the story concluded. Even those who thought the story could have ended differently mostly agreed that it was enough, and that the series should not have a sequel. The movieBoruto: Naruto the Movie, released a few months after the manga ended, felt like a fitting conclusion to the story.
Fans were not exactly surprised whenBorutowas announced as a manga series, but many thought it was an attempt to “milk” the franchise. However, althoughBorutois a canon sequel, it is not written by creator Masashi Kishimoto. Instead, it is written by Ukyo Kodachi (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, chapters 1–51) and Mikio Ikemoto. Ikemoto is now considered something of a successor to Kishimoto by fans. But why did Kishimoto choose him?
Was Mikio Ikemoto Involved in Naruto?
Ikemoto was one of Kishimoto’s assistants during the serialization ofNaruto, and he was there from the beginning. In one of the early volumes, Kishimoto said that Ikemoto mostly drew crowds and background figures and was responsible for adding white and halftones to elements in the drawings, such as eyes, stars, and speed lines. Kishimoto later added that Ikemoto helpedcreate the designs of manyNarutocharacters— with such a long serialization, it’s reasonable to expect that assistants will expand their roles and work more closely with the creator.
Since Ikemoto was primarily responsible for drawing Kodachi’s scripts for a good portion ofBoruto: NNG, Kishimoto likelyconsidered him familiar with theNarutouniverse and characters, as well as someone whose art style would not drive fans away. SinceBorutois the official sequel, fans would probably be surprised if the art style differed too much from that of the original manga.
Why Was He Chosen As “Kishimoto’s Successor”?
Narutoended in 2014 and Kishimoto himself apparently thought the ending provided proper closure, as did many fans. However, Shueisha wanted a sequel. Kishimoto probably wanted to rest a bit and move on to other projects; for instance, he started writingSamurai 8a few years later. Thus,he rejected the proposal, but also asked Ikemoto if he wanted to do it.
Although Kishimoto doesn’t write or drawBoruto, he previously stated that he wanted it to surpassNaruto. There are rumors that, during the serialization ofNaruto, Ikemoto wanted to leave and work on another series, but Kishimoto asked him to stay. In this context, offeringIkemoto the opportunity to write a fullNarutoseries on his own can also be seen as a way for Kishimoto to express his gratitudefor Ikemoto’s help after all these years.
Is Kishimoto Involved In Boruto?
Apparently, Kishimoto isnot completely uninvolved inBoruto, since he supervises the story. However, the dynamic seems different from that between, for example, Toriyama and Toyotaro inDragon Ball Super,; Toriyama reviewed Toyotaro’s drafts, changing anything that wasn’t in line with the story.
Small changes have often been made right from the beginning. But little by little, the story develops in a direction that’s different from Kishimoto-sensei’s outline. Various factors can explain this. But the biggest reason is that I needed to create for myself a new outcome for the shonen part and a concept for the seinen part.
— Mikio Ikemoto
Kishimoto probably reads either Ikemoto’s scripts or plot lines and offers feedback. He also provides outlines for Ikemoto to use in writing the story. However,Borutoseems to be more of an Ikemoto creation, though Kishimoto still needs to give his approval. This kind of “distant involvement” is actually quite common when a creator lets another author write a spin-off story.
Ukyo Kodachi’s Role in Boruto
Ukyo Kodachi was the first scriptwriter forBoruto, and he wrote a good portion ofBoruto: Naruto Next Generations. He also supervised the anime’s story, so he may have even been involved in writing the filler episodes. He had a previous involvement with Naruto, though perhaps not as extensive as Ikemoto’s, as he wrote theGaara Hidennovel. Furthermore, Kodachi also helped Kishimoto write the screenplay forBoruto: Naruto the Movieand wrote a novel adaptation of the movie.
So Kodachi was chosen because he was familiar with Kishimotos vision forBorutoand because he had writing experience. Kodachi leftBoruto: NNGafter Chapter 51. At the time, he said on social media that this wasn’t a sudden decision, it was arranged since the beginning. Ikemoto then took over as writer and illustrator, and he currentlywritesBoruto: Two Blue Vortexalone.
