The production team of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations recently unveiled a gorgeous new illustration to celebrate the spring season, and it encapsulated the history of the franchise in one dazzling image. With the first part of the anime and manga now over, Boruto has solidified itself as its own series, but it still honors its predecessor Naruto any chance it gets.

The account regularly posts illustrations, such as on character’s birthdays, national holidays, and more, but this latest painting might be the most beautiful one yet.

Showing the two main casts of Naruto and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, this post quickly went viral for contrasting the old and the new, and for showing how grounded the sequel is in the franchise’s roots.

The New Art Shows The Parallels Between The Two Generations

The image features Boruto rushing forward like he usually does, with a mirror reflecting the younger version of his father, showing the two similar and energetic personalities. Behind them are their friends, with the two generations of Team 7 consisting of Sasuke, Sakura, Sarada and Mitsuki. Surprisingly, the captains of the teams, Konohamaru and Kakashi, aren’t there, but the two Ino-Shika-Cho trio are featured, showing their relevance to the story.

The Boruto anime expanded heavily on the manga, and added many arcs, episodes, and scenes that pay respect to the Naruto series. The fight between Kawaki and Momoshiki included many scenes from Naruto’s final fight with Sasuke. Sasuke and Boruto going back in time and meeting the original cast was also a weird but appreciated homage to the original series.

Many of the people who work on Boruto: Naruto Next Generations grew up watching Naruto, so it is awesome to see them homage it at any chance they get, and pay homage to the series that was enjoyed by millions around the world. Boruto might have finally become its own series now and has moved away from Naruto and Sasuke, but it still embodies the spirit of its legendary predecessor.