Warning! Contains slight spoilers for Boruto and Jujutsu Kaisen!
While Boruto may be the direct sequel to the iconic anime Naruto, Jujutsu Kaisen is that series’ true successor. This is because while it doesn’t continue documenting the journeys of Naruto‘s original cast, it does build upon many of the ideas that Naruto introduced into the Shonen action genre. Boruto has unfortunately failed to do the same with a meaningful amount of depth, even though it does carry some parallels to its predecessor.
Boruto is the sequel to Naruto, following that iconic ninja’s titular son. The series also features many major characters from the original series like Naruto and Sasuke, allowing fans to see more of their adventures after saving the world from Madara and Kaguya. It also has shown some interesting parallels to the original series, with Boruto becoming the vessel of the Otsutsuki Momoshiki much like how Naruto was the vessel for Kurama. However the series has also made some controversial choices like killing off Kurama in a frustrating way.
Jujutsu Kaisen Plays With Naruto‘s Tropes
Gege Akutami’s Jujutsu Kaisen is set in a completely separate universe from Naruto, but it shares many similarities. The main trio of characters mirror Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura, and the protagonist Yuji is the vessel if a scary malevolent force named Sukuna. However instead of befriending this inner demon, Yuji and Sukuna remain enemies throughout the series. Due to how Naruto handled this trope, this is actually a major subversion that tortures Yuji much more than Naruto had to suffer. Jujutsu Kaisen also improves on controversial aspects of Naruto, such as making Nobara much cooler than Sakura.
By more fully exploring the central tropes of Naruto in interesting and unique ways, Jujutsu Kaisen feels much more like a spiritual successor to Kishimoto’s masterpiece than Boruto does. It also has the freedom to do what it wants with its characters without upsetting Naruto fans, as none of Akutami’s creations are from that universe. This is important both in allowing the series to craft emotionally harrowing moments and in allowing its flaws to only reflect on Jujutsu Kaisen and not a beloved previous manga. Boruto unfortunately doesn’t always have those luxuries.
Boruto Is Trapped In Naruto‘s Shadow
Jujutsu Kaisen is not perfect, but its many flaws definitely aren’t as scrutinized as Boruto. This allows the series to be more revolutionary while following in Naruto‘s footsteps even as Boruto has felt constrained in its parent’s shadow. This allows Jujutsu Kaisen to recapture some of the excitement that Naruto originally produced in many of the fans it introduced to the Shonen action genre. In this way, Jujutsu Kaisen is a closer spiritual successor to Naruto than Boruto could ever be, even if the latter series was better than it currently is.
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