“Like an American Comic” – Naruto’s Ending Almost Led to a Big Series Reboot Instead of Boruto

The sequel to the beloved Naruto series, Boruto, has become a staple of anime since it was first released in 2016. Shockingly, this could have never happened, according to the main artist behind the manga, Mikio Ikemoto. In an interview published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine in the lead-up to the manga release of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the artist revealed that the Naruto franchise almost went down a completely different road.

According to Ikemoto in the 2016 interview, Shonen Jump editorial and series creator Masashi Kishimoto originally toyed around with the idea of Naruto being rebooted, opening the way for a new artist to come and tell an original story with a different art style.

Ikemoto says that the reboot was just talk and seemed like a way of keeping him involved with Naruto’s world after the series ended. Ikemoto was an assistant to Kishimoto for the vast majority of Naruto’s run, meaning it only made sense to give him a crack at drawing his own piece of the franchise.

Naruto’s Creator & Shonen Jump Originally Wanted to Reboot the Hit Franchise

Naruto Assistant Mikio Ikemoto Would Have Helmed the Project

“As the Naruto serialization was coming to an end, we talked about how it would be neat if the series could be rebooted and drawn by a new artist, just like an American comic. At that point, it was just talk, and I hadn’t been working on my own thumbnails for a long time. I think it was presented to me because they thought it would be something that would appeal to me and motivate me. We talked it over for a good six months to a year. If it was just going to be a sequel, then Kishimoto should definitely draw it. Plus, if it’s a continuation, you’re to bound to whatever came before. But with a reboot, you can do whatever you want and nobody can complain. I really liked that aspect of it. But when I received the story, it was totally just a sequel. And at that point I was in too deep to escape.”

The idea of a new Naruto series began spreading among workers when the manga’s serialization was coming to an end. The idea was to begin anew, with Ikemoto as the main artist behind the new story. While it was never formalized, Ikemoto was reluctant to accept, as he was convinced that if the story of Naruto was to be continued, Kishimoto had to be the one to draw it. Ironically enough, Kishimoto felt that the only way for Naruto to continue to Boruto was with Ikemoto as the artist.

Boruto’s artist was also worried about having to work on a sequel, as it would hinder his ability to tell a new story. Ikemoto noted that a sequel is bound by the events and rules established by its predecessor, a problem that a reboot would not face. When the first draft for the rebooted Naruto series was handed to Ikemoto, he noticed that the story would work better as a sequel. He said, “…when I received the story, it was totally just a sequel. And at that point I was in too deep to escape.”

Would A Naruto Reboot Work?

It is not uncommon for popular anime and manga to receive a reboot years after their ending. These updated versions like Netflix’s One Piece remake have a chance to fix elements of the original. Unfortunately, few of these have been received with the same love as their predecessors. It is likely that a reboot of a series as beloved and lengthy as Naruto would be under tremendous scrutiny by followers of the original. Unfortunately, a Naruto reboot could never escape the shadow of its forerunner, which could hurt its success greatly.

While Boruto is not the perfect sequel, it does have the advantage of being its own original story. Ikemoto and Kishimoto are working hard to create a worthy successor to Naruto. It is important to appreciate the hard work that both artists have put into making Boruto a story that can be enjoyed by Naruto fans all over the globe.

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