Why Boruto Failed: 5 Fatal Mistakes That Left Naruto Fans Heartbroken

Let's stop pretending.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was supposed to be the torch that carried Naruto's legacy to a new generation. What happened? That torch was dropped, stomped on, and thrown into a ditch.

This isn't blind hate. This is disappointment built over years of creative decisions that made long-time fans ask: "Who was this anime even made for?"

Here are the 5 Fatal Mistakes that made Boruto fail in the eyes of the fandom.

1. Nerfing Naruto & Sasuke: The Unforgivable Sin

This is the deepest wound.

Naruto Uzumaki. Seventh Hokage. Kurama's Jinchuuriki. Wielder of Six Paths Sage Mode. Sasuke Uchiha. Rinnegan user. The Hokage's eternal rival. The two strongest shinobi in history.

And what did Boruto do? Made them weak.

Kurama died. Sasuke's Rinnegan was stabbed out. Not in an epic battle befitting their legacy, but as a cheap plot device to make new villains seem threatening.

Fans aren't angry because their favorite characters lost. Fans are angry because the way they were defeated was an insult to decades of character development.

!CAUTION Nerfing is not a solution to power scaling. It's the lazy writer's shortcut.

2. 70% Filler: An Anime Without Direction

A simple question: How many episodes of Boruto actually matter to the plot?

The answer is depressing.

Because the manga is monthly, the studio was forced to fill time with anime-original content that contributed to absolutely nothing. School missions. Festivals. Picnics. Episode after episode of nothing.

Naruto had filler too. But Naruto had a strong core story to return to. Boruto? You forget what the main plot even is after 50 non-canon episodes.

3. Boruto Uzumaki: A Protagonist You Can't Root For

Naruto was the underdog. An orphan hated by his entire village, fighting from zero to earn acknowledgment. We rooted for him.

Boruto? He's the Hokage's son. Lives in luxury. Naturally gifted. And all he does is complain.

"My dad is too busy." "I hate the Hokage."

Sorry, but that's not a relatable character. That's a spoiled brat with unacknowledged privilege. His powers also feel unearned—the Jougan just appears, Karma is just given to him.

No struggle. No sacrifice. No journey that makes us care.

4. From Ninja to Sci-Fi: A Lost Identity

What made Naruto special? The ninja world. Hand seals. Clans with deep history. Meaningful village conflicts.

What does Boruto offer? Aliens and Cyborgs.

Ōtsutsuki. Kara. Scientific Ninja Tools. Drones. Laptops.

The franchise lost its identity. What was once about hard work, strategy, and human bonds became a generic power fantasy about who has the latest tech upgrade.

When you remember gadgets more than jutsu, something's broken.

5. Villains Without Souls

Pain. Itachi. Madara. Obito.

Every major villain in Naruto had a philosophy. A backstory that made us understand (not agree with) their motivations. They were dark mirrors of the themes the series explored.

Now look at Boruto's villains.

Momoshiki? Arrogant alien who wants to eat chakra fruit. Isshiki? Another alien with the same goal. Kara? Generic evil organization.

No depth. No philosophy. No reason to care who wins or loses.

Good villains make a story memorable. Boruto's villains are placeholders that could be swapped with anyone without changing anything.

Is There Still Hope?

Two Blue Vortex (the manga continuation after the timeskip) shows potential. A darker tone. Boruto as an outcast. Real stakes.

But the damage is done. The fandom's trust is cracked.

If Studio Pierrot wants to save this franchise, they need to learn one simple thing:

Respect the old characters. Develop the new ones properly. Stop taking shortcuts.

Until then, Boruto will remain the textbook example of how not to make a sequel.

!TIP Want a deeper look at why this series missed the mark? Read our full review: Boruto Trash Review: When a Sequel Becomes a Disaster.