How Sarada and Boruto are different from their fathers

ANIME, DISCUSSION – After watching a good amount of Boruto: Next Generations, it seems that the series is trying to tell its story in a different way specifically on the paths that Sarada and Boruto take.

This will contain some spoiling details for people who haven’t went and catch up with the Boruto series so you better shy away from this article if you don’t take kindly to that kind of detail.

The things I will be talking about here are mostly centered on where the anime series is thus far and how far I know about the manga series, as well as the recent Boruto-related movies. If I miss anything, feel free to point it out in the comments below.

In the aftermath of events that occurred in the current Naruto franchise, every popular ship in the series has been made canon at this point such as Sasuke and Sakura, Naruto and Hinata to name a few of them. We are now at the point of the story where their children, the next generation, are now taking their marks in the Ninja World but they’re still there to witness all of that.

From the mentioned couples, what got me really interested and compelled in this new anime series is how their children, Sarada (Sasuke’s daughter) and Boruto (Naruto’s daughter) are taking opposite paths from their parents.

First, let me talk about Sarada.

At the start of the Boruto: Next Generations anime series, she has been filling the shoes of what Sakura’s role served in the base series but with the exception that she carries her father’s wits and calm demeanor. Sarada is basically the “honor student” in this series wherein she’s pretty much strict and would tie down Boruto in events where he might do something out of hand.

So far, Sarada is slowly becoming one of my favorite characters in this new cast because this blend of Sasuke’s calm and stoic personality whilst having Sakura’s role of keeping everyone in line.

I got really compelled in the recent episodes as Sarada slowly begins to ask the whereabouts of his father and the nature of his work. She got into this fragile state where she was confused and didn’t know what kind of path to take as a person. Sakura’s legibility as a mother was also questioned by her, much to Sakura’s displeasure.

I mean, seriously – your child asking you questions like “where is papa,” “are you even his wife,” “who gave birth to me?”

No doubt this is the fault of both parents since Sakura has always been complacent on the notion that her attitude of blindly believing in Sasuke without any kind of formal assurance would rub off magically on her daughter. It is also Sasuke’s fault for being an insensitive father and not even recognizing his own daughter at first glance.

Sarada hated her father initially – of why he could not stay with them? What was so important compared to his own family? This are the questions which led to the idea where Sarada thinks that she is not Sakura’s biological daughter.

When Sarada and Sasuke met, again, he did not recognize his own daughter at first – much to the displeasure and anger which Sarada is now feeling towards her father. What got me really surprised is that Naruto got her going.

When Naruto shared his own rhetoric of “connections through feelings are stronger than blood” got Sarada inspired because one: the vagueness and inability to explain by her parents always leads her to the conclusion that she is not their daughter and with that rhetoric – if she feels Sakura is her mom, then she is.

Naruto’s rhetoric is also connected to the fact that he, himself, grew without the companionship and guidance of his biological parents – both of them died to make sure he would live. Instead he deemed those friends around him as family and his teachers as his father. This ultimately made him the person he is right now and what got Sarada inspired.

If this is how Naruto struggled, then she must do the same as well.

As a result, her admiration shifted from her father, Sasuke, to Naruto, the village Hokage. She, herself, dreams of being the Hokage and fulfill this sort of connection with others as much as she can.

Boruto, on the other hand, took on Sasuke’s rhetoric.

If I am right, Boruto first met Sasuke when he got to their house looking for his father, Naruto. After that, it was sort of a slow build-up in admiration for him. He didn’t want to become Hokage like his father. He certainly dislikes how his father has treated his family by spending more time on the village rather than be at home and bond with them.

This is essentially the reason why he’s so rebellious during his early childhood and time at the Academy. He has taken on Naruto’s childhood but for a different reason: to gain the attention of his workaholic father.

But as time went on, I believe that Boruto has slowly reconciled with his father, Naruto (in the movies) and understood that their childhoods are vastly different. Naruto grew up with no guidance, but on the other hand, he had all the people supporting him. Which also led Naruto to the conclusion that for as long as he would live, he needed to show his son that he cared and witness his growth into becoming one of the strongest ninjas of his generation.

Later on the road, he is taken under Sasuke’s tutelage and has basically decided to live his life as the strongest shinobi while supporting Sarada’s dreams on being the Hokage – much to the pleasure of Sarada (wohoo sarada x sasuke leggo).

These two kids have taken on paths vastly different from their fathers and I think this is one of the things these new set of characters have going for. They don’t rely on the previous generation but rather, become better and improved versions of their parents and those before them.

Their ninja way is different and unique.

As the story progresses, I hope that Boruto: Next Generations will exceed those achievements garnered by the Naruto franchise and introduce a fresh new concept in shounen anime and for shows that continue off generations after the main cast.

Here’s to more of the Naruto world.