Masashi Kishimoto is the author of Naruto. He painstakingly worked on the manga for years, which is why it became one of the most popular series in the world. Following the conclusion of the manga, there was a lot of discourse about what Kishimoto would do next.

Ultimately, he decided that a sequel was the best option. The decision resulted in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, and the rest is history. Initially, fans were excited about the sequel, but the feeling began to dwindle soon. Many fans even questioned if Kishimoto made the right call when he had a better option. But is there any truth to it?

Kishimoto Should Have Made Naruto A Prequel

Masashi Kishimoto could have actually taken a different path and worked on a Naruto prequel. This particular idea had a lot of potential, and it would have worked wonders for Kishimoto’s legacy. Naruto has a rich history, so the author had the freedom to pick any era that he wanted. All Kishimoto had to do was pick any of the fan favorites and dig deeper into their lives. If he didn’t want to do a prequel with a single protagonist, there was always the option to make a series that would cover the entire history of the ninja world in great detail, and it would have multiple heroes set in different eras.

But if Kishimoto wanted to make a prequel that would focus on one lead, he could have started with Hashirama. The author could have focused on the rise of Hashirama Senju, who was the first reincarnation of Asura Otsutsuki. The story could have focused on how Hashirama grew up and developed a friendship with Madara Uchiha. It could cover Hashirama’s fights with Madara and other top ninjas from the same era. Additionally, it would help fans learn how Hashirama mastered the Sage Mode.

Minato’s Story Would Have Been Perfect

If Kishimoto thought Hashirama wasn’t a good fit, then he could have gone with Minato Namikaze as the protagonist of the prequel. Minato was a genius who breezed past the tests at the Academy, setting many records in the process. He was different from Naruto in some regards, which would have made the story more interesting.

In the prequel, Kishimoto could have easily expanded on Minato’s childhood and what kind of relationship he had with his parents. It could also have covered Minato’s training sessions with Jiraiya and the former’s rise to the top. Kishimoto could have shown how Minato became the top candidate to become the Hokage and what he was planning to do about the Uchiha situation. The author could have ended the prequel with Minato and Kushina’s deaths, setting up the main Naruto manga.

There Are Many Other Characters That Kishimoto Could Have Used

He Had Many Choices To Pick From

• Itachi would have been a great fit for the prequel
• There were other options to pick from

It’s quite obvious that Kishimoto had no shortage of characters to pick from. Even if he didn’t want to go with Hashirama or Minato, there were other options, including Itachi, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. Not only do fans adore these three, but they are also always on the lookout for more information related to them. Out of the trio, Itachi arguably has the most fans, so it would have been a good idea to choose him. The main focus would be to delve more into his past and reveal new details about the Uchiha.

Despite having so many impressive characters to work with, Kishimoto opted to start over with a new batch. So far, Boruto has been a big disaster. The manga sales are hardly worth writing home about, and the less said about the anime, the better. Studio Pierrot worked on the anime, and the adaptation was horrible. It has an insanely high number of fillers, which reminded fans of Naruto Shippuden.

After constant complaining from fans and the lack of source material, the studio had to stop the production of the anime. Another problem with Boruto is the mistreatment of fan favorites like Naruto and Sasuke. While a prequel might not be out of the question, it certainly seems unlikely to happen.

Naruto

Release Date

October 2, 2002

Network

Adult Swim