Masashi Kishimoto had a lot of dreams and hopes he put in when making Naruto, most of which he wanted to transfer into the sequel series as well. Naruto left behind a legacy great enough to let many want to follow in its path. He had a lot of expectations and plans ready and it was during the time that the titular character started seeing and understanding Hinata’s importance in his life that another character’s story was getting his time to shine as well.
While Boruto has long since kicked off with the story underway in many different directions, Kishimoto’s initial intention had to focus on another character from the original series. In fact, it was meant to be an homage to a long-since departed character, Neji.
Masashi Kishimoto Wanted to Bring Neji Into Boruto‘s Picture
During an interview with Kobayashi for Fuji TV (via Naruto Fandom) Masashi Kishimoto talked about how one character’s death became the catalyst for Naruto and Hinata’s ultimate union. Neji’s death in the Fourth Shinobi World War was devastating to say the least, but its purpose was more so to bring Naruto and Hinata close than anything else.
As an homage, Masashi Kishimoto intended for their son to follow through the legacy of the man who gave up his life so that his parents could unite. His intention was to focus on Neji and what he has left behind were Boruto to ever be picked up as a sequel. At that time none of it was confirmed. He added at that time that “this is only hypothetical.”
Moreover, Naruto’s son’s name was a direct reference to their late uncle, wanting to respect his sacrifice. Had things gone the way Kishimoto had intended for them to, Boruto’s entire tale would have gone very differently than the story fans are following now.
Boruto Had a Completely Different Name
When speaking in the Kobayashi Interview, Masashi Kishimoto revealed something that would explain just how many changes were made to Naruto’s sequel series. When he was planning to get Hinata and the titular character together, he already had a name in mind for their future son, ‘Bolt.’ The intention of this was simple but it tied directly to the impact Neji had in their lives.
Neji meant screw and an alternative for screw happens to be a bolt. The name seemed almost natural coming forth as a dedication to their late friend. The entire thing was planned in his mind with Neji being the catalyst for not only the main relationship of the series but also for the sequel series.
Many things were changed as the story progressed, including Boruto’s name and the amount of meaning it held. Now there is no mention nor rhyme of Neji with his character being almost rudimentary in the sequel series.
Naruto is available to watch on Netflix.
