Masashi Kishimoto created one of the greatest anime franchises ever. Even though it ended in 2017, Naruto remains one of the most popular anime, with its fan base growing every day. The fans were not ready to part away with the franchise, so Shueisha asked Kishimoto sensei about a sequel. The mangaka did not object to the idea but put up one condition.
The condition was absolute, otherwise he would not be interested in the sequel. Kishimoto asked to hand over the sequel to his assistant. They knew each other for years, and the mangaka put his faith in him. After that, Mikio Ikemoto became the creator of Boruto.
Masashi Kishimoto Put His Faith On Mikio Ikemoto
Masashi Kishimoto worked for 20 years to create the Naruto franchise. It became one of the Big Three of anime and paved the way for the anime industry’s global domination. The entire fandom was left grief-stricken after their childhood hero was bidding them goodbye. But Shueisha had other plans. They approached Kishimoto for a sequel, and the mangaka agreed under one condition.
He said,
“When I ended Naruto, Shueisha asked me if I was interested in continuing the story. I had done everything I wanted to with the series, so I wasn’t up for it. I was fine with ending it at that point, but if Mikio-kun [Mikio Ikemoto] was drawing the sequel, then I was okay with it. I told them it had to be.”
Kishimoto has known him for more than 24 years. Ikemoto was his assistant, and together, they developed a trustful relationship. The former had always praised the latter for his instincts and art style. Moreover, he was there when Naruto began. He saw the entire journey and knew how Kishimoto preferred to draw his characters. Since he had him design the characters, he was the best person to work on the sequel, if not Masashi Kishimoto.
Mikio Ikemoto’s One-Shot Changed His Career
Mikio Ikemoto began his career with a one-shot manga, COSMOS. He was a rookie at that time. But his work became overly popular, earning him the Tenka Ichi Manga award, Weekly Shonen Jump. Since then, his life changed. Kishimoto found that their work was pretty similar and asked his editor to hire him at any cost. Fortunately, Ikemoto moving to Tokyo from Kyoto helped him join Kishimoto.
The Naruto creator mentioned he wanted Ikemoto to continue COSMOS, but the latter changed his tracks and joined the Naruto verse. The journey was nothing short of a miracle. He began as the Personal Assistant of Masashi Kishimoto, but as time went by, their bond grew stronger. Together, they raised an empire, and the mangaka passed the torch to Ikemoto through Boruto.
Masashi Kishimoto’s one condition proved how selfless he was. Not only did he ask Mikio Ikemoto to continue Boruto, but he also got him published. The latter did not continue with COSMOS, so he made sure to make him write Boruto. But there was also a selfish reason behind it. The Naruto creator wanted to read what his friend created.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations can be streamed on Crunchyroll, and the manga is available on Viz Media.
