Masashi Kishimoto created one of the greatest pieces of fiction to ever exist. Naruto reached its peak of popularity, and even after ending in 2017, it remains one of the most popular anime ever. It is considered one of the Big Three of anime, along with One Piece and Bleach. Naruto Uzumaki’s journey from being an outcast to the Hokage is an inspirational story.
The fans were happy to see their favourite hero getting the recognition he deserved, but they were also sad since it was all coming to an end. They wanted a sequel, and Masashi Kishimoto was against that idea. He created an empire with his magnum opus, and there was nothing left to do. Even though he was against the idea of a sequel, he put forward a condition that was to be fulfilled for a sequel to happen.
Masashi Kishimoto Had A Strict Rule For Boruto To Happen
Masashi Kishimoto was satisfied with how he ended Naruto Shippuden and had no plans for a sequel. He mentioned not being up for it since he had done everything he wished to establish with it. But in 2015, Boruto was announced, and it started airing after Naruto aired its last episode. It happened because Shueisha followed a rule set down by the creator himself. His condition was that his assistant, Mikio Ikemoto, would be in charge of writing Boruto’s story.
During an interview, Masashi Kishimoto said, “I was fine with ending it at that point, but if Mikio-kun was drawing the sequel, then I was okay with it. I told them it had to be him.” Mikio Ikemoto is one of the closest friends of the Naruto creator. They have known each other for more than two decades and have formed a special bond.
Masashi Kishimoto is full of praise for his former assistant. He went as far as to say that Ikemoto had surpassed him. Ikemoto was humble enough to deny Kishimoto’s claim. Kishimoto mentioned that their relationship was almost like that of a family member. Naruto’s creator has complete faith and trust in his former assistant. It is the sole reason why he chose him to take charge of Naruto’s sequel.
Naruto Creator Offered The Role of Assistant to Mikio Ikemoto
Masashi Kishimoto first met Mikio Ikemoto when he offered him the job of his assistant. Initially, the former heard about him after the latter’s one-shot manga, COSMOS, which won the Tenkaichi Manga Award. Due to his work seeming to be similar to Kishimoto’s, he was offered the job. Since then, they have been working together for multiple years. Ikemoto received a job offer before but rejected it to work with the Naruto creator.
Boruto initially was not popular among the fans. But after Masashi Kishimoto joined hands with his former assistant, it picked up the pace. Their work will forever remain one of the best. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has become one of the most-read manga on Shueisha’s Manga Plus. The manga is going through an interesting phase, and a lot is happening. Mikio Ikemoto’s hard work was not working, but after Kishimoto, the sequel has found its place in the franchise.
Boruto is available on Manga Plus.
