Naruto and Boruto’s stories are all about establishing the new from the old. Two of the key contributors to the journey are but obviously, Masashi Kishimoto and then his editor-turned-partner Mikio Ikemoto. Now helming the project of Boruto and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, he is in charge of carrying on Kishimoto’s legacy.
Ikemoto also happens to be the man in charge of creating the battle outfit of the Third Hokage, Hiruzen Sarutobi. In Kishimoto’s eyes, he was the perfect man to take up the job of a possible sequel for his magnum opus. As irony would have it though, Ikemoto had a different opinion. Whether it was to be a sequel series or something completely new for Weekly Shonen Jump, he wanted Kishimoto’s artistic prowess to take hold.
Mikio Ikemoto Thought Naruto was Getting a Sequel
In an interview with Weekly Shonen Jump, Mikio Ikemoto, now the man in charge of Boruto, talked about how during the time when Naruto was nearing its conclusion, the talks of a possible reboot started flying around. He shared, (via Screen Rant), that he was under the impression that the series was going to get a full reboot to follow an independent story.
As the Naruto serialization was coming to an end, we talked about how it would be neat if the series could be rebooted and drawn by a new artist, just like an American comic. At that point, it was just talk, and I hadn’t been working on my own thumbnails for a long time. I think it was presented to me because they thought it would be something that would appeal to me and motivate me.
They were working on something, at least that’s what Ikemoto knew. For a long time, talks were exchanged with ideas, trying to build together a story that would befit the legacy Naruto was to leave behind while also catering to a fresh audience with a fresh story.
While there was nothing on paper for quite a long time, when things started mapping out, Ikemoto quickly came to learn that a reboot wasn’t what was going to come of it.
Mikio Ikemoto had No Way Out of Boruto
Not only was Mikio Ikemoto under the impression that Masashi Kishimoto would continue drawing the story no matter the direction it took, but he was also certain about it being a reboot. After about six months of brainstorming and pondering, the ultimate outcome was to take the route of a sequel and not a reboot.
We talked it over for a good six months to a year. If it was just going to be a sequel, then Kishimoto should definitely draw it. Plus, if it’s a continuation, you’re to bound to whatever came before.
But with a reboot, you can do whatever you want and nobody can complain. I really liked that aspect of it. But when I received the story, it was totally just a sequel. And at that point I was in too deep to escape.
While Ikemoto understood why the decision was made, he wasn’t very keen on being a part of it. He wanted to work on something independent that gave him the liberty to explore uncharted territory. What he was instead presented was a sequel following in the footsteps of its predecessor that had already set the bar too high.
Although he wanted a reboot, he understood that getting one would also mean staying in the shadows of the original manga. It would constantly be compared and it doesn’t take seconds for judgemental fans to strike.
Naruto is available to watch on Crunchyroll and Netflix.
