Fans have always enjoyed predicting and creating theories about the future directions of a storyline they are interested in. Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the continuation of popular anime Naruto and Naruto Shippuden, is no different in this regard, fans from all over the world pouring to fan sites like Reddit and YouTube in order to posit possible scenarios that they believe will come to pass.
Theories for the Boruto anime started almost immediately after its promo release. Some were even earlier than that, fans theorizing who would end up with who and under what circumstances, even before Naruto Shippuden ended. As Boruto’s storyline progresses and the characters evolve, new theories are being constantly brought up in the hopes of predicting (whether obviously or not) the path of Boruto and his friends.
Despite the craziest theories being about the initial scene of Boruto, where an older Boruto is shown to be facing off with a mysterious opponent known as Kawaki, the arcs before that future are also filled with unknown variables that are ripe for theorizing and predicting. Whether it was the arc about Sumire and Nue, filler plots, Momoshiki, or the Mujina Bandits, fans seems to always have a theory or two in mind. And, while some may not come true or be confirmed, there are many out there that do! And not all are popular theories; the occasional fringe prediction comes true as well.
So, without further ado, here are 20 Wild Boruto Fan Theories (That Were Actually Confirmed).
Boruto’s Rebellious Phase Will Be Short-Lived
Almost instantly after the release of Boruto: Next Generations and Boruto was revealed to be something of a brat, fans started to speculate that the rebel phase would be short-lived. The prediction found its roots in the idea that Boruto was only acting out because of his bad relationship with his dad, Naruto. As the anime progressed and Boruto’s relationship with Naruto evolved, especially in the battle against Momoshiki, Naruto’s attitude has improved tremendously.
This is a stark difference to Naruto himself, who acted out for attention as a child, but whose rebellious phase was not particularly short-lived. In other words, since Boruto has parents fans figured his reasons to act out were much less reasonable and it would be short-lived - turns out they were right!
Sasuke and Sakura Marriage Won’t Make Sense
The relationship between Sasuke and Sakura never really quite filled the mold of what most would consider being healthy. Sakura was always infatuated with Sasuke, while it was often shown that Sasuke had little regard for her. In fact, many fans were sure that the two would not end up together prior to the confirmation in Boruto.
Once it was confirmed, however, there was a general consensus that their marriage would be nontraditional, if not downright unhealthy, as there was never really a clear indication that Sasuke had any feelings for her. He even tried to end her a few times in Naruto Shippuden. So when it was revealed that after marrying Sakura, Sasuke leaves for around a decade or so, fans on Reddit were not surprised. The marriage simply doesn’t make much sense with how the characters are set up.
Sarada is Sakura’s Daughter
In the first Boruto movie, it was suggested that Sarada might not be the daughter of Sakura and Sasuke but of Karin (a member of Sasuke’s team from Naruto Shippuden) and Sasuke. Despite this attempt at introducing a potential twist, a lot of fans weren’t fooled.
Suggesting that Sakura wasn’t Sarada’s mom came off to some fans as being somewhat of a trope and almost instantly dismissed it. So when it was then revealed at the end of the Boruto movie that Sakura really was Sarada’s mom, it didn’t come as much of a shock. The outcome was quite predictable, especially as Sarada had consistently displayed Sakura’s signature strength. Luckily it wasn’t a storyline that played out beyond the reach of the movie.
Mitsuki’s “Parent” is Orochimaru
While at first not much was known about Mitsuki’s origins, his snake-like abilities and the silhouette teased during the initial introduction of Mitsuki quickly directed people’s attention very quickly to Orochimaru. Speculations were all over the place, though a popular fan theory was that the parents were Orochimaru and Kabuto.
Orochimaru has been confirmed as being Mitsuki’s parent but nothing has been said concerning Kabuto’s place in everything. Though considering that Mitsuki is a clone, most fans doubt a further connection with Kabuto. Similar to the Sarada’s mother theory, this one was also rather obvious. It’ll be interesting to see how this specific parent-child relationship plays out in the anime’s current Mitsuki arc.
The Boruto Series Will Be More Kid-Friendly
Along with many other differences, Boruto has turned out to be much more kid-friendly than Naruto in terms of not just plot line but also its artwork. Even before the anime was released fans on Reddit were already speculating that it was going to be more kid friendly because of the new demographic the anime is targeting.
Despite one of the anime’s demographics being passed Naruto watchers, the current is aimed at young children who are just getting into anime and cartoons. Some fans think that it will get less kid-friendly as Boruto ages, it’s definitely possible that the more comedic and light-hearted Boruto will continue throughout the entire series. The newer, more kid-friendly artwork seems to be an increasingly popular style in anime as it has also been used in Dragon Ball Super.
Boruto Wants to be Like Sasuke and Sarada Wants to be Like Naruto
Long before Boruto met Sasuke and Sarada declared her intention to be the next Hokage, fans figured that this new trio would replicate the old trio in some fashion. However, it didn’t take some fans long to come to the conclusion that Boruto and Sarada would switch “roles” with the other’s father.
Now, while Boruto certainly hasn’t become the super ninja that Sasuke is and Sarada hasn’t become Hokage, both have announced those goals to be their intentions. Despite it not being the most surprising plot twist, the two not following in the father’s footsteps, it makes sense from a writer’s point of view in trying to separate Boruto from its predecessor and allow the new generation trio to find their own ninja ways.
Boruto’s Jougan is Connected to the Otsutsuki clan
Long before it was revealed that Boruto’s eye is a Jougan (or “pure eye”) fans theorized that it was connected with the Otsutsuki clan. A theory that was partially confirmed when Toneri Otsutsuki revealed that Boruto’s eye is called the Jougan. And although more concrete details concerning the Jougan have yet to be revealed, the simple fact that an Otsutsuki was the one to tell Boruto what is eye confirms that it is related to them somehow.
This is further supported by fans pointing out how Kaguya Otsutsuki was the one to discover chakra and thus it makes sense that the Otsutsuki clan would be a special eye technique that allows them to see chakra. Funny enough, the moment that this connection was confirmed many new theories were born as to how exactly the Jougan is related to the clan.
Sasuke Trains Boruto
It was fairly obvious from the get-go that Naruto would not be the one to train Boruto. Much like how Jiraiya was the one to train Naruto, some fans on Reddit speculated that Sasuke would fill that role for Boruto as it became clear quite quickly that Boruto wanted to be stronger than his dad and the only ninja said to be on par with Naruto was Sasuke.
Additionally, because it was also theorized that Boruto would be the “Sasuke” of the new generation trio, it only made sense that he would be trained by Sasuke. Many fans also believe that Sasuke will take Boruto on a trip similar to the trip Jiraiya took Naruto on, the same trip which initiated the time skip between Naruto and Naruto Shippuden.
Naruto Will be a Good Hokage, But a Not a Good Dad
By the end of Naruto, it became clear that Naruto was going to be the Hokage in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. There wasn’t much doubt that Naruto was going to be a good Hokage but it was up for debate whether or not he would be a good father to his children and a good husband to his wife.
Some fans predicted that he would be a good father because he would want to be the dad he never had. Other fans figured that because Naruto had no dad, he wouldn’t have a “dad template” to imitate. Further the fact that Naruto has always called the entire village his family, the paradigm would cause some issues with his nuclear family. Or, so was the prediction. The first episodes confirmed this theory, though newer episodes are showing Naruto develop as a father.
Sarada Starts to Show Feelings for Boruto
There were, and still are, many versions of this theory, but they all conclude with the prediction that Sarada would eventually start to develop feelings or attraction to Boruto. One of the most compelling reasons for this writing wise is how in the original trio, Naruto was shown to initially have feelings for Sakura, so it led to the reasonable suspicion that a similar romantic aspect would be added to the Boruto trio as well.
With Sarada acting as the, for lack of better word, Naruto of this next generation series, she was the prime character for fans to predict developing feelings for the anime’s “cool” character. That being said, the romantic feelings of Sarada have yet to develop into something obvious like how Naruto depicted Naruto’s feelings for Sakura or Sakura’s for Sasuke. Granted all the main characters in Boruto are kids, so it’s more than likely any real romantic plots won’t develop until the characters progress in age.
Space-Time Manipulation and Multiple Dimensions Will Become Important
After how Naruto ended, fans were fairly certain that Space-Time manipulation and multiple dimensions would have a lot of relevance in the Boruto anime. This theory was supported further when the Otsutsuki clan made a reappearance and the Boruto movie was highly reliant on Sasuke using his Mangekyō Sharingan to jump between dimensions.
This aspect of the anime is in stark difference to Naruto which started out in a much lower power level. Considering the villains in Boruto and their powers, Space-Time manipulation and Multiple Dimensions were bound to have importance in the anime’s storyline. It’s possible that the storyline takes a turn that is even more reliant on multiple dimensions the more the anime begins to shed light on the Otsutsuki clan.
Boruto Will Repeat Major Naruto Plotlines
Like most anime that are based on a previous anime, Boruto has a habit of recycling plot lines that were used in Naruto. In the most recent episodes of the anime, Mitsuki has left Konoha and gone rogue. Boruto and Sarada take off to track him down and bring him back to the village.
The arc can be boiled down to “good friend goes rogue and main character tries to bring him back” which is, ironically, the exact plot line that was used when Sasuke initially left Konoha. Although, to be fair to the writers, this time around it doesn’t seem like Mitsuki is going to stay the path of a rogue ninja. Fans theorized this would happen and it’s been confirmed many times over.
Boruto Learns Rasengan
As the signature move of the Naruto anime, many fans predicted long before the anime or manga came out that Boruto would learn the Rasengan. Considering that both Naruto and his dad, Minato, had learned the jutsu Rasengan, it made perfect sense for it to be further passed down the family line.
What came as a surprise, however, was how Boruto’s Rasengan was actually a variation of the jutsu later named the Vanishing Rasengan due to it disappearing before it strikes its target. Fans aren’t sure whether or not the Rasengan will become Boruto’s signature move like it is his dad’s, but it certainly is a powerful jutsu for him to have in his arsenal.
Sage Mode Has More Forms
Like most powerful abilities in anime, it just didn’t make sense for a spiritual jutsu like Sage Mode to be limited to only one type of animal. Fan have theorized since the introduction of Sage Mode in Naruto Shippuden that it could be achieved with other creatures as well.
Relatively recent Boruto episodes confirmed this when Mitsuki demonstrated his achievement of Sage Mode, the snake being the animal which he connects to as opposed to the frogs that Naruto’s Sage Mode uses. This confirmation that Sage Mode goes beyond Naruto’s variation of it has led fans to predict potential other forms of it as well, spanning through all different kinds of Boruto/ Naruto creatures.
the Crossed out Ninja Headband is Passed Down to Boruto
As a symbol of passing down the gauntlet to the new generation, the new guard, in other words, Boruto is given the old crossed out headband that use to represent the rivalry between Sasuke and Naruto. Many fans saw this coming a long while before it was played out in the anime.
It’s one of the obvious plot devices that would actually make no sense to not use and since it was so important to the original Naruto plot, it was perhaps the most predictable event in Boruto. Passing down an object from generation to generation is a trope that is often used in entertainment platforms. If the anime ever progresses to the third generation, that headband will probably be passed down to that main character from Boruto.
Cho Cho, Shikadai, and Inojin Will All Get Filler Arcs Early On
Like their parents, these three are reoccurring side characters and, like most reoccurring side characters in Boruto/Naruto, generally, experience the most character development through side plots or fillers. Fans speculated that these three would have filler arcs early in the series in order to give the characters more depth.
The arc which some fans reportedly saw coming miles away was Cho Cho’s romantic encounter episodes. Based on what viewers know about her from the movie and her occasional appearance, the prediction of her having a romantic encounter with a shallow man was not, by any means, a stretch of the imagination. However, it was a good lesson in not changing your appearance just to please others.
Sumire is the One Who Controls Nue
The question of who the person behind the Nue was the anime’s first large mystery of the anime and fans had a lot of speculations. The most prominent theory was that Sumire was controlling the Nue because of her potential connection to Root, among other such reasons as her behavior, consistent proximity to the Nue, and the suspicious glances that Mitsuki keeps looking at her with.
A large portion of the viewers argued counterpoints, but a seeming majority were predicting the culprit to be Sumire. Although Sumire ended up not being the “criminal mastermind” fans were probably suspecting her to be, her connection and influence over the Nue was revealed shortly after.
Naruto Finds Out That Boruto Has Been using The Scientific Ninja Tool
When Boruto first started using the Scientific Ninja Tool, many fans found themselves uncertain in the direction. Was Boruto going to continue using the tool? When the Chunin Exams were introduced, fans were asking themselves whether Boruto would really cheat with the tool. As it turned out, he did. But who would catch him?
With Naruto’s reputation in perceptiveness and Boruto being his son, some fans concluded that it was most likely that the cheating would be not just be found out, but also be pointed out in front of everyone by Naruto. Despite predictions theorizing situations slightly more humiliating than the already humiliating situation Boruto ended up in, Naruto was, in fact, the one to single out Boruto’s cheating.
Himawari Gets The Byakugan
With Boruto and Himawari being descendant of the Hyuga clan, some fans predicted that at least one of them would awaken the Byakugan. Since Boruto is chilling on the side with his Jougan (the name wasn’t known at that time), it didn’t take a psychic to put together a theory that Himawari would awaken her Byakugan.
Her early usage of the eye technique was surprising, but her having the Byakugan was not. The scene where Himawari using and awakening her Byakugan is pretty funny - she knocks out Naruto and scares Boruto senseless. The scene not only confirms that theories of Himawari developing the Byakugan, but also serves as a good demonstration of the Byakugan’s strength.
Technology Will Advance
Even in the first episode technology is shown to have progressed quite dramatically from the Naruto series. It was made apparent early on that this technology was going to come into conflict with the traditional “ninja way” that was the core of Naruto. But that conflict is not, at first, clear to the viewers. But that’s not to say the clash was not expected.
Fans have speculated, and continue to speculate, about the potential dangers the advancing technology poses to the ninja way. Already we see the Scientific Ninja Tool impacting the way jutsu can be used, mainly Boruto using it to steamroll in the Chunin Exams. Some fans have further speculated that the impact technology has on the traditional ninja will be touched on more further on in the story. We’ll just have to wait in see whether a real “scientific” villain arises.
Do you have any more Boruto fan theories? Let us know in the comments!
