'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations' Air Date, Spoilers: #NarutoToBoruto Countdown Begins; Series Features Earlier Timeline Than Manga
Now that Naruto has passed the proverbial torch — or literally, the forehead protector — to his son Boruto, a brand-new adventure unfolds in the long-running and much-beloved anime franchise. "Naruto Shippuden" may have had its final curtain call, but "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" is just about to begin.
Naruto's saga ended this week with the final episode of "Naruto Shippuden," which featured the final preparations for his and Hinata's wedding. And even though the wedding itself was never shown, a quiet scene depicting the groom and the bride, happy and at peace with their decision to spend their lives together, was more than enough proof that the celebrations went off without a hitch.
And now, fans will only have a week to gather their breaths before the curtain rises once again on a brand-new continuation to the highly successful "Naruto" anime franchise, this time focusing on Naruto and Hinata's eldest son, Boruto.
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Boruto's story was first depicted in the movie "Boruto: Naruto the Movie" and was later on adapted into a manga series written by Ukyo Kodachi and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto under the supervision of the original manga creator, Masashi Kishimoto.
But instead of taking direct cues from the manga series, the upcoming anime series will run its own course and will begin at an earlier timeline. In an interview with Animedia, as cited by Comicbook.com, anime director Noriyuki Abe revealed that the "Naruto" spin-off will begin before the events featured in the movie.
"The movie occurs when Boruto, Sarada and Mitsuki are in a three-man cell and undertaking the Chuunin Exams, but the TV series will begin from when they enroll into the Academy," Abe said. "After graduating and forming their three-man cell, gaining experience and challenging the Chuunin Exams is the approximate timeline."
The anime will be covering more character developments than the movie and the manga series, and it is for this reason that Abe believes Boruto and his eventual teammates, Sarada, and Mitsuki, will have a much stronger bond than before. They will not merely be classmates, but three kids who will have to learn to deal with, adapt to and accept each other's differences in order to become a great team of ninjas that can match, or even surpass, the accomplishments of the generation that came before them.
Meanwhile, Viz Media recently announced that it will simulcast the first episode of "Boruto" on Hulu on the same day that it airs in Japan, and will continue streaming new episodes in that schedule. Crunchyroll has also announced that it will be showing the upcoming anime series, but details regarding its release are still to follow.
"Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" premieres on Wednesday, April 5 at 5:55 p.m. JST on TV Tokyo.
