'Boruto: Naruto Next Generations' Episode 2: Young Boruto Uzumaki Struggles Against Prejudice of Being Naruto's Son

The idea of the "Naruto" franchise continuing with a brand-new series filled with characters that curiously look and act like their parents in their younger days may have seemed like an exciting prospect. But after the first episode of the new anime series "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations," fans are now beside themselves with worry over Naruto's impending death.

Is Konoha's iconic hero going to eventually meet his end in the series chronicling his son Boruto's life? This seems to be the case after the opening scene showed an older version of Boruto in a fight with a man named Kawaki, who claimed to have killed the Seventh Hokage. The villainous Kawaki aims to destroy the ninja communities because as far as he's concerned, the shinobi age is done and over with.

This unfortunate incident, however, is still years away from the present day, wherein the much younger Boruto is still in school and is struggling to prove himself as more than just the Hokage's son. The official trailer for the episode reveals as much. He may be Naruto's son, but to be told that he's merely riding on the coattails of his father seems to be enough motivation to drive the young Boruto to make some extra effort in his classes, even after saying that he does not intend to follow in his father's footsteps. But will his effort be enough? And how long can he possibly sustain it?

The general synopsis for the first arc of the series states that aside from taking his classes at the ninja academy, Boruto will also be dealing with the prejudiced way that the other kids are looking at him for being the Hokage's son. How will this impression bear on his daily dealings with his fellow students? And will he be able to forge real friendships with anyone?

"Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" airs every Wednesday at 5:55 p.m. JST on TV Tokyo.