Naruto has been one of the most popular anime series since its premiere in America in the late 2000s. Fans fell in love with the series' depiction of Naruto Uzumaki, who goes from a cocky young kid with a dream to a hero capable of saving the world. The series eventually ran long enough to also show the adventures of Naruto's kid, Boruto Uzumaki.
Naruto has the kind of intergenerational storytelling that isn't found in most anime. Of course, to tell that story required several time skips to get fans from Naruto's birth, to his youth, and eventually into adulthood. Even Boruto has its own time skip, as things get serious in the new series, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex.
5 The First Episode Gives Viewers A Glimpse Of The Past Before Moving Forward
12 Years Prior To The First Episode, The Kyuubi Awakens
The beginning of Naruto starts twelve years earlier, just before Naruto's birth. On the night of a full moon, the powerful nine-tailed Kyuubi fox is unleashed, and it goes on a rampage in Konoha Village. The Kyuubi fox's attacks nearly destroy the village, but they manage to seal the fox away inside an infant child. That young child grew into Konoha's #1 Knucklehead ninja, Naruto Uzumaki. Despite being the vessel to seal off the Kyuubi, Naruto is ostracized and even blamed for the destruction that comes to Konoha. As a result, Naruto goes through a more harsh life than his fellow ninja academy students, going neglected and ignored by kids and teachers alike. As the ultimate sign of defiance though, Naruto decides he'll make everyone in the village recognize him by becoming the Hokage, the leader of Konoha Village.
It's revealed much later that more went on during this time than people knew, though. For one, the nine-tailed fox was purposely sent to destroy Konoha by Madara Uchiha. For another, the original host of the Nine-Tailed Fox was originally Naruto's mother, Kushina. With Madara's actions though, the Kyuubi was set free to cause as much destruction as it wanted. However, the Fourth Hokage turned out to have other plans, battling the Nine-Tails and working with Kushina to seal him off once more. Though there might have been characters who were better Nine-Tails hosts, they were forced to place him inside of their own son. While they saved the city, it was at the cost of their lives, and meant they'd never see their son actually grow up.
4 Naruto Shippuden Saw A Generation Of Ninja Take Steps Towards Growing Up
Naruto Shippuden Takes Place 2 and a Half Years After The Original Anime
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The first time skip in Naruto brought viewers from the past into the present day, where the story begins. It's with Naruto Shippuden that viewers have a time skip after understanding both the characters and the world. Following a failed attempt to retrieve Sasuke from Orochimaru's clutches, Naruto agrees to train with Jiraiya to become a stronger ninja. Perhaps a bit conveniently, both Orochimaru and the Akatsuki are unable to make any moves on Sasuke or Naruto for at least three years, leaving everyone with the time to train and become stronger.
While anime time skips are old, dating back at least as far as Dragon Ball Z, it was Naruto that popularized them with modern anime. Naruto Shippuden felt rejuvenated with its time skip, bringing in new characters, and completely different looks for all the characters fans had grown to love. It wasn't just down to new outfits, as everyone also became stronger. Suddenly, Sakura had Tsunade's super-strength, Sasuke was a dark swordsman, and Naruto... well, he was still pretty similar until further along in the new series.
The changes were more than superficial, though. Naruto Shippuden allowed the series to explore the idea of passing the torch to the next generation, as the genin of Naruto grew up into chunin, and a new generation of genin took their place. They also got to talk about ideas like the cycle of hatred, how enmities can survive for lifetimes, and how much effort it truly takes to break away from the pain of the past.
3 The Last: Naruto The Movie Sees Naruto And Hinata Finally Get Together
The Last Takes Place 2 Years After The Fourth Great Shinobi War
The storyline doesn't go directly from Naruto to Boruto. Just after the end of Naruto comes The Last: Naruto The Movie, which focuses on how Naruto and Hinata get together. Unsurprisingly, The Last also contains several of Naruto and Hinata's cutest moments. Two years after the Fourth Shinobi World War, Naruto is a celebrity and beloved by everyone in Konoha. Though Hinata's feelings for him are stronger than ever, she feels like she has no chance of confessing anymore.
Still, a tender moment together causes Naruto to admit he likes her instead...just before she gets kidnapped by an alien from space. The key conflict in The Last involves Naruto and Hinata working together to stop Toneri Otsutsuki, a member of the branch family of the Otsutsuki Clan. Toneri's frustration with humanity turning chakra into a weapon has driven him to want to wipe out humanity, though he first wants to bring Hinata to the moon and marry her. It's only after Toneri is defeated and saved from being destroyed that he gives up his hatred of humanity, and instead agrees to watch over them from the moon as atonement. The film ends with Naruto and Hinata eventually getting married, before going on to have their two children: Boruto and Himawari.
2 Boruto: Naruto Next Generation Shows An Entirely New Class Of Ninja Finding Their Path
16 years after The Last, Konoha Has The Next Generation of Ninja
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Boruto picks up almost sixteen years after the end of The Last: Naruto the Movie. This new time skip has allowed an entirely new generation of ninja to rise up who happen to be children of the very ninja fans grew up watching in the original Naruto. In this time, Naruto has gone on to replace Kakashi and become the Seventh Hokage, with his friend Shikamaru serving as his tactical advisor. Sasuke continues to protect Konoha by going on top-secret missions across the country, and the other Konoha 11 have settled into families and lives of their own.
As the title suggests, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations shifts the focus to Boruto, Naruto's son. While Boruto is a class clown just like his dad was, there's still much that separates Boruto and Young Naruto. For one, Boruto wants nothing to do with becoming the next Hokage. Instead, that goal goes to Sarada, Sasuke's daughter, who dreams of becoming Konoha's protector, just like the Seventh Hokage.
While Boruto early on focuses on Boruto's development as a man and a ninja, the series gradually grows in intensity as the Otsutsuki resurface once more. Despite the best efforts of both Naruto and Sasuke, the Otsutsuki's goal of consuming Earth's chakra fruit causes massive shake-ups in the ninja world. Finishing off one of their most powerful number even requires Kurama to sacrifice his life, leaving humanity without one of their strongest allies. It's a desperate situation, and things don't get any better with the series' most recent time skip.
1 Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Places Humanity's Fate In Boruto's Hands
It Takes Boruto 3 More Years to Prepare to Save Konoha From The Sentient God Trees
Another three-year time skip separates Boruto from its sequel, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, seeing the main characters age further towards adulthood. Following the end of Boruto, Boruto Uzumaki is forced to go on the run thanks to his adopted brother Kawaki manipulating the memories of everyone in Konoha. Everyone now believes Boruto was the outcast that the Hokage took in, and believe Boruto is responsible for taking the Hokage's life. Everyone other than Sarada and Sumire that is, who work to find a way to undo the power that changed everyone's memories, known as Ominpotence.
Boruto: Two Blue Vortex sees the ninja world in a more precarious position than ever before. With Naruto and Hinata sealed off by Kawaki, Shikamaru has been forced to take over as the substitute Eighth Hokage. Meanwhile, even Sasuke was taken down by Code's Glaw Grimes. Boruto's once fun-loving demeanor is gone, as he's constantly on the run from either Code or the forces of Konoha searching for him.
In the last three years though, Boruto spent his time training to become a ninja powerful enough to stand against Code, and the sentient God Trees that came from Code's experiments with the Ten-Tails. Relying on aid from former Kara member Koji Kashin, Boruto uses his knowledge of future events to prevent the worst outcome from the awakening of the God Trees: the destruction of humanity.
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Naruto
Naruto Uzumaki, a mischievous adolescent ninja, struggles as he searches for recognition and dreams of becoming the Hokage, the village's leader and strongest ninja.
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Boruto
Son of Naruto Uzumaki, Boruto, follows his father's footsteps along with his friends to become great ninja. Throughout all their adventures, Boruto is determined to make his mark in the ninja world and live outside of his father's shadow.