In 2016, mangaka Ukyō Kodachi started writing Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, a sequel manga to Masashi Kishimoto’s Naruto, one of the best popular manga series ever written. Kodachi left the manga after 13 volumes, with Kishimoto himself taking over the writing duties of Boruto. Boruto follows the adventures of the titular character, Naruto’s son, years after the conclusion of Kishimoto’s Naruto storyline. While controversial for many fans, Boruto has been gaining popularity and was adapted into an ongoing anime series back in 2017. After six years on the air, the anime is finally coming to a close in 2023, but is that its true ending? In this article, we are going to tell you everything you need to know about the ending of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.
In March 2023, Crunchyroll and Viz Media officially announced that on March 26, 2023, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations would end with Episode 293, while, at the same time, revealing that Episode 293 would be the end of Part 1 of the anime series and that Part 2 was already being produced, although a release date has not been provided yet. The manga is still ongoing as of the time of writing.
The rest of this article will tell you everything you need to know about the upcoming finale of Part 1 of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, the anime sequel to Naruto: Shippuden. We are going to tell you when it is going to happen, what you can expect from it, and what the future is going to hold for us, as far as Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is concerned.
Is Boruto: Naruto Next Generations over?
The Boruto anime series never reached the same level of popularity as Naruto or Naruto: Shippuden. Still, it managed to bring back some old fans and attract a series of new ones, who also caught up with what happened in Naruto. Now, after 293 episodes and six years on the air, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations seems to be over. That piece of information was, in March 2023, confirmed by both Viz Media and Crunchyroll.
In its press release, Crunchyroll revealed the following:
“The official accounts and website for theBORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONSTV anime announced today that “Part 1” of the series will air its final episode with episode 293 on March 26, and that a “Part 2” for theBORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONSseries is currently in development. A start date for “Part 2” was not announced at the time of reporting.
Other events and activities related to the Naruto anime’s 20th anniversary were also announced. The first will be selected episodes of the original Naruto series rebroadcasted this July, followed by four brand new episodes this September.“NARUTO THE LIVE”— a special concert series featuring KANA-BOON, CHICO from CHICO with Honeyworks, FLOW, Humbreaders, Anly and more — will also be held on September 2 and 3 at the Makuhari Messe in Chiba.“NARUTO THE LIVE”is not planned to be streamed outside of Japan.” (Source)
While the initial revelation was undoubtedly depressing for Boruto fans, the creators made up for it with some exciting news regarding the series’ future in the following announcement. First and foremost, even though we knew that Boruto would eventually come to an end, we also learned that this was only Part 1 of the anime, which we had not known before. Given that Naruto‘s second part had 500 episodes, which was twice as much as the first part, we could be in for a treat. On the strength of that information, we have also learned that the second installment was already under development, albeit a release date was not specified.
But, aside from the fact that we only found out that Boruto would have two parts, we also received some other information. Namely, we found out that there will be four new episodes of the Naruto anime in addition to many episodes of the original anime being rerun in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the series. We don’t know how many episodes will be replayed or when the new episodes will air, but we anticipate it won’t be too long after the launch. This will all begin in July 2023. Finally, a special concert series that would start in September 2023 was also revealed.
So, to sum things up, Boruto is ending, but it is not finished. Namely, and that was a piece of information we did not know earlier, this almost 300-episode batch of Boruto content was the first part of the series’ anime adaptation. This was new information to us when it was revealed in March 2023, but it helped us understand what was happening with the anime adaptation of Boruto. In that aspect, we found out Boruto was ending, but it was not finished, as the series will return for a second part later. As for the manga, it seems that it will continue normally, as no new information has been provided about it.
Therefore, we presume that this year will be devoted to Naruto, which means that the official continuation of Boruto might occur either in late 2023 or, more likely, in early 2024. Although this period of time may seem lengthy, we are confident that it will pass quickly due to the influx of new content.
How will Boruto Part 1 end?
With only three episodes to go, it is clear that Boruto will not bring the complete story to its end. But, it might resolve at least part of the problem the authors created in the series’ first scene. Let us go back to that quickly.
Someone begins to narrate that the ninja era is over. After that, the flash caused by a clash of weapons is seen, thus revealing two shinobi fighting over a destroyed face of Naruto on the Hokage Rock. The first to speak is a grown Boruto with a scar on his right eye and is holding onto a sword; he asks his opponent if that’s what it came to, referring to him by the name of Kawaki. This Shinobi, who wears a strange tattoo on his right arm that reaches his left eye, which he has closed, and he is armed with a cane, replies to Boruto that he and the Seventh Hokage will end up in the same place.
The Uzumaki asks him if there is no other option, to which the strange opponent replies no, and that the era of the ninjas is over. Immediately afterward, at the same time, Kawaki closes his left fist, carrying behind him the arm tattoo that reaches to his eye turns red, revealing a destroyed Konoha around an already crumbling Hokage Rock.
However, Boruto tells Kawaki that he is still a ninja. At the same time, he puts on his forehead protector, and similar to his opponent, marks of a similar design appear on his right arm that reaches his right eye, which turns from black to blue and opening his right eye reveals a strange eye design. Immediately afterward, the two shinobi continue their fight over Naruto’s head.
Back in the past to a prosperous Konoha, someone narrates that the story goes back many years. After recounting some events, at the end of the episode, Boruto looks at the sculpted face of his father, which is still unrepaired. He thinks that his parents have nothing to do with their chosen path and that he will go his way. He smiles, raises his fist, and affirms in his thoughts that this is his history, revealing that he is the narrator from the beginning of the episode.
Now, the final episodes of the Boruto anime might not reach the planned ending, like the manga, as there doesn’t seem to be enough time to do it unless the producers decide to cut the story and only bring out the heavy artillery, but this doesn’t really seem likely, knowing how the franchise works. The anime will probably resolve the current saga involving Code, but we think we will have to wait for Part 2 to see how the final fight between Boruto and Kawaki is resolved.
