It’s finally here! The first chapter of the Boruto manga has released in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, and fans of the Naruto franchise will see where the next generation of Konoha ninja take the story.
After Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto’s one-shot revealing Mitsuki’s origins, he takes a step back into the supervisor role as Mikio Ikemoto takes over art duties and Ukyo Kodachi works on the script of the Boruto manga.
If you saw last year’s Boruto movie, a lot of the first chapter will seem familiar to you. However, there are some interesting tidbits to check out, and we’re here to recap the first chapter of the Boruto manga.
SPOILER ALERT! The following recap will spoil the events of the Naruto manga and the Boruto film from 2015. Proceed with caution.
The chapter begins in the future, where an adult Boruto stands among the rubble of Hokage mountain, facing off against a mysterious ninja.
This mysterious ninja proclaims that the age of shinobi shall end, and that he will send Boruto to the same place he sent the Seventh Hokage (Naruto). Boruto pulls out his Konoha headband that’s been scratched out (likely indicating that he left the village) and puts it on. Boruto’s right eye has a scar and is closed, but then he opens it, revealing the Byakugan and proclaiming that he is still a ninja.
We are transported to the present, where a young Boruto is in his room as the older Boruto says that in the past he didn’t care if he was a ninja. Readers are introduced to Boruto and the new world of Konoha, where Naruto is older and is the Seventh Hokage. But Boruto is not happy with his father, who is never around for his family because of his Hokage duties.
Boruto and his team fight off a panda that has gone loose. Boruto uses his Shadow Clone jutsu and defeats the panda as Mitsuki praises the Hokage’s son. Sarada tells Mitsuki that she will be Hokage not Boruto.
Konohamaru, who is leading Boruto’s team, appears and uses the Shadow Paralysis jutsu to stop it; the kids wonder how he used the Naara clan jutsu. He shows them this new device that lets ninja seal jutsu away in a scroll for later use.
Back in the Hokage’s office, Boruto berates Naruto about how he better not miss his sister’s birthday when Katasuke enters. He asks Naruto if the participants of the upcoming Chunin exam can use the new Ninja Tool that Konohamaru was using earlier.
Naruto says no to the request, but Boruto runs after Katasuke soon after. The two talk and Katasuke asks Boruto if he will take part in the Chunin exam. Boruto says he doesn’t plan on it but Katasuke manipulates the young genin by saying that he can show his father his capabilities.
Boruto takes it under consideration as he meets up with his friends at a burger shop. Sarada and Mitsuki show up to ask Boruto if he will take the Chunin exam so they can enter as a three-ninja unit. Boruto again says no, but Sarada berates him, saying that he is interfering with her becoming Hokage. Boruto says he’d rather die than become Hokage.
Sarada asks Boruto again to participate in the Chunin exam so the Hokage can see how strong the three of them are, which makes Boruto think about what Katasuke said before.
Boruto reluctantly agrees to join and the three take a seat by the bench. Sarada tells Boruto that his father is amazing and that he should be more understanding about the work he puts in. Boruto asks about Sarada’s father and about how he is the “other Hokage.”
Mitsuki chimes in and says that his parent told him that Sasuke is the only one who is equal to Naruto. Hinata and her daughter Hinawari show up to bring Boruto home for the birthday party.
Later that night, Naruto shows up at the house and the family have a good evening until it’s time for the cake. Naruto brings it out but it’s revealed that it’s a shadow clone and the cake falls to the floor.
Boruto gets upset and his mother tries to calm him down and explain to him how important Naruto’s job as the Hokage is. Boruto doesn’t want to hear it and goes to his room.
Back at the Hokage’s office, Shikamaru finds Naruto on the floor, exhausted, as the Seventh Hokage says he screwed up with his family. Shikamaru tells Naruto to go home when Boruto goes into his father’s room and finds old pictures and Naruto’s old genin outfit.
Boruto throws the outfit out the window when the doorbell rings. Boruto runs downstairs thinking it’s his father and throws a punch as he opens the door. Sasuke stops the punch and looks at Boruto and recognizes him as Naruto’s son. Hinata greets Sasuke and tells him that Naruto is at the Hokage’s office.
On the way to the Hokage’s, Sasuke finds the orange getup that Boruto threw. At the Hokage’s office, Sasuke throws a scroll at Naruto and tells him that’s what he found at Kaguya’s castle. Naruto opens it and finds it impossible to decipher. Naruto says he was about to go home but this is too important.
Sasuke then throws the orange outfit on Naruto’s desk and tells him how he found it outside of his house. The two discuss who Boruto takes after and how shinobi change over the years, but Sasuke corrects him, saying that the heart of a shinobi remains the same.
Outside, Sasuke walks the streets of Konoha and Boruto throws shuriken his way. Sasuke disappears and reappears behind Boruto. He trips the young ninja when Boruto asks if he can become his teacher because “there’s someone I wanna take down.”
And that’s the end of the first chapter of the new Boruto manga. Like we said earlier, this is very much the same as the Boruto movie, but without the threat being immediately known and including the peek into the future of Konoha.
Let us know your thoughts on the first chapter in the comments section below.
