After 15 long years of epic speeches, brutal battles, and slurping down inhuman amounts of ramen noodles, Uzumaki Naruto’s saga came to a close as manga creator Masashi Kishimoto put Naruto to bed. However, for some fans, 15 years of manga (i.e. 700 chapters), 640-plus episodes, and 11 movies wasn’t enough; they want more. They want a sequel.
At a recent preview screening for Boruto: Naruto the Movie, Kishimoto reminisced about finally finishing the manga series, only to wind up heavily involved in making the film. “I had thought that I could finally rest when I finished the manga series,” he remarked. “But I couldn’t rest…”
He couldn’t believe how time flew by, adding, “During this time, I finally went on my honeymoon. Even though my son has grown as [Naruto’s son]Â Boruto.” Given that more than a decade passed between Kishimoto getting married and taking his honeymoon, it seems like a little R&R was long overdue.
However, Yuko Sanpei, who voices Boruto, spoke what many fans were thinking, saying that she “wanted to see the films continue!” Without missing a beat, Kishimoto replied, “I can’t. Please let me rest now.” He also called the Boruto film “perfect,” saying that, “I’m just speaking for myself, but I’m enormously satisfied.”
As for the Boruto film, it is the eleventh feature film to spawn from the long-running series. This time, however, the focus is shifting to Naruto’s son Boruto and the next generation of ninjas.
Here is the official plot description per Weekly Shonen Jump:
“Boruto is the son of the seventh Hokage Naruto who completely rejects his father. Behind this, he has feelings of wanting to surpass Naruto, who is respected as a hero. He ends up meeting his father’s friend Sasuke, and requests to become… his apprentice!? The curtain rises on the story of the new generation written by Masashi Kishimoto!”
The film, which opens in Japan on August 7, will come with special gifts for fans who buy tickets early. Two specially-designed fans, one featuring Naurto and Boruto and another featuring Sasuke and Sarada, will be available to select theatergoers. The fans, designed by Kishimoto himself, are limited to 100,000 units.
In addition, 2 million lucky theatergoers will receive a special book entitled Naruto Hiden Zai no Sho Official Movie Book. The tome will include a brand new one-shot manga from Kishimoto called “The Day Naruto Became the Hokage,” as well as the manga’s 700th and final chapter in full color.
While US-based fans may be greener than Konoha with envy, Viz will be bringing the movie to North America on October 10, where it will screen in more than 80 cities.
Would you want to see a Naruto sequel or are you happy with how things ended? Let us know in the comments below.
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Dan Casey is the senior editor of Nerdist and the author of 100 Things Avengers Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die. You can follow him on Twitter (@Osteoferocious).
