Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Vol. 3 (Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, #3)

by Ukyo Kodachi

[Quirky Cat]

This is the third volume in the Boruto series, and I’m starting to get a good grasp of where things will be leading to next. As a refresher; this series is based on the world and characters developed by Kishimoto, but it is actually written by Kodachi. When you look at the character designs closely you can easily tell the difference in styles and tendencies.



I’ll admit that I was hoping to like this volume more than I actually did. That being said, more than seventy five percent of this volume is probably fighting, so if you’re a fan of the action scenes then you’ll be happy with this one.
My biggest (and growing) concern for this series is pretty standard of most Shonen series. In many Shonen style stories we end up seeing a massive problem with power levels and balance; basically in order to keep the series interesting and continue to give the heroes challenges the creators constantly raise the power levels of everyone. This sounds fine in theory, but it rapidly takes everything out of a rational scale and dramatically changes the world and story being told.
I’m always seeing warning signs about this in the third volume of Boruto. I can’t express how concerning that is to me. I understand that it is being based off an established world that already hit a high point for power, but one would assume that the creator would have reset the levels, at least to an extent. This would allow for a childlike Boruto to function in the world at large (and also gives the author the excuse to tone everything back down, giving him more room to build and expand). That doesn’t appear to be the case however; as evidenced by the mammoth Rasengan shown. Needless to say I am very concerned.
My only other complaint about the series is the treatment of Sarada. Her personality is perfect, so that’s not my complaint. I’m also really happy about Boruto’s willingness to support her efforts to become Hokage. It’s a nice flip and change of pace. My concern is the fact that she’s barely a preteen and yet she’s clearly being sexualized already. On the cover she’s in a ridiculous pose that shows off both her legs and her butt (it’s also a really uncomfortable looking pose). And inside we see similarly ridiculous poses – all design to show off her assets, so to speak. She’s also wearing a short skirt and high heels. While on a mission. I mean, come on, seriously?
Other than those complaints and concerns this was a decent and quick read. I love that they’re setting up Boruto to be completely different from his father, with his own ambitions and interests and everything. I was worried he’d end up becoming a carbon copy, but that is clearly not the case. I hope he continues with his plan of not becoming Hokage. It’d be nice to see the focus shift away from that for a while.