Everything Wrong With Boruto’s Time-Travel Arc

The Naruto franchise has always teetered on the mystical side of things, a theme befitting a narrative that has ninjas and ninjutsu at the helm. However, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations took fans by surprise by introducing a concept that is synonymous with science fiction itself — time-travel. As part of the Naruto manga’s 20th anniversary, the Time-Slip arc was introduced to Boruto to celebrate the prequel’s success, bringing the original cast back to screens.

The arc was accompanied by mixed reactions, as some welcomed the nostalgic episodes with their favorite titular character, while others critiqued the execution of such an intricate premise. Time-travel is a rather risky endeavor, and incorporating such a theme is bound to end up with incongruities. However, messing with the spacetime continuum is the least of the arc’s problems, as these episodes were riddled by a number of glaring issues.

The Purpose of the Time-Slip Arc

The Time-Slip arc may have been an anniversary celebration for the original manga, yet the premise also had several implications for Boruto and his characterization. Traveling to the past and witnessing Naruto’s struggle first-hand rids the disconnect between Boruto and his father.

The entire escapade allowed Boruto to understand Naruto’s past and his reasoning for becoming the Hokage. Boruto’s interactions with Konoha 11 and Jiraiya were also rather wholesome, and they bridged the gap between Boruto’s and the previous generation. That said, the Time-Slip arc brought about several questionable writing decisions that diminished the weight of those episodes.

The Problems With the Arc

As gimmicky as it may be, time-travel can lead to a compelling narrative, and in Boruto’s case, this was achieved to some extent. However, a few profound moments don’t absolve the arc of its incongruities, chief among them being the blatant disregard of the franchise’s power-scaling.

Apart from the questionable fight scenes with Urashiki, traveling back in time opens up possibilities of a butterfly effect, which the series never quite addressed properly. Fans were also dissatisfied with Urashiki’s role in the entire ordeal, as he, at times, was used as a mere plot device.

Two Genin Were Able to Rival an Otsutsuki

The primary issue with the Time-Slip arc pertains to the power-scaling of the series, as Urashiki was taken down by two genin, albeit with the help of Jiraiya. Being an Otsutsuki, a class of characters deemed to be god-like, Urashiki’s defeat came quite easily, making him seem like nothing more than a throwaway villain.

While their strategy was quite crafty, two 12-year-old genin and a Sannin taking down an Otsutsuki wrecks the entire Naruto franchise’s power-scaling. Moreover, Sasuke was also thrown to the sidelines with the excuse of his chakra being diminished. With such an absurd scenario, the entire arc seems akin to mere filler content.

Time-Travel Opens Up the Possibility of Time Paradoxes

The entire concept of time-travel was quite nonchalant, with Sasuke and Boruto ignoring Karasuki’s warning about interacting with anyone from this time period. Instead of avoiding interaction, Boruto went ahead and befriended the entirety of Konoha 11, coupled with an entire episode of training with Naruto and Jiraiya. Since their memories would eventually be wiped out, the interactions felt inconsequential.

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While Sasuke may have erased everyone’s memory of the incident, such a pronounced incident would surely have created a few ripples in the timeline. This is proven by Kaminari Mon stumbling upon the idea of creating the Thunder Train by overhearing Boruto in the alleyway, meaning their visit to the past did leave behind a few remnants. Moreover, the immense chakra concentration of Urashiki should have naturally alerted the likes of Zetsu or Obito, yet none of these possibilities were taken into consideration.

Urashiki Was Treated as a Throwaway Villain

Even as an anime-only Otsutsuki, Urashiki is arguably the most intriguing character out of these nomadic space-aliens. However, his role in the entire arc was nothing more than a mere plot device, as he only served the purpose of pushing Boruto closer to Naruto. His Otsutsuki status was entirely tarnished as he displayed subpar strength, and his only power of extracting chakra was nullified through Jiraiya’s sealing technique.

In the end, Urashiki was defeated at the hands of Naruto and Boruto, and while the two had the Nine-Tails and Karma respectively, they would still be no match for a god-like Otsutsuki. Urashiki has been rivaled by two Kage before, yet even they struggled to match the prowess of this cunning Otsutsuki. For such an integral villain to be used as a basis of a filler-like arc is surely a let-down, as Urashiki had the potential to serve the Boruto series as a compelling antagonist, yet he was relegated to a mere plot device for a set of inconsequential episodes.

Boruto is available to stream on Prime Video.

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