On August 25th, Ikemoto sat down with Masashi Kishimoto, the creator of Boruto and Naruto, to hold a press conference with the French publisher Kana. They discussed the creative process behind the manga they are currently working on and shared some intriguing insights regarding both series.
When Kishimoto was asked about the well-developed and nuanced characters in Naruto, he revealed: “I really want to portray the stories of human beings. From the very beginning, I’ve aimed to introduce characters that are super nuanced. However, since One Piece has achieved that, I wanted to do something that differs from Naruto. My characters also have their own stories. Manga is also an industry where you have to create things that are not existing, which pushes you to approach differently.”
Following Kishimoto’s response, Ikemoto also shared why the characters in Boruto are not being depicted as they were in Naruto. The manga author stated: “I am trying hard not to replicate what I did in Naruto. That’s why there are many characters who are completely different in Boruto. The characters in Boruto are real.”
Both responses are quite compelling for each storyline. The characters in Naruto are not merely depicted as pure evil. Instead, they are crafted to have deep flaws and are victims of their circumstances. This brings us characters that symbolize complexity, such as Nagato, Obito, and Madara.
In contrast, Boruto approaches the concept of villains differently. As Ikemoto has pointed out, this aspect plays a crucial role in allowing the manga to break free from the shadow of its predecessor’s fame.
Regarding this point, Ikemoto added: “In Naruto, the characters have clear goals and motivations to oppose the heroes, and Kishimoto has recognized this concept quite well. When it comes to battles, I can’t add too much to that.
I want to create characters that are distinctly different from those in Naruto. I enjoy the randomness in character development and want to bring a different reality to life compared to the antagonists in Naruto.”
Kishimoto has engaged with his collaborator: “In Naruto, I focused more on the emotional aspects of the characters, while Ikemoto has to deal with more complex challenges. Please support him as he navigates through this difficult situation…”
Ikemoto’s approach to character development is certainly impactful, as Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is one of the most innovative shounen mangas available today. In his interview, the author hopes to create more dynamic and compelling characters compared to the current antagonists, Shinju.
