Boruto: Konohamaru deserves to be treated better

Boruto, the sequel to Naruto, follows the next generation of ninjas who carry on the legacy of their predecessors. The series revolves around new characters such as Boruto Uzumaki, Kawaki, and Sarada Uchiha, but pays equal attention to many from the original cast. Individuals such as Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru continue playing an important role in guiding the young shinobi.

At the same time, several characters from Naruto are also overlooked in Boruto and do not have the development expected from them. At the top of this list is Konohamaru Sarutobi, a boy who won hearts earlier but has gone on to earn the ire of fans. Konohamaru was a fiery child who was relentlessly working towards becoming the Hokage. Regretfully, Boruto seems to have lost sight of his character and has severely underutilized him.

As the grandson of the Third Hokage, Konohamaru was a minor yet significant presence in Naruto. He was initially a childish and spoiled boy, but became a close friend and rival to Naruto Uzumaki. As Konohamaru spent more time with Naruto, he picked up many of his good qualities. He displayed courage, bravery, and dedication towards growing stronger.

Consequently, at a young age, he could learn the Rasengan and Shadow Clone Jutsu. Using this, Konohamaru achieved the impossible and defeated one of Pain’s bodies during the Pain’s Assault Arc. His similarities to Naruto, monstrous growth, and wish to become Hokage all but confirmed that he would play a vital role in the future as well.

However, Boruto fans have been very expressive about the poor treatment that Konohamaru has received in the anime and the manga. In the New Era, Konohamaru is a jonin who mentors Team 3, containing Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki. He was introduced as a reliable figure who was one of Naruto’s closest subordinates. Unfortunately, with time, he was greatly overshadowed.

Konohamaru has little to no standout moments in Boruto. He is portrayed as a competent but unremarkable ninja who often struggles during tricky situations, usually requiring one of the main characters to come in and save the day. His presence in the manga is highly minimized, while the anime attempts to give him more focus through its original episodes.

Early moments in the series, where Konohamaru defeated White Zetsu, taught Boruto the Rasengan, and fought Jugo, provided some relief to fans, but were ultimately not part of the manga canon storyline. This issue was further intensified with the appearance of Eida, whose powers instantly made Konohamaru fall in love with her.

While others, such as Shikamaru, could put up some resistance against Eida, Konohamaru was easily beaten. This treatment likened him to a normal side character rather than a boy destined to become Hokage.

Nevertheless, fans still held hope for him after the timeskip since he seemed to have a direct link to the newly introduced antagonists. However, the events of the recent chapters have only angered them even more.

Why Konohamaru has disappointed fans in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex

After the Omnipotence event, where Eida rewrote history, a timeskip occurred. The manga sequel, Two Blue Vortex, began here, introducing the dangerous Human God Trees as the antagonists. One of the most intimidating in this group was Matsuri, a person carrying the chakra template of Moegi, Konohamaru’s close friend.

Due to this, Konohamaru became relevant to the main storyline again. During Naruto and Sasuke’s absence, Shikamaru held the highest authority and devised a plan to infiltrate the Human God Trees and strike when their guard was down. At the centre of this plan was Konohamaru, the object of Matsuri's infatuation.

Therefore, while leading his team, Konohamaru encountered Matsuri and Ryu and could ally with them, thanks to Matsuri's attraction towards him. Things soon went bad, however, as Konohamaru could not put on a convincing act in front of Matsuri. When the Human God Tree asked if she could call her crush “Konohamaru-chan”, the shinobi turned down her request since only Moegi called him that.

In this inopportune moment, Konohamaru began to realize that he saw Moegi as more than just a friend. Matsuri caught on to this and was heartbroken at being rejected. Enraged, she instantly attacked Konohamaru with the intent to kill him. Due to her mental turmoil, however, the Human God Tree began crying and could not follow through.

Konohamaru took advantage of this and attacked her with a powerful Rasengan, one that could have killed her. Unfortunately, he held back at the very last moment since Matsuri reminded him of Moegi. Due to this, Konoha’s plan fell apart nearly as soon as it began, and Konohamaru missed the chance for an easy victory. His life was ultimately saved by Boruto, who was forced to intervene.

This was the final nail in the coffin for many fans, as they believed Konohamaru was much better than this. Even as a child, he made an impact on the battlefield and did not falter in front of opponents much stronger than him. However, at a time when all of Konoha was threatened by the Human God Trees, he suddenly failed in his objective because of his unaddressed feelings towards Moegi.

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While the conflict is still ongoing in Two Blue Vortex, readers have been vocal about their frustrations with Konohamaru. He was a boy who embodied that shinobi spirit in Naruto, but has been reduced to a side character who is constantly outshined by the younger generation.

Due to this, the chances of him becoming Hokage have been drastically reduced, and fans are desperate to see Konohamaru be the hero he once was.

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