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Devoted followers of Naruto have long admired characters like Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy for their unwavering dedication to the Hidden Leaf Village. Despite this, these beloved characters are conspicuously absent from the Boruto manga. Their exclusion seems to disregard the sacrifices they made in the original series, leaving fans feeling dismissed.
The Boruto anime occasionally features Kakashi and Guy in light-hearted, non-canonical scenes, but the official manga seems to act as though they never existed. This oversight disrupts the experience for longtime enthusiasts, as it doesn’t address their absence during significant threats to the Hidden Leaf, thereby diminishing the impact of these iconic Naruto heroes.
Remarkably, the Sixth Hokage, Kakashi, has yet to make an appearance or even be mentioned in the official Boruto storyline. Instead, fans find him in anime filler episodes, either training young ninjas or relaxing at hot springs. Although some speculate that Kakashi may be on covert missions, the Boruto manga offers no clues to support these theories.
Boruto Has Officially Tarnished The Sixth Hokage’s Legacy
The Sixth Hokage has not appeared in a single Boruto manga panel or even received a name-drop in Boruto‘s canonical storyline. Fans only see the Copy Ninja training Genin or visiting hot springs in anime-only filler scenes. Some fans speculate secret missions may be keeping Kakashi away from the Leaf Village, but Boruto‘s manga provides no evidence to support these theories.
Despite his official retirement from the Hokage office, Kakashi Hatake is a master tactician and an extremely skilled fighter. In Naruto, fans saw how previous Hokage like Hiruzen Sarutobi served as the Leaf Village’s backbone even during their retirement periods. Kakashi’s total absence from Boruto while his former student Naruto faces the Otsutsuki threat both ignores Team 7’s bond and goes against Naruto’s established precedent.
Retired Hokage still hold a duty to the citizens of the Hidden Leaf Village regardless of their official status. Kakashi should be coordinating the village defenses or advising Shikamaru Nara. The total lack of screen time suggests Boruto‘s writers have no active plan for his character. This writing choice fails the legacy of the Copy Ninja, turning a legendary hero into a ghost.
Might Guy’s Absence Is Another Missed Opportunity in Boruto
The Noble Blue Beast of Konoha, Might Guy, nearly died fighting Madara Uchiha in Naruto Shippuden, and is now forced to use a wheelchair as a result. At that moment, Might Guy was ready to define his entire life by his willingness to die for the Hidden Leaf’s future.
Sitting out while Code attacks the Leaf Village violates Guy’s established personality and his love for his village. The story should have either let Guy die a hero after his fight against Madara or given him a real mentoring role. Excluding Guy from Boruto‘s story with no explanation of his whereabouts makes Boruto‘s world feel smaller and less authentic to Naruto’s established lore.
Guy should be offering tactical advice to Metal Lee as mentorship from a legend like Guy would strengthen the new generation’s development and connection to the past. Instead, Boruto ignores its best martial artist during its darkest hour as Metal Lee loses a chance to grow under the man who mastered the Eight Gates. This missed opportunity cheapens the bonds Naruto spent hundreds of episodes building.
Sidelining Naruto’s Legends Makes Boruto’s Story Feel Forced
Boruto‘s creators seem to fear that Naruto’s original cast will outshine Boruto and Kawaki. As a result, there’s no room for heavy hitters like Kakashi and Guy, who would otherwise logically participate in the Leaf Village’s defense. What Boruto‘s creators don’t seem to understand is that Boruto Uzumaki needs a connection to the previous era to feel like a true successor of the shinobi world.
Franchises thrive when the history of their worlds feels deep and layered. Shinobi history in particular especially matters because the struggles of the past affect Boruto’s present. However, Boruto discards this legacy to ensure the new protagonists face no competition for the spotlight. Removing iconic mentors like Kakashi and Guy without a good explanation makes Naruto‘s sequel feel more like fanfiction than a professional story.
Legacy characters like Kakashi and Might Guy bridge the gap between old and new generations to create a cohesive world. This lack of respect for established lore risks ruining the immersion for anyone who grew up watching the original Naruto series and alienates long-term fans who invested years into the growth of the original Team 7.
Until Boruto integrates icons like Kakashi and Guy properly, its narrative will continue to feel unearned. Naruto fans deserve to see their favorite heroes treated with the dignity they earned. Future chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex must address these absences to repair the damage. Without this correction, Boruto will remain a divisive and problematic chapter in the history of the franchise.
- Release Date
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2017 – 2023-00-00
- Network
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TV Tokyo
- Directors
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Yusuke Onoda, Tazumi Mukaiyama, Michita Shiraishi, Youichirou Aoki, Shigetaka Ikeda, Taiki Nishimura, Rokou Ogiwara, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Hikaru Sato, Akira Shimizu, Norihiko Nagahama, Takashi Asami, Hodaka Kuramoto, Kiyomu Fukuda, Yoji Sato, Masatoyo Takada, Hazuki Mizumoto, Natsumi Yasue, Hideaki ÅŒba, Masaaki Kumagai, Mihiro Yamaguchi, Shigenori Kageyama, Nanako Shimazaki
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Yuko Sanpei
Uzumaki Boruto (voice)
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Cocoro Kikuchi
Uchiha Sarada (voice)