Fans have been rejoicing over rumors that Boruto, the official sequel to Naruto that follows Naruto’s son Boruto Uzumaki, is supposedly no longer canon. Some are going as far to calling it “Boruto GT,” comparing it to anime Dragon Ball GT being decanonized after Dragon Ball Super was created, which officially takes place after the end of Dragon Ball Z.
But the rumors are just that, rumors and they are false. Boruto is still 100% considered canon though there are some who continue to pretend that’s not the case. How did this rumor take off like wildfire and why do so many fans want to believe it?
Where Did These Rumors Come From?
The rumors started right around October 10, 2026 at New York Comic Con when Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto announced he was working on a brand-new manga titled Naruto: Shadow Rising, scheduled for release in 2027. The manga is set during the Blank Period, the 16-year gap of time between the end of the original Naruto manga and Naruto Shippuden anime and the start of Boruto.
For some reason, fans mistook the announcement of Shadow Rising as a sign that Kishimoto was trying to retcon Boruto by writing a completely new story to replace it. To make the rumor look legit, viral posts popped up that cited an interview Kishimoto and artist Mikio Ikemoto did in August 2024. In the interview, Kishimoto said the story and art of Boruto were in the hands of artist Ikemoto, and even said it was “really Ikemoto’s manga,” since Ikemoto is in charge of the story and illustrations. People took that phrase to mean “this isn’t canon because Kishimoto isn’t directly involved,” even though he was simply giving credit to the artist drawing the monthly chapters.
Why Do So Many Fans Want Boruto to Be Non Canon?
Boruto has been very divisive among Naruto fans ever since it was first serialized back in 2016. It might even be one of the most polarizing sequels in modern manga/anime history.
One major point of criticism is that many characters from the original series were sidelined as secondary characters. Naruto spent much of his time behind the scenes acting as Hokage while Sasuke was constantly out of the village or stripped of key abilities. Meanwhile characters like Sakura, Hinata, and Shikamaru only acted as parents to the main cast of Boruto with little focus on their lives as adults.
The introduction of modern technology in the world of Boruto like smartphones wasn’t received well. The original Naruto had a retro-industrial, traditional feel since it was set in the hidden military camp of Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village). For many fans, moving away from the classic ninja aesthetic felt like losing the soul of the franchise.
Another reason fans are so eager to dismiss Boruto is that the series’ own is a confusing hot mess. When BORUTO: NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS premiered as a weekly anime in 2017, the manga it’s based on only released one chapter per month. To keep the anime from catching up with the manga, original characters, missions and slice-of-life episodes to pad the series. These story arcs have a slower pace that focus more on the characters’ time at Ninja Academy. This decision frustrated fans because nobody knew where the anime-only story arcs fit into the manga’s timeline.
Don’t Believe the Copium
Despite the viral posts and countless TikToks floating around, Kishimoto has never said anything to suggest Boruto isn’t canon. In fact, he mentioned that he wrote the initial plot and concept for Boruto. If Boruto was really set in an alternate universe, then that would have been made painfully obvious about a decade ago.
Kishimoto also acts as an official supervisor of the Boruto manga. He became head writer for the first part of the series in November 2020 when Ukyō Kodachi stepped down, and kept this position until its conclusion in 2023. While Ikemoto took over writing duties for the second part, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, Kishimoto regularly speaks with Ikemoto about the manga’s direction and story.
So that’s that. Boruto is still the official continuation of Naruto. Hell, a glimpse of what looks like Sakura and Sasuke’s daughter Sarada is featured in the promotional artwork for Naruto: Shadow Rising as a baby! Would Kishimoto go out of his way to decanonize Boruto when one of the main characters from that series is being used as a teaser for Shadow Rising?!
Haters will just have to accept Boruto is canon or keep deluding themselves because they’re too emotionally invested in a multimedia franchise. Sorry if that’s such a tough pill to swallow.
