Naruto's Son Has a Silly Name. Here's Why.

Naruto’s Son Has a Silly Name. Here’s Why.

Naruto's Son Has a Silly Name. Here's Why.

Boruto? Really? We’re really going to run with this?

This is…”Boruto.” He is Naruto’s son, and first appeared in Naruto: The Last Movie. Now, as recently confirmed, he’s getting his own spin-off movie. It’s called Boruto. As announced this week, it will be out August 7 in Japan.

Actually, the title is Boruto: Naruto The Movie. That’s very creative.

Naruto's Son Has a Silly Name. Here's Why.5

Here is more “Boruto” from a Weekly Jump leak that has been circulating this week in Japan. (Also, bolts and wood? I’d think nails and wood or screws and wood, but not bolts and wood.)

Okay, okay. We obviously haven’t seen this movie yet. It’s not out yet. It could be amazing. It could be a million times greater than any Naruto anime before. Let’s not judge quality here, because that’s not fair.

But, “Boruto”? Ungh. Traditionally, Japanese people don’t have first names that start with with “Ba,” “Bi,” “Bu”, “Be”, or “Bo” (last names are another matter). But let’s simply scratch this off to Boruto (ungh) being a character and allowing for the fact that characters often have goofy names.

When you say “Boruto” (ボルト) in Japanese, you’re saying “Bolt.” Okay, that’s kind of cool, I guess? So, Japanese people hear that and they either think of lightning bolts or that Disney dog.

Naruto's Son Has a Silly Name. Here's Why.

[Photo: 私です、私(笑)]

Even with that Disney dog, it’s not that bad, and the name does have meaning within the Naruto universe (as the Naruto Wikia points out, it could be referring to his cousin Neji, whose name means “screw” in English or a reference to the Flying Thunder God Technique). And yes, I get that they wanted the “ruto” for branding. I get it!

That doesn’t mean the way his name is presented in English can’t be improved, because really, in Japan, it doesn’t matter how the character’s name is written, because many people will just look at the Japanese. What does matter is the official English spelling for its inevitable international release.

But when some English speakers hear or see it (maybe, more see it), many think, the fuck is that. The name does have its fans, and that’s fine, but ungh. Boruto. It’s just off.

While the character design and animation will please fans, no doubt, the name looks shoddy. Like a Naruto clone.

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