Boruto Is Failing Naruto

Shueisha’s V Jump magazine recently announced a new milestone for Boruto manga, as the franchise finally surpassed 10 million copies in circulation in Japan. While this was a moment to celebrate for the fanbase, the milestone soon sparked a debate when fans began using it to label the Naruto sequel a success.

Under normal circumstances, such a milestone would be considered a major achievement, but as fans must remember, Boruto is a Naruto sequel. This begs the question, is Boruto’s latest milestone enough to call it a success or has it miserably failed Naruto? How does the manga measure up when compared to other modern Shonen manga?

Boruto Sold 10 Million Copies in Japan in 9 Years

While Boruto’s latest achievement isn’t bad, it inherited its initial popularity from Naruto. Naruto has sold over 250 million copies worldwide. In comparison, Boruto has only recently surpassed 10 million copies in sales in Japan. That too, it took nine years to reach that number.

Hence, Boruto’s latest achievement may not really align with the expectations that come with being a “Big Three” sequel. Not to mention, the franchise also received a TV anime and a feature film animated by Studio Pierrot. This meant that the series was never neglected and was constantly promoted by the studio.

This is why, when the Boruto fans began using the milestone to claim that their favorite series was successful, it led to a heated argument. Several fans argued that the series’ sales numbers were impressive because the manga is serialized in V Jump, a monthly magazine with far less reach than Weekly Shonen Jump.

While there may be some truth to that argument, the Masashi Kishimoto and Mikio Ikemoto manga isn’t the only series to surpass the 10 million sales milestone under similar or tougher circumstances.

Boruto is Hardly a Success Compared to Its Competitors, Let Alone Naruto

Similar to Boruto, Dragon Ball Super manga is also serialized in V Jump. However, unlike Boruto fans’ claims that what their favorite series achieved was unimaginable, the Dragon Ball sequel surpassed 12 million copies in circulation with just 24 volumes.

The difference is that, compared to the Boruto manga, which was created as a direct sequel to Naruto, Dragon Ball Super manga was released as a tie-in to promote the anime. Hence, the manga was running behind the anime for a really long time, meaning it never had a fair chance to outperform its predecessor from the start.

Speaking of a magazine’s reach, if it is really an argument for Boruto’s relatively low sales, what if we compare it to a series that has practically no physical presence when serialized? As fans must know, Dandadan is serialized in Shonen Jump+, an online manga platform. However, despite the lack of accessibility, the franchise has already sold 12 million copies with just 21 volumes within four years.

Even Black Clover, a Weekly Shonen Jump series, surpassed the 10 million copies mark in Japan with only 22 volumes released in its first five years. And similar to Dandadan, the Yuki Tabata manga did not have the advantage of being a sequel to a big series.

If these comparisons weren’t enough, Tatsuki Fujimoto’s Chainsaw Man has left behind every other modern Shonen series, selling over 31 million copies with only 22 volumes.

As things stand, Boruto has neither outperformed other V Jump series nor held up well against competitors its fanbase loves to clown. Therefore, calling Boruto a success while being a Naruto sequel feels like an overstatement.

For now, fans can only hope that the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga and the upcoming Boruto anime bring in a new wave of popularity for the franchise, allowing it to get closer to Naruto’s legacy.