Boruto started on a high, with a first episode that rocked the entire franchise! Beginning with a flashforward, Boruto is in his late teens, wielding a sword and covered in strange marks.
Surrounded by the ruins of the village of Konoha, Boruto faces off against a mysterious opponent called Kawaki, a boy of the same age whose arms and face are covered in similar patterns.
As the duo prepares to fight, Kawaki threatens Boruto by saying, “I will send you to where I sent the 7th Hokage.” Simultaneously, the fanbase translated this phrase as a death threat and irrefutable proof that Kawaki had murdered Naruto.
This theory gained momentum when Kishimoto announced that he believed Naruto’s death could benefit the rest of the saga. And the fans have been asking the same question since does naruto die in boruto?
We don’t know for sure if Naruto will die but we sure can have our theories. So let us look at the reasons why Naruto, aka The Orange Hokage, will die in Boruto:
How Naruto Died In The Original Manga?
Naruto is not dead in the original Naruto Shippuden Manga. However, his death is not confirmed in the Boruto series. There are theories that he might die. So, you must continue reading to know more about it.
Is Naruto’s death confirmed in Boruto?
Are you also curious to know whether Naruto died in the sequel series of Naruto, Boruto: Naruto’s Next Generation? Per the first episode of Boruto, in a fight between Kawaki and Boruto, Kawaki says to Boruto that “He (Kawaki) will send him (Boruto) where he sent the Seventh Hokage.”
However, when we move forward with the series, we see that Naruto loses his most notable feature, his most important Nine-tails fox or the Kurama, during a fight with IsshikiOtsutsuki.
As per the information, by far, Naruto is not yet dead. Though due to Kurama’s death, caused during the fight, The trauma has drastically weakened him.
Due to the time skip in the series, nobody knows what happened to him later in the series. However, as per speculations, he might die in the future as he is a mortal and thus might die just in the normal life cycle.
Different people have different perspectives, some believe that he will be trapped in another dimension in the sequence, and there are some believe that Kawaki will kill him in the ultimate field.
Here are two significant theories that might be justifiable for the death of Naruto, in case if caused.
Not the main protagonist of the series anymore :
Usually, in the case of TV shows, movies, or series, we find that the protagonist never dies. And that is why Naruto wasn’t dead during the Naruto Shippuden series because he was the protagonist there.
However, in the case of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation? He is no more the protagonist. Instead, the main character is Boruto himself. Thus, until the conclusion of Naruto Shippuden, Naruto was not dead; he might die in the Boruto series.
Naruto is mortal and vulnerable :
However, the authorities there has no guaranteed news about Naruto’s death. But you must know that Naruto is a mortal; though he is extremely powerful, he is still not indestructible.
Moreover, he does not anymore possess the power of the nine tails. Thus, his power level has pretty much decreased. He is much weaker and more vulnerable than he was in the past, and we suppose he will be even more in the future.
Thus, his death is not confirmed, but he may die in the future as the series proceeds.
To bring Boruto into the limelight
Especially since the death of Naruto makes sense. The manga must focus above all on Boruto, and the end of his father could well reveal a new aspect of the young ninja.
In addition, the mangaka had previously confessed that the presence of Naruto within the manga made the narration difficult, as the ninja takes up space, with two works and a story told since 1999.
The ultimate sacrifice that fans are waiting for is around the corner, ready to pay a last tribute to the most famous ninja. Surely the death of Naruto would leave a massive void in the heart of the fans, but we can’t deny that the presence of the 7th Hokage is taking away the limelight from his son Boruto which is why naruto’s death was confirmed.
Losing Kurama
When Naruto and Sasuke faced off against Issiki Otsutsuki, both of them emerged victoriously. But the victory came at a massive cost, with Sasuke losing his Rinnegan having been stabbed in the eye by Boruto/Momoshiki, or as we call them, Borushiki, and Naruto losing Kurama due to the aftermath of using Baryon Mode.
Naruto and Kurama had a highly complex relationship, sealed inside Naruto after killing his parents; Kurama tried his best to break out of the sealing jutsu that sealed him inside Naruto. Initially, Naruto relied on Kurama for chakra. Still, after learning its drawbacks, he decided to rely more on himself and become strong to master Kurama’s power, and during the 4th shinobi war, he did just that.
Syncing with Kurama gave Naruto immense power and ultimately made him the strongest Shinobi present along with Sasuke. Naruto was a force to be reckoned with Kurama’s power, and losing him surely made Naruto weaker. Without Kurama, Naruto is still mighty as he knows a vast array of Ninjutsu, is proficient in Taijutsu, and lost not the least he has the Sage Mode to help him.
All these techniques still make him a Strong Shinobi. Still, against formidable enemies like Code, who happens to be stronger than Issiki, we doubt that Naruto has any chance of surviving without Kurama’s power.
Kawaki will have to make a choice like Itachi
In the first episode, Kawaki threatened Boruto by saying that he will send him where he sent the 7th Hokage. Kawaki’s introduction in the anime and the manga came a bit late, but it was worth it. From what we have seen, Kawaki profoundly respects and loves the Hokage; the same goes for Naruto as he thinks of Kawaki as his son. But what made Kawaki turn against Konaho and the whole of Shinobi culture could it be that he is the new Itachi portraying himself as the bad guy for the good of Konoha and saving the life of his brother Sasuke? Later on, Kawaki might find himself in the shoes of Itachi, but in his case, he might have to choose between Naruto and Boruto, and he chose Boruto resulting in the demise of Naruto. Kawaki killing Naruto has made fans ask the same question again and again how does naruto die?
Stronger Opponents
After losing Kurama’s power, Naruto has lost a powerful weapon in his arsenal. Losing Kurama will also result in Naruto losing his agility, strong senses, and monstrous strength resulting in relying more on Ninjutsu. Naruto has always used Ninjutsu, especially his go-to moves of Rasengan, but against Otsustsuki’s like Momoshiki, Issiki, and Kinshiki, Naruto might fall short as they can absorb Ninjutsu.
Assassination Attempt
There is a strong chance that Naruto might be assassinated because the era that Boruto has grown up in has known nothing, but peace and some people hate the idea of peace. So there is a strong possibility that some mastermind will try to have Naruto killed to start another Great Ninja War among the shinobi nations for war profit.