12 Years Later, Naruto's Best Quote Proves Fans Are Missing The Point Of Boruto

It's especially odd because, on top of all the other aforementioned themes in Naruto, one that's consistently reexamined is that of supporting and nurturing future generations. It's why one particular quote during the Fourth Great Ninja War said by Might Guy feels especially appropriate when considering the collective attitude of any who might crave more Naruto, even in the form of those promised four episodes, rather than more anime or really much of Boruto at all. Yet, as this quote, upheld as one of the greatest in all of Naruto, truly nails a theme that's only continued to stand strong in its sequels.

Might Guy's Best Quote Isn't Just Vital For Naruto's Generation, But All Others That Follow

Facing Madara Uchiha, who has become the Ten-Tails Jinchuriki, Guy and Kakashi Hatake have it confirmed by Minato Namikaze that Madara is only vulnerable to senjutsu and taijutsu. Due to senjutsu not being Minato's forte, it meant, at that moment, that the Allied Shinobi Forces' only hope against Madara was Guy. Serving as mentor to his young shinobi, Rock Lee, Tenten, and Neji Hyuga, Guy was also pivotal in giving the young generation hope. It's here that he opened the Eighth and final Gate of Death located at his heart, removing all limiters on his chakra, his blood and sweat heating to the point of evaporating into steam to give the illusion of a red aura.

This entire moment was foreshadowed since the concept of the Gates was revealed in the Chunin Exams, Guy similarly sporting the red skin and standing hair shown by Lee's Gate of Life transformation. It's here that Madara, while impressed that somebody would open all Eight Gates knowing this results in their death, misspeaks, saying it resembles the color of dead autumn leaves that've follen off their tree. It's here that Guy fires back at the idle remark, sporting his usual fighting spirit in the highest stakes imaginable while proving once and for all who he is ultimately fighting for.

"You're not wrong. But they're not just falling for no reason or purpose!!

They are to become...the nourishment for fresh green leaves!

And thus, the period they bridge until the new spring when said fresh leaves bud...is the climax of youth!! When it burns most crimson!!"

Guy has said plenty about youth to an almost painful degree throughout the entire Naruto franchise, with his mentorship featuring even in side stories such as seeing Mirai Sarutobi's talents soon resembling those of his friend and her late father, Asuma. It's less solely about age than it is about vigor, good spirits, and staying dedicated to one's goals. It helps that his father, Might Duy, is seen in a flashback in chapter #668 as an eternal Genin who inspired Guy's entire philosophy after bravely sacrificing himself, opening all Eight Gates, and fending off the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist. At that moment, Duy gave his son a future, and Guy does the same while fighting Madara.

It's not exactly an unexpected metaphor out of thin air, either, given Guy and much of the main cast, of course, comes from Konoha, or the Hidden Leaf village. But this scene, which is partially sold as a moment of epic self-sacrifice, is also the culmination of Guy's ideals as he ultimately buys time for Naruto and Sasuke, the next generation, to rejoin the fight. While Guy delivers a spectacular beatdown, nearly killing an outrageously superpowered Madara, it's a metaphorical and literal blaze of glory as he passes the torch to the youths who have come of age to finish the fight. Now, in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, this is consistently happening for the current generation of shinobi.

Naruto's Generation Of Ninjas Are The Autumn Leaves In Boruto

While the current series of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has mostly the younger generation around the age of their Naruto Part 2 counterparts, the Boruto series has been gradually setting up a similar handover for a long time. Naruto, of course, bravely sacrificed a major component to his vast power reserves, Kurama, after using Baryon Mode to fight Isshiki Otsutsuki. Sasuke's Rinnegan Eye was destroyed by a Momoshiki-possessed Boruto, weakening him significantly. Yet, if Naruto were to be rescued from the Daikokuten, it goes without saying he'd join the fight against Jura without a doubt, while Sasuke took Boruto into hiding so he could teach the young ninja everything he could.

Naruto's Baryon Mode may not have been his Guy moment, but for many fans and that incarnation of Kurama, it was for the Nine-Tailed Beast. While it's interesting to consider whether consistently absent characters like Kakashi could contribute more directly in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, the series is working harder to prop up the new generation of ninjas, especially given the vision of the old world falling into ruin with Kawaki and Boruto standing atop its ruins. But beyond Shikamaru cooperating directly with these young ninjas across Two Blue Vortex, and Sai tacitly cooperating while looking out for his son, one original Naruto character has a pretty great Guy-like moment.

In Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter #34, Sarada Uchiha is at risk of going blind from overuse of her Mangekyo Sharingan. Under the care of her mother, Sakura, Sarada is told that if she continues this path, she will lose her ability to see and join the fight. But Sakura knows all too well that Sarada is doing this all out of love for a troubled boy she grew up with, seeing her own inner strength in her daughter in a fairly beautiful moment. But instead of preaching about autumn leaves or youth, Sakura simply shouts her catchphrase, "Shannarō!", as an expression of motherly support and to stoke Sarada's fighting spirit, knowing it's her daughter's choice what to do next.

So beyond the obvious demonstrable growth of the main Boruto characters in terms of ninjutsu, dojutsu, and shinjutsu, there's also a clear acknowledgment by the previous generation that these characters are increasingly becoming the bulwark against new threats. Moreover, they're gradually becoming more mature, with Sarada and Sumire even reconciling despite being rivals vying for Boruto's affection. Their decision-making is becoming sharper, such as Inojin's brilliant final gambit against Mamushi paying off big-time. It's becoming increasingly evident that disliking Boruto simply because it's not the Naruto franchise one may have imagined, isn't enough of an argument.

Boruto's Not Deserved The Hate It's Gotten For a Long Time At This Point

Guy himself adores the new generation of shinobi, including but certainly not limited to Rock Lee's son, Metal Lee, and wants to see how far they'll go. Disliking Boruto at this point feels almost like clinging to the past and stubbornly refusing to embrace the future.

That being said, there have been plenty of reasons to dislike the sequel series. Its anime saw Naruto's infamously saturated filler count for both the original and Shippuden anime and viciously doubled down. The art is fairly weak at the start, with a big part of the problem appearing to be Ikemoto struggling to draw young children. It lacked direction for much of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations until the Kawaki and Omnipotence Arcs.

But these problems were part of a painful, awkwardly-mishandled hand-off that's now largely complete. Future arcs of the anime, whenever it finally returns, will continue adapting Boruto as it grew to its best state. Fight scenes will start to resemble the tactical glory days of past Naruto arcs. The art for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has improved considerably, from sharper designs of early-to-late teenage characters rather than early adolescence and childhood, to more dynamic action paneling in the fights. It was entirely reasonable to find Boruto a disappointment in the past, but it's now been almost three years of Two Blue Vortex now, with plenty of love for this new sequel.

This isn't to say preferring Naruto is invalid, or that there's no good reason to dislike Boruto. But the series exists as a fairly strong encapsulation of the themes present in Naruto, just taken in a strongly different direction as, after all, it's Boruto's story, not his father's anymore. Make no mistake, though; should Naruto and Sasuke join the fight again, they'll join the ranks of Guy and others as mighty autumn leaves as their fresh green leaves grow up and take the Naruto and Boruto franchise into the future.

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  First Film Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

  Latest Film Boruto: Naruto the Movie

  First TV Show Naruto

  Latest TV Show Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

  First Episode Air Date October 3, 2002

  Cast Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei

  Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists' children and returning faces.

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  Writer Masashi Kishimoto

  Writers Masashi Kishimoto

  Penciler(s) Mikio Ikemoto

  Inker(s) Mikio Ikemoto

  Colorist(s) Mikio Ikemoto

  Publisher(s) Viz Media

  Years after fleeing his village with Sasuke, Boruto returns to confront the dark changes that have occurred. With memories altered and Kawaki now seen as the hero, Boruto faces a world where he is the outcast. The two rivals must settle their differences as their Otsutsuki powers grow more dangerous.