Honorable Grandson: A Breakdown of Sarutobi Konohamaru

The jounin: Kakashi, Guy, Kurenai, Asuma. In Naruto, these elite ninja were used to introduce readers to peak shinobi performance. Particularly in the case of Kakashi, we see the sensei figure as one of the strongest shinobi in the series, using his experience and wisdom to protect his students and the village even as Sasuke and Naruto exceed him in pure strength.

In Boruto, there is only one sensei that the series gives serious focus to: Sarutobi Konohamaru. Introduced in the second chapter before even Sasuke, Konohamaru has held a unique position in the story. He's one of the first characters to be swayed by Naruto's spirit, to share the pain of his position as the Hokage's Honorable Grandson with another and to have that pain recognized and validated. This leads him to declare Naruto his rival at first, but later view him as both his boss and a big brother.

Early in the series, before Naruto is aware of his own familial connection to the Hokage's office, he could have viewed Konohamaru in a negative light. He's a younger boy, so close to the Hokage's seat that Naruto desires. He's respected by the village he's named after and has a personal tutor to help him become a great shinobi. But Naruto is able to see past these external circumstances, recognizing him as just another child who craves personal recognition, wanting to grow past the perception villagers have of him.

At the same time, as the youngest continuing character in the series, Konohamaru was often used for comic relief. From the chapter of his introduction, he becomes associated with the Sexy Jutsu (Ninja Centerfold) gag of a young boy turning into a voluptuous woman, causing chaos to adults and female aliens alike. this even comes up in his most serious moments, such as when he managed to trick one of Pain's bodies and hit him with a Rasengan.

Konohamaru in NNG

When we meet Konohamaru at the beginning of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (NNG), he is now a serious jounin who takes himself too seriously. He's maintained his desire to become Hokage after Naruto and has dedicated his life to achieving that goal. In the animated series, he tells Boruto at one point that "The only girlfriend I have is my ninja way," pointing out that he's avoided romantic attachments due to his professionalism.

Despite his outwardly serious comportment, he's still the object of many jokes, such as accidentally destroying an entire house with a Scientific Ninja Tool in the first chapter of the series. As he's always been throughout the series, he's an earnest character who is comedic due to his earnestness, becoming the butt of jokes rather than a part of them.

As the jounin sensei assigned to the New Team 7, he has a similar role as Kakashi. However, unlike Kakashi, his students are much better trained and adjusted when they come under his tutelage. Additionally, the stakes of the ninja world were already explored in Naruto, so instead of serving in a protective role as Kakashi did in the Land of Waves arc, Konohamaru is used to show the new threat level in NNG.

This starts during the A0 Arc when Boruto, Sarada, and Mitsuki are sent to support Konohamaru after the Hokage's office lost contact with him and Mugino during a mission to explore a crashed air ship. Numerous times throughout this arc, Konohamaru tries to protect his students against the threats faced by the new generation—cyborgs, clones, kids with karma—and every time, he fails, with Boruto stepping up to protect him.

Konohamaru's performance in these scenes isn't meant to degrade his character. Rather, it's a harbinger of trouble for the shinobi world in future battles, such as when Naruto and Sasuke face off against the Otsutsuki in the form of Isshiki and Momoshiki in Boruto's body, both of the strongest in the 'verse losing important powers because their opponents are that much stronger. As a sensei, Konohamaru is power scaling as plot, showing that the new threats to the peace of the ninja world are beyond what they've been up against in the past.

Even Konohamaru's comedic moments have plot significance. When he inadvertently runs into Eida during the cohabitation mission, he initially manages to hold his own in the face of her charm abilities unlike Delta, Inojin, and ChoCho. However, with her Senrigan, Eida hears Moegi call him "Li'l Konohamaru" (Konohamaru-chan), and echoes her words. The nickname holds such power over him that even when it comes out of someone else's mouth, compounded by her omnipotent charm, causes him to pass out in emotional distress. This foreshadows his weakness when he's up against Matsuri.

Konohamaru in TBV

Arguably, other than Boruto, Konohamaru grew the most as a character during the time skip between the end of NNG and the beginning of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. While none of the other characters appear to have advanced in rank, he's now serving as advisor to Shikamaru, working in the Hokage's office to get closer to his dream of one day holding the role. In addition to his professional achievements, he's also developed a new variant of the rasengan, a Wind Style Rasen Barricade, which creates an effective shield strong enough to deflect Hidari's Chidori. While Boruto did learn both his own version of the Flying Raijin and Rasengan Uzuhiko during the time skip, he borrowed these techniques from things his future self might learn in order to master them in the present whereas Konohamaru managed to create his Rasen Barricade on his own during the time skip.

Konohamaru is also to able to make up for some of his failings in NNG with his power up. During the fight with Hidari, he manages to defend Sarada and Boruto from Hidari's chidori in two separate instances. Protecting Sarada buys Boruto additional time to arrive on the scene—without Konohamaru's actions, it's likely she would have been consumed before Boruto saved her. Additionally, he learns from Hidari's attack through the claw marks on Sarada and defends Boruto while he's powering himself up for Uzuhiko. Though Boruto chastises him for it, Uzuhiko wouldn't have been as powerful if he'd listened to Boruto and focused only on guarding Himawari.

Konohamaru's improved performance continues in the following arc when he faces Matsuri. Shikamaru came up with a plan that relies on ninja trickery to defeat the Shinju, a much stronger opponent than any of the members of his team are able to face when the mission begins. His goal is to use Matsuri's romantic feelings for him to isolate her, lure her into a false sense of security, and kill her—and he nearly succeeds.

Again, as in so many fights before, the setup of their confrontation feels comedic, an adult shinobi and a sentient tree with a huge crush. However, Konohamaru proves that he actually has the power to take down a Shinju on his own with no special abilities—No karma, no Scientific Ninja Tool enhancements, no Mangekyo Sharingan. Just plain, old-fashioned shinobi training and trickery. The reason why he fails isn't because of his strength or abilities; it's because of his love for Moegi. When he's about to kill Matsuri and hears his nickname come from a Shinju who shares here face and voice, he balks at the last moment and can't carry through with it. This isn't a sign of weakness but a sign of his own humanity.

Is Konohamaru a Joke?

Numerous times in TBV, we see Boruto talking down to Konohamaru, chiding him to be more careful, telling him to watch Himawari, screaming at him to run. Boruto's past experiences with his childhood sensei taught him that Konohamaru wasn't strong enough to protect either himself or those around him. However, I believe these moments come from a place of love and concern, not derision. After all, Boruto is willing to risk his own life to save Konohamaru from Matsuri and reveal himself to Jura. With his knowledge of the future through Koji, Boruto is probably aware of numerous futures in which the people he cares for die.

It's true that Konohamaru is a regular jounin, an elite ninja but still just a ninja. Unlike Mitsuki, he's not a clone with Sage abilities; unlike Boruto, he doesn't have Otsutsuki DNA or Karma; unlike Sarada, he isn't the inheritor of a powerful doujutsu; unlike Kawaki, he isn't enhanced with scientific ninja tools. Despite this, he has the skill set to defeat Matsuri. If he hadn't hesitated at the last moment, he would have been the first character to solo a Shinju.

TBV shows how far Konohamaru has come as a shinobi. It gives him the opportunity to protect his older students when he'd failed to do so in the past. It showcases his determination and the fruits of his training. Like Kakashi, he provides an example of elite shinobi performance while also remaining a human with no additional powers or enhancements. However, Konohamaru is still the character he's always been, someone who is so earnest that it becomes a flaw. We see this in his interactions with Matsuri, his pure heart causing him to refrain from killing her at the last moment, and his interest in Boruto's pin leading him to get face-stomped by Kawaki during teleportation. But just because the series uses him for jokes doesn't mean he is a joke.