Ninja Story to Modern Allegory: The Shifting Theme of Technology in Boruto

Technology has been a dyamic theme since the beginning of the Boruto franchise. Introduced first in Boruto: Naruto the Movie, scientific ninja tools are used to set the stage for an intergenerational conflict of ideology and tradition versus modernity. This setup is akin to stories retold frequently over the past 200 years of modernization fears, what we lose when we rely on technology to do the hard work for us, the equalizing opportunities when technology provides us with seemingly egalitarian access to outcomes that once resulted from hard work, practice, talent, and genetics.

The moral of Boruto: Naruto the Movie and the first arc of the Boruto manga and its related anime arc seem to be that hard work and connections cannot be replicated by soulless technology, a lesson our main character learns both through investigating his ninja way with his maser, Sasuke, and learning about the weight borne by his father to achieve the status as Hokage and become an extraordinary ninja. However, we see the message about technology changing over the next two arcs of the story as Boruto's newly-found negative view of scientific ninja tools is challenged by ally and enemy alike. By the conclusion of the Ao arc, the reader learns that the morality of a tool depends on the aim of the person wielding it. In Boruto's own words to Ao, "Your broken parts can be fixed, right? ...it all depends on how you [use a tool], even those powers of yours. You ought to be able to use them to do good."

This conclusion primes both Boruto and the reader for the introduction of Kawaki's character, an abused teenager whose body is composed of scientific ninja tools and, like Boruto, is slowly having his genetic code changed by Karma to become an Otsutsuki. Armed with a new perspective, Boruto approaches his evolving Karma like a tool he can master and use to enhance his shinobi abilities until he learns that the mark placed on him by Momoshiki is a curse rather than an amoral augmentation.

As the plot between the boys progress, Kawaki loses the Karma he had that was destined to turn him into Isshiki Otsutsuki before reclaiming it was a weapon, a tool, for his own use, while Boruto's Karma remains the entryway for Momoshiki to gain access to a body and advance his apocalyptic agenda of planting a god tree to harvest a chakra fruit containing the data of all past and present life on the planet, resulting in its demise. Whereas Boruto learned from the early arcs that the existence of technological-enhanced humanity isn't inherently evil as long as the intentions of those who wield it are good, Kawaki comes to believe the essence of being an Otsutsuki is evil, regardless of the potential for good both Boruto and he might have within them, and embarks on a righteous campaign to rid the world of Otsutsuki, including both himself and his brother.

However, an even larger shift in the story's approach to technology occurs toward the end of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (NNG) and continues into Boruto: Two Blue Vortex (TBV). To understand this change, we need to first understand the authorship and writing process over the course of the Boruto series. The original plot was outlined by Masashi Kishimoto, who acts as creator and supervisor, approving the chapters as they come out. The first 51 chapters were written by Ukyo Kodachi with Mikio Ikemoto doing the illustration. However, since chapter 52, Ikemoto has been the primary mangaka, doing both the writing and art with Kishimoto's approval and supervision.

With the shift in authorship that happens after chapter 51 of NNG comes a shift in how the theme of technology presents itself in a host of new characters who are introduced or fleshed out more completely after Ikemoto takes control of the story. These characters, as well as developments in the plot structure, become an allegory for the hazards of a host of modern technological concerns, from Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen-AI) to social media to surveillance and privacy invasion. Ikemoto has cited The Matrix trilogy as inspiration for his approach to Boruto, a movie series that dealt with Y2K-era anxieties as we shifted from analog technology to digital technology, a physical-based society to a digital society. In the quarter-decade since The Matrix released, technological acceleration has moved fears on the interdependence of man and machine and the loss of human connection and purpose in an increasingly AI-driven world from sci-fi fantasy speculation into real-world policy priorities being grappled with on a global level. As the series progresses, Boruto's plot seems to be straddling two different rails, one following Kishimoto's original plan for the main characters in the series and the other being Ikemoto's exploration of the modern world through the Shinju and cyborg characters he's created as well as the lore surrounding the Otsutsuki.

Let's take a look at a few of these allegorical characters and plot features.

Shinju as AI

Created from the juvenile seed of the God Tree (the Ten Tails), the Shinju are sentient beings whose instinct is to devour the planet and the record of all life, past and present, contained within it. But because of their sentience, each is driven by a secondary innate desire to further their own evolution through the consumption of humans. The Shinju themselves are artificial intelligence, living creatures brought into existence by copying their originators, stealing their faces and abilities without their humanity or memories.

While the four Shinju who are grown from the chakra of specific humans (Sasuke–Hidari, Moegi—Matsuri, Bug—Mamushi, Shinki—Ryu) seem to focus more on the process of self discovery by consuming their targets, Jura, the Shinju who grew from the Ten Tails, is hungry for knowledge (though he differs from Gen-AI in that he actually pays for some of the books he reads). Jura is on an amoral quest to understand all that he can by devouring information (in addition to his desire to devour Kurama's chakra as the nine-tails is his closest relative on the planet), but he cannot understand human connections and comes to see love itself as an existential threat to the Shinju.

One of the most persuasive hints that Jura is connected to Gen-AI comes to his reaction after the "death" of Inojin, the only artist in the cast. While beholding his impaled body, Jura looks on, asking, "Could this be... that thing... known as aesthetics?" For Jura, the death of an artist becomes art itself, the very philosophy of beauty being its destruction. Coming from an author who has dedicated his life to drawing, this feels as though it is explicit commentary on those who would remove artists from the world, sacrificing their work and art to the alter of Gen-AI evolution.

The Shinju intersect with Gen-AI and the Machines in The Matrix movies with how both use humans as fuel. In The Matrix, humans were sealed into pods, their bioelectricity acting as batteries to fuel the sentient Machines, each individual existing in a fantasy version of life while their own planet was destroyed. Similarly, in TBV, the humans who are consumed by Code's Claw Grimes become enveloped in trees, their chakra fueling the growth and regeneration of the Shinju. While only a few of the humans spawn the creation of Thorn Soul Bulbs, others are trapped in trees, seemingly feeding Shinju with additional chakra. In her conversation with Ryu, Matsuri hints as the possibility that there are trees everywhere, which she can communicate with, as though the roots of these miniature God Trees are already woven beneath the surface of the planet.

In addition to the ethical issues surrounding how information is fed into Gen-AI without the consent of creators and its inaccurate responses, slowly warping our shared reality to a standardized consensus of calculations, the water and energy expenditure of AI-queries on a planet already suffering the effects of human-driven climate change is another concern raised by AI critics. While the Shinju themselves are trees, we see their manifestation in the world as being distinctly unnatural, humans encased in leafless trees, a representation of a dying planet, the natural world mutilated by a need to fuel the consumption of AI. These are not the leafy green oxygen-producing trees of the Village Hidden in the Leaves. Rather, it's a forest stripped bare of its life, the anthesis of Konohagakure.

Similar to how Gen-AI treats data, Jura considers all information that exists on the planet as fixed and that consuming it will result in knowledge. Jura looks to books to inform him and his own conclusions drawn from interactions with humans, but he fails to give agency or value to the future of the humans themselves. This is akin to the existential crisis we're heading towards in our informational environment, AI queries taking traffic from existing websites whose owners rely on hits to fund their hosting fees. When queries are redirected to AI sources, the originators of new information will no longer be able to afford their sites, thus stopping the transmission of new information to humans and AI alike. Jura kills humans and encourages the consumption of the Shinju's targets without considering what could be learned if they were allowed to live, thrive, and develop instead of dying.

Eida as the Ultimate Influencer

Eida is the ultimate influencer, a teenage girl who wields Omnipotence, the programming language of the Gods. With her shinjutsu ability that resulted from modification by Shibai's cells, she can manipulate reality. In the hands of an Otsutsuki, Omnipotence is said to be "the will to make anything real." Eida, however, is just a teenage girl, and thus her power causes subconscious thoughts to become "reality." I put reality in quotes because we see from those unaffected by Omnipotence that Eida's powers manipulate the emotions and memories of others without actually changing the state of the world. It's not as though history is rewritten when Kawaki and Boruto "switch places." Physical evidence of the world before the swap still remains, but people are unable to think critically about the proof in front of their faces, their memories and minds brought under her control.

Eida is both a victim of her status as the ultimate influencer and able to cause harm to others because of her ability. When she's first introduced as a character, her power is believed to be a Charm effect, the involuntary ability for anyone who sees her (other than family and Otsutsuki) to immediately fall in love with her. While this protects Eida from harm, it's ultimately isolating. She's unable to experience romantic love or friendships because everyone immediately falls under her spell, unable to choose to love her for her own qualities. Her power causes her to be viewed as an object, robbed of having agency in how others perceive her.

Despite hating her powers, Eida physically embodies her status as an influencer. While no one would react to her differently if she dressed like Kiba, she instead dresses as an idol, stars adorning her clothes and accessories. Her hair is long, looped, and exquisitely styled, she's conscious of her own fashion as well as the clothing Kawaki wears. Momoshiki reveals that the source of her charm effect stemmed from an unconscious desire she had that manifested as a cursed wish, causing all to be ensnared by her want to be loved. While the specifics of that wish have yet to be revealed in the plot, Eida continue to physically present as someone who wants to be perceived as desirable.

While her charm effect manipulates the emotions of those around her, the swap that originated with Kawaki's desires transmitted though Eida's abilities warps the perception of those around her to believe Kawaki was always Naruto's son and Boruto was always an outsider. Like misinformation propagated by influencers on social media, Eida's power alters the way everyone sees the past, changing even their own memories and barring the retention of information that would cause them to question any paradoxes they encounter. Omnipotence cuts off the ability for critical thinking, even when presented with evidence, and even the smartest individuals in the universe would continue to believe in a false reality without the intervention of people to have access to outside knowledge.

Senrigan and the Internet

In addition to her influencer-like Shinjutsu, Eida also has the Senrigan, another ability that manifested from Shibai's cells. With it, she can see all of history that occurred from her birth up to the present moment. While this power has many uses, we see others mostly asking Eida to use it as a tool for reconnaissance and research. The effect it has on Eida herself is far different. Though only 16, she speaks as an older, world-weary woman who has seen it all, bored with all that life has to offer. When she witnesses Kawaki outwitting Isshiki as, "When I felt that, my heart fluttered. It was thrilling. I hadn't felt like that in a long time."

In research about modern teenagers and phone use, they are described as having "the whole world at their fingertips," all the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of humanity and history easily accessible. The access to constant information at all times affects their mental health, perceptions of reality, and their ability to sleep. Eida seems to exemplify this scenario, a teenage girl who can recall the entirety of human experience that's occurred since her birth and witness all of it in perfect detail. What results is a woman in early adulthood who is simultaneously disillusioned and detached. Despite being able to attract anyone to her, we only see her going out to shop or to get a drink with her brother. For three years, she's lived in the same house in Konoha without leaving to explore or experience the world. At the age where others would be leaving home, going to college, starting their first jobs (or continuing their jobs, if you started working as a shinobi when you were 12), Eida is static. While she must remain in Konoha after defecting to them, she appears to go through no growth or development while living there, content to remain home in a familiar and safe place.

Privacy, Surveillance, Dehumanization, and Kawaki

The dehumanization of Kawaki is an ongoing theme in Boruto, but a less-explored aspect of his exploitation is the ongoing, unauthorized surveillance of every moment of his life. Kawaki escapes an abusive environment in the Kara organization and is taken to Konoha by Boruto so his father can help, but Kawaki's presence in Konoha becomes contingent on Naruto always being with him for the safety of the villages. Kawaki accepts this benevolent oversight, even sleeping in the room with Naruto every night, Kurama watching over him when Naruto is unconscious. But as soon as Boruto is under similar surveillance after defeating Isshiki, he protests, saying, "There's the pain of having every moment of your life witnessed by strange older men," which is the exact condition Kawaki has been experiencing since he entered the village.

The opening scene of NNG's chapter 61 is worthy of reading as a discussion of the compromise between safety and privacy. Konoha itself is protected by a strong sensory net with the potential to track everyone, but it's used only to monitor the flow of people into and out of the village, protecting the residents from unauthorized chakra (which means that each villager's chakra exists in database and could potentially be tracked). However, both Boruto and Kawaki now have an additional level of surveillance due to the threats targeting them. Frustrated, Boruto asks, "What about my privacy? I want it back!" to which Shikadai replies "Uh... Isn't your personal safety more important?"

Kawaki, who is used to having his autonomy and privacy violated, doesn't express the same outrage that Boruto does. In NNG, this could be read as maturity when compared to his younger counterpart, but we learn in TBV that Amado has been watching Kawaki for the past three years, both through the eyes of Delta and through Kawaki's own scientific ninja tool eyes, able to witness his every move and private moment through a computer screen. Kawaki's reaction to learning that Amado has been modifying his body without consent is to give him a pass, saying "At this point, I don't care that you've been tinkering with my body like it's a toy. However, that ends now." After experiencing so many violations of his privacy, he has ceased to emotionally react to them. We see this in his interactions with Eida as well, in which he tells her to just spy on him if she wants to know what he's doing rather than asking him to communicate with her.

In TBV Amado has once again made the decision for Kawaki that safety is more important than his privacy, watching him at all times and modifying the scientific ninja tool components of his body to maximize his defensive capabilities to protect Akebi's data inside of him. What's significant about this from a symbolic perspective is that Kawaki has come to understand that constant surveillances is part of his life, and he has no expectation of privacy. He's been violated so many times that he anticipates that he'll be watched all the time, by one person or another.

This is similar to modern privacy concerns in a world in which both our private information and our daily routines are constantly monitored by others, whether from external sources we don't choose to share our data or likenesses with, such as security cameras, or the technology we opt-into every day, such as cell phones, that monitors our digital lives to serve the profit goals of companies. Just as Kawaki has ceased thinking of himself as an individual worthy of privacy, the integration of technology into our daily lives has desensitized us to the constant monitoring that's occurring in the privacy dystopia in which we now live, the data that makes up our lives being collected and analyzed to further exploit us.

Code and Amado

Both Code and Amado each have their own role in the story as part of a larger technological allegory.

Code (his name referencing the rules written in a programming language to tell a computer what to do) was the originator of the Shinju, a creator who tried to make the Ten Tails into a tool to serve him until they obtained sentience and subjugated him. Part Pickup artist, part incel, part religious fanatic, Code inhabits multiple subcultures of the internet, all driven by hubris and a desire for validation and power.

Amado is a scientist devoid of bioethics, manipulating his human experiments and using their bodies to serve his own ends. His ethics ends where his ambition begins, his morality, like Koji's, wholly dependent on achieving the ends of reviving his daughter no matter the cost.

Technological Shifts, Stable Solutions

While the approach to the theme of technology changes multiple times throughout Boruto, the solution remains the same. Boruto learned the value of hard work by connecting with his father, rejecting the short cut of scientific ninja tools. With Ao, he determined the tools were not themselves inherently evil, but their moral utility was dependent on the intentions of the individual wielding them, a desire to help others and do good. As we transition into the plot of TBV, Jura is explicit that the enemy of the Shinju is human connection and love.

Every technological quandary in Boruto leads back to the theme that connections between humans supersedes the artificial. Recognizing our shared humanity, the pain and burdens that we carry as humans, is the path toward ruling our own destinies rather than being subjugated by technology. The plot of the main characters, Boruto, Sarada, Mitsuki, Himawari, and the old generation cast, follow a path of connection and understanding to overcome the challenges laid out before them, the technologically-symbolic characters standing as stumbling blocks between them and the human-based interactions that will ultimately resolve the plot in the end. Kawaki straddles these two plot components as a human made of scientific ninja tools, awaiting his predestined conflict with Boruto.