Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Breaks Naruto Franchise Tradition With Seasonal Anime

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The newest installment in the Naruto saga is a welcome change of pace for the franchise! Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will be the second part of Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, picking up the story that began with Naruto Uzumaki in 2002. The series is based on the current manga of the same name, created by Mikio Ikemoto. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex began releasing in manga form in fall 2023, and the anime adaptation is anticipated to premiere in Japan between 2026 and 2027.

Similar to how Naruto: Shippuden followed the original Naruto series, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex jumps ahead in time. Boruto is now much older, leading to a darker and more mature storyline. The current Naruto manga is more focused, moving Boruto’s story forward and relying less on the original series’ plot. This makes Boruto: Two Blue Vortex feel like a fresh start, especially compared to the often-criticized Boruto spinoff.

The upcoming Boruto: Two Blue Vortex anime is generating buzz because it appears to be a departure from previous Naruto series. Both Naruto and its sequels were often criticized for adding a lot of filler episodes and storylines not found in the original manga. Boruto: Naruto Next Generation was particularly known for this. However, animator Kyōhei Ebata hinted that Two Blue Vortex would stick closely to the manga’s story, and it now seems this is indeed the plan.

Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Is Expected To Be A Seasonal Anime

When Studio Pierrot’s president, Michiyuki Honma, announced the upcoming Boruto: Two Blue Vortex anime, he explained it would be released in blocks of episodes, rather than weekly. This is a change from the way all Naruto anime have been released for the past 23 years, and from the typical approach to anime, particularly Shonen anime from Studio Pierrot. Recently, however, this pattern has been changing.

As a big anime fan, one of the things I really appreciate about seasonal anime is the pacing. Because new seasons are spaced out, it gives the anime time to breathe. Unlike weekly releases that often feel rushed to keep up with the manga source material, seasonal shows can avoid adding unnecessary filler. It’s great when an adaptation doesn’t have to constantly catch up – the story can unfold naturally and stay true to the original without feeling stretched thin.

Taking breaks between seasons gives the show’s creators the time they need to make really good episodes with a clear story. This is especially important for adapting Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, because the previous series, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation, often felt rushed and overly complicated.

Naruto Fans Had To Endure Weeks Of Filler And Padding

It’s common for weekly anime shows to include filler content and episodes that don’t advance the main story. Naruto is well-known for this. The original manga, including Shippuden, had a total of 700 chapters, which were adapted into 720 anime episodes. While that doesn’t sound like much of a difference, each episode that followed the original story usually only covered two or three chapters of the manga.

While the original Naruto and Naruto Shippuden had some filler episodes, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation has a much bigger problem. The anime has far exceeded the source material – with 290 episodes compared to only 80 chapters of the manga. This means around 70% of Boruto is filler content, which many fans find excessive and makes the show difficult to enjoy.

Because the anime added storylines that didn’t fit with the original story and didn’t advance the plot, many fans stopped watching. That’s why the new approach of releasing Boruto: Two Blue Vortex in shorter seasons is so welcome.

What Boruto Will Look Like As A Seasonal Anime

Custom image by Marcel Green

The Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga is relatively new compared to other series in the franchise. New chapters appear monthly in Japan’s V Jump magazine, and currently, 29 chapters have been released. While an anime adaptation hasn’t been officially announced, if episodes were to begin airing in December 2026, the anime would have around 41 chapters of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex to work with.

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Most seasonal anime series have around 13 episodes each season. Considering Boruto: Two Blue Vortex adapts two to three manga chapters per episode, the first season could cover roughly 26 to 39 chapters. After a typical two-year break for anime production, the manga would likely have enough new material ready for a second season.

One drawback of anime released in seasons is the wait between new parts. Fans of shows like Naruto are accustomed to weekly episodes, so it might take some getting used to that Boruto: Two Blue Vortex will arrive with longer gaps. But it will likely be worth the wait! These breaks allow the creators to avoid unnecessary filler content, meaning we’ll get a more focused and rewarding story.

Seasonal Anime Are The Future Of The Industry

Custom image created by Ana Nieves

As a longtime fan of manga and anime, I remember when it was just expected that any adaptation would add in extra, filler episodes. So many of the classic action series would stretch on and on, sometimes even going way beyond the source material and creating completely new storylines for extended periods. But lately, what I and a lot of other fans really want is a more faithful, streamlined experience – something that sticks closely to the manga and doesn’t wander off on tangents.

Anime like My Hero Academia have shown how releasing episodes throughout the year, rather than all at once, can really boost a show’s success. These ‘seasonal’ releases allow for high-quality, story-driven episodes, and have helped series like My Hero Academia, Solo Leveling, and Demon Slayer become incredibly popular. With Boruto: Two Blue Vortex now following this pattern, it looks like seasonal releases are becoming the new normal in the anime industry.

Like anything, this situation has both advantages and disadvantages. But we can still enjoy weekly anime shows while we wait for highly anticipated new seasons. This gives us a good balance of content. For the Naruto series, and especially Boruto: Two Blue Vortex, releasing episodes seasonally will offer a new and exciting experience after over two decades of a different approach, making the new series feel extra special.

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2026-01-09 22:39