This article contains spoilers for Solo Leveling Ragnarok.
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Whenever a big series ends, there’s only one major question that plagues the minds of the fans, and that is whether the series is going to continue or not. More often than not, the conclusion of stories is final, and fans simply have to be content with what they got. However, every once in a while, a major story continues through sequels, which, although some fans absolutely love, others hate.
This is largely due to the fact that sequel series are hard to pull off, and the expectations to fulfil are incredibly high. Some do it right, likeSolo Leveling Ragnarok, while others fail terribly, likeBoruto.
Boruto’s Biggest Shortcoming
It goes without saying thattheBorutoseries is one of the most ambitious sequelsever attempted in the world of anime and manga.Borutois the sequel toNaruto, a beloved series worldwide, known for its incredible story and exciting battles. When Naruto ended, fans found out that a continuation was being set up through his son, Boruto Uzumaki.
The era of shinobi is over! — Kawaki
Years later,Boruto: Naruto Next Generationsbegan and although the series was quite fun initially, it eventually took turns that fans didn’t quite like. Right now, it can be said that despite being a fun read at times, Boruto is still regarded as a failure by many. The biggest reason behind Boruto being labelled as a bad sequel is the fact that it disrespects the very world it is set in. Most importantly, it disrespectscharacters like Naruto Uzumakiand Sasuke Uchiha, the two most iconic characters in the story, quite often.
I realize that Boruto started as a sequel to Naruto, but due to Naruto’s massive presence, it’s been a pretty tough road to travel. Boruto has finally emerged as a proper protagonist in his own right. But will he be a hero on the same level as his father? Or maybe even surpass him? To be honest… I’m not entirely sure what’ll happen, myself. That’ll depend on the support of our readers, so please keep on cheering for us. —Ikemoto
At the same time, Boruto sacrifices characters from Naruto to develop its own characters, and all things considered, fans don’t like the approach that it has taken towards the world that it is set in. But, if there’s one series that does all this right, it’s Solo Leveling Ragnarok.
Solo Leveling Ragnarok Didn’t Ruin Jinwoo’s Legacy
Jinwoo Is Still Stronger than Suho
Whereas Boruto chooses to disrespect the original series quite often and humiliate Naruto Uzumaki, the previous protagonist, ever so often, Solo Leveling takes a different approach. Solo Leveling’s sequel, Solo Leveling Ragnarok, sees Jinwoo’s son, Sung Suho at the center of things, and while Jinwoo definitely doesn’t play a major role in the direct plot, he is always felt through different characters. Furthermore, Jinwoo isn’t nerfed in Solo Leveling Ragnarok at all. If anything,Jinwoo actually grows even stronger, so his legacy is maintained and not used to push Suho to the next level. By the end, Jinwoo is still said to be 100 times stronger than Suho.
Ragnarok also expands uponthe lore of the Solo Leveling world, and while Boruto does that too, it ends up retconning some stuff while other revelations actually go against the lore of Naruto.
Solo Leveling Ragnarok Can Still Continue
Unfortunately,Solo Leveling Ragnarokhas officially ended, but thatdoesn’t mean Jinwoo’s adventures are over. Perhaps, a new sequel for Solo Leveling will pop one, and this time, the focus would be thrown on Jinwoo. Boruto needs to take a similar approach and bring Naruto into the fold again.
“While thrilled with the response, I personally don’t feel like the series is known by everyone at this point. Solo Leveling isn’t as universally recognized in Japan yet. As a Japanese person living in Japan, the anime is not at the level of Dragon Ball, One Piece, or Naruto. But if season three happens, that’s when I want to truly break that boundary.” - Atsushi Kaneko
Boruto
Boruto is an action anime series that continues years after the events of Naruto, now in the shoes of the next generation - many of which are the children of the protagonists from the original series. Boruto follows the titular character, the son of Naruto, who seeks to impress his father. Together with the other ninjas-in-training, Boruto will battle to overcome trials and threats even more significant than his father ever faced.
