Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is a popular anime that follows the adventures of Naruto Uzumaki’s son, Boruto, and his friends. It takes place several years after the events of the original Naruto series and features the children of many fan-favorite characters.
If you love the world of Boruto and want to watch something similar while waiting for new episodes, plenty of great anime series can scratch that itch. From shounen adventure shows to series that focus on the journey from boyhood to manhood, here are 10 anime that Boruto fans can enjoy.
top 10 must-see anime series for Boruto: Naruto Next Generation fans
1. My Hero Academia
My Hero Academia is currently one of the most popular anime series. Much like Boruto, it offers exhilarating action sequences combined with a heartwarming story about young heroes who enroll in a special academy to improve their unique abilities and strive to protect others.
Protagonist Izuku Midoriya may be initially powerless, but his journey to obtain spectacular strength echoes themes in stories like Naruto. Supporting characters like Bakugo offer nuanced rival dynamics that may remind viewers of Boruto and Kawaki’s evolving relationship.
With top-notch animation and battles that showcase creative superhuman powers, My Hero Academia is not to be missed by any Boruto fan.
2. Demon Slayer
While darker in tone, Demon Slayer shares Boruto’s focus on a young protagonist with great potential, driven by his determination and unique family technique. After demons attack Tanjiro Kamado’s family, Tanjiro sets out on an epic quest to avenge them and turn his sister Nezuko – now a demon – back into a human.
Tanjiro joins an organization of demon hunters and must learn to utilize a unique breathing technique to slay threatening demons. Like many fights in adventure series such as Boruto, battles in Demon Slayer feature specialized weapons and hand-to-hand martial arts skills. Its exquisite swordplay animation and emotional story beats have captured the hearts of anime fans everywhere.
3. Black Clover
Black Clover centers around two young boys, Asta and Yuno, who were abandoned at the same church on the same day. As they grow up, they both strive to become the Wizard King, the strongest magician in the Clover Kingdom. Despite having no magical powers, Asta refuses to give up. His determination and willpower clearly mirror Naruto and Boruto.
Much like the Ninja Academy where ninjas like Boruto learn to control chakra, Asta and Yuno enroll in the Magic Knights’ squad to hone their magical skills. As members of the Black Bulls and Golden Dawn squads, the two rivals support each other while pursuing their own paths to success.
4. Hunter x Hunter
While it is on the longer side, with nearly 150 episodes, the popular Shounen series Hunter X Hunter is regarded by many anime fans as an excellent coming-of-age adventure story. The show follows Gon Freecss as he strives to become a professional Hunter in order to track down his missing father.
Alongside the talented Kurapika, the brooding Killua, and other uniquely skilled individuals, Gon must pass the rigorous Hunter Exam and navigate a thrilling world of endless possibilities. In a journey reflecting personal motivations akin to Naruto’s will of fire, Hunter X Hunter’s protagonists face the duty of tracking treasures, exploring uncharted lands, and battling nefarious criminals.
If you enjoy perusing creator stories with rich world-building and exhilarating tournament-style challenges like the ones depicted in the Chunin Exams, definitely check out Hunter X Hunter.
5. YuYu Hakusho
YuYu Hakusho, a supernatural action anime, focuses on teenage delinquent Yusuke Urameshi, who unexpectedly dies while trying to save a child’s life. He can then earn his way back to the living world by becoming an underworld detective and fighting evil spirits.
Alongside comrades like the intellectual Kurama and the mighty fighter Kuwabara, Yusuke sets out on an epic adventure facing off against demonic foes in exhilarating, fast-paced battles. Yusuke’s journey to protect the human world and discover his purpose presents thematic echoes of Boruto, albeit through his unique circumstances and self-discovery.
If you enjoyed seeing instructors like Kakashi test young ninjas like Boruto, you’d want to watch Genkai put Yusuke and their friends through rigorous training, preparing them for intense tournaments.
6. Naruto
While this may seem obvious, no anime can properly fill the void left behind by Boruto quite like the original Naruto series. Watching Naruto Uzumaki’s full journey from fledging ninja to Hokage is a rewarding journey that beautifully encapsulates classic Shounen themes of perseverance, redemption, and pulling off upsets through unrelenting effort.
Epic conflicts with infamous villains like Orochimaru, Pain, and Madara Uchiha showcase magnificent ninja skills and immense chakra attacks fans fell in love with in Boruto. Naruto’s undying commitment to friendships helps forge lasting bonds with comrades like Sasuke, Sakura, and Shikamaru that pay dividends working together to protect their cherished Hidden Leaf Village.
If you’re looking for more ninjutsu action, school days hi-jinx, or meaningful conversations atop the stone faces of Hokages, revisiting everything that started in the wonderful world of Naruto is a good option.
7. Fairy Tail
Fairy Tail takes viewers to the whimsical land of Earth Land, full of magic guilds brimming with quirky wizards looking for work. It chronicles celestial wizard Lucy Heartfilia after she joins the infamous guild Fairy Tail and forges impactful bonds with members like the fiery Natsu Dragneel and powerful armored woman Erza Scarlet.
Lucy and her newfound Nakama embark on countless spellbinding quests where they must utilize their magical abilities to battle rival guilds and villainous creatures. Like inheriting ninja legacies, many Fairy Tail wizards harbor famous lineages granting them access to amplified magical abilities.
Their devotion to friendship mirrors the meaningful connections the characters foster in both Boruto and Naruto. Viewers who enjoy shows celebrating camaraderie through life’s ups and downs will surely marvel at this magical adventure.
8. Bleach
Bleach delivers an exhilarating story in the spiritual afterlife called the Soul Society. Ichigo Kurosaki develops the ability to connect with departed souls after meeting an enigmatic Soul Reaper named Rukia, who transfers some of her abilities.
After assuming Rukia’s duties, Ichigo guides wayward spirits to the afterlife while engaging in epic swordfights against menacing monsters called Hollows looking to cause harm. In order to harness his growing powers, Ichigo joins an academy run by Soul Reapers called the Soul Reaper Academy that trains students as defenders against deadly threats.
Like Boruto following in his father’s footsteps by joining the ninja academy, Bleach sees Ichigo inherit magnificent abilities that make him the perfect candidate to ally with Soul Reapers sworn to protect both the living and the deceased from imminent doom.
9. Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z, the quintessential flagship of the shonen genre, paved the way for all others—including Naruto—with its epic training arcs, martial arts spectacles, and tales of chosen ones discovering their heroic destinies. It offers an experience not to be missed.
Tactical battles and energy-powered punches capable of destroying mountains will surely captivate any Boruto fan. Beyond the explosive fisticuffs and beam struggles, though, Goku’s steadfast cheerfulness and loyalty to friends are also infectious.
Between the iconic tournament showdowns, planet-busting faceoffs with cosmic overlords, and weighty sacrifices for future generations, Dragon Ball Z enthralls with high stakes and heavy hearts throughout. No lover of battle shonen should miss out on this action-packed classic.
10. Fire Force
Another recent Shounen series that Boruto fans may enjoy is the supernatural action anime Fire Force. It follows a special team of firefighters gifted with pyrokinetic abilities tasked with combatting demonic Infernals causing spontaneous human combustions.
Protagonist Shinra Kusakabe joins Special Fire Force Company 8, befriending allies like fiery lieutenant Hinawa. There, he strives to unlock the mysteries behind his little brother’s death during an Infernal outbreak years prior.
Like the ninjas protecting the Village Hidden in the Leafs from imminent threats, the soldiers of the 8th fight to keep civilians safe from these deadly Infernals.