Chainsaw Man Officially Proves It’s the End of an Era for Naruto

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I’ve been a huge fan of Naruto for over twenty years, and it truly built an amazing, enduring legacy. But honestly, Boruto just hasn’t been able to carry that same torch. Naruto used to consistently top the bestseller charts all year long, and now we’re seeing newer anime and manga series take its place at the top.

Even though Boruto is a continuation of the incredibly popular Naruto, its manga sales haven’t been as strong as those of Chainsaw Man. Boruto has faced a lot of criticism over the years, which has negatively impacted sales. If things don’t improve, Boruto risks becoming a disappointing sequel that simply relies on the fame of the original Naruto series.

Boruto is Struggling to Keep Up With Chainsaw Man in 2026

I was so excited when Chainsaw Man got a movie! Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc came out on September 19, 2025, and it blew up everywhere. By December 2025, it had already made over $174 million worldwide, which is incredible! It’s actually become one of the top 14 highest-grossing films ever to come out of Japan – seriously impressive!

Currently, Boruto isn’t generating the same buzz as Chainsaw Man’s recent movie success. The Boruto anime is on hold because of issues with its animation quality and production timeline. Because the Boruto manga only releases a new chapter monthly, the anime had to rely heavily on filler episodes, which caused many viewers to lose interest.

The anime adaptation of Chainsaw Man, created by MAPPA, has been a huge hit with fans and received very positive reviews. With Season 2 on the way, the series is currently more popular than ever. It currently has a score of 8.43 on MyAnimeList, while Boruto has a score of just 5.98.

By 2026, Chainsaw Man has clearly surpassed Boruto in quality, highlighting the issues with the Naruto franchise. Boruto has significantly damaged well-loved characters like Naruto and Sasuke, angering fans, and the anime being put on indefinite pause suggests it’s nearing its end.

Latest Sales Numbers Paint a Bleak Picture for Boruto

The newest volume of Chainsaw Man, number 23, came out on February 4, 2026. Interestingly, the latest Boruto volume, Boruto: Two Blue Vortex 7, was released on the very same day. This allows us to compare how well both manga are selling, and the outcome might be predictable.

According to Oricon’s latest weekly manga rankings (week of February 16, 2026), Chainsaw Man Volume 23 topped the charts, selling around 81,000 copies. Blue Box Volume 34 came in second with approximately 62,000 copies sold, surpassing Boruto, which sold an estimated 51,000 copies.

It’s not just the recent sales figures that are concerning for Boruto; the series hasn’t performed particularly well overall in recent years. While Boruto has just reached 10 million copies sold in Japan, Chainsaw Man has already sold 34 million. As of January 2026, according to Oricon’s sales charts, Chainsaw Man ranks fifth, but Boruto doesn’t even appear in the top 20.

The sales figures for Chainsaw Man and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex show a significant difference. This highlights that even a new story arc after a time skip hasn’t been enough to boost Boruto‘s popularity. Despite bigger threats and stronger enemies, Boruto struggles to match the compelling, realistic storytelling that made Naruto so successful.

Can Naruto’s Legacy Survive Boruto’s Failures?

Naruto is a truly exceptional story that will likely be cherished for many years. The original Naruto series had a well-executed conclusion, which made it difficult for the sequel, Boruto, to create compelling new challenges within the same world.

Many viewers feel the conflicts in Boruto haven’t been well-developed, and a lot find the new series less emotionally engaging than Naruto. Despite these issues, fans were willing to give Boruto a chance and follow the next generation—until certain recent events occurred.

The biggest issue with Boruto is that it diminished the impact of the original Naruto series. To make the new generation of ninja seem stronger, the show weakened established characters like Naruto and even removed Kurama from his possession. This was a problem for many fans, as it felt disrespectful to the original series and disappointing for those who were excited to see familiar characters like Naruto Uzumaki.

Even though the Boruto manga series has a substantial 27 volumes – encompassing both Boruto: Naruto Next Generations and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex – its sales are significantly lower than other similar series. This is partly because the story undermines the foundations established by the popular main character, Naruto. Additionally, the rapid increase in power levels makes Naruto’s hard work and training seem less meaningful.

The new direction of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex is noticeably darker and more mature, and fans hope it will improve the series. While Naruto remains a beloved classic with a secure place in anime and manga history – and can’t be ruined by a sequel – some of the questionable choices in Boruto unfortunately impact how fans view Naruto‘s original story.

It’s becoming clear that Boruto hasn’t reached the same level of popularity as Naruto. From the start, the sequel faced doubts, and it continues to struggle. While Boruto: Two Blue Vortex offered a bit of a boost, manga sales have generally been decreasing, and aren’t comparable to hits like Chainsaw Man and other current anime sensations.

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2026-02-21 22:40