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The Naruto franchise has played a notable role in Toonami’s history, with all three television installments, Naruto, Naruto Shippuden, and Boruto each airing in some capacity during the block’s history. In particular, Boruto’s first 52 episodes ran from September 29, 2018 to October 19, 2019. However, following Episode 52, it was replaced on the lineup with the dub premiere of the most recent season of JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, Golden Wind. In regards to Boruto not being renewed past its first 52 episodes, Toonami posted on their Facebook saying that “Boruto’s taking a breather for a while.”
It has been nearly two years since Boruto went on hiatus from the lineup, and its return is nowhere in sight. Back in March 2020, when asked about the likelihood that Boruto can return to the block, Jason DeMarco responded: “I won’t say it will never come back but there are no plans to bring it back at present.”
Unfortunately, an answer posted on Friday by Jason DeMarco may have dealt a fatal blow for Boruto‘s hopes of returning to Toonami. When asked if Boruto was pulled off the lineup early due to low ratings, Jason confirmed that that indeed was the case.
SPIRAL CURSE DEMARCO on Twitter: “We only had a contract for the first 52. And yes it was pulled because of ratings. / Twitter”
We only had a contract for the first 52. And yes it was pulled because of ratings.
If Boruto‘s cancellation is indeed permanent, the show would join the original uncut Naruto and One Piece as the only shows in the modern era of Toonami that would be pulled mid-run. It would also join the likes of Blue Exorcist and Tokyo Ghoul as among the shows to have not been brought back for a successive season.
Boruto’s prequel: Naruto Shippuden still continues to air on Toonami, with new to television episodes airing every Saturday at 2:30 a.m. Eastern. A big reason why Toonami is behind on the Shippuden dub is because during the block’s cancellation period, Naruto Shippuden aired on Disney XD from 2009-2011. Toonami never got the rights to Shippuden until 2014, when Disney XD’s rights to the series expired. As episodes are only shown once a week (reruns aside), Naruto Shippuden’s run is expected to last until 2024 at its current rate. Since Boruto’s Toonami hiatus, VIZ Media has continued production on the dub without the block. However, any dubbed episodes past Episode 52 are not available to view on any streaming services, being released exclusively on Blu-ray. If Toonami ultimately has no plans to bring back Boruto, it is likely that Toonami is “sitting” on the Boruto dub broadcast and streaming rights until they run out, as Disney XD ironically did with Shippuden before.
While the odds might not look good at this point, as with any potential program, if you do wish to see Boruto again on Toonami, you can always let Toonami know on their Facebook page as well as letting @Clarknova1 and @VIZMedia know on their respective social media outlets. Let them know your show requests and concerns, but of course, politeness goes a long way.
Do you think Boruto should return to Toonami at some point, or do you believe it is just not worth it in the end? Let us know by commenting below or directly on our social media.
