Mitsuki (Naruto)

Mitsuki (Japanese: ミツキ, Hepburn: Mitsuki) is a fictional character created by manga artist Masashi Kishimoto. He was first introduced in the Naruto spin-off manga Naruto: The Seventh Hokage and the Scarlet Spring (2015), being portrayed as a transfer student attending classes in Konohagakure to become a ninja. By the events of the film Boruto: Naruto the Movie (2015), Mitsuki has become a ninja on a team with protagonist Boruto Uzumaki and Sarada Uchiha, taking a lead role in Ukyō Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto's manga sequel to Naruto, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations (2016), and its anime prequel, which shows how he became friends with Boruto while facing different enemies. A one-shot by Kishimoto reveals that Mitsuki is an experiment created by the Legendary Sannin and former enemy of Naruto, Orochimaru, who allowed him to take his own path in life. In the making of the film Boruto and the anime series, Hiroyuki Yamashita was in charge of developing the character despite his small role in the film. Critical pen reception to Mitsuki has been mixed. While his role in the Boruto film was criticized for its lack of development, both his backstory portrayed in the one-shot and his role in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations were praised for adding depth to his character, even though he remained a mysterious child.