WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 222, “The Night Before The Final Round,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
When the Boruto anime started, one of the biggest disappointments was how disconnected Shikamaru was from his son, Shikadai. It felt like he was repeating past mistakes from the Nara clan where fathers struggled to be open and emotional with their sons, but thankfully, that’s been course-corrected as he and Naruto have become more embracing of their progenies. Interestingly, with the Chūnin Exam back in full swing, Episode 222 shows just how much Shikadai has indeed learned from his father.
Now, Shikamaru has quite a time-consuming job as the advisor to the Hokage, but he’s balancing it better with his family life. Shikadai doesn’t blame him as much, though, as he knows how close Shikamaru and Naruto were as teens, and how they need to constantly work to keep peace. While Sakura and Sasuke were Naruto’s teammates, Shikamaru was his best friend as Naruto confided everything in him — strategically and personally — which saw both form a bond that’d be key against Madara Uchiha, Obito, the Akatsuki and Kaguya.
Boruto Episode 222 shows how that loyalty has imprinted on Shikadai when Chōchō speaks about why she wants to graduate. Initially, she wasn’t into moving on beyond a genin as much — that is, until she learned she’d be paid more and could buy more snacks. However, seeing her teammate Inojin’s desire impress his parents encourages her; they’re part of a legacy team, after all.
More so, she explains to Sarada how she found out Shikadai, who graduated already, has never worn his Chūnin jacket. It took Shikamaru a while to wear his too, but it’s not that he’s copying his father — he simply wants to wait until his friends come up. It’s tremendously loyal as this jacket garners respect and esteem, but Shikadai is so humble, he doesn’t care for all that.
Shikadai grew up with these folks since they were in diapers, and after moving from being petulant kids to more worldly teens, he wants them all succeeding together. This proves he’s about equality as well, as he wants his first time to be with the shinobi he trained with.
It’s quite ironic as Shikamaru once forfeited his exam due to laziness, as opposed to Shikadai, who is quite the prodigy. But while the son has the acumen and ambition of an expert Konoha-nin that his father wasn’t eager to display, what stands out is how he has taken his Shikamaru’s main principle to heart: friendship. This motivates Chōchō, who doesn’t want to keep Shikadai from being seen by the Hidden Leaf as one of the best prospects around, eager to advance so he can finally rock his new jacket.
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