Madara’s Shadow Still Rules: Ikemoto Radically Reworks Two Boruto Villains To Escape Naruto’s Spotlight
Madara Uchiha didn’t just smash Naruto’s power scale—he rewrote its design playbook, setting a bar so high that Ikemoto steered Boruto’s villains into a whole new visual lane. That armored silhouette and unshakeable aura still define the franchise’s apex—and no one has topped it yet.
Short version: Boruto villains look different on purpose. When you build a once-in-a-generation monster like Madara Uchiha, you do not try to out-Madara him. You zag. And according to a new interview, that is exactly what Boruto did.
Why Eida and Daemon look like they wandered off a runway
Eida and Daemon are the flashy sibling duo in Boruto, both engineered by Amado. Instead of the usual shinobi cloaks and menacing masks, they show up in outfits that scream cosmic chic: Eida’s shorts are covered in stars, a moon, and little planets, and Daemon’s hoodie is peppered with star patterns. It is a deliberate break from the Naruto playbook, and it is not subtle.
In the July 2025 special edition of V Jump, Boruto artist Mikio Ikemoto finally explained the choice after being asked about the spacey accessories:
"I wanted them to stand out from usual Boruto/Naruto characters, and since they are two characters with extraordinary abilities, I thought a cosmic motif would suit their design."
Translation: when your predecessors are Madara, Pain, and an entire wall of already-iconic rogues, slapping your new threats into the same old ninja gear would turn them into wallpaper. The space motif marks them as the next era of villains and quietly signals that their power tier is not the same old thing.
The Madara problem
Madara Uchiha did not just break Naruto’s power scale; he nuked the aesthetic ceiling too. A decade later, he is still untouchable. Everything about him reads 'legendary'—the calm, the armor, the 'walking apocalypse' energy—and that creates a sequel headache. Try to top Madara directly and it just feels try-hard. Fans know it. The creators know it.
So Boruto pivots. Instead of re-skinning an old template, the series leans into new visual language—cosmic trinkets, a sleeker, almost cybernetic vibe—to avoid getting crushed under the weight of Naruto nostalgia. Is it a little bittersweet that we might never see another villain land exactly like Madara? Yeah. But trying to carbon-copy him would miss the point and probably flop.
- Eida and Daemon are siblings modified by Amado, positioned as outliers with 'extraordinary abilities.'
So where does that leave Boruto?
Probably chasing its own identity instead of trying to one-up Naruto’s greatest hits. Which, honestly, is the smarter play. Whether the show can mint a villain as instantly mythical as Madara is another question.
Do you think Boruto should keep swerving away from Naruto’s villain template or take another big swing at a classic-style threat?
Naruto and Boruto are streaming on Crunchyroll.