Why has the Boruto anime dropped a major romantic development between the titular hero and his former classmate, Sumire? Masashi Kishimoto perhaps didn't intend relationships to become such a major part of Naruto, but the love square of Naruto, Sasuke, Hinata and Sakura dominated fan discussion and played heavily into the story's flashforward ending. Naruto ends up marrying Hinata, Sasuke and Sakura get together, and a host of other characters pair off once the gang all come of age.
Boruto seemed to be heading down a similar path when the anime series introduced Sumire - a shy and caring girl hiding a dark and painful secret. Despite being voted "class rep," Sumire was trained to rain destruction down upon Konoha Village, but Boruto talked her down and vouched for Sumire to remain part of the village. Mirroring Hinata's attraction for Naruto, Sumire then started shooting misty-eyed glances towards the Seventh Hokage's son, and it looked like the Boruto anime was setting Sumire up as a future love interest. These suspicions are confirmed definitively in the Boruto manga. After Team 7 try out some scientific ninja tools, Sumire openly admits to Sarada that she's interested in her excitable blond teammate.
Boruto's anime has now reached this same moment, but the episode skips over that vital Sumire conversation entirely. Just like in the manga, Team 7 prepare to leave the Advanced Technology Research Institute and investigate the disappearance of Konohamaru, but they leave without the Sumire and Sarada exchange taking place. Considering how closely Boruto's anime adaptation tends to follow the manga (when not airing filler episodes, that is!), the cut is a glaring omission.
An official reason for the anime change hasn't been given, but there are several potential reasons behind Sumire's missing romance angle. Firstly, the Boruto anime might be planning to recreate Naruto and Hinata's slow-burn relationship with Boruto and Sumire. The manga scene where Sumire admits to liking Boruto might be a little too on-the-nose, whereas the anime can explore their relationship in more depth during future filler arcs, playing the long game. The Boruto anime does retain a cute (but far more subtle) reunion scene where Sumire patches up Boruto's face, so the story is clearly building to something between the pair - perhaps the TV show just plans to take their relationship slow.
Another possibility is that Boruto wants to avoid the intense controversy surrounding Naruto's romantic escapades. Franchise creator, Masashi Kishimoto, has previously revealed his surprise at the passionate fan reactions to his character pairings, and acknowledges that he didn't focus too heavily on who would end up with who during the writing process. Regardless, Naruto fans developed very strong opinions over whether the main character should end up with his long-suffering admirer, Hinata, or the girl who repeatedly told him she wasn't interested, Sakura. This debate became the biggest discussion coming out of Naruto's final chapter and Boruto might be looking to avoid triggering a similar divide by hinting at romance between Boruto and Sumire without making an open declaration.
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