Naruto: Who The REAL Flashforward Villain Is – Boruto Or Kawaki

After the latest chapter of Boruto, who’s the real villain in the opening flashforward? While some Naruto fans were skeptical about a sequel series starring the offspring of the original cast, Boruto made a blistering first impression, flashing ahead to a dystopian future where Konoha Village is destroyed. Boruto Uzumaki is doing battle with Kawaki on the stone faces of previous Hokage, with the latter declaring the age of shinobi is over, and promising to send Boruto where he “sent the Seventh Hokage.” Boruto responds heroically by reaffirming his shinobi identity and putting on Sasuke’s old forehead protector. Every part of the scene screams that Boruto is the hero, and Kawaki is the villain.

Alas, that’s not where Boruto finds itself in chapter 53. Naruto, Sasuke, Boruto and Kawaki are facing off against Isshiki Otsutsuki, and simply need to evade the villain for a few minutes until his body decays naturally. Victory beckons when Kawaki tricks Isshiki using a rudimentary shadow clone, and the time limit expires. The Otsutsuki perishes, and Kawaki is spared being inflicted with Karma again, denying Isshiki a chance at resurrection. Kawaki even proclaims that a world without Naruto isn’t worth living in, looking every inch the protagonist. But then Boruto jumps in, possessed by the Karma of Momoshiki Otsutsuki, and stabs out Sasuke’s eye. The Momoshiki/Boruto hybrid believes that with Isshiki gone, no one can stand in his way.

Heading into Boruto chapter 54, the dynamic of the flashforward battle has been turned on its head, with Kawaki looking uber-heroic and Boruto threatening to enslave the world (albeit not through choice), so who is the true villain of the story? Despite the current landscape of Boruto, the roles will likely flip back to normal before the flashforward. In the future battle against Kawaki, Boruto bears none of the Otsutsuki features that emerge while he’s being controlled by Momoshiki, suggesting his possession is cured in the future. Additionally, Boruto and Kawaki both activate their Karma powers at will in the future. At some point, they must discover a way to separate the benefits of Karma from the Otsutsuki DNA – all of the advantages, with none of the bodily possession. Since Boruto no longer seems possessed in the flashforward, he must be the hero and Kawaki the villain.

And while Boruto 53 portrays Kawaki as someone to root for, one line from the chapter foreshadows his downfall. When Kawaki claims that a world without Naruto isn’t worth living in, his statement is full of affection and respect for the Hokage, but also implies that Kawaki could react badly if Naruto were threatened. In the flashforward, Kawaki says he’s “sent” Naruto somewhere, but stops short of saying he killed the Hokage. Given Kawaki’s love for Naruto, perhaps he goes to extreme, dangerous efforts to save the Seventh’s life, sacrificing everything so that his idol can live. Naruto has already explored how loss can turn a person to evil – Sasuke, Obito and Madara all shared that fate. Perhaps the overwhelming fear of Naruto’s death triggers Kawaki’s villainous side to emerge. This would also explain why the older Boruto says “I never thought you’d go this far, Kawaki.“

Despite the events of chapter 53, Kawaki is most likely still the arch antagonist of Boruto, but the lines of good and evil may be less defined than first thought. The audience assume it was Kawaki who destroyed Konoha Village, but the devastation might’ve been caused by Boruto during his Otsutsuki possession. Similarly, Kawaki trying to bring the Shinobi world to an end could be a misguided attempt to stop to anyone else suffering the same Karma possession he and Boruto have endured. Maybe neither Boruto nor Kawaki is completely villainous in the future timeline. Boruto‘s current storyline feels so distant from the introductory flashforward, but there’s still plenty of time before Boruto and Kawaki do battle atop Naruto’s giant face.

About The Author

Craig Elvy
(3624 Articles Published)

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Craig first began contributing to Screen Rant in 2016, several years after graduating college, and has been ranting ever since, mostly to himself in a darkened room. Having previously written for various sports and music outlets, Craig’s interest soon turned to TV and film, where a steady upbringing of science fiction and comic books finally came into its own.
Craig has previously been published on sites such as Den of Geek, and after many coffee-drenched hours hunched over a laptop, part-time evening work eventually turned into a full-time career covering everything from the zombie apocalypse to the Starship Enterprise via the TARDIS.

Since joining the Screen Rant fold, Craig has been involved in breaking news stories and mildly controversial ranking lists, but now works predominantly as a features writer.
Jim Carrey is Craig’s top acting pick and favorite topics include superheroes, anime and the unrecognized genius of the High School Musical trilogy.

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