Naruto’s Death Has Never Been Closer in Boruto

Warning! Spoilers for Boruto chapter 65 ahead!

By the third panel of its first issue, fans knew that Boruto, the sequel series to the much-loved Naruto saga, is not your normal manga. Indeed, that first page strongly suggests that Naruto Uzumaki, the central figure of the Naruto-verse, was dead. While it’s not surprising for popular characters to die in comics, it is a bit strange to tease a character’s death, then ignore it by showing the character is very much alive. Boruto the series did just that.

After the suggestion that Naruto died, the manga has spent the majority of its story so far focusing on Naruto’s son Boruto and his experiences growing up as the son of the Seventh Hokage. That is, Naruto has been present, and an important albeit secondary character to what is going on with Boruto, his friends, and their adventures. At least early on, fans could not be criticized for forgetting the suggestion that Naruto was dead. As the story progressed and especially after the character of Kawaki was introduced in Borotu: Naruto Next Generations chapter 24, the idea of Naruto’s death resurfaced. This is because Kawaki is the character in the first issue whose comments introduce the possibility that Naruto is dead. Moreover, as Kawaki’s story has developed, fans could not help but begin to wonder when, if at all, a Naruto death dance would begin.

Well, 41 chapters later, it’s beginning to appear that Naruto’s days may really be numbered. But the end, if it does indeed come does not seem like it will happen in the manner fans have been led to believe, namely at the hands of Kawaki. Instead, it appears that Naruto’s demise might come from the hands of his biological son Boruto, possessed with the spirit of Momoshiki Otsutsuki, or Code, the bio-engineered failed vessel of Isshiki Otsutsuki. In a fight pitting Boruto and Kawaki against Code in chapter 65 of the manga, Boruto’s determination to defeat Code triggers his kama to activate. Momoshiki uses the chance to take over Boruto and then proceeds to beat both Code and Kawaki. Naruto arrives in time to save Kawaki. However, acknowledging their mutual hatred for Naruto, Momoshiki decides to temporarily stop his fight with Code in order to permanently end Naruto’s interference in his plans by launching a “massive rasengan” attack.

While a Momoshiki strike is capable of felling Naruto, fans have previously understood that with Kuruma, the Nine-Tails Beast sealed within him, he always had a chance. However, as per a prior battle to defeat Issihiki Otsutsuki, Naruto had to tap into the power of Kurama to win. As a result, Kurama was killed, thereby leaving Naruto bereft of the superhuman abilities that his connection to Kurama created. Naturally, this leaves Naruto vulnerable, even if he is still move skilled than even an exceptional ninja.

Naruto is saved from sure death by Kawaki, who somehow reactivates the kama that Isshiki, via his Kara gang, had imprinted on his hand, but that had disappeared after Isshiki’ss death. It seems that placing the kama on a vessel creates two abilities based on the degree that the vessel’s DNA has been overwritten with the master’s genetic code. One allows the master to possess the body of the mark. The second allows the vessel to access the master’s powers. In Kawaki’s case, while he has been exorcised of Isshiki’s spirt, he still has assess to his powers, which he uses to defeat the Boruto-Momoshiki’s attack on Naruto. Nevertheless, it seems that without the protection of others, Naruto is largely helpless. Whether this means he will soon die remains to be seen.

About The Author

Marcel Green
(134 Articles Published)

Marcel Green is a comics news writer for Screen Rant. A lifelong comic fan who originally was a “Marvel Only” collector, he has matured into an “independent” fan of all things comics, manga, cartoon, and anime. Happy to finally be able to put all those hours reading comics over the years to good use.

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