Boruto Episode 144

Boruto Episode 144

Kokuri’s Secret

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 144 was definitely better than episode 143 for one major reason: Sarada. But it’s not like Sarada playing a role in any episode automatically makes it better. Instead, it was the way in which Sarada was used that made this episode pretty good.

Boruto and the gang learn that the secret Kokuri is keeping from them is that he no longer has the Mujina Gang’s money. He panicked after he ran away with it and ended up donating it all to a children’s medical facility — or so we’re told. I’m still not entirely convinced Kokuri is telling the truth.

However, the way Team 7 learns about this secret is what I liked about the episode. Initially, Boruto disappears behind some book shelves while alone in the library with Kokuri, then reappears to fight of Tsukiyo, who also steps out from behind said bookshelves.

It was obvious from the start that Tsukiyo wasn’t really in the library, and so I figured that Boruto had used his shadow clone and transformation jutsu to stage this fight. But the truth of the fight was much more interesting.

After Boruto disappears from Kokuri’s sight, a book drops off a shelf which Kokuri picks up to put back. We had already seen this scene as it happened in real time. However, in a flashback we get to see what Kokuri saw through the gap in the bookshelf before he returned the book: Sarada.

Sarada using her Sharingan on Kokuri from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Sarada using her Sharingan on Kokuri

I just love the idea of Sarada knocking over a book just so that when Kokuri goes to return it he’s face to face with her Sharingan. And if you’re wondering why she didn’t just come out and use it to begin with, I may have an answer.

Sarada’s Sharingan

When we got to see Sarada’s Sharingan from Kokuri’s perspective, you may have noticed that they’re still only single tomoe Sharingan — the lowest version of Sharingan. When Sharingan are awakened they only have one tomoe each, then eventually they’ll develop two, and finally three.

Of course, there’s also the Mangekyō and Eternal Mangekyō Sharingan after the three tomoe version.

But my guess is that since Sarada’s Sharingan are only in their single tomoe version, her genjutsu isn’t all that strong. Yes, she can use genjutsu on people, even other shinobi. However, her genjutsu is still weak enough to the point that if someone sees it coming it may not be very effective.

For example, let’s say Sasuke was standing in front of someone and wanted them to forget he’s there. He could probably make it so that person no longer recognizes his presence and even forgets they ever saw him. Sarada on the other hand could probably make them either no longer recognize her presence or forget they ever saw her, not both.

Despite her skill, her dōjutsu simply isn’t strong enough yet to completely fool the mind depending on the situation.

And speaking of Sarada’s Sharingan, I wonder if she’ll ever actually awaken the Mankgekyō Sharingan or anything further down the line. I’m sure some people have theorized (potentially myself in the past) that she might awaken it if Sasuke were to die. But thinking more about it, I don’t think that will be the case.

Sarada awakened her Sharingan due to excitement, not suffering. I think it would be a great break from all the previous Uchiha if her Sharingan continued to evolve in response to good feelings, not bad.

Kamata’s Secret

In one of the earlier episode reviews for this arc I commented on how Benga turned out not to be the villain, but instead was simply a crooked guard. That no longer seems to be the case. He’s transitioned from crooked head guard into a definite villain — even if he isn’t the mastermind.

Not only does he take over Hozuki Castle by stealing Lord Mujo’s medication, but even before that he begins working in league with Tsukiyo. And it’s Kamata (I finally found out his name) who gets caught up in the middle of Benga’s power grab scheme.

Kamata initially agrees to help Benga uncover dirt on Boruto, Mitsuki, and Kokuri, but once he discovers this information for himself, he decides not to cooperate. He might not be the smartest or strongest guy around, but Kamata is a good guy at heart — the opposite of Arai.

Kamata choosing not rat out Boruto to Benga from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Kamata choosing not rat out Boruto to Benga

It turns out that Kamata’s secret is that his younger sister is in the hospital with some illness. This is also the reason he’s in prison, because he committed robbery in order to get money for his sister’s operation. His sister doesn’t know this, however, and believes that Kamata is traveling the world performing heroic deeds.

Of the three cellmates Boruto and Mitsuki were placed with, Kamata is definitely the best so far. Arai was obviously someone who shouldn’t have been trusted because of how he was so quick to make friends. I can’t wait to learn more about Kedama though. We still don’t really know anything about him, so hopefully his past will be revealed next episode.

Jailbreak

Now that Lord Mujo is gone and Benga reigns supreme over Hozuki Castle, it’s time for Boruto, Mitsuki, and Kokuri to make their escape. The only thing is, I don’t actually think it’s going to be as difficult as they’re making it out to be.

Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada all have full use of their jutsu, so breaking out of the prison alone should be a walk in the park. We’ve seen that Benga can at least use basic fire style jutsu, but other than that we haven’t seen any guards use jutsu.

It’s entirely possible that the guards of Hozuki Castle don’t need to be shinobi because the prisoners can’t use jutsu of their own anyway.

The problem with escaping is that Team 7 needs to bring Kokuri with them, and he’s affected by the Celestial Prison jutsu. However, even that’s not an actual problem. We know that large amounts of water can disable the jutsu, and as it turns out, Boruto can use water style jutsu.

Also, the fact that large amounts of water can disable the Celestial Prison jutsu made me think of something. Would that jutsu even work on Suigetsu? He’s literally made of water (more so than the average person).

I could see there being another twist thrown into this jailbreak though. Escaping with Kokuri shouldn’t really pose an issue, but are they just going to leave Kamata in solitary? My guess is they’ll try to rescue Kamata, and even Kedama as well.

And if this does happen, I’m not sure if Kamata will escape with them or not. Kedama probably won’t, and will instead opt to serve out his sentence. But Kamata might take them up on that offer in order to see his sister.

Conclusion

How did you like Boruto episode 144? Was it good? Bad? Do you think Kamata and Kedama are going to be given the opportunity to escape with Boruto and the others? Do you think they’ll accept? Let me know in the comments. And also let me know your thoughts on Sarada’s Sharingan progression while you’re at it.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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