Boruto Episode 148

Boruto Episode 148

A New Mission!!

It’s been a long time since the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations anime covered content from the manga, but it’s finally back with episode 148. However, as I’ve stated many times in the past, with Boruto, anime-only content is still considered to be canon.

The anime simply covers things which Ukyō Kodachi, the author of the series, doesn’t have time to cover in the manga. And that’s actually a good thing for fans of the series because the Boruto manga has a length limit.

Ukyō Kodachi has stated that he wants the entire Naruto franchise to be 100 volumes long. With Naruto being 72 volumes long, that only leaves 28 left in which Boruto’s story can be told — 10 of which are already out. So the anime serves to fill the gaps in the story which had to be cut from the manga.

And since this episode is back to manga content, and includes some pretty great foreshadowing, there’s going to be manga spoilers in this review. But don’t worry, you can still read it without getting spoiled. Any time you see blacked out text like this: spoiler content it’s a spoiler so hover/click at your own risk.

I should really use those spoiler tags more often.

A Timeline Refresher

The first thing we need to cover is the very beginning of the episode. We’re shown the scene of Boruto talking to Momoshiki in space(?) after he defeated him. This is a conversation which happened inside of Boruto’s mind, at no point was Boruto actually talking to Momoshiki in space.

But, this conversation is important for two main reasons. First, this is when Boruto receives the black diamond mark on his right palm. Second, this is where Momoshiki tells him that his eyes, particularly his Jōgan, are going to bring him misfortune.

Boruto and Momoshiki in "space" from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Boruto and Momoshiki in “space”

Obviously, the reason we’re shown this scene again at the start of this episode is because it’s going to be relevant once again. Boruto has rarely used his Jōgan since the start of the series, but I think we can expect him to use it a bit more from here on out.

And, I don’t think this bit of information has been revealed in the anime yet, so I’m going to tag it as a spoiler just in case: The symbol on Boruto’s palm is supposedly a sign that he’s been recognized as defeating an Ōtsutsuki clan member.

Anyway, we should finally see the diamond symbol on Boruto’s palm actually play a role as well. Yes, Momoshiki mentions Boruto’s eyes in that flashback, but the flashback was really there to remind us that Boruto received the marking on his hand afterwards — that’s why he looks at it when he wakes up from his dream.

Also, in case you weren’t aware, the Mujina Gang arc comes directly after the Vs. Momoshiki arc in the manga. So basically everything since Momoshiki’s defeat has been anime-only.

Shinobi Trading Cards

This might come as a surprise, but the shinobi trading cards are actually the things I’m most interested in from this episode. These cards are nothing new for the Boruto series, but they’re a pretty cool part of the world that’s been built.

In the picture below, we see three cards, with two of them being SR and one of them being R (those are rarities if you aren’t aware).

The first SR card we see features Naturo as a child, Iruka, and Kakashi at Ichiraku Ramen. The second card features Sai using his Super Beast Scroll — we’ll discuss that in just a bit. And the third card features Ao from the Hidden Mist Village; it’s interesting that the only non-Leaf shinobi card is ranked lower.

Shinobi trading cards from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Shinobi trading cards

So why are these cards important? Well, the Sai card, for example, explains Sai’s signature jutsu. These are shinobi. Isn’t it a bit strange for their trade secrets to be printed on collectible cards like this? I wouldn’t be surprised if we later see the Mujina Gang using these cards to gather intel on Leaf shinobi.

This is what Garou did with the book of heroes in One Punch Man 2nd Season.

But, the cards pictured here also hold a secret: The first card represents the previous anime arc (Time Slip arc), the middle card represents the current arc (Mujina Gang arc), and the third card represents the next arc in the manga (Ao arc).

It’s the little details like that which really made this a good episode.

The Mujina Gang

Last week I had mentioned that it was disappointing that we were transitioning away from the Mujina Gang to focus on the next arc. Well, obviously that no longer applies, because the Mujina Gang is the next (now current) arc. And, I actually knew this already, but I mixed up the Mujina and Byakuya Gangs.

I was thinking that the Mujina Gang was the anime-only gang, and the Byakuya Gang was the manga gang. It’s actually the other way around. The Byakuya Gang from the beginning of the series is the anime-only one, while the Mujina Gang is in the manga.

So, for everyone who thought the last mini arc about Hozuki Prison wasn’t important because it wasn’t in the manga, it actually set up the current arc which is from the manga. That’s the kind of thing I mean when I say that the anime-only content for Boruto is still considered canon.

Mujina Gang members from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Mujina Gang members

If you were paying attention during the OP, then you’ll also have noticed it included some new visuals. We now get to see Boruto fighting against the leader of the Mujina Gang, Shojoji. This is interesting considering we’re only a few episodes away from the new OP anyway which will likely feature the Mujina Gang.

If you didn’t know, there’s a new OP roughly every 25 episodes throughout the entire Naruto franchise. The next OP for Boruto should show up around episode 152 or 153.

And as a final note on the Mujina Gang, let’s take a look at their forehead protectors. Like all rogue shinobi, they’ve scratched out the symbol of their original village. However, we also see that they have two vertical scratches as well. Is this to distinguish them from other groups like the Akatsuki? Or is it just a coincidence?

Conclusion

What did you think of Boruto episode 148? Are you someone who’s glad to be back to manga content even though the anime is canon? Did you notice the secret in the shinobi trading cards? And, what’s your prediction for how many episodes are going to be between the end of this arc and the start of the next manga arc? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

2 Replies to “Boruto Episode 148”

  1. First time reader here, so I’m a bit confused about the part “Boruto, anime-only content is still considered to be canon”. How can it still be considered canon if it has something that is not in the manga? Is it because of the showrunners trying to make it official “canon”.
    I only see something as anime canon if the author choose to have things put into the anime which he/she didn’t put into the manga.

    1. Good question. The author of Boruto has stated that the anime content is canon. There simply isn’t enough space (or time) to include everything the author wanted in the manga, so he uses the anime to tell those stories. Obviously the Boruto anime still has filler, but these are generally your one-off episodes — like that one about Chouchou entering an eating contest.

      Anime-only content like the Hozuki Castle or Hidden Stone arcs are canon content that simply didn’t make it into the manga. I hope that answers your question.

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