Boruto Episode 158

Boruto Episode 158

The Man Who Disappeared

We’re finally at the point in the Boruto series at which everything is beginning to come together. Remember when Boruto was using his Jougan to see people that were being controlled by some “dark” chakra at the beginning of the series? I’m pretty sure that’s the jutsu of one of the Kara members.

At least, I don’t remember that mystery every actually being solved. And it lines up with what we’ve been learning about Kara in the past few episodes.

Before I get to discussing all of that specifically, I first want to go over this episode in particular. But as I do that, some things to pay attention to are Boruto’s glove, Mugino, and the goal of the medical research company located within the Land of Valleys.

Mugino from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Mugino

The importance of Sasuke giving Boruto a glove with which to cover the mark on his hand will become more apparent later on. However, remember what Sasuke told him when he gave Boruto the glove: Drawing attention to yourself is a great way to get into trouble. And since they know the mark is somehow related to Kara, Boruto should cover it.

Moving on to Mugino, I thought that perhaps we had seen Mugino in the past. But as it turns out, this is the first episode that he’s ever been featured in. What that means is that we don’t know anything about him or what he’s capable of.

Konohamaru states that Mugino’s team is in charge of dealing with small skirmishes in areas where conflict is still common. So what I’m interested in is finding out what kind of jutsu Mugino uses. Does he have some specialized jutsu for infiltration and assassination?

The Land of Valleys

By all accounts, the Land of Valleys is a peaceful place. We’re specifically told that it’s not a peaceful place, but so far we’ve seen nothing to back that up. Obviously this is going to change, but I’m not yet convinced that this excursion into the Land of Valleys will have warranted Mugino to tag along.

What I mean by this is that there doesn’t seem to be a conflict that requires neutralizing — which is what Mugino supposedly specializes in. The conflict in this arc will most likely arise from the Leaf shinobi getting involved where the medical research facility doesn’t want them to. That’s not the same type of situation.

Why do I bring this up? Because I don’t think Mugino’s abilities are actually the reason he was included in this arc. I think Mugino is here to teach Boruto a lesson: Don’t trust anyone. Specifically, don’t trust medical companies that claim to be doing something for the greater good (which fits into the overall Boruto series theme).

The Land of Valleys from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
The Land of Valleys

Moving on to the terrain of the Land of Valleys, I think it’s pretty cool. However, referring to the canyon within which this land is located as a valley is a bit misleading. Valleys and canyons aren’t the same thing.

Also, despite it being stated that the Land of Valleys is a small nation, you would think they would have their own hidden village. After all, the fog that fills the canyon is perfect for hiding such a settlement. But we know there isn’t one to be found here for two reasons.

First, back in Naruto episode 193, an amateur ninja from the Land of Valleys infiltrated the Leaf Village. He wasn’t associated with a hidden village, so we can assume there isn’t one in his homeland. Second, the fact that Mia requested help from the Leaf is a sign that there’s no closer hidden village to request help from.

Medical Research and Kara

Maybe I’m wrong, but I’m almost certain that the president of the medical research company is the same old man who was shown to be a member of Kara in episode 157. This is how Boruto is going to learn not to trust people. Mugino has been saying that he shouldn’t trust people and we saw Boruto say that the president seems like a good guy.

So when it’s revealed that the president is actually working with Kara, it will reinforce the idea that Boruto shouldn’t blindly trust people. But why is someone from Kara involved with a medical research facility in the Land of Valleys? Because as I mentioned last week, I’m pretty sure they’re attempting to artificially create an Ōtsutsuki.

The medical research company president from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
The medical research company president

This is also where Boruto’s new glove comes into play. It’s no coincidence that Sasuke just gave Boruto a glove to cover his Ōtsutsuki clan mark just before he comes face-to-face with his first Kara member. Boruto is probably going to reveal his mark to him without realizing the danger he’s putting himself in.

And to connect everything back to the beginning of the series and Boruto’s Jougan, remember Katasuke? He’s the head of the Leaf’s Scientific Ninja Weapons Team. He’s also one of the people who was being controlled by the “dark” chakra and who slipped Leaf Village research to an unknown organization.

That organization is probably none other than Kara. Since Kara is also in the business of medical and biological weapons research, it would make sense for them to want the Leaf’s information. And add to that the fact that the Leaf has been at the forefront of Hashirama cell research — which appears to be connected with what’s currently going on in the Land of Valleys.

Conclusion

What did you think of Boruto episode 158? I feel like it’s setting up an introductory arc for the Kara before we cut away to something else. I really get the feeling that this isn’t going to lead directly into the Kara arc. And the reason for that is because I don’t think the president is a high-ranking Kara member.

From what I understand, the high-ranking Kara members have Roman numerals tattooed on their faces, as we saw with the guy at the very beginning of the episode. Instead, the president is probably just an important member of Kara because of the research he performs.

So when Boruto and the gang take down this operation, the Kara member with the VII tattoo will probably witness it and report back to his leader. Then, we’ll go onto some other arc before circling back around to Kara eventually.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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