Boruto Episode 163

Boruto Episode 163

The Pursuers

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 163 wasn’t as good as I was hoping it would be. Since this was the first time that we got to see a member of Kara in combat, and his opponent was Omoi from the Hidden Cloud Village, I thought that maybe we would get some really great fight choreography and animation.

There was some good animation, but this fight wasn’t choreographed nearly well enough for it to have the major impact it could have had. In fact, this was almost the perfect opportunity for some intense fight choreography. On one hand, Deepa fights with his fists, and on the other, Hidden Cloud shinobi utilize kenjutsu (swordsmanship).

If you pick out any great fight choreography from the entire Naruto franchise, it’s probably going to focus on a fist or sword fight. Long-range combat just doesn’t benefit from choreography as much.

Kakui vs. Deepa from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Kakui vs. Deepa

I really like Hidden Cloud shinobi. In general, they have cool designs, lightning style jutsu are cool, and I’m always a huge fan of characters who use (realistically sized) swords. But, Hidden Cloud shinobi are also some of the least versatile shinobi we know of when it comes to combat.

Their primary weapon is a katana and they can generally only use lightning release. So despite the fact that they’re often some of the fastest and physically strongest ninja around, they don’t have many options besides brute force.

And this lack of versatility was on full display when Omoi, Marui, and Kakui fought against Deepa. Once it became clear that their lightning style jutsu and swords couldn’t stop him, the battle was effectively over. If Darui, the Fifth Raikage, was fighting Deepa instead of Omoi, the outcome may have been different.

Deepa’s Fighting Style

So what’s the deal with Deepa? He looks exceedingly stupid, but he’s apparently a fairly proficient fighter. However, since he’s the first member of Kara we’re seeing in action, we can also probably assume that he’s one of the weakest. But, I wouldn’t go so far as to say the tattoos under his eyes are a reflection of that.

We have no proof that a lower number means a member is stronger. After all, the apparent leader of the organization has the number four (IV), not one (I), so Deepa’s seven (VII) may not really mean anything.

But what interests me most about Deepa is his fighting style. He uses his fists and apparently doesn’t use any ninjutsu. It’s possible that he’s using some form of ninjutsu because not all ninjutsu require hand signs (i.e. the Rasengan). But the vast majority of ninjutsu have at least some motion attributed to them — usually hand signs.

Deepa of Kara from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Deepa of Kara

I saw one person theorize that Deepa is using a scientific ninja tool, and I agree that this is most likely the case. The metal-like material he wears on his arms and chest seems like the source of his power. It can block swords and it covers his fists, with which he fights.

Additionally, we can assume that Kara is interested in scientific ninja tools to some extent because it was heavily implied that they were the ones Hidden Leaf research was being leaked to.

Finally, we have to acknowledge that Deepa has a dōjutsu of some kind. Not only does he have unique eyes, but they glow and make a sound effect when activated just like all other dōjutsu do. My guess is that his particular dōjutsu somehow increases his reflexes, which improves both his evasion and the speed of his punches.

Land of Haze

We now know that the quadruplets are shinobi from the Land of Haze, a previously unidentified land. We really don’t know anything about it at this point, but there are some hints from this arc that we can use to piece together a picture of this mysterious land.

First of all, we can assume that the Land of Haze isn’t a particularly wealthy or powerful nation. The quadruplets are trying to steal the Hashirama Cell specifically because it will help their nation. Additionally, we can assume that it’s a hotbed for criminals and terrorists based on what Omoi says when he’s having one of his episodes.

But, I wouldn’t say that the Land of Haze is on the same level as the Land of Silence, which is a completely lawless region. The quadruplets believe that if they can just manage to cross the border, there will be nothing the Leaf shinobi can do to stop them. And this would only be true if the nation had at least some political power in the world.

Yuuga waiting to ambush the Leaf shinobi from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Yuuga waiting to ambush the Leaf shinobi

While shinobi can infiltrate a region such as the Land of Silence without any real problems, the same isn’t true when entering other lands. In most cases, shinobi need permission from the country in order to enter their borders. This is because shinobi are the military for their respective nations — they can’t simply “invade” neighboring states.

And yes, I understand that it doesn’t make much sense for a shinobi to need permission to enter another country. They’re shinobi, after all. But generally speaking, the only time shinobi actually work as spies who infiltrate other lands without their permission and perform assassinations is when there’s a war.

We’ll probably learn a lot more about the Land of Haze next week when the quadruplets’ forbidden jutsu is revealed.

Conclusion

What do you think about Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 163? Do you think Omoi will be able to prevent Deepa from catching up to the Leaf shinobi? What do you think Deepa’s dōjutsu is? And, do you think we’ll actually enter the Land of Haze or just see it via a flashback? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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