Boruto Episode 214

Boruto Episode 214

Karma Vessels

Another week, another opportunity for us to learn more about the Ōtsutsuki clan and their Karma system. The first new information we’re given in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 214 is how Karma works when there are multiple vessels involved.

As we know, Jigen wasn’t the reincarnation of Isshiki; he was simply one of Isshiki’s two vessels, with the other being Kawaki. But, there are two very important distinctions between Jigen and Kawaki as vessels. And these distinctions are at the center of Amado’s plan.

First, Jigen is a completed vessel while Kawaki isn’t. This means that while Isshiki could use Jigen to reincarnate himself right now, he can’t just yet via Kawaki. And second, Jigen is an unsuitable vessel, unlike Kawaki, which means that a reincarnation using him will only be temporary.

Jigen and the Karma system from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Jigen and the Karma system

Now, why do these distinctions between Jigen and Kawaki matter? Because, apparently, Isshiki can only “choose” one of them. If an Ōtsutsuki has multiple vessels when they die, they’re reincarnated into one of them and the Karma is removed from all the others.

So, when Koji Kashin kills Isshiki with the fire he summoned, Isshiki only has one viable option: Jigen. Although reincarnating through Jigen isn’t ideal, Kawaki isn’t a finished vessel yet. But, this results in Kawaki’s Karma being removed.

And, in case you were wondering why Isshiki didn’t just wait to be reincarnated via Kawaki at a later date like Momoshiki’s doing with Boruto, he can’t. As Amado explained, the Karma data transfer happens automatically upon death.

It’s unclear how this would work if Isshiki had multiple completed vessels. But since he only has one, Jigen, that’s who he’s automatically reincarnated through.

Isshiki Revived

With our updated knowledge regarding how Karma vessels work, I’m a bit surprised that the members of Kara weren’t all Isshiki’s vessels. To me, it would make sense for Isshiki to fill his inner circle (pun intended) of strong people who were dedicated to him and who were viable vessels.

This would have meant that any time Isshiki needed a new vessel, he would have had a selection of multiple people who he knew would sacrifice themselves for him. Instead, the only two vessels in Kara, Jigen and Kawaki, aren’t vessels by choice. And this is kind of an issue for Isshiki.

Anyway, enough about vessels. Let’s discuss Isshiki himself — specifically his dōjutsu. I think Episode 214 is the first time we’ve seen Isshiki’s face (every other shot was from behind) and so we now see that his left eye is a Byakugan and his right is a brand new type of eye.

Isshiki Ōtsutsuki from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Isshiki Ōtsutsuki

Before I get into what we know about this new eye, I want to mention that I’m not a huge fan of Boruto introducing new eyes that are unique. I was fine when the Rinnegan was the only “unique” eye type, but now that we have Boruto’s Jōgan and Isshiki’s eye, it’s starting to feel like everyone has a special eye.

So, what does Isshiki’s eye do? It’s what allows him to change the size of himself and inanimate objects. We don’t know the name of the eye yet, but we do know two jutsu it enables. The first is Isshiki’s signature jutsu, Sukunahikona, and the second is Daikokuten.

Sukunahikona is simply the jutsu that shrinks objects. Daikokuten seems to be the opposite, being the jutsu that enlarges objects. Daikokuten (大黒天) uses the kanji for large, black, and heaven and is the Japanese name of the Buddhist death deity Mahākāla.

Jiraiya’s Legacy

It was finally officially revealed that Koji Kashin is in fact a clone of Jiraiya — something we’ve known for a long time by now. Of course, this was really only revealed to the viewers officially. Naruto and everyone else in the Leaf Village still have no idea.

Naruto does mention that he has a strange feeling about Koji, though. And it’s probably going to be revealed to him who Koji is in a few episodes’ time. But, that will most likely only happen after Koji has been killed by Isshiki.

Speaking of Koji and Isshiki, Isshiki mentioned that Koji is destined to be killed by him just as Jiraiya was destined to be killed by Pain. This seemed pretty odd to me because it’s as if Isshiki is comparing himself to Pain by comparing the situations of Jiraiya and Koji. You’d think Isshiki wouldn’t view Pain as anything like himself.

Koji Kashin using Sage Art: The Five Fire Gods' Fan of Flames from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Koji Kashin using Sage Art: The Five Fire Gods’ Fan of Flames

Something else I don’t understand is why the fact that Koji Kashin is on a suicide mission was turned into such a big deal. Amado apparently hid the fact that it’s a suicide mission from Koji. And Isshiki even taunts Koji by revealing the truth of his situation.

But my big question is, why does it matter so much? Did Amado really believe Koji wouldn’t have accepted his mission if he had known it would be his last? Of course Koji would still have done it! Not only has he already stated he’s fine being treated as a tool, but he’s a clone of Jiraiya, a legendary shinobi who gave his life in the same way.

And, even with Amado not revealing the truth to Koji for some strange reason, I don’t see why Isshiki’s taunts matter either. So what if Amado lied? Is that really going to affect Koji? His goal is still to take down Isshiki, even if it means dying in the process.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 214? Do you have any additional questions about the Karma system? How do you feel about the reveal of Isshiki’s eye? And, do you think Amado hiding the truth about Koji’s mission is just needless drama? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 215 is available now.

2 Replies to “Boruto Episode 214”

  1. I think just about 80% of Boruto is needless drama. Most episodes can be summed up with a few sentences. All the supposition and pointless bits they do when talking to themselves while no one else is around really makes it hard to watch sometimes. When it is pulled almost frame by frame from a manga a lot of stuff doesn’t translate well. Things that you read doesn’t need to be explained the same way with A/V, know what I mean? And you have to remember this is made for children in Japan (that’s the demographic anyways). So over simplification tends to come with the territory. And yes I know all ages read manga over there, but these serialize ones tend to be for the younger generation of readers.
    And I have a question about the karma system. Couldn’t you just cut the hand off? if the mark is akin to a highly compressed file, then if the file was removed it would have no way to decompress or spread right?

    1. I’m not sure if cutting off the karma would work. It might in Boruto’s and Kawaki’s cases. But Jigen’s karma was on his chin. That’s a little less cut-off-able.

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