Boruto Episode 217

Boruto Episode 217

Baryon Mode

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 217 was a great episode. It wasn’t as visually stunning as Episode 189, but I honestly don’t know if another episode will ever match that. Maybe something near the very end of the series.

Anyway, let’s talk Baryon Mode, Naruto’s new ultimate technique that he’s only going to ever use this one time. That description makes it sound pretty cheap. It’s a technique that he can pull out once when he really needs to defeat his opponent and save the day.

But, considering the drawback is literally death (not really), it makes it slightly less cheap. Overall, I still prefer something like Might Guy’s Eighth Gate of Death simply because we always knew that existed. Baryon Mode is pulled out of nowhere.

Kurama from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Kurama

Now, you may recall from last week that I said I don’t believe Naruto is actually going to die from his use of Baryon Mode (which wasn’t named at the time). Kurama says something at the start of this week’s episode which seems to confirm that. He says that Baryon mode uses up their chakra until one or both of them dies.

Considering the death of just one of them is an option here, it seems like Kurama just set up his own death flag. There’s no way Naruto dies at this point. But now that we know only Kurama has to die, that seems like the logical outcome.

And, don’t forget that in my review of Episode 215 I said Naruto needs to be nerfed in some way, such as by removing the tailed beasts from within him. Kurama dying would pretty much solve that.

Oh, and if you’re wondering what a baryon is, it’s a heavy particle like a neutron or proton. I’m not sure what that has to do with this mode. I’m a writer, not a physicist.

First and Last

I didn’t realize how much I missed fights that take place on bodies of water until we got this fight between Naruto and Isshiki. There’s just something about Naruto fights and bodies of water — they go together perfectly. But, they also work together simply because they’re already an iconic duo.

I hope you’re ready because here’s the part of the review where I show how much of a Naruto fanboy (nerd) I am. This fight was actually a reference to another fight that occurred over 16 years ago. That might be before some of you reading this were born.

Back in May of 2005, Naruto Episode 133 aired and gave us one of the most iconic Naruto scenes to this day. Even if you’ve never watched the original Naruto series, you’ve seen the scene of Naruto punching Sasuke up into the air and finishing him with a kick to the chin.

And if you somehow don’t know what I’m talking about, click on that link to my Naruto review. There’s a gif of the scene in that.

A splash of water caused by Naruto and Isshiki fighting from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
A splash of water caused by Naruto and Isshiki fighting

You might be thinking, “Wow, that’s pretty cool that Boruto Episode 217 referenced Naruto Episode 133!” But, what if I told you there’s more to it than just that? Think about the two fights and how they relate to Naruto’s character.

The fight in Naruto Episode 133 wasn’t the first fight between Naruto and Sasuke, but it was the first real fight between them. This was the fight that really started Naruto and Sasuke down their respective paths.

And now, in Boruto Episode 217, we got what’s probably going to be Naruto’s last major fight. So it’s only fitting that Naruto’s last big fight had a direct reference to his first big fight.

Naruto Burns Out

As the fight between Naruto and Isshiki progressed, I started to feel like maybe I wouldn’t mind if Naruto actually defeated Isshiki once and for all here. I know I previously stated that Boruto and Kawaki have to be the ones to defeat Isshiki — and they probably will be — but let’s consider how things could have played out if Naruto won.

If Naruto defeated Isshiki with his Baryon Mode and then lost Kurama as a result, it would effectively serve as a reset for the series. The main antagonist would be gone, but so too would the main protagonist.

With both Isshiki and Naruto (Kurama) out of the picture, Boruto and Kawaki would be free to go up against the next antagonist without their predecessors hanging over them. Also, let’s pretend Sasuke lost his Rinnegan so he’s out of the picture too.

Baryon Mode Naruto bursting through flames from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Baryon Mode Naruto bursting through flames

It might seem odd for Naruto to be the one to defeat Isshiki. That’s what I originally thought. After all, shouldn’t Kawaki play a role in his defeat to show that Kawaki has grown as a character? Yes, but we could also view Isshiki’s defeat at the hands of Naruto as a way to cleanse Kawaki of everything holding him back.

There are still other, strong opponents for Kawaki and Boruto to fight. I doubt we’ve seen the last of Delta, and we haven’t seen anything of Code yet. Kara still exists even without Isshiki, though it’s unclear exactly what their next steps would be.

And, let’s not forget that Momoshiki could still play a role later in the series. If Naruto had defeated Isshiki here, it would set the stage for Boruto and Kawaki to do the same to Momoshiki later on.

But, none of that matters now that Isshiki defeated Naruto. I just thought I’d mention it because Isshiki isn’t necessarily the final antagonist for Boruto and Kawaki to overcome and grow from.

Kawaki’s Choice

Obviously, the “right” choice for Kawaki to make would have been to not reveal himself to Isshiki, thus allowing Naruto to be killed. This would have meant Isshiki also died, and therefore Kawaki would have saved the world from him.

However, that’s not the choice Kawaki makes. Kawaki thinks that giving himself up to save Naruto is the same as Naruto giving himself up to save Kawaki. What Kawaki isn’t realizing is that he and Naruto have very different dynamics in how they’re supposed to interact with each other.

Kawaki thinks that in order to be like Naruto, he has to be willing to sacrifice himself for others. However, he’s missing the important context that he and Naruto aren’t equals. Naruto is the father figure here, while Kawaki is the child. The sacrifice isn’t supposed to go both ways.

Kawaki from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Kawaki

I’m interested to see how this choice plays out. On one hand, now that Kawaki has made his choice, we might see Isshiki take him away and make him into a new vessel. If this is the case, Boruto and Kawaki probably wouldn’t meet face to face again until their battle in the Leaf Village ruins.

However, the current OP has actually been pretty good at foreshadowing — which is uncommon among Boruto OPs. It clearly shows Sasuke, Boruto, and Kawaki standing over Naruto on the ground after the fight against Isshiki. This seems to imply that Isshiki has been defeated.

So, on the other hand, I think it’s also possible that Isshiki implants his Karma on Kawaki here before dying, we get the scene from the OP, and then that explains how Kawaki has Karma again for when he and Boruto fight in the Leaf Village ruins.

Conclusion

What do you think about Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 217? Are Naruto, Kurama, or both going to die from using Baryon Mode? Did you catch the reference to Naruto Episode 133? And do you think Isshiki is going to take Kawaki away or leave him with Boruto? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 218 is available now.

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