Boruto Episode 222

Using Scientific Ninja Tools

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 222 isn’t exactly an unimportant episode, but I don’t think it’s the episode anyone wanted to see. At this point, I’m sure basically everyone watching Boruto just wants to get to the final round of the Chunin Exam.

I know that’s what I want. But at the same time, I can still appreciate having Episode 222 here to build up a few of the character storylines going into the final round. Allegedly only 5 of the 10 entrants will be granted the title of chunin, which makes it important to show what that would mean to each one of them.

I’m still not convinced that 5 will receive the distinction. Either it will be fewer than 5 or more than 5 (perhaps even all 10). I just can’t take what’s been said about the passing criteria at face value simply because it’s the Chunin Exam.

Anyway, Iwabe and Denki of Team 5 passed the first two rounds of the exam while Metal failed. That’s kind of to be expected because Metal is useless. But, what was a bit unexpected is that Denki now seems to be one of the favorites to become a chunin — based on combat ability.

Denki becoming a chunin based on his knowledge and strategy, much like Shikamaru in the original Naruto series, makes sense. But I never would have guessed that Denki could be an actual combatant.

It all comes down to something I honestly hadn’t considered. While scientific ninja tools are technically banned from the exam, you can use them if you create them yourself. This means that just as puppet masters can use puppets, Denki can use any powerful tool he created.

Teams 10 and 25

Next up, I want to discuss Teams 10 and 25 because they’re going to be at odds in the next episode. The first match of the final Chunin Exam test is Inojin vs. Houki. Only one of them can win, so who will it be?

Personally, I think it’s fairly difficult to gauge which characters will pass any given Chunin Exam and which will fail. This is because their passing or failing doesn’t really impact the story in the long run, so it’s not all that important.

And since it’s not all that important, we can’t simply assume that the more notable character is going to be the one to pass. If that was the case, Inojin would obviously beat Houki and become a chunin. But, will that be the outcome?

One reason I think Inojin is going to pass is because of the emphasis on all three of Team 10’s members becoming chunin within this episode. Shikadai doesn’t want to wear his chunin vest until the other two have theirs, and he made a point of them all splitting the bill next time out as chunin.

However, that doesn’t mean they’re actually all going to be chunin by the end of these exams. After all, as the only member of his team to make it to the final round, there’s a good argument to be made for Houki coming out on top. He would give Team 25 the chunin leader it needs.

My bet is that this match is going to end with Inojin winning. But, at the end of the exams, it’s going to be revealed that Houki also passes due to the way in which he strategized and fought around a stronger opponent on paper.

But with that said, I’d still like to see Houki win.

Tsubaki’s Return Home

Team 15 is odd because the only “member” who’s present in the manga is Sumire, and she’s not even a member of the team in the anime anymore. Wasabi, Namida, and now Tsubaki, are all anime-original characters.

And yet, I actually like Team 15. Sure, Namida is a bit annoying, but she has some unique jutsu that I still find interesting. Wasabi is cool, though. And I also really like Tsubaki because she has a good design and I’m just a fan of sword-wielding characters in general.

But, in this episode, Tsubaki receives a letter from the Land of Iron that tells her it’s time for her to go home and participate in the selection for a new leader. This means that Tsubaki will be leaving the Leaf Village after the conclusion of the Chunin Exams (unless she ends up not leaving, for whatever reason).

Personally, I do think Tsubaki is going to leave. That doesn’t mean we’ll never see her again, though. She’ll probably end up becoming the leader of the Land of Iron and we’ll get to see her in that role in a filler arc in the future.

But, what does this mean for Tsubaki’s character and the Chunin Exam? For her character, it makes sense for her to pass the exam and go back to her homeland with honor. But, that would also effectively mean stealing a chunin title slot from another character who’s going to be sticking around.

If Tsubaki does pass the test, that would be evidence to me of all (or nearly all) 10 entrants passing. She could then go and become the Land of Iron leader as explained. But, I think it’s also likely that she fails the exam, fails to become the next leader of her homeland, and then returns to the Leaf Village to continue her training so that she can succeed next time.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 222? Do you think Denki will win his match? Or will he pass due to his smarts? What’s your prediction for the Inojin vs. Houki match? And will Tsubaki return to her homeland as a chunin? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 223 is available now.