Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 252

Heading Out to Sea

At the start of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada are looking for a ship. Their plan is to head toward the war and try to talk both Chōjūrō and Ikada out of it. It’s an alright plan, in theory. But, there are some problems.

Of course, the first problem is that they don’t have a ship. This was an easy problem to overcome, though. Boss Kajiki was always going to be the one to come to their rescue here. That much was obvious from the moment the trio mentioned needing a ship.

The bigger issue they’ll have to overcome is that Chōjūrō and Ikada aren’t the only ones who need convincing. Even if they both agree to peace, there’s Araumi Funato. Someone is going to need to defeat (most likely kill) Araumi if the war is going to end.

Alright, so Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada have to take down Araumi. So what? Well, if they kill Araumi, doesn’t that only further the cycle of revenge? For that reason, I doubt they’ll do it. Instead, Ikada may be the one to take down his own father. That could solve the problem.

But, there’s also another option I’ve been thinking of. Where is Kawaki? He’s not with the other members of Team 7. And he’s also not with Team 5 and the New Seven Ninja Swordsmen. He went off on his own and we haven’t seen him since. He’s also against making peace with the Funato.

Are you starting to get what I’m saying? Kawaki could show up on the Funato ship and kill Araumi. That would solve the Araumi problem, but also widen the moral gap between Kawaki and Boruto. That’s my leading theory at the moment.

Ikada Funato’s Transformation

As a pureblood Funato, Ikada’s body can transform. He can develop gills on his neck and webbing between his fingers. But, that’s not the transformation I’m interested in. Instead, let’s take a look at how his character transformed after Seiren’s death.

When Seiren died, Ikada became a different person. And it’s not that he became depressed and began acting a bit off. I mean that he’s so different that he’s not even recognizable as Ikada anymore. If you told me this was another Funato sibling and not Ikada, I’d believe you.

Grief and the desire for revenge can change people. I’m not saying that’s not the case. But Ikada changed the way he dressed, his hairstyle, and all his beliefs in the course of a day. I’m supposed to believe that he’s now pro-war? And that he has no problem with killing his friends?

To be clear, I know that the person the series is claiming to be Ikada is Ikada. But, is this a good representation of how someone changes when consumed by revenge? No. And that’s especially true if Ikada reverts back to his old self at the end of the arc thanks to the power of friendship.

If Ikada’s going to change due to the death of his sister, I’d rather that change be more believable. Don’t change everything about his character. Or, give a different reason for his change. Rather than for revenge, he could be acting this way due to the pressure of his father.

Now that Ikada is the final Funato child, he may believe that he has to fill the void left by his siblings. That’s way more believable than Ikada suddenly wanting to go to war. But, that’s not how Ikada’s transformation is being framed.

Chōjūrō’s Faith

Before I discuss Chōjūrō at all, I want to discuss his assistant. In this episode, Chōjūrō referred to her as Tankan. I couldn’t think of her name before this, so it’s possible she wasn’t named in the anime before now.

But, that seems unlikely. She’s been around since the Boruto Movie and made her anime series debut in Episode 24. Someone must have said her name before now and I forgot. Anyway, something interesting I learned is that she has a different name in the manga. In the manga, her name is Mizuno.

Now that we know Tankan/Mizuno’s name, it’s time to ignore her and talk about Chōjūrō instead. Chōjūrō decides to believe in Boruto and gives him a chance to talk Ikada out of the war. But, why would he trust Boruto like that?

As Chōjūrō puts it, Boruto was able to save Kagura with his words. So, the thinking is that he might be able to save Ikada with his words in the same way. But, we also have to consider who Boruto is. He’s the son of Naruto, the most charismatic shinobi around.

It does seem a bit strange for Chōjūrō to agree not to send a bodyguard with Boruto, Mitsuki, and Sarada, though. Sure, the three of them are pretty capable. But, it would be pretty bad for Chōjūrō if anything happened to those three.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we later find out that Chōjūrō did send someone to follow them. Tankan might appear out of nowhere when things go south on the Funato ship. Would Chōjūrō really put the children of Naruto and Sasuke in danger? Maybe.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 252? How do you think they’ll stop Araumi Funato? What are your thoughts on Ikada’s transformation? And did you already know Tankan’s name before this episode? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 253 is available now.