Boruto Episode 173

Boruto Episode 173

Mitsuki Still Out of Commission

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 173 seems to be getting back on track with the main plot of the series. I don’t actually know if this stuff we’re seeing is in the manga or not. But it seems important enough that even if it’s not, it should still be considered canon (which it is).

I’ll get to some of the actual events that took place in this episode in just a bit. But first, I want to mention how it’s a bit odd that Mitsuki seems like he’s going to be left out of this arc’s climax.

When we checked in with Mitsuki near the beginning of the episode, Orochimaru made it clear that he’s still going to be out of commission for at least a month. So, while the rest of Team 7 is fighting in the Land of Valleys and Boruto and Sarada are having their rematch against Deepa, Mitsuki will still be recovering.

Orochimaru from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Orochimaru

I did also consider the fact that Mitsuki could show up just in time for the rematch against Deepa. However, I don’t think that’s a very likely scenario considering the condition he’s currently in. He’s not simply injured. He’s awaiting organ transplants and can’t be removed from medical machines without dying.

With that in mind, I think there are two primary possibilities. The first is very unlikely, which is that Mitsuki somehow regenerates his own organs, no longer needs transplants, and joins the battle. The second, and more likely of the two, is that this is the arc in which Mitsuki learns to rely on his teammates.

Mitsuki trusts his teammates, and he’s been helped by them such as in the Land of Stone, but he’s never really relied on them to achieve something in his place.

Infiltration Successful

For an organization that’s conducting illegal and inhumane experiments while also being investigated by another country, Victor’s company has some pretty lax security. They have guards and state-of-the-art technological security such as cameras, sensors, and other gadgets.

They even have a special “decontamination” room that places anyone who enters it under a genjutsu so that they’ll see what Victor wants them to see. And yet, they didn’t check for the oldest trick in the shinobi book: A simple transformation jutsu.

Considering that Victor knows he’s being investigated by the Hidden Leaf, you’d think that he would be warier about who he allows into his lab. There are multiple ways in which he could have prevented Konohamaru and Mugino from getting inside.

Konohamaru and Mugino from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Konohamaru and Mugino

For starters, he could have said that the lord of the Land of Valleys has to leave his escorts behind before they travel into the underground lab. That way, even if someone is transformed to look like the lord, it’s only a single enemy who gets into the lab — something that Victor can handle.

Additionally, you’d think that with all of this technology his company has at its disposal, they would be able to create a machine that can identify transformation jutsu. For example, a machine that can detect the usage of chakra in a person’s body.

If the machine were to detect that a person is constantly using some amount of chakra while seemingly using no jutsu, it would be an indication that a transformation jutsu is active.

It just seems to me that Victor should have some way to prevent someone using a basic transformation jutsu from waltzing right into his secret lab. I get that the genjutsu room is kind of a safeguard against this. But just as with the transformation jutsu, the release jutsu is extremely basic.

The Secret Behind the Underground Room

We’ve known that Victor’s company has been performing research and experiments on the Hashirama Cell on behalf of Kara. However, the extent of that research and experimentation was unknown until now. There have been some hints, but nothing concrete has been known.

I’ve had a few theories over the past few months regarding what Kara’s goal is. I’m pretty sure that they’re either trying to manufacture an artificial Ōtsutsuki clan member or trying to gain the power of the Ōtsutsuki clan for themselves.

In either case, we know that they’re interested in the Ōtsutsuki clan and the marks they leave behind, they’re involved in the creation of homunculi, and they’re gathering information on scientific ninja tools. So, I think it’s most likely that they want to create a homunculus that can use the Ōtsutsuki clan jutsu.

An artificial Divine Tree from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
An artificial Divine Tree

Beyond that, I have no idea what Kara wants. What do they plan to do once they create such a being? I doubt they want this power solely to take over the world. They must have some specific end goal in mind that requires the power of the Ōtsutsuki clan.

Perhaps they want to fight back against the Ōtsutsuki clan, and they figured that the best way to do that would be to have the same power.

One thing that does seem clear to me is that Kara doesn’t have the same goal as any antagonists that came before it in this series. The Akatsuki gathered the tailed beasts to create a peaceful world. Madara combined the tailed beasts and created the divine tree to make a dreamlike world.

Kara has created an artificial divine tree, but this seems to only be the first step in their plan. They’re doing something that goes beyond what the Akatsuki and Madara had attempted.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations episode 173? Do you think Mitsuki will show up in the Land of Valleys in time for the rematch against Deepa? Is there any way Victor could make his lab more secure than it already is? And what do you think Kara’s goal is? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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