Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251

Hidden Mist and Funato

As we learned in Episode 250, Isari wanted to go against his father’s wishes and strike a deal with the Hidden Mist. In Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251, that plan didn’t work out so well for Isari. But, he gave it his best shot.

I was quite surprised to see that Isari would seek out a face-to-face meeting with Chōjūrō. But, there was something else that surprised me even more. Despite all its advancements, the Hidden Mist Village still restrains captives with rope. Did they actually think that would work on Isari?

Anyway, everything goes downhill for Isari in a matter of seconds. It’s revealed that Araumi knew about Isari’s attempted coup, and so Araumi has him killed. Or, it may be more accurate to say that Araumi himself kills Isari. In case you forgot, let me remind you that Araumi can control Isari’s harpoon.

Chōjūrō as the Mizukage from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251
Chōjūrō as the Mizukage

The surprises don’t stop there, though. What surprised me the most out of everything in this episode was how easy it was for Chōjūrō’s aid to destroy the harpoon. I expected it to be a lot more durable than it was.

Samehada is the only other living weapon we know of. And I can’t imagine someone shattering Samehada in the same way. I get that Samehada is one of the Seven Ninja Swords of the Mist. It should be durable. But, we know of fewer living weapons than Ninja Swords of the Mist.

Going back to Isari, I’d like to think that he and Chōjūrō could have come to an agreement. Chōjūrō’s a reasonable guy. And despite being a member of the Funato clan, Isari seemed reasonable too. He didn’t want war. He wanted his clan’s freedom.

One Son Remaining

For those who haven’t been keeping track, Araumi is down to one remaining child. First, he lost his adopted son, Tenma. Next, he lost his daughter, Seiren. And now, he’s killed his eldest son, Isari. Ikada is the only family Araumi has left.

Are you as disappointed by this as I am? Tenma, Seiren, and Isari deserved more. I don’t mind that they died. That’s fine considering the arc is about a cycle of revenge. But they deserved to be more important than they ended up being. They were major antagonists of the arc.

Tenma got a pretty good fight against Boruto, Kawaki, and Buntan early on in the arc. But, that was the introduction to his character. That shouldn’t have been the big fight for Tenma. At the very least, his final fight against Chōjūrō should have been a bigger deal.

Isari Funato being killed by his own harpoon from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251
Isari Funato being killed by his own harpoon

Seiren was cool for a few reasons. She was the only female antagonist of the arc. She was the closest of the siblings to Ikada. And, she had some cool jutsu, such as dark mist and echolocation. But, as with Tenma, her defeat came without a major fight.

Somehow, Isari came out of this arc with the shortest straw of all. Isari didn’t get a fight, period. The closest thing to a fight for Isari was the prison break at the start of the arc. And Isari didn’t exactly do much fighting then. Other than Araumi, Isari was set up as the main antagonist.

To put the Funato children’s fights, or lack thereof, in perspective, consider Funamushi. Funamushi isn’t a Funato by blood or by adoption. He was a follower of Seiren. And yet, Funamushi got a way better fight than Tenma, Seiren, and Isari.

A Fractured Alliance

The alliance between the Leaf shinobi and the remnants of the New Seven Ninja Swordsmen is no more. Boruto wants to save Ikada from continuing the cycle of revenge. But, Buntan and Kyohou don’t believe there’s any way to reconcile with the Funato. They don’t want to reconcile.

Not all the Hidden Leaf shinobi agree with Boruto, though. Sarada and Mitsuki are on his side, as always. And Iwabe and Denki also side with Boruto. And speaking of Iwabe and Denki, I hope we see more of them fighting Buntan and Kyohou.

Metal is in an interesting position. All he wants is for the Leaf shinobi and the New Seven Ninja Swordsmen to be friends. Over the course of this arc, he got close to Hebiichigo. So he doesn’t want to see his friends fighting with her friends. In the end, I expect Metal to be the one to break up their fight.

Buntan Kurosuki attacking the Leaf shinobi from the anime series Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251
Buntan Kurosuki attacking the Leaf shinobi

Kawaki, while not working against Boruto & co., has made it clear he doesn’t agree with them. He believes they need to eradicate the Funato if they want a chance at peace. And, this might be the start of Kawaki drifting away from the path of the shinobi.

We’ve known since Episode 1 that Boruto and Kawaki are going to be on opposing sides at some point. And ever since Kawaki’s introduction, I’ve been trying to figure out what sets him down that path. So far, I’d say this split between his and Boruto’s beliefs is the most likely trigger.

It seemed like Kawaki becomes disillusioned with the shinobi way in the future. He might see Boruto try, and fail, to save Ikada in this arc. And if he does, that could reinforce in his mind that revenge was the better choice.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 251? Do you think Chōjūrō and Isari could have reached an agreement? Are you as disappointed as I am about the lack of Funato sibling fights? And do you think the conclusion of this arc will set Kawaki down a different path than Boruto? Let me know in the comments.

I’m thinking that there might not be a single thing that makes Kawaki walk away from the shinobi life. Instead, there are a bunch of small things that are going to all add up. For example, he saw how even Naruto struggled to defeat Jigen.

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My review of Episode 252 is available now.

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