Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 280

Who Framed Kiseru?

Did you know that Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 280 is the 1,000th episode of Naruto? That’s a huge milestone. And yet, Episode 280 wasn’t anything special. In a lot of ways, this episode was actually bad. I’d say it’s the worst episode so far in the Ouga’s maze arc.

But, just because it’s the worst episode of the arc doesn’t mean there aren’t things to talk about. And the first of those things is, who framed Kiseru? He claims that he wasn’t the one who killed Batta and Fugou. So, if not him, then who?

Even though we went over the possible culprits in last week’s review, let’s briefly do it again. We know it wasn’t Boruto and we can be pretty sure it wasn’t Shamo. Despite Rokuro having Batta and Fugou’s cards, he claims it wasn’t him either. And despite Kiseru having a motive, he says someone set him up.

Why should we believe Rokuro and Kiseru, though? Well, in Rokuro’s case, it’s simple. Why would Rokuro lie? He’s a convicted killer whom we’ve seen kill other people in this arc. He has no incentive to lie about not killing Batta and Fugou. In fact, he’d want to brag about it.

As for Kiseru, of course, we know that he’s actually an ANBU plant. So, he wasn’t the one to kill Batta and Fugou. But, think of it this way, why would he offer up his communication device as evidence? Doesn’t that make him look more guilty?

Well, not if he’s trying to clear his name. He’s admitting he took the device back from Batta. If he was guilty, why would he do that and then still insist he’s innocent? He wouldn’t.

We can also be pretty sure it wasn’t Namua. So, that leaves Yatsume.

Kiseru’s Mission

One of the two big twists of the episode is that Kiseru is a member of the Hidden Leaf’s ANBU. I already didn’t think he was a plant for Ouga. But, this confirms it. He’s only in Ouga’s maze because of his mission to get to the bottom of the disappearances.

With that said, Kiseru is still very much an Outer of Kara. Does this mean Kara has infiltrated even the Leaf’s ANBU? No. It’s the opposite. Kiseru is an ANBU operative who infiltrated Kara as an Outer. The ANBU believe Ouga’s maze has a connection to the remnants of Kara.

Since the ANBU believe there’s a connection, it’s very possible that there actually is. But, I have to say that from my perspective, this connection doesn’t make much sense. Who from Kara would be running this experiment? And what would they be trying to achieve with it?

There’s only 1 Kara Inner remaining: Code. And based on everything we’ve seen of Code, he doesn’t seem like the kind of person to run an experiment. That was Amado’s job. So, if Ouga’s maze really is run by a Kara member, it would have to be some new Outer we’ve never met before.

But, this leads to another question. Does whoever’s running the experiment not know that Kiseru is an Outer, as well? Or, do they know he’s an ANBU plant? If they know Kiseru’s an Outer, you’d expect them to have tried to make contact with him.

So, either they don’t know he’s an Outer or they know he’s actually a spy. If Kiseru is lucky, it’s the former. If it’s the latter, then I don’t expect him to survive the arc. And, he might actually be the only character to die, in the end.

Ouga’s Genjutsu

At the end of Episode 280, we learn that Ouga’s maze is just a genjutsu. None of those who died in the maze are actually dead — though, that doesn’t mean they’re safe. But, this brings us back to the question, “what’s the point of the experiment?”

Let’s assume that someone associated with Kara is behind Ouga’s maze, as the ANBU suspect. What do they get out of this experiment? I don’t see how this experiment has anything to do with Kara’s original goal. Didn’t they want to create a second Infinite Tsukuyomi?

The only explanation I can come up with is that they want a lot of data on the line between life and death. Why do they want this? Maybe they can implant that data into Code somehow and help him awaken as a new Ōtsutsuki. I have no idea, though.

There are some issues with this theory, though. For starters, what’s the point of keeping all the test subjects alive? We know that everyone who “died” in Ouga’s maze is actually alive. Why is that? What reason does the experimenter have for keeping them alive? It seems more like a liability, to me.

Another issue is the inclusion of Boruto in the experiment. Surely, if a member of Kara is running the experiment, they know who Boruto is, right? I mean, he’s the vessel of Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki. That’s kind of a big deal for Kara.

So, does the experimenter not know who Boruto is? Or, was Boruto their target all along? If it’s the latter, why didn’t they target Boruto from the start? The Thunder Train he was on wasn’t the first to go missing. We know this from the ANBU. So, it doesn’t seem like he was the target.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 280? Would you have rather seen a special episode for the 1,000th episode of the franchise? Do you think Ouga’s maze is connected to Kara? And, if so, what’s the point of the experiment? Let me know in the comments.

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My review of Episode 281 is available now.