Numbers Game

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 279 features the 4th test of Ouga’s maze. This test is a battle royale in which a maximum of 5 of the remaining 8 competitors can survive. As far as we understand it, there’s no loophole in the rules this time around.

The twist of the test is that each of the 8 competitors gets a card with a number on it. The cards have the numbers 1-8 on them. To survive, you must have cards that are equal to or greater than 7 at the end of the 2-hour time limit.

So, as Namua points out, that means only 5 people can survive, at most. The combinations of cards that qualify are 8, 7, 6+1, 5+2, and 4+3. However, there’s nothing stopping someone from collecting more cards than they need. This would eliminate potential competitors from future tests.

Now, I know I said there’s no loophole in the rules that would allow more than 5 people to survive. But, I’m not convinced that’s actually the case just yet. Episode 279 didn’t complete the test. So, there’s still room for something to happen in the next episode.

We should keep in mind that Boruto wants to save as many people as possible, though. If there’s a way for more people to survive, he’ll figure it out. But, I don’t know what that way is, at the moment.

Unlike the candle test, everyone can’t share the same cards. Also, unlike the previous test, it doesn’t seem like brute force is going to work. If you don’t have the right number of cards, you can’t escape from the test area.

And cutting the cards into smaller denominations still only allows for 5 survivors. There are only 36 points.

Who Killed Batta and Fugou?

Someone killed Batta and Fugou. But, not before Batta learned that Fugou’s briefcase didn’t actually contain money. And when she learns this, Fugou explains to her that his family is in danger. He needed to get out of the maze so that he could save them.

Well, none of that matters now. I don’t know if we’ll ever follow up with what happens to Fugou’s family. But, I also don’t really care. What I did care about was Batta. She was a good character because she was struggling with the morality of her actions.

Anyway, who killed Batta and Fugou? We know it wasn’t Boruto, Namua, Shamo, or Yatsume because they were all together. That leaves Rokuro and Kiseru. And considering Rokuro is a murderer, he seems like a good suspect. On top of that, he showed up nearby with Batta’s and Fugou’s cards.

Technically, Rokuro could be the killer. However, after Boruto defeats him, he claims that they were already dead when he arrived on the scene. Further, he claims that their cards were left behind. They had the #2 and #3 cards, which means Rokuro now has 6 points in total.

Now, if what Rokuro says is true, that would mean Kiseru is the killer. And, when you think about it, this makes sense. There’s a lot of evidence pointing toward that being the case.

First, Batta suspected Kiseru of being a spy for Ouga and stole his communication device. Second, Kiseru has the #7 card, so he didn’t need to take Batta’s and Fugou’s cards. And third, though only known to us, Kiseru is an Outer of Kara. He’s not a good guy.

But, could there be another explanation? Is Kiseru really to blame?

Confronting Kiseru

At the end of the episode, Boruto stays behind to confront Kiseru. Namua, Shamo, Yatsume, and Rokuro all exit the test area without him. That means between Boruto and Kiseru, there’s only 1 card remaining. Kiseru has the #7 card, and whichever one of them has it in the end will survive.

This is why I’m not sure there won’t be a loophole Boruto can use to escape from the test. We know Boruto isn’t going to die. But, it seems unlikely that he’d take the #7 card from Kiseru knowing that Kiseru will die as a result.

Something else has to happen. And from the preview for the next episode, we see that something does happen. It looks like Yatsume returns to the test area to back up Boruto. But, why would she do that? Is it because she’s grown to like Boruto? That could be part of it.

I’m still extremely suspicious of Yatsume. She’s the only one trapped within Ouga’s maze who we know nothing about. And, she does some very odd things. For example, she began crying when watching Boruto, Namua, and Rokuro fighting. She said watching them fight for their lives brought her to tears.

That’s kind of a strange thing to say. And it makes me think she’s connected to Ouga. Doesn’t Ouga want to see the competitors fight for their lives? Is Yatsume actually Ouga? I have a feeling she might be. We haven’t seen Ouga’s real body yet, only puppets.

Also, earlier in the review I said that Batta and Fugou’s killer had to be either Rokuro or Kiseru. That’s not actually the case. They were killed before Yatsume and Namua met up. If Yatsume is the killer, she needs to kill Kiseru to cover her tracks.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 279? Can you come up with a way to allow for more than 5 people to survive this test? Who do you think killed Batta and Fugou? And, do you think Yatsume and Ouga are the same person? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 280 is available now.

A Reason to Survive

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 278 features the third test of Ouga’s maze. But, before that, we got some background information on the remaining 8 competitors. Specifically, most of them told us their reason for wanting to survive. I guess not wanting to die isn’t a good enough reason on its own.

The only one of the 8 who we didn’t get this information for is Rokuro. But, it seems pretty obvious that he wants to survive so he can keep doing whatever else he wants to do. And as for Namua, he actually doesn’t care if he survives or not.

Well, I’m sure he’d like to survive. But, he doesn’t have a reason for surviving because of his ascetic lifestyle. The other 6, however, all have a reason for surviving. Though, I’m going to bet that they weren’t all truthful about their reasons.

One example of someone who probably wasn’t truthful is Yatsume. Her reason for surviving is so that she can dye her hair a different color. I’m going to bet she has some other reason she’s keeping a secret from everyone else. And, she might even be the traitor. More on that later.

Boruto wants to survive so he can become a shinobi like Sasuke. Shamo wants to help his grandmother. Kiseru wants to soak in the hot springs of his home village. Batta wants to buy an island (which is technically true). And Fugou wants to save his company from financial ruin (a lie).

In reality, Batta wants to buy back the island where she grew up from real-estate developers. And Fugou doesn’t actually have money for a business transaction in his briefcase. Instead, there’s a flask and a picture of his family. Batta’s not going to be happy about that.

Jutsu of the Final Eight

Now seems like a good time to go over the jutsu of those who remain. We already know what Boruto’s capable of, so I’ll be skipping over him. And since Fugou and Namua aren’t shinobi, we can skip them, as well.

Rokuro’s jutsu looks very similar to what Kawaki was able to do when he had his Karma. At least, I don’t think Kawaki can transform parts of his body anymore. But, anyway, that’s what Rokuro can do. And he most often transforms his arms into bladed weapons.

Shamo is an Earth-style user, which makes sense since he’s from the Land of Stone. But, the only jutsu we’ve seen him use is a very weak Mud Wall jutsu. Considering his skill level, I’d be surprised if Shamo could do much more than that. I’m amazed he’s even genin-rank.

Episode 278 was the first time we got to see Yatsume use a jutsu. She’s a Lightning-style user. And the jutsu she used involved creating physical kunai and chains made of lightning. This jutsu only makes me more interested in where she’s from. We still know almost nothing about her.

Kiseru knows a few different Fire-style jutsu. When we first met him in Episode 276, he was using the Flame Bombs jutsu. In this episode, he shows off some kind of flaming fist jutsu. And he uses Flaming Hail, a jutsu that fires off a bunch of arrows made of fire.

Finally, there’s Batta, who also only revealed her jutsu in this episode. Batta is a sensory-type shinobi. She can use her jutsu to detect weak points in materials. And, I would assume she can do other things, too. She may be able to sense where people are through walls or something like that.

The Second Traitor

At the end of the episode, Batta reveals to Boruto that there may be a second traitor among them. Notice that I say there may be a second traitor among them. There’s no proof that there is one. All Batta knows is that someone had a working communication device and hid that fact.

I should also point out that we don’t know who had the communication device. The implication was that Batta got it off Kiseru. But, we never actually heard her say that. And, even if she did get it from Kiseru, I’m not sure he’s the traitor.

As Sarada and Kawaki discovered, Kiseru is an Outer of Kara. Does that make him an enemy of Boruto? Probably. Does that mean he’s working with Ouga? Not necessarily. Kiseru being an Outer and having a communications device doesn’t make him a traitor. He can still want to escape like everyone else.

If there is a traitor, though, who could it be? We know it’s not Boruto. And I have to say that Shamo, Namua, Fugou, and Rokuro all seem unlikely. Additionally, Batta seemed pretty genuine when she spoke about saving her home island. So, I can’t see it being her.

That leaves only 2 people: Kiseru and Yatsume. Despite the fact that Kiseru is an Outer, I actually find Yatsume the more suspicious of the two. As I said earlier, we still know almost nothing about her. She didn’t even give a real reason for wanting to survive.

There’s something off about Yatsume. But, her being the traitor doesn’t mean she’s going to betray Boruto and the others. She seems genuinely interested in Boruto. She could have started off as a traitor. But, meeting Boruto changed her outlook on life. That’s the power of friendship.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 278? Did Yatsume’s reason for wanting to survive make you suspicious? What are your thoughts on Yatsume’s and Batta’s jutsu? And who do you think is the second traitor? Is there even another traitor? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 279 is available now.

Disappearing Lives

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 277 covers the second test of Ouga’s maze. For this test, the 14 remaining competitors must reach the goal before their candle flames go out. There are also some interesting rules surrounding the candles in this test.

For example, a candle belongs to anyone who’s holding it. If Boruto hands his candle to Yatsume, he has 0 candles and she has 2. If either of those 2 candles she has goes out, Boruto dies since he’s the one without a candle. As long as Yatsume is holding a candle with a flame, she’s safe, regardless of which candle it is.

Now, because of these rules, I figured that this test would be more competitive than the first. In the first test, there was no real incentive to harm the others. But, this time around, gathering extra candles can be beneficial.

This second test has 3 stages, or trials. The first involves traveling through a tunnel filled with waist-high water. At this point, Batta (the Cloud kunoichi), the briefcase man, and Rokuro go on ahead. Boruto’s group takes their time going through the tunnel and becomes trapped.

A gate drops from the ceiling of the tunnel and blocks their path. To lift the gate back up, Boruto, Kiseru, and Namua entrust their candles to their allies so they can use both hands. Now, I get that this arc is all about teamwork. But, Boruto could have done this himself.

Did Boruto forget that he can use Shadow Clones? He used one when he saved Shamo at the end of the previous test. So, we know there’s nothing stopping him from using his jutsu. Shadow clones could have been very helpful at multiple points during this test.

Second Trial: Desert of Ash

The second trial of the test involves crossing a desert of ash. That alone isn’t much of an issue. But, there are high winds that cause a dust storm that threatens to blow out the flames. And, this section of the test is so hot that the wax of the candles melts even faster.

Now, the person I want to focus on in this section is Shamo. He’s the young shinobi from the Hidden Stone village. As he states later on in the episode, he’s the weakest of the shinobi participating in the tests.

During the second trial, he creates a mud wall to block the wind. But, it quickly becomes apparent that this wall isn’t going to block much. It crumbles when Boruto touches it and falls apart when the wind ramps up. At first, I thought this was because it was made of ash. However, Shamo’s comments make it seem like that’s not the case.

Shamo really is a weak shinobi. He couldn’t save himself during the first test. He chickened out when asked to help during the first trial of the second test. And now we see that even his jutsu don’t hold up.

On top of all that, the girl in pink uses him for her own gain. She has him carry through the first 2 trials of this test. And when they got to the end of the second trial, she leaves him behind to die.

But, despite all this, I still believe Shamo will survive the tests. Not only is he a named character. I also see no benefit in killing him off. The same can’t be said for some of the other named characters. In particular, I now feel that either Kiseru or Namua won’t survive.

Batta’s Choice

It’s time to talk about the final trial of the second test. And, in particular, I want to talk about the choice Batta made. So, what was the final trial? The remaining competitors got into 2 elevators and had to survive.

Because of the speed of the elevators, they wouldn’t reach the top before the candles burnt out. So, the obvious way to survive is to take a candle from someone else, extinguish it, and save it as a backup for yourself. This is exactly what happened in the first elevator.

The second elevator came up with an alternate solution. Well, Boruto came up with an alternate solution and the rest of them agreed to it. They combined their candles into one, larger candle that wouldn’t burn out quickly. Then, they each held onto the large candle, making it theirs. There was no rule against sharing a candle.

So, what’s the deal with Batta? Well, I first need to establish that Rokuro killed the girl in pink by blowing out her candle. The briefcase man then begs Batta to kill the other 2 civilians in the elevator to take their candles.

Up until this point, Batta hasn’t killed anyone. She didn’t save people. But, she didn’t actively kill anyone. That all changes here. She kills the civilians and takes their candles for herself and her client. Later, we see her right hand is covered in blood. She didn’t just blow their candles out.

However, it’s clear that she didn’t want to kill these people. So, my prediction is that she’ll find out the briefcase man doesn’t actually have money. Whatever’s in his briefcase won’t be worth what she did to protect him. How will she come to terms with this?

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 277? Were you surprised by Boruto not using Shadow Clones? Do you think Shamo will survive to the end? And, what do you think is in the briefcase? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 278 is available now.

Welcome to Ouga’s Maze

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 276 starts the next arc of the anime series. This arc feels like it’s anime-original. I don’t know because I don’t read the manga (I like to go into each episode blind). But, even if it is anime-original, it seems like a fun arc.

A bunch of people, Boruto included, wake up in a mysterious facility. The last thing they remember before waking up is being on the Thunder Train. Then, an old guy shows up and tells them they survived a chemical plant explosion that the train got caught up in.

This old guy is Ouga, who later refers to himself as the lord of the maze. We don’t know if the story he told about the chemical plant explosion actually happened. It probably didn’t. But, what matters now is that Ouga wants to perform an experiment on his captives.

Now, there’s a correction I’d like to make from my Episode 275 review. Last week, I said that the captive rogue shinobi originally had explosive tags on his arms. And I said they were later taken off. It turns out they’re seals, not explosive tags, and them missing later on was a mistake.

Also, I was initially thinking that Sasuke’s presence would void this entire arc. My logic was, “well, he can use his Rinnegan to open a portal to another dimension, thus freeing everyone.” But then, I remembered that he doesn’t have his Rinnegan anymore.

Anyway, before the tests begin, Ouga kills one of the Hidden Mist shinobi to make an example out of him. Boruto then attacks him, and it’s revealed that Ouga is a puppet. Another Ouga appears shortly after and announces that there are 5 tests in total. And whoever survives wins their freedom.

First Test: Collapse

The first test of Ouga’s maze is Collapse. In this test, the competitors find themselves on a stone grid floating in the middle of a void. The stone is brittle, and blocks of it crumble away over time. To pass the test, competitors much reach a platform above the grid before they fall.

It’s a simple enough test. But, there are two things that make it a challenge. First, not everyone is a shinobi and so they’ll need help. And second, not everyone is helpful, regardless of if they’re a shinobi or not.

So, at this point, we should probably run through some of the characters. Starting with the Hidden Mist shinobi, there are 2 remaining (Ouga killed the other one). One of these is Anaguma, an older shinobi. And the other is a rogue shinobi, Rokuro, whom Anaguma captured. By the end of the test, only Rokuro remains.

We also have an unnamed kunoichi from the Hidden Cloud village. She blackmails an unnamed guy with a briefcase of cash into paying her to help him survive. There’s also an unnamed Hidden Grass shinobi. And there’s Shamo of the Hidden Stone village, who helped Boruto open the window on the train.

Boruto also isn’t the only Leaf shinobi present. Kiseru Gankubi is another Leaf shinobi who claims to know Konohamaru. During this first test, he helps Boruto and Anaguma save as many non-shinobi as they can.

Two non-shinobi who also help others are Namua and Yatsume. Namua is a tall, bald man who looks like he could be a priest. Yatsume is a mystery, though. I’m calling her a non-shinobi only because she doesn’t have a forehead protector. She acts, moves, and feels like a shinobi. I’m interested to find out where she’s from.

14 Competitors Remaining

By the end of the first test, there are 14 competitors remaining. The named characters are Boruto, Kiseru, Shamo, Rokuro, Yatsume, and Namua. The others are the Grass shinobi, Cloud kunoichi, briefcase guy, an old couple, and 3 other women.

Of the named characters, I could see Namua and the Grass shinobi not surviving all 5 tests. Boruto (obviously), Kiseru, Shamo, Rokuro, and Yatsume all seem like survivors, to me. Same with the cloud kunoichi, the briefcase guy, and the woman wearing pink.

The other 2 women, I don’t have high hopes for. One of them already lost her husband to the first test. And the defining characteristic of the other is that she’s wearing purple. As for the old couple, I’d like to see them make it out alive. Would the series really kill off a nice old couple like that?

At this point, I should mention Kakesu. Kakesu is the woman who unlocked Rokuro’s handcuffs. By doing so, she indirectly killed Anaguma. Though, he would have died anyway even if she didn’t uncuff Rokuro. Still, Anaguma would rather die with Rokuro than let Rokuro go free — that’s how dangerous Rokuro is.

Unfortunately for Kakesu, she dies shortly after this when the ground crumbles away. Throughout the whole episode, Kakesu is the only named character who died.

Back to the survivors, there are a few factions that have appeared. Boruto, Kiseru, Shamo, and Namua are allies. We can also assume the old couple and the three women will be sticking with them, too.

Then, there’s the Cloud kunoichi and the briefcase guy. And the Grass shinobi and Rokuro both appear to be on their own. Yatsume is the odd one out because she’s half allied with Boruto and half on her own.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 276? Do you think Sasuke would have made a difference if he was here? Where do you think Yatsume is from? And which of the remaining 14 competitors do you think will die next? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 277 is available now.

Mozu and the Marten

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 275 didn’t go down exactly as I expected. But it was close enough. I figured Mozu would be arrested for trafficking rare animals. That didn’t happen. However, I was right about Tsuzura going to work for Maruta.

Unfortunately, we never got a name for Sasuke’s Senri Hawk. That’s one of the things I wanted from this arc. And, we never got confirmation that Yuki was a Senri Hawk, as well. It’s obvious to the viewer that he is. But, I wanted to see Mozu’s face when she found out.

Speaking of Mozu, we learned a bit about her background and why she’s in her current line of work. When she was younger, she was a poor nobody. And her feelings of worthlessness were only reinforced when she got lost in the forest. Nobody came looking for her.

However, Mozu’s life turned around at this time, as well. While lost in the forest, she came across a rare, white marten. When she brought the animal back to town with her, she was suddenly the center of attention. And so, to remind herself of her humble beginnings, she wears the marten’s pelt around her neck.

This origin story tells us everything we need to know about Mozu. She’s a psychopath. She’s incapable of understanding the feelings of others. And she views everyone and everything as pawns for her to use for her own gain.

The way she treats her son and his pet hawk reinforces this. Mozu finds someone to sell her son’s pet to. But, it gets worse. The person set to buy Yuki doesn’t want to keep him as a pet. They want to kill, stuff, and display him. And Mozu is fine with this.

Senri Hawk + Sharingan

I wasn’t sure what to think when Sasuke offered up his Senri Hawk in exchange for Tsuzura’s freedom. Why would he do this? What’s his plan? I couldn’t think of any good answers. And then, I started thinking that maybe this was it for his new Senri Hawk.

Was Sasuke going to give up his new Senri Hawk and end up with Yuki instead? No. That thought didn’t last long. A white Senri Hawk doesn’t fit Sasuke’s style. Also, it doesn’t make sense for (current) Sasuke to abandon his Senri Hawk after it showed loyalty to him.

It didn’t take long for us to get our answers. Sasuke used his Sharingan to control his Senri Hawk. Shortly after Mozu put it in its cage, it collapsed and seemed on the verge of death. She then ordered a necropsy on it, and that’s when everything went wrong.

How much of what happened next was Sasuke’s plan is unclear. Once the Senri Hawk was out of its cage and on the operating table, it woke up and went on a rampage. As it flew around, Rakuen’s defense system shot at it and broke the cages housing the other animals.

What I don’t know is whether Sasuke planned for his Senri Hawk to free the other animals. It’s possible that this was part of the genjutsu he put the Senri Hawk under. Or, that could have simply been a side effect of the Senri Hawk trying to escape.

Regardless of which is the case, it’s clear that Sasuke never meant to give his Senri Hawk away for good. He planned for it to become sick, get taken out of the cage, and then reawaken and return to him. The rest might have been a bonus.

The Missing Train

What I really wasn’t expecting from this episode was for it to set up the next arc of the anime. It’s one thing for the next episode preview to feature the next arc. But, we got a significant portion of Episode 275 dedicated to setting it up.

After getting his Senri Hawk back, Sasuke tells Boruto that he’s not returning to the Leaf Village. Boruto’s supposed to go back on his own. Instead, Sasuke will be heading off to track down Code’s whereabouts. Remember Code? The last remaining member of Kara? Yeah, he’s kind of forgettable.

Anyway, Boruto catches the Thunder train and we see that there’s quite the variety of people on board. There are some Hidden Stone shinobi, including a boy about Boruto’s age. And there are also some Hidden Mist shinobi with a captive.

Boruto and the other passengers fall asleep and the train mysteriously heads off course. When they wake up, they’re no longer on the train and are instead in some kind of prison. In the prison, we get to see a few more people who were presumably on the train as well.

One detail I noticed has to do with the Hidden Mist captive. When we first see him on the train, he has explosive tags on his arms. But, when we see him next in the prison, the explosive tags are gone. He’s still shackled, though. So, whoever kidnapped the train passengers realized they could use the explosive tags.

I don’t know what this upcoming arc is going to be like. But, I’m looking forward to it. It could be some kind of tournament arc. Or it might be a prison escape arc. Whatever it is, it seems interesting based on the setup we got.

Conclusion

What do you think of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations Episode 275? Were you hoping Yuki being a Senri Hawk would be revealed? Did Sasuke’s hawk with his Sharingan remind you of Itachi’s crow with Shisui’s Sharingan? And are you excited for the next arc? Let me know in the comments.

If you enjoyed this review, remember to click the like button down below. Also, follow me on Twitter @DoubleSama so you don’t miss out on any future content. And come join our Discord server to discuss anime with other members of the community.

Finally, I’d like to thank Roman for supporting DoubleSama.com at the Heika tier this month. To learn more about how you too can become a supporter of this blog, check out Patreon.com/DoubleSama.

My review of Episode 276 is available now.