English Dub Review: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations “Declaration of War”

Won’t someone give Kaguya a hug?

Overview (Spoilers Below)

We pick up shortly after the last episode left off, with Kagura going to Chojuro to ask for Hiramekarei, one of the legendary swords of the Mist Village. Chojuro gladly gives Kagura the sword, and we cut to him practicing its use in the academy training ground. He’s soon joined by Boruto, who loves to stick his nose in other people’s business. No sooner than Boruto shows up, Shizuma also shows up and traps both Boruto and Kagura with a water prison jutsu.

Shizuma then explains a little bit more about who he is and we see a flashback to Kaguya’s time in the academy. It was there that he nearly killed another student, almost repeating the same bloody mistakes of the Mist Village in the past. His behavior is blamed on his bloodline, and Kaguya holds the guilt of his violent actions close to his heart. Shizuma goes on to say that Chojuro is not actually the benevolent leader that Kaguya thinks he is, but someone who has been secretly assassinating dissenters within the Mist Village and erasing them from the village’s history. Kaguya doesn’t want to believe him, but Shizuma isn’t about to let Kaguya go without joining his crew.

The rest of Shizuma’s group shows up and begins to fight with Boruto, who is no match for their combined shinobi strength. Shizuma persists in trying to win Kaguya over to his side, telling the young ninja that if he joins them they can make the village a better place. Kaguya finally submits and decides to go with Shizuma and his group, leaving Boruto behind.

Afterward, Boruto passes out and wakes up in his room, being healed by Sarada. Sarada scolds Boruto for being such a fool but is thankful that one of Shizuma’s junior gang members, Tsurushi, rescued Boruto. Boruto then explains to Sarada what happened, and affirms his determination to save his new friend.

Our Take:

It’s a weird feeling when you realize that an episode of a show is good because it has so little do with its main cast. It’s almost as if the showrunners writing this story understand just how uncompelling Boruto is as a protagonist, and that just using this setting to tell other, individual stories is a way better route to go. This episode is exactly that and is far better than the usual fare because Boruto has basically nothing to do with what’s going on on-screen. Kaguya is the driving dramatic force of this episode, with everything revolving around him and his very real problems, as opposed to Boruto’s often bratty, selfish issues.

The “Naruto” universe has always been about coping with the harsh realities of life while trying to make the world better, a theme which has gone ignored in Boruto for the sake of simplistic fantasy fulfillment. But Kaguya’s conflict with Shizuma is an excellent return to form for this series. Kaguya’s guilt is palpable and realistic, and one can’t help but have empathy for his situation. He feels like a victim, someone who tries their best but is set up to fail by the cruel and unjust systems of the village he’s from. He tries to move forward past the village’s history, but one can’t change their bloodline. This conflict adds legitimacy to Shizuma’s ability to manipulate Kaguya and seed doubt in his mind. Though, it did seem like Kaguya was taking the words of the spooky shark-faced man a bit too seriously. Shizuma doesn’t exactly seem like an honest sort.

But now that Kaguya has gone and joined up the new Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, Boruto has to take the stage again and I’m not looking forward to that. This is the kind of arc that should really put him on the sidelines, considering that these swordsmen Kaguya’s been taken by are no joke. The quality of the fight to come will depend largely on its ability to make Boruto really feel the weight of his weakness. He’s a child, barely even a teen.

This episode has a solid conflict based on a realistic character that has swiftly earned my empathy. I’m more invested in this arc than any other in this show by far, and that speaks to the strength of the storytelling here. I would love to see more of the stories from smaller characters and less of the loudmouth munchkin, even if the show is named after him.