5 Point Discussions – Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 37: “A Shinobi’s Resolve”

Will Boruto and the others be capable of taking out the Sixth Hokage, or will they all fail? Remember, if you like this article and 5 Point Discussions, please share it on Facebook or Twitter! It really helps. And if you’ve got any comments or questions, please hit me up @SageShinigami.

1. I talked about this in the recap for 36, and I couldn’t be happier about Kakashi going into detail on it in episode 37. It’s an especially hard-hitting criticism on Boruto, who’s relied on his own talent for years in the mistaken belief that it would always get him by. But the reason why hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard is because of exactly what Kakashi’s talking about. When you don’t have that resolve, that motivation that pushes you to go to that next level and work just slightly harder than the person next to you, you’ll come up short. And in the field they’re about to enter, that’s a death sentence.

2. Boruto just barely escapes from his hold when Mitsuki arrives, taking massive damage to give the other students time enough to free him from Kakashi. The group escapes, and have to work to recover after the damage they received trying to take on the teachers without a plan. It’s here Boruto explains his hesitation in continuing, admitting that there’s a kernel of truth inside of Kakashi’s criticisms. It’s here that we see the irony in what Kakashi’s said–Boruto’s been lacking direction from the very beginning, and yet in spite of that he’s continuously inspired his classmates to be better. Mitsuki. Iwabe. Denki. Sumire. Being lost hasn’t stopped him from having a positive influence on those around him, and it’s that knowledge that pushes him to fight on, to become a ninja not just for his sake…but theirs.
Make this chapter three in the “Boruto’s clearly built to become Hokage” book.

3. Immediately after this, the group starts to realize the truth behind their test. It’s never made any sense from the beginning–several members of the team have been beaten to a pulp, and yet their bandanas have never been taken. Because the whole exam’s a trick question–from the bell to the rule itself, it’s never been about who can get the bell, because they would’ve lost a long time ago if it were. With that in mind, they make steps to give themselves their best chance against Kakashi.

First, they retrieve their allies from Konohamaru and Anko. Then they neutralize the both of them, knocking Anko out through the use of one of their teammates’ powerful sonic screams, and taking out Konohamaru through the combined focus of Boruto and Sarada’s skills. That leaves only one fight left…

4. Of course, this one’s a bit of a one-sided beatdown. Aside from a handful of them, most have never experienced real combat. Their chakra reserves are undeveloped. They’ve got no chance against Kakashi, so despite tossing every body they can against him they just get smacked aside easily. Fortunately, it was all a trap. They position themselves in their defeat to place Kakashi in a paralyzing circle, giving Boruto one last chance to attain the bell. The result? Well….

They never stood a chance. He’s the freaking Hokage–whatever skills he had at the end of Naruto, he’s spent another fifteen years honing and improving. At this point he’s absurdly powerful, and no plan some ninja trainees could come up with could hope to bring him down. Still, though…

The moment they worked together they were instantly going to become Genin, because that’s Kakashi’s rule.  His time as a Genin taught him that above everything a ninja must value his comrades, or they’ll only drag down the village in the end. They learned to value themselves over the rules, and in doing so proved themselves as being worth the village taking a chance on.

5. Still though…he really beat the crap out of them all, didn’t he? I bet Iruka-sensei had a lot of explaining to do once the exams were over.
Well, that’s one episode down. There’s two more to go, and I’ll have them up long before episode 40 comes out.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is available for streaming on Crunchyroll and Hulu.