5 Point Discussions – Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 102: “Melee!”

Team 7 and Team 15 work to survive after being betrayed by a close ally!  Can they bring down the Curse Twins and save their allies in time to stop the curse mark infected birds from migrating? 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. Tosaka is exactly the sort of weirdo who would explain their plan to the hero while they’re “incapacitated” because he’s too stupid to believe they could escape, so the beginning of this episode fills in some holes. For one, we learn Tosaka’s plan was to try and copy Orochimaru’s original curse seal and “perfect” it. This is questionable for a couple of reasons, not the least of which being if Orochimaru (a more dangerous scientist) decided it wasn’t worth giving to his son Mitsuki, there’s probably a reason for it. In any case, Tosaka appears to have been the mastermind behind this entire scheme: he hired these Land of River peeps, which could mean anything from they’re just wearing the uniforms to them being full on rogue ninja. Either way, at least this doesn’t imply the Land of Rivers was engaging in actions which could easily lead to war if they were found out.

2. Chekhov’s…bullhorn? Sure, Boruto, why not? Last episode Sumire was in pretty dire straits after being the only person from her team to avoid capture by the twins who had a version of Tosaka’s new curse mark. She managed to rescue them both by the end and cure them of their curse infection, but while escaping they get cornered by one of the twins again. Weakened, they barely do any damage to the guy…but after Sumire distracts him long enough for Namida to use her Calling on Tears jutsu. It’s a small moment, but ties into the flashback fight we got a while back where she tried to do a similar thing but got knocked out while summoning the bullhorn.

3. Elsewhere, Sarada and Karin wind up in a fight with the other twin…and it’s far too close for my liking. Sarada is one of the three most powerful genin of her class, boasting a mix of her mother’s super strength and her father’s Sharingan, and they waste most of the fight just narrowly avoiding attacks. It’s beneath her, and even beneath Karin, who’s Adamantine Attack Chains alone should’ve been able to deal enough damage to knock their opponent out. It feels more like they just had to sneak in Karin’s creepy Heal Bite ability to continue her “second mom” status…and because that’s the only thing we know her for.
And of course instead of going to help Boruto, they get distracted to go track down the birds, because it’s close to their migratory season.  Seriously, when this is over I never want to hear about wildlife from this show again.

4. I’m probably more invested in Team 15’s growth than any other group. Team 7 consists of main characters; they’ll be fine. Team 10 is Ino-Shika-Cho, they’re a legendary group and their biggest problem is living up to the generational title. Team 5 is actually sneaky good, as they’ve got a future leader in Denki and Iwabee and Metal as more than enough brawn.
Team 15 though? They’re just the leftovers who were smashed together into a team. Their abilities aren’t particularly impressive, and they aren’t second (or later) generation ninja. No one’s expecting anything of them, and they’re probably not going to get nearly as far as the others. That makes them true underdogs, and it’s hard not to root for them. That said, this episode they experienced some decent growth, bringing down their first big challenge without any help. With their backs against the wall after being worn down from multiple fights, they rely on Sumire and her summon Nue to get them through, lending their chakra to Sumire to get Nue large enough to deal the last blow and knock out the other Curse Twin.

5. Despite multiple attempts at escaping, Boruto and Suigetsu are foiled and forced to witness Tosaka’s ultimate plan. He wants to force Jugo into his full Curse Mark transformation. Initially, I expected Tosaka’s plan was to leave Boruto and Suigetsu to get pasted while watching from afar. But after Tosaka’s hired goons try to stop Jugo before he gets out of hand, he puts them all down with tranquilizers and reveals he’s already perfected his Curse Mark. It’s looking like next episode is a showdown between monsters. The safe money shouldn’t be on someone who will be written off after this arc is over.
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is available for streaming on Funimation, Crunchyroll, and Hulu.