Summary
Animefans are known to be very passionate about their favorite shows, and anything that deviates from the original material will generally not be accepted by older fans of the series. Boruto had a rough start, earning the ire of many manga fans, but both the series and the longtime fans have finally come around.
The show had a rocky start, but once it fully leaned into the Otsutsuki storyline, it ramped up to 11 in both storytelling and action. It’s a slow build-up, but it produces some of the best episodes of the series, with these being our favourites.
These are episode summaries, but due to their place in the overall series, some spoilers may be present. Read at your own risk.
8How You Use It
Episode 186
In this episode a story of two opposing ideologies takes place on the battlefield: Boruto, a young boy who is a little bored growing up in the peaceful era, and Ao, a tool of war who has only known battle and victory at any cost. Ao finds himself struggling with the times of peace, feeling that all he existed is gone, and he is left to rust.
The fight itself is a small part of the macrocosmos of the overarching narrative, but it’s not only an explosive fight between team seven, the new generation of Shinobi full of hope, and the old guard who felt all but used up. This episode is also a good example of the quality of writing that can be found in this series.
7Surprise Attack!
Episode 203
Kawaki is slowly getting used to his ‘new life’ in Konoha village. As resistant as he is, he knows that Naruto and his family are good, and for a moment, he feels as though he can breathe and experience what a real family feels like. It’s something he sorely needs after previous events, but sadly, that feeling is short-lived.
Jigen returns to claim what’s his and will destroy the whole village in order to do so. But, after the love he’s been shown, he wants to save his newfound family. Watching Naruto and his family extend their love and safety to someone who never had and desperately needed it was a pull on the heartstrings.
Episode 204
What do you do when you’re facing off against a fighter who can not only shrink and grow things at a molecular level but can’t useliteral space-time Jutsuat will? Jigen has a whole arsenal of abilities by being the vessel of Isshiki Otsusuki, a Byakugan(!), plus the Karma Seal itself. It doesn’t stop there either with his mastery of Scientific Tools.
There’s a little bit of a B-Plot where Boruto is hit with the bad news about his father, but aside from the end, the main focus is on the start of the fight. It’s explosive! TheNine-Tails and Susano-o combinationis iconic. The only downside to this episode is that it’s so short. It’s still an intense fight for sure, and one with a lot at stake.
5Regeneration
Episode 207
The stakes are high in this episode. Team Seven continues to struggle against Boro and his evolving attacks. They’ve adapted to his dark mist, but he in turn made them more explosive. Saving the Hokage is all that matters, but their chakra is running thin.
Sarada simply shines in this episode. At the suggestion of Kawaki, she uses her Sharingan to find Boro’s core. It takes a while, but once she does, she locks in and the fight gets intense. The episode leaves you off on a cliffhanger, and you’ll be desperate to know how it ends.
4The New Team Seven
Episode 206
Team Seven’s mission success rate leaves a lot to be desired. They’ve had successes for sure, but their synergy took a long time to get to the level it is in this episode. Once they learned the fate of the Seventh Hokage, they didn’t waste any time jumping into action and other dimensions.
The New Team Seven hasn’t worked this in sync up until this point, bringing to the fight a new resolve to bring Naruto home. Some may disagree, but the series does an excellent job of giving us the teamwork of the old Team Seven without leaning into too many similarities. A difficult task to accomplish in a generational anime.
3The Past
Episode 192
There’s a reason Naruto took to the newly freed Kawaki and brought him under his wing. Kawaki has never been shown any kindness in his home life. The episode itself is a quiet introspection into Kawaki’s former life and how horrible his existence was at that point. It’s a difficult watch, but it’s important to establish who he was.
Knowing where he came from heals the relationship between Kawaki, the Uzumaki family, and the mostly welcoming citizens of Konoha village, and makes him want to protect all of them with his entire being. The love they showed him changed Kawaki completely, and it’s beautiful to witness.
2Amado’s Defection
Episode 212
Now here is a man who stands on business. Amado is a former Kara member who wants to defect and gain the protection of the Hidden Leaf Village and Hokage, but he’s got some less-than-stellar ways of trying to accomplish this goal, and kidnaps Shikadai, Shikamaru’s son, before saying that the bomb is around his neck.
Negotiations are tense, as both sides are wary of trusting the other. Shikamaru is ready to just get rid of Amado, but with his son’s life in the balance, he has no choice but to let this play out. As an opening to trust, Amado shares a live feed of his accomplice Koji Kashin betraying Jigen in real-time. Not a bad olive branch to start with.
1The Otsutsuki Invasion
Episode 62
The Chunin exams are a rite of passage for both the young shinobi from all over the land and the anime fans who grew up with the series. As this one is drawing to a close, it’s revealed that Boroto cheated, something that makes his father Naruto upset and disqualifies Boruto in the process.
You think the episode is going to focus on the repercussions of his actions, but lo and behold, something else more sinister is waiting in the wings. You’re immediately thrown into chaos without a reason why and left with no time to figure anything out. The episode is just a first taste into the larger overarching narrative, as well as some of the best stories later on down the line.
