Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×225 Review – “Showdown Between Best Friends”

Boruto anime episode 225, ‘Showdown Between Best Friends’, offered a very enjoyable battle between Salad and Chocho. However, the scenes involving Amado didn’t make sense to me.

The Boruto fandom has been looking forward to watching ‘Showdown Between Best Friends’ ever since the promo material came out. While there was excitement in the air, certain fans were also worried about Salad vs Chocho being a rehash of Sakura vs Ino from Naruto. And while I liked Sakura vs Ino due to the character development it offered, I understood where the fandom was coming from in wanting a more action-oriented episode especially after what happened last week.

In my opinion, the writers struck the right balance between action and emotional scenes in the latest episode. Fighting Chocho allowed Salad to realize something very important. While she held back in the beginning and actually apologized to Chocho for hurting her, Chocho’s frustration regarding Salad not taking their fight seriously enough served as a reality check for the young Uchiha.

I liked how this episode incorporated a flashback featuring Sasuke asking Salad if she was prepared to do what was necessary to help Boruto if he lost control again and became Boroshiki. If Salad’s not capable of properly fighting her best friend during the Chunin Exams, how could she possibly stand up against a serious threat like Boroshiki out in the field?

Salad facing Chocho was a necessary obstacle she needed to overcome to help her be ready to save Boruto down the line, even if it meant killing him in his Boroshiki form to protect the rest of the world.

A ninja having to kill their friend or loved one to protect others isn’t anything new in this franchise. Kakashi had to kill his teammate Rin. Sakura tried to kill Sasuke. Jiraiya and Tsunade had to face Orochimaru. Jiraiya also had to face his ex-students. Just to name a few examples. Whether or not Salad will be able to actually kill Boruto (or at least try to), when the time comes, remains to be seen.

While I was glad to see Salad win the battle, I have to say I felt sad for Chocho. She and Inojin had promised each other to become Chunin together so Shikadai wouldn’t feel bad about wearing his Chunin vest. But I guess it wasn’t their time yet.

Chocho clearly has got what it takes to become a Chunin, as far as power levels are concerned. She impressed me during the fight. Not only did Chocho punch away from the lightning balls Salad threw at her, but she also managed to keep up with Salad’s two-tomoe Sharingan when both girls demonstrated their Taijutsu skills. I continue to like Chocho as a character!

‘Showdown Between Best Friends’ also allowed Shinki to interact with Kawaki. While I get the fandom was hoping for an actual battle between those two, I think having them actually fight inside the Hidden Leaf Village wouldn’t have made sense. Shinki just wanted to determine Kawaki’s power and he was able to do so during their short interaction. Kawaki’s lost a lot of power due to not having the Karma Mark anymore. I’m looking forward to the writers exploring Kawaki’s feelings over such a loss.

I also liked how Shinki told Kawaki not to underestimate ninjas wanting to become Chunin. Kawaki’s the type of character that responded to power. So, in my opinion, it made sense for him to acknowledge Shinki and return to watching the Chunin Exams after Shinki easily knocked him to the ground.

The only part of ‘Showdown Between Best Friends’ I didn’t enjoy focused on Boruto and Mitsuki’s rescue mission. The fact that Amado got kidnapped by a mysterious group from inside the Hidden Leaf Village still doesn’t make sense to me. Why weren’t their guards keeping an eye on someone as important as Amado? The entire thing continued to come across as a poorly-written plot convenience to keep Boruto and Mitsuki from participating in the Chunin Exams.

I’m still hoping that the version of Amdo appearing onscreen isn’t real. I want the person, whom Boruto and Mitsuki saved, to be a Konoha ninja in disguise because said ninja wanted to figure out what the mysterious group wanted from the real Amado.

Anyway, it was nice to see Sasuke arriving at the stadium to watch Salad’s battle. He was very proud of her performance. I would have liked Sakura to be there, too. But I guess she’s busy running the hospital. Having said that, showing a quick shot of Sakura watching Salad on TV would have been nice. I would have also liked to see Chocho’s parents cheering her on.

With the next battle occurring between Denki and Tsubaki, I can’t wait to see how Denki’s secret Scientific Ninja Tool will fare against an impressive samurai.

What did you think of ‘Showdown Between Best Friends’?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

Twitter

Help support independent journalism. Subscribe to our Patreon.

Copyright © The Geekiary