“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” Manga Issue 52 Review: Baryon Mode

Boruto manga chapter 52, ‘Baryon Mode’, showed what Naruto’s willing to sacrifice to protect his loved ones.

We saw Naruto unleash a new mode in the previous manga chapter. We already knew that said mode could kill him. The latest manga chapter shared how his new state, called the Baryon Mode, worked and what the cost was.

Apparently, the Baryon Mode’s unleashed when Naruto and Kurama’s chakra undergo nuclear fusion. It’s different from the usual KCM and Sage of Six Paths powerups because in those two modes Naruto’s utilizing chakra from an outside source. However, due to the Baryon Mode using Naruto’s own chakra as well, the created energy decreased his lifespan. Other than that, Kurama’s own lifespan was being used up, too.

Furthermore, due to nuclear fusion being capable of producing as well as absorbing energy, the Baryon Mode (while eating away at Naruto and Kurama’s chakra) also shaved off the opponent’s lifespan as long as Naruto’s hits landed.

That’s an incredibly OP ability for Naruto to have. That’s why I liked how it came with a number of drawbacks. Naruto had to remain calm during the fight to conserve as much chakra as possible. Even thinking too much accelerated the decrease in his lifespan. He had to make every action count.

With Kishimoto taking over writing duties in Boruto manga issue 52, I think he offered a cool fight sequence. It wasn’t a grand spectacle featuring massive attacks and destruction of landscape. Naruto and Isshiki’s confrontation was mostly hand-to-hand. The way Naruto (due to getting an incredible boost in his strength and speed) handled Isshiki was awesome. It was refreshing to see Isshiki experience a hard time after throwing around Naruto and Sasuke in the previous chapters.

The chapter ended with Isshiki having less than 30 minutes to live due to Naruto’s attacks drastically lowering Isshiki’s time limit from 20 hours. Not being one to die so easily, Isshiki teleported Kawaki to the battleground by pulling Naruto’s chakra present inside Kawaki’s prosthetic arm.

With where this chapter left us, of course, I have some predictions to share. I think that Momoshiki will be taking over Boruto’s body again. There’s no way Momoshiki will allow Isshiki to use Kawaki as a vessel and become powerful.

Also, with what I understood regarding the Baryon Mode, I won’t be surprised if Naruto’s able to stay alive after the current battle. Kurama’s explanation made me remember how the Byakugo Seal worked. While the particular Seal’s activated, the user is basically immortal as long as their cells have the ability to regenerate. When Sakura stops using the Byakugo Seal, she’s still able to live even after numerous cells have undergone accelerated regeneration to heal her injuries.

I think something similar will happen to Naruto. If he stops the Baryon Mode before all of his chakra’s used up, he will be able to live, but his lifespan would be shortened. So, instead of having a few more decades of life, he might only have a couple of years or months to make the most of.

Again, it’s just speculation from my side. Perhaps there’s no stopping the Baryon Mode once it’s activated and Naruto will have to die. Let’s see what happens. And yes, Naruto emitting energy like the sun (nuclear fusion does occur inside the sun) and the narrative connection to the Sun-shaped Seal given to him by the Sage of Six Paths during the Fourth Great Ninja War wasn’t lost on certain readers.

With Naruto getting such a massive power boost, I hope Sasuke gets something good, too. The current chapter had him feeling like Vegeta from the Dragon Ball Z franchise.

Also, Naruto just can’t catch a break after being kind to someone, right? He allowed Boruto to kill Momoshiki because he wanted to bond with his son. However, that led to Momoshiki putting his Karma Mark on our young hero.

Naruto felt bad for Kawaki and gave him a prosthetic arm powered by Naruto’s chakra. And in chapter 52 Isshiki decided to use the same arm to summon Kawaki. Sigh!

What did you think of Boruto manga chapter 52 titled ‘Baryon Mode’?

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.

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