Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×251 Review – “Their Resolve”

Boruto anime episode 251, titled ‘Their Resolve’, showed a bunch of characters making their decisions quite obvious when it came to how they will address the current war. I can’t wait for Boruto to come face to face with Ikada again.

The previous episode gave us a flashback featuring Ikada’s past, as a baby, and why Araumi was determined to have Ikada unlock his true potential and lead the Funato Clan during the war. One of the things I like about the current arc is how the writers have been trying to make the characters a bit gray instead of black and white.

Yes, the Funato Clan is at war with the Hidden Mist Village. However, there were certain justified reasons behind why certain people were frustrated and decided to support the Funato Clan against the Hidden Mist Village. One of the political aspects seems to be about a war between the old and new ways. With Boruto bringing a lot of technological advancement after the events of Naruto, a number of people still weren’t comfortable with stepping aside and letting the one’s in power change how things used to be run.

Chojuro wants to tame the seas through technology to help everyone, but his ambition seems to have ignored those who are legitimately worried about a group of engineers having the power to control the waves and impact fishing, sailing, etc. The current anime arc is giving us another story revolving around the science vs nature debate.

With the grander political stuff being handled by Chojuro, Boruto’s arc has been focused more on his friendship with Ikada and wanting to end the cycle of hatred. Even though Boruto and his friends are ninjas, they aren’t the kind to go around killing people easily. This is the first-ever big war that Boruto and his teammates were experiencing, and I think the writers have been doing a good job of exploring the emotions across the cast of young characters.

Funamushi’s kid son coming to attack Boruto in episode 249 really shook our lead hero. The experience allowed Boruto to open his eyes to the impact such a war had on families. Boruto had killed Funamushi and now his son was prepared to kill Boruto. Not only that, but Ikada had fallen to the dark side because Boruto played a role in severely injuring Ikada’s sister Seiren (which led to Funamushi attacking Boruto in the first place).

Trying to stop the cycle of hatred and revenge was a huge part of Naruto. And I think it is good that such a theme is being explored again through Boruto Uzumaki because times have changed. If handled properly, the current arc could do wonders for Boruto’s character development.

Just like his father, Boruto’s ready to stop the cycle. However, I liked how Kawaki expressed his frustration with Boruto’s thought process. According to Kawaki, as ninjas on the battlefield, they didn’t have time to consider whom to kill or spare. If someone came at you with killing intent, you need to strike back.

Due to Kawaki being the hot-tempered one, ‘Their Resolve’ allowed Mitsuki to step in and support Boruto. In my opinion, it would be correct to state that Mitsuki knew Boruto’s personality far better than Kawaki and Salad. Mitsuki believed in Boruto’s gut instinct and it was nice to see Mitsuki urge Boruto to listen to what his heart said. Regardless of whether or not Boruto would be able to stop the war, it made sense for his character to at least try.

With Boruto, Mitsuki, Salad, and (an unwilling) Kawaki making their way to Chojuro to try and talk him into ending the war, I liked how the writers didn’t have everyone agree with Boruto’s decision. Buntan and Kyoho were still all about getting their revenge because they lost Kagura and Hebiichigo. I think the upcoming episode will have Metal, Iwabe, and Denki try and talk some sense into Buntan and Kyoho.

From what I could tell, Chojuro’s ready to come to some kind of negotiation with the Funato Clan. However, Araumi’s his biggest hurdle. Araumi wasn’t going to back down from a fight especially after losing two of his kids during the war and seeing his youngest son Ikada unlock his true power.

Araumi’s disagreement with his eldest son Isari served as another example of the old vs new theme. Araumi was deadset on regaining control of the seas while Isari had realized that their clan had to operate differently if they wished to coexist with other communities in the Land of Water.

I don’t know about you, but Araumi killing Isari was quite unexpected. There’s no coming back for Araumi at this point. He’s willing to do anything necessary to win the war. If I were to present a theory, I think Boruto will use his Talk-No Jutsu on Ikada and Ikada might need to play a role in defeating his father. I do not see this arc ending without Araumi’s death.

I highly doubt Ikada will be killed off unless he uses his sea-controlling power to sacrifice himself while also killing his father and bringing an end to their family’s bloodline. Hmmm.

What did you think of ‘Their Resolve’? Do you think Ikada will listen to Boruto?

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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