Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×254 Review – “The Spiral of Revenge”

Boruto anime episode 254, titled ‘The Spiral of Revenge’, gave us a huge conclusion to the Funato Clan arc. And while the climax was underwhelming due to the lack of action sequences, I have to accept that it made sense.

One of the biggest themes in the current arc was our characters trying to deal with the cycle of revenge. I get that said theme was also a part of Naruto, but then again, when it comes to the genre of anime that Boruto falls in, a bunch of themes are going to be repeated. It’s just how such storytelling works.

‘The Spiral of Revenge’ had Boruto put his life on the line in hopes that such a gesture would be enough to stop the deadly war between the Funato Clan and the Hidden Mist Village.

I think the writers and animation team did a splendid job of visualizing the gravity of the situation. Seeing Salad and Mitsuki be helpless while Boruto got punched up by a bunch of Funato Clan soldiers made for an impactful scene. Boruto forbade them from interfering and the two had to respect his wish. Their self-control was one of the things that led to Ikada understanding Boruto’s feelings.

Ikada lost his sister during the war. In a similar manner, Salad and Mitsuki were about to lose someone very close to them. (I will get to Salad saying that Boruto was like a brother to her in a bit). Salad and Mitsuki’s resolve showed Ikada that revenge and hate didn’t have to be the only options when you lost someone. Also, as evident by Kobuna’s reaction, revenge that involves killing another person is never as satisfying as one might think.

While the scene between Salad, Mitsuki, Boruto, and Ikada helped drive home the idea of learning to forgive and ending the cycle of revenge, I liked how the episode didn’t shy away from depicting the harsh reality of life. Sometimes, the only option was to end a life to ensure the safety of others. I really enjoyed the scene where Kawaki got the drop on Araumi and proceeded to slit the clan leader’s throat. It was quick and efficient. And, frankly, it needed to be done because, unlike Ikada, no amount of Talk No-Jutsu was going to work on Araumi. He wasn’t going to rest until the Hidden Mist Village was destroyed.

Now, coming to Salad telling Ikada that Boruto was like a brother to her. I have to be honest. I did let out a chuckle at that point. There are a whole lot of Salad/Boruto shippers out there. And having Salad call Boruto a brother-like figure must have hurt.

Do you know who has never called Boruto a brother or even thought of him as a brother-like figure? Mitsuki!

Mitsuki/Boruto for the win!

Before certain Salad/Boruto shippers decide to come at me, I’m just having a bit of fun with you. Of course, everyone is free to ship whichever fictional characters they want. It’s just that Salad thinking of Boruto as a brother made me remember the bigotry that continues to be targeted at Sasuke/Naruto shippers. If certain fans can still ship Salad and Boruto after that particular scene, then I think the same fans shouldn’t have a problem with someone shipping Sasuke and Naruto (who also think of each other as siblings).

Some other thoughts and questions:

• Props to Mitsuki for keeping his Sage Mode under control after what the Funato Clan did to Boruto. The entire army stood no chance if Mitsuki had decided to go on a rampage.
• Why didn’t Momoshiki decide to take over Boruto’s body when he got ready to sacrifice himself? I guess we will need to chalk that up to plot convenience.
• Salad not unlocking her third-tomoe during this episode was another plot convenience as far as my opinion goes.
• I hope Ikada appears in the anime again. I want to see his ocean-controlling powers in an actual battle. 

What did you think of ‘The Spiral of Revenge’? Were you expecting a lot more action?

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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