“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” Manga Issue 66 Review: Do or Die

Boruto manga chapter 66, ‘Do or Die’, featured a lot of action and delivered a very shocking moment at the very end. I can’t wait to see where the story goes in the next chapter!

One of the things that I appreciated about ‘Do or Die’ was that it didn’t waste time explaining how Kawaki was able to access the power of his Karma Mark after Isshiki‘s death. Turns out that even though Amado presented Kawaki with a choice, our young troubled co-lead never really had a say in the matter.

Amado knew that Kawaki wanted to gain power in order to protect Naruto from incoming threats. Apparently, the only way for Kawaki to obtain such power was by accepting Amado’s offer to gain a key to access the power residing inside his Karma Mark and use it as a weapon. Even though Kawaki declined Amado’s offer, the shady scientist had other plans. It’s revealed that Amado had already reconstructed the Karma Mark when he was mending Kawaki’s arm!

At this point, I would like Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru to have a long chat with Amado to get him to reveal his true intentions. He’s clearly playing a game and it looks like everyone, including Kawaki and Boruto, are his pawns. I have no idea what Amado’s goal is supposed to be. Is he trying to prepare for a threat no one else knows about? Is the Otsutsuki God coming to Earth soon?

I would like to know the answers to these questions and I hope the Boruto manga delivers some satisfying explanations down the line. I would also like Naruto to stop trusting Amado so much. Like, the dude doesn’t even try and hide he’s up to something.

As for the action beats in ‘Do or Die’, I enjoyed watching Kawaki give BoruShiki a tough time with his Isshiki-centric Karma Mark. Kawaki got a hang of Isshiki’s powers quite fast and was even able to incorporate the advantages of having a scientifically enhanced body in his attacks. Kawaki was going for the kill and I was here for it!

I do think Kawaki would have succeeded in ending the fight sooner if Naruto hadn’t intervened. While I understood Naruto stepping in to protect his son (even though he was possessed by Momoshiki), what I don’t understand is Code not killing Shikamaru. Code had made it clear in the previous manga issue that he would kill Shikamaru if Naruto even moved an inch.

Frankly, I think Code not killing Shikamaru was due to plot convenience instead of actually making sense for his character. At least, Shikaramu was able to notice that Code was talking to Eida. So, again, Naruto and co. need to sit Amado down and get him to talk about what’s actually happening!

The biggest moment in ‘Do or Die’ occurred during the final moments of BoruShiki vs Kawaki. Boruto was finally able to regain some level of control over his body due to ingesting the pills that Amado gave him a while back. Boruto realized that his control over Momoshiki was going to be temporary. He knew that as BoruShiki he was a major threat to the entire world.

The Boruto franchise has had a couple of moments depicting Boruto contemplating if he’s strong enough to do the right thing even if it meant ending his own life. ‘Do or Die’ showed that our young hero was indeed strong enough. Having Boruto push Naruto away and ask Kawaki to kill him before Momoshiki took over again made for a very impactful scene.

Even though the two have grown close as brothers over the course of the story, they both were aware of what had to be done to protect everyone they cared for.

Now, is Boruto actually dead? I highly doubt it. I also don’t think he will return as a cyborg. I think he will be healed somehow and the threat of Momoshiki taking over his body will continue for the time being. I wouldn’t be surprised if Naruto found a way to share his life energy to keep his son alive.

Also, is it just me or does the hole in Boruto’s chest resemble a heart?

With such a cliffhanger ending, I can’t wait to see what’s in store for readers when the next manga chapter drops in February!

What did you think of ‘Do or Die’? How will Boruto be healed?

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