Boruto: Naruto Next Generations 1×207 Review – “Regeneration”

There were high expectations for ‘Regeneration’ because the fandom knew the events from the manga that Boruto episode 207 was going to adapt. So, were those expectations met? I would say yes, even if the anime team decided to make a certain change.

Team 7’s battle with Boro offered pivotal moments for Salad in the manga. Last week’s anime episode saw her being named Team Captain. When it comes to a four-person unit that has only one girl in it, we don’t usually get to see the girl being the leader. That’s why I appreciated seeing Salad call the shots in such a position. It offered something different in content belonging to the Shonen genre.

With our young heroes realizing Boro’s incredibly fast healing ability was going to be a huge problem to overcome, ‘Regeneration’ featured Salad being tasked with finding the answer to take him down. I liked how Kawaki stopped her from attacking Boro so he could share useful intel. He told Salad about Amado being behind converting the Kara members into cyborgs and augmenting their bodies with Scientific Ninja Technology. As with every piece of Scientific Ninja Tech, there’s a drawback or limitation. Boro’s regenerative ability was due to a heart-sized core inside his body. He’s able to move the core away from incoming attacks by weaving certain hand signs. Finding and destroying the core was the only way for Team 7 to win.

That’s where Salad’s Sharingan came into play. Due to the Sharingan’s ability to detect even the slightest of movement and predict an opponent’s attack, Salad had to stay back and read Boro’s attack pattern while the rest of the team kept him busy. I liked how the anime team handled Salad being given such a job. Yes, she realized it was crucial for her to distance herself from the confrontation to find where the core was located. However, seeing her teammates get beaten up by Boro was causing her distress. She was their only hope to survive the current battle and she needed to act fast because the boys were running out of chakra.

I enjoyed seeing the teamwork exhibited by Boruto, Mitsuki, and Kawaki against Boro. The three kept coming at the troublesome Kara member with various combinations. Any other average opponent could have been defeated by them. But Boro’s regeneration was too fast for the three young ninjas to overpower.   

Coming to the change that the anime team decided to make in this episode, in the manga, the current fight showed Salad activating her three tomoe Sharingan and using the Chidori. It was a moment many fans were looking forward to being animated. However, for some reason, ‘Regeneration’ had Salad use the Chidori but only with the two tomoe Sharingan.

I’m not sure how to feel about such a change. I liked knowing Salad had unlocked the three tomoe Sharingan. It showed her progress as an impressive young member of the Uchiha Clan. But seeing her yet to reach such a level in the anime means the writers have a plan for her. And with the Boruto anime doing a far better job of fleshing out the manga’s story, I’m excited to see what said plan is. Are we going to get an anime-only Salad-centric arc where she will get to unlock the three tomoe Sharingan? I hope so.

At least ‘Regeneration’ saw her use the Chidori to snatch Boro’s core out of his body. So, it’s not like we didn’t get an incredibly cool moment in this week’s episode.

Even though Team 7 was able to destroy Boro’s core, it only made matters worse. Turns out, without the core, the power from the Scientific Ninja Technology couldn’t be properly contained. Boro grew in size and turned into a weird octopus-resembling hybrid. While Team 7 decided to stay away from Boro as he began rampaging, you just knew he was going to cause trouble. 

As soon as Boruto and Kawaki used their Karma Marks to teleport Naruto from inside the sealing bowls, a giant Boro began plummeting Team 7 with fists and tentacles. And this where another cool moment occurred.

We finally got to see Boroshiki in the anime!

With Boro adamant about killing Boruto, there was no way Momoshiki was going to let Boro destroy his precious vessel (Boruto’s body). Boroshiki was less than amused by the outcome of the fight and I can’t wait to see him teach Boro a lesson in the next episode. Of course, Boruto’s teammates are going to be incredibly confused after seeing Boruto go through such a transformation. Good stuff!

For those wondering, I did get to know about the promotional material for what’s to come (watch this video by YouTuber Naruto Explained). Looks like, once Boro’s taken care of, the anime will explore Boro’s Cult. I was hoping they to do so, and I’m glad I’m getting my wish. There’s also going to be an episode about Kakashi tracking down Kashin Koji.

Even though I enjoy reading the Boruto manga, as of now, the anime is clearly superior when it comes to giving us a well-constructed story and taking the time to explore narrative beats the manga rushes through. It’s a weird feeling because, in my mind, the manga story is supposed to be superior compared to the numerous filler arcs that get featured in anime series. So, yeah, kudos to the anime writing team for making me feel invested in the anime-only content they offer.

Now, before I end my review of ‘Regeneration’ I have to talk about a particular interaction between Team 7. I couldn’t help but laugh at Kawaki, Boruto, and Salad trying to one-up each other by stating why they were the best option to protect Naruto. And then Mitsuki chimed in with how he was ready to protect Boruto (without mentioning Naruto at all). My sweet little queer snake boy and his crush on Boruto!

Some other thoughts and questions:

• Seeing Team 7 fight a naked Boro (his body resembles a Ken doll) was weird in the manga and seeing it all be animated didn’t help dilute the weirdness.
• Boruto backflipping out of Salad’s way as she charged at Boro with a Chidori was so cool. Again, I loved all of the teamwork shown in this week’s episode.
• Salad wanting to protect her team reminded me of Sakura’s determination to protect and support Naruto and Sasuke.

What did you think of ‘Regeneration’? Are you okay with Salad not having the three tomoe Sharingan in the anime yet?

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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