“Boruto: Naruto Next Generations” Manga Issue 46 Review: True Identity

A lot happened in the latest Boruto manga chapter and I was here for all of it! ‘True Identity’ allowed Amado to give us some interesting information about what’s going on with Boruto and how Isshiki got hold of Jigen.

While the pacing of the Boruto manga has given rise to some complaints by the fandom, I think everyone will agree that ‘True Identity’ was one of the best installments yet. It contained an energetic fight sequence as well as a good amount of plot development.

I’ll begin by talking about Kashin Koji. Due to Boruto manga chapter 46 being titled ‘True Identity,’ fans thought they were going to finally learn who Kashin really is. However, that didn’t happen. Writer Ukyo Kodachi seems to be really milking the secret reveal at this point. Here’s hoping that when we finally do get to know Kashin’s identity, it’s worth the wait.

Is he a clone of Jiraiya? Or is he the real deal? Who knows. We will have to wait and see.

Kashin’s fight with Jigen was very interesting. Due to it being obvious that certain chakra-based attacks won’t work on Jigen’s Karma seal, I really enjoyed seeing Kashin summoning actual (natural) flames to hurt his opponent.

The title of the current chapter was about Isshiki’s true identity and how Jigen came into the picture. Amado shared that Isshiki came to Earth with Kaguya. Their plan was to grow the Chakra fruit. However, for some unknown reason, Kaguya betrayed Isshiki and left him close to death. That’s when Jigen, an unfortunate monk, was found by Isshiki.

Seeing Amado reveal how Isshiki shrunk in size to enter Jigen’s ear and proceeded to feed on Jigen’s body really hammered in the message that the Otsutsuki Clan was made of parasites.

Another reveal we got in this chapter was about the Karma mark on Boruto. Now, there has been some speculation in the Boruto fandom about how our young hero might be able to strike an agreement with Momoshiki. However, ‘True Identity’ made it clear that Boruto’s situation wasn’t similar to how being a Jinchuriki worked.

While a Jinchuriki has the opportunity to befriend the tailed beast inside of them, Momoshiki was a true parasite. With the Karma mark being similar to a compressed file of data, Momoshiki’s data was slowly spreading throughout Boruto’s body and would continue to do so until Momoshiki took over Boruto’s soul and erased the young ninja’s existence.

So, that does away with how some fans thought Boruto could borrow Momoshiki’s powers to handle dangerous situations.

I’m very interested in knowing how Boruto might be able to get rid of such a parasite from his body. Also, do you think the plot thread of the Karma seal having some kind of link to the Byakugou seal will be developed further?

Coming back to Kashin’s battle with Isshiki, I don’t think Kashin will be able to defeat him. There’s also the issue concerning Code guarding the ten-tails. As far as my opinion goes, with Amado telling Naruto and Sasuke about how to kill an Otsutsuki, I hope we get to see the two battle Isshiki while being fully prepared.

And yes, I want Sasuke and Naruto to take some backup with them. Sakura and Rock Lee should consider joining the fight even if they stay back to only offer support. Sakura’s punch was powerful enough to break Kaguy’s horn. So, you know she should be able to inflict some damage if Isshiki’s restricted enough. Sakura’s ability to create shockwaves with her punches can also help block Isshiki’s black rods as well as hit him when he shrinks in size.

Let’s see what happens in the next issue. Do you think Sasuke will get a mechanical arm?

Feel free to share your thoughts about ‘True Identity’ with us.

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