'Boruto' Introduces Kawaki At Long Last

One of the most intriguing aspects of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations was the opening scene in both the manga and anime where an adult Boruto is fighting against a mysterious enemy as the both of them share powerful markings.

The mysterious man, Kawaki, stands on top of a destroyed Hokage Rock and stated the era of the shinobi was over and fans have been waiting for him to appear in the series since. But, the wait is over as he has finally debuted in the manga.

In the latest chapter of the series, Boruto and Team 7 just finished a battle with the powerful Ao before being confronted by Kashin of Kara, who started using familiar techniques such as an ability to summon toads (much like Jiraiya), uses a sealing jutsu, and even has his own Rasengan.

After this battle, Team 7 finds the remnants of a previous battle with the Ninja Tool dolls they had trouble fighting before Ao's attack. These dolls had been recently inactive, so someone had just fought them all. But before they can ask any more questions an unconscious Kawaki is found lying in a crater.

Konohamaru tells him to be cautious, but Boruto rushes in to help anyway. As the chapter comes to an end, Boruto realizes the mysterious boy has the same Karma mark that he has (and just activated earlier in the chapter as well).

Fans had been wondering about the identity of the mysterious Kawaki, and had wondered if he had been introduced already as maybe a member of Boruto's class. But now it has been confirmed that Kawaki is an entirely new character, and whether or not meeting him now sets the future in motion still has yet to be seen.

But now that Team 7 has not only had their confrontation with Kara, coupled with the introduction of such a key character, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has definitely started the next big phase of his story.

For those unfamiliar with Boruto's predecessor Naruto, it has quite a storied history. Originally created by Masashi Kishimoto, the series ran in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump for 700 chapters. The story follows Naruto, a young ninja with a sealed demon within him that wishes to become the leader of his home village. The sequel, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is set several years after the events of the original Naruto story and featuring the children of many of its key characters such as Naruto and Hinata.