‘Boruto’ Just Gave Kakashi His Greatest Line Yet

In the latest episode of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, Boruto and his friends were in the midst of their graduation exam from the academy but were met with the harsh reality of Kakashi potentially failing them all.

Seeing Boruto half-heartedly attack him in the previous episode, not only does Kakashi become a little series than he probably intended, but he gives one of the best lessons in the Naruto series to date.

Naruto fans know Kakashi is a often portrayed as a well of wisdom, which was first demonstrated during Team 7’s bell test much like Boruto’s current bell test, but this was one of the few times Kakashi has ventured into profound territory.

When Boruto challenges him, Kakashi swiftly takes him down much like he did Naruto and Sasuke years ago and gives his greatest speech yet when trying to teach Boruto to be less lackadaisical, “Do you want me to tell you how to get out of this situation? You have to break your own arm…It’s probably impossible for someone who doesn’t have the motivation to become a ninja.”

As Boruto struggles, Kakashi continues to explain what he means, “Motivation is well…having resolve. Whether it’s for money, for praise, or for the sake of your parents…but without it you can’t change.”

Boruto injects, but Kakashi strikes him down with “You’ll become a ninja with everyone and then figure out something to do. You call that resolve? Then what about right now when you still haven’t figured it out? Would you be able to trample over them to become a ninja, just yourself? It’s a hard question to answer just like that, isn’t it? But things like that often happen. And when what ultimately sustains a ninja is born.”

Finally, with the wisdom of a ninja who has seen as much a Kakashi has, “Resolve comes from motivation. Sure, you’re willing, and you have the talent, but that’s just not enough. And that’s even more so if you don’t have resolve.”

Kakashi’s dialogue here resonated with Boruto fans much more than they expected, and are now even more excited about the future potential of the series.

For those unfamiliar with 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.