‘Boruto’ Just Redeemed One ‘Naruto’ Nuisance

Naruto has its fair share of villains, but the series also had those characters you did want to root for. Even ninja like Sai became fan-favorites by Naruto‘s end, but Katasuke Tono managed to rub everyone the wrong way in Boruto: Naruto the Movie.

However, Boruto‘s manga just went out of its way to redeem the science-loving ninja.

Recently, Boruto released its 18th chapter, and the update followed Team 7 as they helped escort Katasuke to back to his division’s base. Boruto was less-than-thrilled about the idea, but the ninja accepted his team’s mission despite his past run-ins with the Scientific Ninja Weapons team.

Once Boruto arrived at the lab, the hero quickly learned Katasuke wasn’t the pushy ninja he first came to know. Thanks to the man’s assistant, Boruto came to see that Katasuke was really a science whiz who wanted nothing more to support others.

Boruto’s lesson came courtesy of Akita Inuzuka, Katasuke’s assistant. The older ninja approached Boruto while the boy was sitting down, and Akita revealed how good-hearted her mentor really was. The story was prompted when Akita’s disabled ninja dog ran into the duo, and the woman revealed her dog lived because of Katasuke’s help.

“One day, Katasuke learned of his condition and then got in contact with me. And so that’s when he told me this. I’ll make a leg to support him as a ninja dog. From then on, I became my teacher’s assistant,” she said.

“As for people who do not possess strength and for people who have lost something precious to them, I want to be a beacon of hope as someone who will put a smile back on their faces,” Akita finished. “This is what I think science means to my teacher.”

In light of Boruto’s past, fans can understand why the hero would have hard feelings against Katasuke. The ninja did push Boruto into cheating during the Chunin Exams, but the manga did reveal Katasuke was under another’s influence during that time. The man has worked hard to repay the Leaf Village for putting it in danger, and Boruto is slowly coming around to the idea that Scientific Ninja Tools are neither good nor bad; The weapons are only as evil as the person wielding them, and Katasuke is anything but a villain after Boruto‘s latest chapter.

Did Boruto’s new chapter turn you into a fan of Katasuke? Hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB to let me know and talk all things anime!