Things are just about to wind down for Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Well, for part of the series at least. While the manga will carry on, as usual, this year, the Naruto anime is heading for a hiatus. This past week, Boruto prepared for the big update as it released episode 292, and it was there the sequel dropped a major nod to Naruto Shippuden.
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As you can see below, the whole homage comes courtesy of Boruto’s fight against Kawaki. We watched this week as Naruto’s son took on his friend in battle, but Boruto was not in control of himself. Thanks to Karma, Momoshiki was able to break loose and fight Kawaki. Even when the latter unlocked his own Karma, Momoshiki went head to head with Kawaki, and their battle pitted brother against brother.
So of course, there was no better battle for Boruto to reference than Naruto’s Valley of the End. The sequel nodded to Naruto’s battle against Sasuke at the Valley of the End but not their first match. No, Boruto nodded to the final Valley of the End battle from Naruto Shippuden, andd the tribute was pretty much perfect.
During their battle this past week, Boruto and Kawaki took a page from their mentors. They pulled moves straight from the Naruto Shippuden battle including using each others’ hands to complete jutsu seals. As you can imagine, Naruto fans were excited to see the clever throwback, and the tribute was all the more meaningful given what the Valley of the End stands for.
The place was one of reckoning for Naruto and Sasuke in their youth, after all. The two rivals warred between being friends and enemies for much of their lives. This big rift always came to a head at the Valley of the End, but in the end, the pair proved how strong their bond was whenever they battled there. The same is now true for Boruto and Kawaki as this match outside of the Hidden Leaf Village defined their bond. The boys have a long way to grow yet, but thanks to this old-school nod, Naruto fans have an idea of where the brothers are going. One day, the Boruto anime will show their path to fans, but Naruto will go ahead and break things down in the manga before that time comes.ย
Do you think Boruto’s anime hiatus is for the best…? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.
