Will Boruto Surpass Kawaki? Will They Turn into Enemies?

Boruto and Kawaki are destined to fight each other, be it as rivals or enemies.

One of the most enjoyable aspects of shonen is the rivalry shared between the protagonist and his companion. In Naruto, the competitiveness between Naruto and Sasuke and their conflicting goals kept the series interesting. Similarly, in Boruto, the audience is extremely invested in Boruto and Kawaki’s developments.

With the very first scene in the series hinting towards an epic showdown between the two, I can’t help but wonder who will come out on top. In the latest chapter, Boruto overpowered Kawaki, but that was only because of the latter’s lack of karma.

Has Boruto truly grown stronger than Kawaki? And if not, will he ever surpass his rival?

1. Will Boruto Surpass Kawaki?

Boruto will surpass Kawaki to become the strongest character in the series due to his status as the protagonist. Furthermore, not only does Boruto stem from two powerful bloodlines, i.e., Hyuga and Uzumaki, but he also has the karma of an Otsutsuki on top of that.

As it is with most anime, the story of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations has been progressing in favor of its protagonist, i.e., Boruto Uzumaki. On the other hand, Kawaki’s strength is not something to scoff at either. Time and time again, he continues to push past barriers and gain power.

Despite not being proficient in ninjutsu, Kawaki’s body has been modified by Amado to an extreme level. The cybernetics in his body gives him unique superhuman abilities eerily similar to a kekkei genkai. Not only can Kawaki regenerate his body, but also transform and weaponize it. After undergoing Jigen’s hellish training, he had also gained mastery over his karma before losing it recently.

Both Boruto and Kawaki are the strongest shinobis in their generation and will grow to reach the same heights as Naruto and possibly go further. Currently, Boruto is stronger than Kawaki now that the latter has completely lost his karma. While previously Kawaki had the edge over Boruto due to his experience, the latter comes out on top at base level. Furthermore, this gap between them will continue increasing.

The reason for this other than plot armor is the fact that Kawaki’s talent is partly due to his modified body and karma. The former has its limits, and the latter has vanished, at least for now. On the other hand, with supreme genetics, legendary ninjas as his mentors, and a literal god’s mark on him, Boruto is sure to take the world by storm.

2. Will Kawaki and Boruto Really Become Enemies?

Kawaki and Boruto will not become enemies in the future. They might fight due to a difference in opinion, but in the end, Kawaki’s positive feelings for Naruto and Boruto will stop him from turning evil.

Kawaki and Boruto faced each other on top of Naruto’s broken stone face in the midst of a ravaged Konoha in the first episode. This scene had firmly established Kawaki as a future antagonist in our minds, at least until the recent chapters of the manga.

After living a hellish life in Kara, Kawaki finally found shelter within Konoha with Naruto’s acceptance. Furthermore, Boruto and the new generation have already started seeing him as a close friend or comrade. With Kawaki’s love for Naruto and his desire to protect him and Konoha, it is unlikely that he will become enemies with Boruto.

Fans have instead started to interpret his words in the first scene, “I will send you to where the 7th Hokage is,” as a statement meant to protect Boruto. They may fight due to a difference of opinions like Kawaki wants to teleport the entire family to keep them safe, but Boruto wants to stay and fight back.

However, there is indeed a future where Kawaki unwillingly turns antagonistic. In the first scene, we can see that Kawaki is capable of using karma that he has lost right now. This might mean that there’s a possibility that Code has taken over his body or that Amado’s plan is in the works.

In the end, though, it is highly probable that Kawaki and Boruto will end up teaming instead of turning against each other.

3. About Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is written and illustrated by Mikio Ikemoto, and supervised by Masashi Kishimoto. It came into serialization in Shueisha’s Weekly Shonen Jump in June 2016.

Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is the series that follows the exploits of Naruto’s son, Boruto, during his academy days and further on.

The series follows the character development of Boruto and the looming evil that challenges the fate of him and his loved ones.