Why The Latest Power-Up In Boruto Should Worry Naruto Fans
Created by Masashi Kishimoto, Naruto, which follows a young ninja with big dreams of becoming the Hokage of his village, is one of the most popular manga and anime series of all time. Fans also get to see what Naruto is up to later in life, on the sequel series Boruto. This time around, the focus is on Naruto's son, who has pretty strong feelings about his father often putting the responsibilities as Hokage over his own child.
The Boruto series gives the creators a chance to expand upon the lore established in the original Naruto, complete with new powers and threats threatening the village. The most recent chapter of the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations manga really ups the ante. Naruto needs to tap into Kurama, a nine-tailed beast that was sealed inside the ninja at a young age, to try to stop the malevolent forces of the Otsutsuki clan. On the original series, Naruto is tasked with learning to control this intense power so that he can become the hero he's meant to be. Naruto and Kurama have a partnership, but in the latest arc of the manga, chapter 51, Kurama informs Naruto of an additional Nine-Tails power he possesses. While it may hold the key to defeating Isshiki Otsutsuki, it would come at a terrible cost to the ninja audiences know and love.
Naruto can tap into Nine-Tail's Suicide Form to defeat Isshiki at a great cost
Kurama the Nine-Tailed Fox gives Naruto the ability to access immense power within himself — but, as we learn in Boruto 51, there's a secret power Kurama has kept hidden from Naruto all these years: the Nine-Tails Suicide Form. There's a very good reason why he hasn't disclosed such information until the latest issue (via ComicBook.com).
During an exchange between the two, Naruto makes it clear he's willing to make the ultimate sacrifice to take down this new threat. Kurama responds with, "Naruto ... You're really prepared to die? ... There might be a way. It's a do-or-die, last stand, ace-up-your-sleeve thing. Only worth trying since you're expecting to get killed anyway." Naruto naturally asks why Kurama has kept such a power secret all these years, to which the entity responds, "Because you'll die. Do this and it's over."
The Nine-Tails Suicide Form would give Naruto the power to take down pretty much any adversary, but it would also overload the host, resulting in Naruto's death. It appears as though this form would allow the Nine-Tails to attain a greater level of fusion with the human form of Naruto, costing him his life in the process. Naruto has overcome numerous enemies over the years, always finding a way to emerge victorious no matter how powerful the villain is. However, Isshiki is unlike anything Naruto has seen before. To protect his people, Naruto may need to sacrifice his own life, which has plenty of fans worried.
The Naruto manga series has been around since the 1990s, with fans following his adventures in the pages and within the anime for decades now. Could this spell the end of the beloved character? Boruto 52 is scheduled to come out on November 20, 2020, so fans will want to pick it up if they want to see what happens to the skilled ninja next.