Boruto Chapter 45 – Defection
Boruto Manga Chapter 45
The latest Boruto manga issue titled ‘Defection’ ended with a recap of a lot of things that Naruto fans already knew. So I’m not sure how to feel about it.
I understand that some readers of the Boruto manga may not be very familiar with the Naruto manga. So a recap of some events from Naruto’s story in the Boruto franchise makes sense. However, I didn’t expect Chapter 45 of the Boruto manga to have panel after panel of history lessons about the Ōtsutsuki clan and why they focused on cultivating chakra fruits on multiple planets. I think the only new information we got was the line about how the chakra fruit helped the clan evolve genetically.
Even Amado said during the interrogation that everything he shared was a preface to important things he hadn’t told Naruto, Sasuke, and Shikamaru yet. And of course, before he could get to the vital information, he was interrupted by an incoming transmission from Kashin Koji.
Like, come on! Those few panels made me roll my eyes and groan.
Don’t get me wrong. I wonder how Kashin Koji’s fight with Jigen will end. But the way Amado was interrupted was so cliche.
“The Defection” revealed that Jigen was suspected of causing the plane to crash and how it allowed Kawaki to escape. I appreciated that the manga didn’t try to drag out the confrontation between Jigen and Kashin Koji when they were talking.
Now, Code is still with the Ten-Tails. So I’m not sure if Code will come to help Jigen (who hasn’t regained full power yet) or if Jigen can destroy Kashin Koji by himself. Since Kashin Koji was created to kill Jigen, I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows off some countermeasures to Jigen’s shrinking ability in the next issue.
With a live broadcast of the fight in the interrogation room, even if Jigen wins, the battle can help Naruto and Sasuke learn more about their enemy’s abilities to be better prepared for their next encounter.
Additional thoughts and questions:
When I saw Boruto asking Sumire the meaning of the word ‘defect’, it didn’t sit well with me. Isn’t Boruto supposed to be a genius? Maybe he’s not book smart and therefore didn’t know the meaning of that particular word?
Katasuke was very interested in Amada’s scientific skills so that he could provide the Kara members with technological upgrades, which made a lot of sense. Being a scientist himself, Katasuke would of course want to sit down with Amad and learn from him. Maybe Amado will help Katasuke develop better scientific Ninja Weaponry?
With only three (if you count the unconscious Delta) Inner Kara members left, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Outer members eventually become more of a threat.
We still have a lot of unanswered questions about Karma Seal. All we know is that due to the Ōtsutsuki clan being parasitic aliens, they can use the Karma Seal to possess a human body. Also, will the possible connection between the Karma seal and the Byakugou seal ever be explored? This particular topic was brought up in issue 35 of June 2019. After we got another mention in issue 36 (July 2019), it hasn’t been talked about since!