Boruto and co. channel their in Yu-Gi-Oh.
After last week’s kidnapping it appeared that the conflict between the Leaf and the Mist was ready to come to a head, but this week’s episode decides to take things slow with a minor battle and a major story dump about Mist swordsman in training Kagura. These story revelations have big implications for the future of this field trip, but long-winded scenes result in a slow-moving episode that unfortunately leaves all the action for next week.
Having just learned of Denki’s kidnapping, we find our heroes staring at the ransom note scrawled in blood on their hotel window. Hoping to resolve the issue without adult assistance, the Leaf ninjas recruit Kagura to their cause and set off to rescue Denki. When they encounter the Mist ninjas at the docks, I was expecting an epic showdown, but the reality is a disappointing montage of the Leaf ninjas lazily dispatching the Mist punks. Even their leader Hachiya can’t do much, and spends more time goading Kagura about his past than he does fighting him, only to be sent packing in embarrassing fashion yet again.
Although the anti-climactic encounter doesn’t offer much in the way of entertainment it does raise some questions about Kagura’s past, which Boruto and co. can’t help but bring up during their post-victory celebration. As the boys bond over a game of “Shinobi Bout,” Kagura reveals that he is the grandson of the Fourth Mizukage Yagura (shocker!), and explains his complicated history of violence. Kagura’s backstory is interesting, but the 10-minute sequence detailing it felt like overkill. The previous episodes had already heavily alluded at most of this information, and I feel like the episode’s time could have been more evenly split between the battle and backstory with better results. Still, it was nice to see the normally uptight Kagura take some time to relax with his new friends.
Even though the long card game scene takes up much of the runtime, the episode still manages to fit in two short scenes with some very important information. The first is a dinner scene featuring Shino, Anko, and the Fifth Mizukage Mei. They are having a somber conversation about peace treaties between the various countries surrounding the Middle Sea, revealing that there may have been ulterior motives behind this field trip to the Mist.
The second – and final scene of the episode – features Hachiya once again reporting back to his mysterious leader, Shizuma, who we learn is a member of former Seven Swordsmen Kisame’s Hoshigaki clan. It is possible that Shizuma hopes to follow in Kisame’s footsteps, which would explain his passion for the Mist’s violent past and interest in Seven Swordsman candidate Kagura. We will have to wait and see exactly what he is after, but no doubt this revelation has made this conflict much more interesting.
The Verdict
“A Shinobi Bout of Friendship” has some important story revelations to share, but flubs the delivery. An anticipated encounter between the Leaf and Mist is disappointingly over in a flash, while a long-winded conversation over a card game eats up about half the episode. Kagura’s flashback confirms most of what we already suspected, while the reveals about Shizuma and the unrest in the Ninja World is rushed out. With the truth about Shizuma finally revealed maybe next week can deliver an exciting encounter, but we aren’t getting our hopes up.
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