Boruto’s long lived in the shadow of its predecessor, Naruto, and the latest chapter undermined one of the series’ few genuinely great moments: the death of Kurama.
It’s fair to say that Boruto and Boruto: Two Blue Vortex have been divisive series. For every fan who’s happy to see the new generation of shinobi rise up to save the world from the omnicidal Ōtsutsuki, there’s another who feels the sequel undermines Naruto’s hard-earned victory in Shippuden.
I must admit I find myself in the latter camp. While I can see what fans like about Boruto, the fact that the series undid the long-prophesied world peace that our favorite Naruto characters helped to usher in has left a slightly bitter taste in my mouth.
With that in mind, however, I do think Boruto has had one truly great moment — the death of Kurama, the nine-tailed fox demon that made Naruto a ninja to be reckoned with. So it’s a shame Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 10 just brought Kurama back to life.
Goodbye, Naruto…
Kurama’s death was genuinely one of the most shocking moments in Boruto and was perfectly written. The introduction of Baryon mode gave Naruto and Kurama one last time to shine — as they delivered a cathartic beatdown to the previously seemingly invincible Isshiki — culminating in a heartbreaking moment where the Nine-Tails said a final goodbye to his old friend.
As a staple of the series since the first chapter, Kurama’s unexpected death was like a kunai to the gut that felt like a passing of the baton moment. With Naruto no longer able to channel the demonic chakra that made him a powerhouse (and Sasuke losing his Rinnegan), the series’ narrative guardrails were effectively gone.
Boruto, Sarada, Kawaki, and co could no longer rely on the adults to save the day; they needed to step up and master their own powers. It was a cool moment that tied into one of Naruto’s most prominent themes: the idea that each generation surpasses the one that came before it. Basically, Kurama’s death introduced some real stakes to a series that, until that point, had felt slightly listless.
Unfortunately, reports of Kurama’s death were greatly exaggerated, and it was revealed in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex Chapter 9 that the Nine-Tails had reincarnated inside Naruto’s daughter, Himawari Uzumaki. Now, by itself, this isn’t actually that big of a deal. We’ve known since Naruto Shippuden that the Tailed Beasts are effectively immortal, as after they die, they’re reborn following an unspecified amount of time.
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Guess who’s back?
So what’s the problem? Well, the issue is that Chapter 10 confirms Kurama’s been brought back with all the memories of his past life. Effectively, the only difference between this Kurama and the one sealed in Naruto is that this version of the Nine-Tails is chibi-sized. Is that cute? Yes. But it completely nullifies the impact of his death and reinstalls the guardrails.
The feeling that Kurama’s death was permanent was what made his death so effective. The pair, who’d endured so much together, were separated by the very thing they fought to eradicate: war. It was heartbreaking to see Naruto lose his closest companion, just like his parents, Jiraiya, and so many comrades. Now, that poignancy is undone.
Effectively, Kurama moved house, and Naruto (if he ever gets unsealed) can chat with his old friend whenever he wants. This problem would have been easily solved by making the new Nine-Tails lose his memories of his time with Naruto or making them a completely new incarnation with a new personality, which leads me to the second issue.
By reviving Kurama with his memories of his time with Naruto, the Nine-Tails has no reason not to help Himawari. As such, I can’t help but feel as though Kurama was brought back to serve as a convenient powerup for Naruto’s daughter, who’s been largely irrelevant until now. It feels like a convenient deus ex machina to get Himawari out of trouble while simultaneously curtailing future drama.
After all, it took Naruto the best part of 500 chapters to befriend Kurama, but Himawari has skipped all that, effectively gaining his power with little to no effort. This feels like it’s doing a disservice to Himawari, as seeing her working to control the new power inside of her could have made for a nice side story focused on her. But nah, we’ve taken a shortcut and skipped to the end of that arc. It just feels like a wasted opportunity.
Kurama’s death was bold and upsetting. It flipped Boruto on its head and gave the series some genuine stakes. The decision to revive him undermines all of that and disrespects the fox’s sacrifice. More than that, it just seems a bit odd; Naruto’s always been a series where consequences matter and avoided easy solutions to difficult issues, so why undo that good work now? Could it be because Kurama is one of the creator’s favorite characters? I suspect so.
If you want to know more about Naruto and Boruto, then you’re in the right place. We’ve got more info on Konoha’s number-one ninjas than Orochimaru. So why not check out our piece explaining who’s the strongest in Naruto or our guide detailing how many Naruto episodes there are? We’ve even written a breakdown of all the Naruto filler so you can skip some of the series’ worst moments. If you’re looking for more great anime, though, why not have a look at our list of the best anime on Netflix? We also have individual articles on One Punch Man season 3 and Solo Levelling season 2.
