With all the hot news surrounding the Naruto franchise hitting a fever pitch going into New York Comic Con, it’s sometimes easy to forget that the star’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, has a hit ongoing story of his own. Boruto: Two Blue Vortex has remained steady, focusing on a massively consequential plot shaking Konoha and indeed the rest of the world, while so far leaving few human casualties. While the latest to pass in the series have only been more recent Boruto characters with less of a legacy appeal, with Yodo and Bug hardly having the same fans as other stars, its most meaningful death could come soon.

As of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 37, Sarada Uchiha has been taken to Jura’s lair by Code, where the last remaining Kara member begins a heated debate with Divine Tree Hidari. With the two suddenly ready to fight to the death over whether Sarada should be used as bait to draw in Boruto like Code wants, or consumed by Hidari as part of his personal evolution, Sarada has quickly taken advantage of the melee, planning to let the pair weaken each other before she ultimately finishes them off. With Sarada’s particular Mangekyo Sharingan already able to kill either character at their full strength, and Code’s particular story still having room for development, it seems clear which villain in the Naruto franchise is next to go.

Killing Off This Naruto Franchise Villain Makes Sense Now More Than Ever

Hidari has never truly had much of a personality since being introduced in Boruto: Two Blue Vortex. He was already among the first to get into fights with the Konoha crew as of chapter 4, demonstrating a particularly deadly threat due to Sasuke Uchiha being his chakra template. But compared to the menacingly deranged execution of Matsuri’s affection for Konohamaru, or Mamushi’s fascinatingly dangerous threat and obsession with consuming Eida, Hidari never really felt as dynamic. Killing him off is also the only true obstacle in the way of bringing Sasuke back, who is trapped in a tree and can only be released by using HIdari’s Thorn Soul Bulb, so fans will understandably be okay with him getting axed.

The likelihood of Sarada surviving via plot armor has already increased with Boruto coming to the rescue. With Code unlikely to go as the series strongly seems to be suggesting he’ll tacitly cooperate with Konoha to get the Divine Trees off his back, and Hidari is the only one who ultimately shows no signs of defecting. Through to this point, the past two arcs have resulted in three Divine Trees being defeated, with the added twist that they were too late to rescue Bug as his Thorn Soul rotted too quickly. It makes sense that he’d go, but with the added twist that his particular connection to Jura could make this admittedly predictable ending a lot more fascinating to watch unfold.

Naruto’s Strongest Active Villain Could Be Set Up For A Dark Super Saiyan Moment

With Hidari’s simple personality mimicking Sasuke’s endearing love for cats, he’s been an easy character for Jura to latch onto, only now just realizing Hidari is a friend. Jura is even seen shopping for cat books to make Hidari happy, indicating Jura is emotionally invested, just as the shopkeeper calls out in chapter 37. Hidari is the only remaining Divine Tree ally, Jura has no other real friends. And with the power of the Ten-Tails as his disposal, the loss of Hidari would certainly break up the “monster of the arc” formula by experiencing the counterpart to human experiences he’d been chasing so far like love, with loss likely prompting unprecedented changes for him.

The loss of Hidari could finally awaken the elusive emotions and human experiences Jura craved, while also setting off a dangerously unhinged, unbridled show of fury. After all, Naruto believed he’d seen Hinata killed in front of his eyes, which caused him to snap and nearly surrender all control to the baleful Kurama still sealed up inside him in the Pain’s Assault Arc. It was a moment of unchecked rage spurred on by loss, and the unleashing of Obito Uchiha’s Mangekyo Sharingan after seeing Rin’s death functioned very similarly. The Naruto franchise has set its own spin on this precedent, so Jura taking this route wouldn’t be entirely surprising.

The notion of a humanoid Ten-Tails finally losing the only friend he ever acknowledged having would be the first truly Super Saiyan-esque transformation propelled by the loss of a friend, and with his mastery of flight, Tailed Beast Balls, sensing chakra, and other feats, he’d even look the part. It’d also likely be the first major challenge to Jura’s resolve not to attack Konoha, as he’d have nothing left to return to after its citizens finish off his only remaining ally. But for now, until the preview for Boruto: Two Blue Vortex chapter 38, Naruto fans will merely have to wait and see what the next steps are.

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  First Film

  Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow

  Latest Film

  Boruto: Naruto the Movie

  First TV Show

  Naruto

  Latest TV Show

  Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

  First Episode Air Date

  
  October 3, 2002
  

  Cast

  Junko Takeuchi, Maile Flanagan, Noriaki Sugiyama, Chie Nakamura, Kazuhiko Inoue, Nana Mizuki, Hideo Ishikawa, Yûko Sanpei

  Naruto is a franchise spawned from the manga series penned by Masashi Kishimoto that began in 1999. Generating several tv series, games, movies, and more, Naruto follows the exploits of a young outcast ninja harboring the spirit of a demon fox who seeks to become the Hokage, the leader of his ninja village, to break the stigma against him. Upon the conclusion of the initial series, Naruto expanded into Boruto, following many series protagonists’ children and returning faces.

  
  

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  Writer

  Masashi Kishimoto

  Writers

  Masashi Kishimoto

  Penciler(s)

  Mikio Ikemoto

  Inker(s)

  Mikio Ikemoto

  Colorist(s)

  Mikio Ikemoto

  Publisher(s)

  Viz Media

  Years after fleeing his village with Sasuke, Boruto returns to confront the dark changes that have occurred. With memories altered and Kawaki now seen as the hero, Boruto faces a world where he is the outcast. The two rivals must settle their differences as their Otsutsuki powers grow more dangerous.