Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Episode 175

Team 7 wraps up its latest mission and fights one of its toughest battles in an action-packed Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. As Boruto and Sarada try in vain to inflict damage on Deepa, Konohamaru faces off against Victor, against whom he is similarly unsuccessful. However, right before Victor can finish off his foe, Orochimaru arrives on the scene to offer some timely assistance and retrieve the stolen Hashirama Cell. After fighting it out with Orochimaru, Victor prepares to eat the Divine Tree's fruit, which he hopes will give him immortality and regenerate his missing limbs. Unfortunately for the old man, this is merely an imitation of the Divine Tree, and instead of giving him the fruit he seeks, the tree consumes him as sustenance. With Victor vanquished, Orochimaru proceeds to destroy the monstrous plant and instructs Konohamaru to retrieve the genin.

Meanwhile, Mitsuki, who's fully recovered thanks to organ donations from Log, rejoins the other two-thirds of Team 7 in their fight against Deepa. Although Boruto is eventually able to hit him head-on with a High Compression Rasengan, the villain coats himself in resilient carbon-based armor, thereby preventing the attack from dealing any damage. Upon seeing the Divine Tree (whose fruit he, too, had been hoping to eat) being destroyed by Orochimaru, Deepa becomes enraged and attempts to take his anger out on Boruto, who hits him with another High Compression Rasengan. However, this time, Sarada and Mitsuki join in and contribute their chakra, giving birth to the Super High Compression Rasengan, which shatters Deepa's armor and sends him flying. As the base collapses and Deepa is seemingly crushed beneath falling rubble, the good guys make their escape. With the team back together, Orochimaru leaves Mitsuki in Konohamaru's care as Mia comes to terms with her husband's fate. Triumphant and happy to be reunited, Boruto and company raise their fists in victory as their latest adventure comes to a close.

Although Deepa is still a Force Of Nature, Boruto's and Sarada's training efforts pay off in a big way this week. While their opponent maintains the upper hand throughout the majority of the battle, they're able to hold their own against him much better than they were during their initial encounter. Though her parents never fully explained to her what Sasuke went through to attain a more advanced Sharingan, Sarada didn't need to go down the same dark path as her father, as her sincere desire to save a friend proved to be enough for her Sharingan to evolve. While Boruto's High Compression Rasengan only made a dent in Deepa's nigh-impenetrable carbon shell, the entire team working together to facilitate the villain's downfall is ultimately more satisfying than Boruto taking him down by himself.

While Konohamaru proves largely ineffective this week, Orochimaru once again makes for an entertaining presence. Since he could likely defeat Deepa with ease, the narrative opts to keep him away from the battle the genin are fighting and pit him against a fellow scientific mind. Although the two appear to be equally matched in certain areas, Orochimaru, as the superior scientist, knows exactly what's in store for Victor throughout their entire encounter. Victor's stereotypical ramblings about immortality and necessary sacrifices are nicely punctuated by Orochimaru's unemotional reaction to the man's ranting and his swift undoing at the hands of his own experiment.

After nearly four months, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations closes out one of its longest story arcs to date with a fun, frenetic final battle. Packed to the brim with top-shelf visuals and feature film-caliber animation, this week's installment is easily one of the show's finest action episodes and sets a high bar for important battles moving forward. If Victor and Deepa represent the lower rungs of Kara, one can only imagine the threats that await our heroes in the future.

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Boruto: Naruto Next Generations is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is an author who has loved anime for over two decades.