Boruto: Naruto Next Generations

Episode 155

Following a pandemic-facilitated hiatus, Boruto: Naruto Next Generations returns with one of its most somber installments to date. After kitten Mikazuki finds a wounded man in an alley on a rainy night, Mitsuki brings the mysterious figure home and allows him to rest up. The man, who identifies himself as Samidare Amaashi, claims to have come to the village to visit his sister, who works for a prominent Leaf-based company and shares a name with Mitsuki's feline friend. As a show of gratitude, Samidare buys a bell collar for Mikazuki (the cat, not his sister) to ensure that Mitsuki will always know where she is. Shortly after Samidare and Mitsuki part ways, Team 7 is assigned to protect the president of the Kaneki Corporation, a chemical company on par with the Kaminarimon Company, from a serial killer who's been picking off figures associated with a large-scale explosion that occurred at Kaneki Corp's plant two years ago. Known as the Rainy Day Killer, the murderer only strikes on rainy days, and despite claiming three victims, his weapon of choice remains a mystery to investigators.

It isn't long before Mitsuki ascertains that the Rainy Day Killer is none other than Samidare, whose sister perished in the aforementioned chemical explosion and was subsequently used as a convenient scapegoat by the higher-ups. After abducting Kaneki Corp's president and bringing him to Mikazuki's grave, Samidare finds himself in a faceoff with Mitsuki, who deduces that his opponent infuses ultra-thin chakra needles into falling rain, thus enabling his attacks to remain undetected. Following his defeat, Samidare attempts to kill himself with his chakra needles, but Mitsuki, having figured out that Samidare isn't a genuinely evil person, gets him some timely medical attention. Soon after, investigations into the true cause of the explosion are reopened, and a comatose Samidare is visited in the hospital by Mitsuki. As Mitsuki promises to come again and proceeds to take his leave, we see that he's placed a bell collar (possibly the same one he gifted Mikazuki) around Samidare's wrist, which then jingles, perhaps signifying Samidare has regained consciousness.

There's little actual mystery regarding the Rainy Day Killer's identity, as Samidare's injury, reluctance to discuss said injury, muted reference to his sister in the past tense, and timely appearance make his true identity abundantly clear to even the least attentive viewer. To be fair, a guest character being the culprit du jour is more an issue with mystery series as a whole instead of Boruto specifically, but the show doesn't even try to plant any seeds of doubt in this area. While this isn't a huge mark against the episode, it's mildly disappointing, given the series' propensity for crafting decent mystery-themed narratives—at least, by kids' show standards.

Weak mystery aside, Mitsuki's interactions with Samidare are interesting, and Samidare's backstory is believably sad without delving into tragedy porn territory. Taking the fantastical setting and ninja elements out of the equation, Samidare is essentially a man whose work caused him to lose touch with his family and is now overcome with guilt for not being around when his sister needed him most. While his desire for revenge is strong, and he's not above killing, he doesn't relish taking human life. As far as Naruto-verse guest characters go, he's reasonably sympathetic and three-dimensional, and his signature fighting technique is fairly cool—though easily seen through by a genin. At several points, the episode seems to hint that Mikazuki may share some sort of spiritual bond with Samidare's similarly-named sister, but instead of exploring that idea in depth, the show wisely uses the cat's affection as a means of breaking down some of the emotional barriers Samidare is hiding behind.

As an emotionally-detached observer of human emotion, Mitsuki may not possess the empathy to fully comprehend why a person would kill out of love. However, whereas other shinobi would have taken Samidare out regardless of his motives, Mitsuki is intent on saving his soul and shining a light on his inner good. It's a bit of a stretch—although Samidare had reservations, he still committed three premeditated murders, and any hesitation around the idea of killing Mitsuki is easy to explain—but Mitsuki's desire to redeem the man serves as yet another sign that he no longer views the world in terms of black and white.

After two months without Boruto, it's great to be back in the Hidden Leaf. The show bowing out in the middle of a filler period is something of a blessing in disguise, as the audience didn't have to keep the details of a dangling arc fresh in their minds throughout the duration of the hiatus. While episode 155 may not be a standout installment, it's an engaging, emotional one-off that's sure to please fans of Boruto's best friend.

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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.