Boruto episode 276 picked up where the previous one left off and expanded upon the strange room. The room had shinobi and normal folk from other nations who were traveling on the Thunder Train with Boruto.
A small, odd-looking man then appeared and explained to them that they were survivors of a toxic gas exposure.
Apparently, they were brought to the facility out of concern for their well-being. Since they were there, he wanted to conduct a series of experiments on them. He explained that he wanted to test out their "subconscious ability to avoid death". After that, things went downhill as the passengers were thrust into a twisted game of life and death.
Fans left shocked as Boruto episode 276 takes a dark turn from the very beginning
Boruto episode 276 took a dark turn barely 10 minutes in.
As all the Thunder Train passengers began waking up, a small man appeared out of the head of the room. He spoke of them surviving a toxic gas accident, and said that he wanted to test their "subconscious ability to avoid death".
This was when things took a dark turn.
From a deck of seven cards, the man asked them to choose a card which had "life" mentioned on it. Venturing forth, what seemed like a shinobi belonging to a village's security force stepped forth and picked up a card.
The word "death" was written on it and in an instant the small man pierced the shinobi's forehead with a blade, thus killing him. This sudden switch shocked viewers as a blatant showing of death like this was a little uncommon in the series.
Fans taken aback at Ouga's twisted game, many in awe of animation quality
The shinobi was not the only one who met his demise.
As the passengers were thrust into a twisted game, a couple of others lost their lives as well. The guard escorting his bounty Rokuro was also killed by him when he cut him loose in the "Collapse Game".
An interesting fact noted by fans in Boruto episode 276 was the means by which Ouga was communicating.
Seen in the first bit of the episode, he was using a puppet to communicate with the passengers. However, he did so by using a hologram which appeared and disappeared in the same way that Jigen used his own one to overlook his hideout.
There is a possibility that the two are connected somehow.
The method of communication and the layout of the stages seem to be identical. Probably similar technology was being used by both.
Last but not least, Boruto episode 276 had fans gushing over the blonde's Wind Style: Gale Palm.
He had learned the move early on in the series and relied on it for most Overles. With time, he combined it with his innate Lightning Release to create and use other powerful and unique techniques.
With time, as he learnt other jutsu, he began to use it less and less. Seeing him utilize it again was fresh and the ease with which he did it showed just how much he had grown.
Final Thoughts
Boruto episode 276 was something different from what fans usually see, and marks the start of a terrifying new arc. A number of questions stand as to the identity of Ouga, the location of the maze, the reason for them being selected and, most suspiciously, the old man's ties to Kara, if any.
This new arc is probably a warm-up to the upcoming Code Arc, which will surely wow viewers. After all, Code has been the most-anticipated character to make an appearance yet in the series. For now, however, we can only wait and see what else Ouga has in store.