Kawaki, not Boruto, is Two Blue Vortex's true hero

Modified Nov 07, 2024 11:39 GMT

Kawaki, not Boruto, is Two Blue Vortex — Boruto and Kawaki as seen in the Boruto manga (Image via Shueisha)

While Kawaki was considered the deuteragonist of Boruto manga for a really long time, his actions at the end of the Naruto Next Generations manga have painted him into the role of a villain. This is because he wanted to kill the protagonist and had Eida interchange his roles with him, turning the protagonist into an outsider.

However, if one closely looks into his character, it is quite evident that Kawaki is not a villain. In fact, he could be a hero in the making. This is especially evident if one compares the character's goals currently in the manga to the opening scene at the start of the previous series.

Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers from the Boruto manga.

Why could Kawaki be the true hero of Boruto: Two Blue Vortex?

Kawaki as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

While Kawaki is perceived as a potential antagonist due to his extreme actions, upon closer analysis, it becomes clear that his character is far more complex. As fans might remember, Kawaki was treated poorly since his childhood and it was Naruto Uzumaki who protected him and gave him a home and family.

Thus, Kawaki was deeply indebted to him and wished to do all he could to protect Naruto and the Hidden Leaf Village. The problem was that he did not mind doing what was necessary no matter how extreme the plan seemed, which in this case, was to kill Naruto's son Boruto.

As fans would know, following Isshiki Otsutsuki's death, the protagonist was the biggest Otsutsuki threat hanging over the village. Hence, Kawaki wanted to get rid of him, even if that meant going after Naruto's wishes.

Eida and Kawaki as seen in the manga (Image via Shueisha)

While this rationale was extreme, it just proves how dedicated Kawaki was in trying to protect the people he cared about the most. Unfortunately, Kawaki is further painted into the role of a villain after he mistakenly had Eida use her Omnipotence Shinjutsu to alter everyone's memories.

This development saw everyone believe that he was Naruto's son and that the protagonist was the outsider who "killed" the Seventh Hokage and his wife. This development was the last straw, following which Kawaki has been left misunderstood in the role of a villain. But what fans have forgotten is that he was doing all this to protect Naruto and the village.

However, as the story progresses, one can notice some subtle hints that suggest a change in Kawaki's mindset. As fans might remember, Kawaki wanted to kill the protagonist because he wanted to prevent Momoshiki Otsutsuki from ever going berserk again.

This goal has yet to change in the manga as Kawaki agreed to team up with Boruto against the God Trees under the condition that he would kill the protagonist if Momoshiki ever took over him and went berserk. This means that, despite the three-year time skip, Kawaki's goal remains unchanged. However, this is not the case for the Kawaki shown in the series' opening scene.

Evidently, he tells his adoptive brother that he is set to send him to the location where he sent the Seventh Hokage. As fans would know, Kawaki hadn't killed Naruto but teleported them into another dimension. Hence, Kawaki seemingly planned on sending the protagonist to that location.

Kawaki as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

While this may not seem like a huge change for the fans of the protagonist, as far as Kawaki is concerned, this growth is huge. As fans would know, he always carried violent tendencies. Thus, the fact that he no longer wanted to kill the Momoshiki host but only wanted to send him to another dimension meant that he wanted to stop the cycle of hatred like Naruto.

Therefore, while Kawaki could be viewed as an antagonist right now, there is reason to believe that he could soon turn into the true hero of the Boruto: Two Blue Vortex manga.

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Edited by Gokul Chettiyar