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Boruto: Naruto Next Generations follows Naruto’s son Boruto on his journey to becoming a ninja or shinobi. In the new world of Boruto, we see his father Naruto and his friends living with their loved ones peacefully. It is a society completely different from that of which we saw in Naruto.
One great thing about Boruto is that the story contains a lot of characters with complex personalities and interesting past experiences. One character, in particular, gained my interest. The character’s name is Kawaki, who is at first one of the main antagonists in Boruto: Naruto Next Generation.
He comes off as hostile to everyone he meets for the first time, which I do not really agree with. Although with an open mind and after finding out about his experiences, I started to understand the character as a whole and retract what I said about not really liking him.
There are a lot of questions if the character is going to debut in the anime. He makes a cameo debut way back in episode 157. However, he officially makes his debut in episode 177 in the anime series, wrapping up the final moments in the Ao arc.
If this piqued your interest in the character’s information and how he affects the anime series, read ahead. Maybe you are going to change your mindset after finding everything about Kawaki as I did.
Bottom Line Up Front
Kawaki, a young man, makes his debut at the end of the Ao arc in the Boruto series. He is a natural human being that transforms into something else using inorganic technology. At a young age, he is a member of the evil organization Kara.
However, Kawaki leaves and becomes a rebellious member of the organization. Because of this, not a lot of people trusted him at first, especially due to his aggressive attitude. He wishes to escape and remove his curse mark from his body.
Who is Kawaki?
Kawaki (カワキ) is a shinobi with the expectation to be the future vessel for Isshiki Otsutsuki. Jigen, a monk under the Kara organization, raises him as his own but with another intention. Team 7 brings him to Konohagakure, and Naruto Uzumaki raises him as his own. By this time, Kawaki develops a brotherly bond with Naruto’s son, Boruto Uzumaki, to solve the mystery of the Karma. In all honesty, I disliked him at first because he gave off a conceited attitude.
Kawaki’s Backstory
I pitied Kawaki due to his childhood. As a young child, he lived with his abusive drunk father, Kokatsu. He had to work at a very young age and used his money to buy liquor for Kokatsu. He chopped wood, delivered it then went to buy alcohol.
His father was up to no good and treated him like a maid. When he found the goldfish show invitation that Kawaki hid, he ripped it off to shreds and told him that he would not have dinner as a punishment.
Quite sadly, Kawaki did not live a normal childhood. He was a young boy, deprived of happiness. His father locked him in a room when Kawaki returned with a broken bottle. I could not imagine how traumatizing it would be to him. Kokatsu got rid of his own son in exchange for money and alcohol.
By this time, Jigen had adopted Kawaki. Jigen asked Kawaki to accept him as his new father, and he shall give him a special present. During his childhood, a man who suffered from alcohol problems raised Kawaki and beat him constantly until Jigen bought the boy for a large sum of money. The monk then told Kawaki to be at ease from now on as his new father.
After Kawaki’s purchase, Jigen took him to Kara’s hideout, where he performed experiments on his body with the organization’s scientist and researcher. He believed that the boy could forcefully receive Karma into his body. Kawaki managed to survive and received the seal of Karma in the palm of his left hand.
Later, Jigen beat him so that he could learn to use the power of Karma, even against his own will. He described his life with Kara as a living hell. At one point in the plot, he undergoes a series of changes in the structure of his body. He transformed into a scientific weapon, in which he had all his blood vessels and his nervous system replaced by some inorganic technology.
Kawaki: Appearance, Personality, Quotes, and More
Appearance
Kawaki has a black undercut type of hairstyle, and some of his hair has covered a small portion of his forehead. He has blonde shaved sides to accent his undercut hairstyle. He has a small roman numeral IX under his left eye and a pair of hooped piercings under his black right eyebrow.
He wore a plain green top with a long sleeveless jacket over it. His jacket is blue with a light blue accent near the buttons. He wore black pants cut above his ankles with a brown belt and black sandals.
His left hand has a black diamond-shaped seal on the palm. This unfolded and moved up his left arm to the left side of his face. In the future, he wears a dark violet scarf and belt, white overalls with his chest exposed, and a black coat. For me, his outfits fitted his overall personality- tough, rugged, and mysterious.
Personality
Due to years of abuse at the hands of his biological father and the organization Kara, Kawaki is initially hostile to all new people he meets. He is very disrespectful, constantly using swear words and speaking to people in a rude tone. He is also very blunt and straight to the point with everyone he is conversing with.
The more you think about it, you’d realized that his personality is justifiable and understandable. However, it should not be tolerated.
Furthermore, because of the monk’s emotional abuse of Kawaki, he comes to view himself as empty, but after meeting Naruto, he overcomes that outlook. Kawaki can also be very stubborn at times, not to mention his rudeness aggravates people that try to talk to him. Kawaki can also be highly aggressive and vulgar to people he dislikes or opposes.
Despite these negative characteristics, Kawaki ensures that he makes up for anything he does wrong as he always wants to be a better person. When he accidentally broke Himawari’s vase, he tried to fix it to make up for it. I applaud Kawaki for his dedication to changing the assumption of others that he is a good person. For that, I can sympathise with him.
Quotes
Kawaki is a guy of few words; however, he can be frank with his conversations. I appreciate his honesty, having no filters throughout his appearance in the plot. However, there are downsides to this; he becomes easily misunderstood by what he actually meant. Another downside is that he may hurt others without being aware of it.
I can say that the majority of his lines are either antagonistic, frank, or hard-headed. Despite this, Kawaki also said some lines that show his sincerity and interest. Here are some of the noteworthy quotes Kawaki is giving to us in the Boruto anime:
- “Accompanying me while we go on a leisurely morning stroll, huh? The Hokage sure has a lot of free time.”
- “With a weapon like this, now I get why he’s the head of this village.”
- “That Shadow Clone Jutsu is great. You could have fight with yourself and get all your stress out, right?”
- “Do you think I can do it too? Can I become like him?”
- “I’ll show you what it means to not hold back! Burn!”
- “I keep telling you I’m not a member of Kara and I don’t have any information worth knowing.”
- “Well, your powers should be able to act as a shield.”
- “I won’t run anymore… for the time being.”
- “Nothing wrong with playing around… But there’s danger lurking around every corner in the world.”
- “Shut up. I was just teaching him a life lesson.”
- “If you’re lucky, it might even get rid of your karma.”
- “This arm. I don’t really understand how chakra works, but aren’t you gonna get exhausted because of me?”
- “It’s true. It’s almost unbelievable. It’s Jigen! He’s the one who carved the Karma into me. We’re gonna have to fight him some day. We’ll defeat him. Using everything we’ve got. Including the Karma.”
- “Lord Seventh took me on as his student. He taught me a lot of other things too. You don’t get it at all, do you? A world without Lord Seventh has no worth to me. I’d rather be dead. That’s what I’m saying!”
The last quote touched my heart the most. It warmed my heart how Kawaki finally acknowledged that he cared for Naruto. I considered this a great example of how Kawaki changed for the better. It was nice to see that Naruto’s efforts with Kawaki were not in vain.
Abilities
Karma
Kawaki possesses the Karma mark of Isshiki Otsutsuki. This allows him to absorb all ninja techniques and spit them back out. Isshiki brands him in hopes of making him his vessel. Having proved that he’s compatible with the mark, Kawaki’s body gradually rewrites at a genetic level to be reborn as a “perfect Otsutsuki”.
Karma is an extremely unique pattern when placed on a vessel holder. This increases the user’s speed and power immensely.
With it, Kawaki is able to absorb ninjutsu and can open portals to other dimensions. He can use Sukunahikona to shrink and return to normal size himself or any nonliving matter, such as Disruption Cubes. Kawaki can also use Daikokuten to store items in a dimension where time does not flow and summons them to himself at any time.
Body Modifications
Kawaki’s body undergoes a series of modifications and turns him into a scientific tool. It is a microscopic technology that Amado implanted which constantly alters his body throughout his circulatory and nervous systems.
He regenerates lost anatomy, heals at an accelerated rate, and mends his injuries within minutes. It can also instantly undergo malacia to harden, soften, and expand.
He manipulates his limbs by turning them into different shapes and draws weapons from within his body. The growth turns into weapons like sharp blades or piercing tendrils. Advantageous in a battle, these shed and throw in the form of projectiles. Kawaki can also produce a shockwave from his body, either as a focused blast or in all directions, even the ground below him.
Physical Prowess
Kawaki is still good in close-range hand-to-hand combat, even without the body alterations. This is due to the fact that Jigen intensely trains him back when Kawaki was still under the organization. Kawaki can also easily dodge attacks due to his flexibility.
He is a resilient fighter, as he continues fighting despite his battered state. Furthermore, Kawaki is also skillful in using a bō when sparring with Boruto.
Ninjutsu
Kawaki has learned ninjutsu from the Seventh Hokage ever since living in Konohagakure and taking an interest in it. He shows talent in learning about chakra manipulation and shurikenjutsu, to which he masters the basics in a short period of time. He is also able to perform other techniques using a single hand, like Fire Release and the Shadow Clone Technique.
Fire Release
Fire Release is a popular nature transformation among shinobi of Konohagakure. This type of advanced technique almost always counts as a form of attack. A user typically uses it by kneading chakra in the body into flames that the user breathes from the mouth. In addition, it offensively reaches at long to mid-range.
Shadow Clone Technique
Shadow Clone Jutsu is a type of advanced technique that allows a user to create one or more copies of themselves. The user’s chakra evenly divides between themselves and their duplicates. The shadow clones of this self-replicating technique are physically real. They possess the same clothes, damage, and transformations as the user at the time of their formation.
Relationships
Naruto Uzumaki
Naruto and Kawaki met each other when the latter escaped from the lab. Kawaki was on a rampage, and Naruto stopped him. Naruto then decided that he would take care of him from then on. At first, Kawaki did not trust him and attempted to escape a couple of times in the story. However, Naruto caught him every single time.
Naruto treated Kawaki with utmost care and love even though he may not be his biological father. He brought Kawaki into his house and told him to treat it as his new home for the time being. Naruto tried his best to make Kawaki comfortable and open up to him.
There was a time in the plot wherein Kawaki was having painful flashbacks back in the lab. However, Naruto assured him of his safety. This calmed Kawaki down, and he came back to his senses.
I admired Naruto because he welcomed Kawaki with open arms, regardless of the kid’s past. This showcased the maturity of Boruto’s father and served as a great example to others. Kawaki also showcases throughout the series his utmost respect and care for his current father figure.
Boruto Uzumaki
Boruto was the biological son of Naruto and Hinata Hyuga. He and Kawaki met each other when the latter went into their house. Both of these characters were not on good terms at first because Kawaki was from the Kara family.
Their friendship was a little difficult, to begin with. Boruto did not like sharing his space, and he considered Kawaki irritable and unapproachable. When Kawaki broke Himawari’s vase, their dynamic became even more strained.
Eventually, the two developed mutual respect and love for each other. His relationship with Boruto has slowly developed into one of the best that the series has to offer, and the bond between the two continues to amplify. In addition, it was destiny that they became close. This is because they share a connection in the form of Karma and have Naruto as their father and guardian.
Sarada
Sarada was a member of the team Konohamaru who dreamed of one day becoming a Hokage. She and Kawaki first met when the latter was unconscious. Eventually, both met each other again in a taiyaki shop, where Sarada recognized Kawaki.
When Naruto asked him to pick a flavor, Sarada recommended a safer option, but Kawaki picked another option, which annoyed her. She then asked for a bite of his chocolate taiyaki, as she had never tried that flavor, but he cursed at her instead.
However, their relationship became good when Sarada said that she would help out if there was anything Kawaki needed. This cemented their friendship, which I think was very cute. Ever since Sarada told Kawaki he could rely on her, Sarada has kept her word and has helped Kawaki many times. She taught him shurikenjutsu, looked into potential clues about Karma, comforted him when Naruto disappeared, and even went with him to rescue Naruto.
Furthermore, there was a big possibility that both of them would end up together. A lot of evidence supported their mutual romantic feelings toward each other. With their various similarities in preferences and thinking, it was no doubt that romantic feelings would evolve.
Sumire Kakei
She is a female ninja of Konohagakure’s Scientific Ninja Weapons Team and a former member of Team 15. Sumire met Kawaki at the Scientific Ninja Lab, where he went for a checkup. He also went there to cure his injuries. When he woke up, he aggressively caused everything to fall and hurt Sumire. Even though Sumire faced Kawaki’s mean personality, she still helped him.
Although they have a rough start, both develop a close-knit friendship. Of all the people he comes across, Sumire is one of the people he has some kind of respect for. He admitted her bravery and strength were enough to try to stop him. Also, he trusted her more since she took care of his arm and status.
Jigen
Jigen, a monk, adopted and used Kawaki as a container for Otsutsuki. He got Kawaki from the kid’s abusive father in exchange for a large sum of money. Both of them have a disastrous relationship since Kawaki suffers from the monk’s abuse.
The monk gives false hope to Kawaki of peace when he tells the kid that Kawaki must accept him as his new father and he will give him a special gift in return. However, it is the monk’s aim to turn Kawaki into the next vessel of the Otsutsuki that lies in him; Jigen passes on the marks of the Karma to him.
Isshiki Otsutsuki
Isshiki is one of the main antagonists of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. He is the one who sees Kawaki’s potential as his vessel.
Kawaki is the one that beats Isshiki into ashes. When both of the characters face each other in a battle, Isshiki quickly grabs Kawaki and proceeds to transfer his soul to him. However, Kawaki uses the Shadow Technique, and the antagonist is unsuccessful in his effort to reincarnate. In the end, the young boy steps on Isshiki and turns him into ashes, meeting his untimely death.
Interesting Trivia Facts about Kawaki
Kawaki is a defect of the Kara organization
Due to his treatment and the conditions of the karma seal, Kawaki escapes from the Kara organization. Moreover, he wants to find a way to remove the seal branded unto him. He describes his life in the organization as a living hell and would gladly give up the Karma seal and all that comes with it.
People consider him a modified human
Although Kawaki is a natural-born human being, his body undergoes a lot of body modifications. A man by the name of Amad, Kara’s scientist, alters every cell in Kawaki’s body using advanced technology he develops. Apparently, his reconstructed body was a unique nanotech that allowed him to change his form, combining his chakra with his mind.
Kawaki is the only survivor as a vessel
Jigen trafficked and tested around fifteen kids in order to find the perfect vessel. Several other children underwent the same process, but all of them died – all but Kawaki. He survived and received the Karma seal, which made the boy the new and perfect container for Isshiki Otsutsuki.
Kawaki was not born a ninja
He is born as normal townsfolk and is not a ninja, to begin with. This character did not join any official training to become a ninja. In order to become a ninja, a person should follow certain processes, from taking an exam to actual hands-on practices. However, he undergoes ninjutsu training under Naruto to hone his existing skills.
Kawaki and Boruto have a Karmic connection
Both of these characters received their Karmas from Isshiki Otsutsuki. Kawaki and Boruto both have the same Karma markings. They clearly have a connection because every time Kawaki begins to use a high-powered attack using his Karma, Boruto develops some type of reaction to it.
FAQs
Question: Is Kawaki a villain?
Answer: This is an ongoing debate among both readers of the manga and anime watchers on whether or not Kawaki is good or bad. At first, he is a villain since he is siding with the Kara organization. However, he changes his mind further in the story and decides to join the good side. He even protects Naruto and others from harm and even risks his life for them. As a disclaimer, this is my personal take, and there are a lot of conspiracy theories waiting for confirmation.
Question: How did Kawaki lose his arm?
Answer: This happens during the time when Naruto fights Kara’s Delta. Kawaki takes the laser beam, which causes him to lose his arm in the process. He risks his own life for Naruto’s sake. Afterward, Naruto’s science team created a prosthetic arm for the young boy, but the attempt wasn’t easy because of his unique DNA. Luckily, the Seventh Hokage had a spare as he lost his arm years ago fighting Sasuke. Naruto blessed the new arm with his chakra.
Question: Will Kawaki garner a new ability?
Answer: In the 60th chapter of the Boruto manga, it states that Kawaki, along with Boruto, has a new ability. Kawaki instinctively learns the Otsutsuki ability to completely erase his chakra signature. Through this, he becomes undetectable that even sensory units cannot keep up with him.
Question: Who will Kawaki end up being with?
Answer: The majority—including me—thinks that Kawaki will end up with Sarada. Their chemistry and similar experiences make them the perfect pair. There are a lot of proofs in which both of these characters make a great pair.
One, Sarada takes notice of Kawaki’s trauma and tries to cheer him up afterward. Two, she understands his feelings through their mutual admiration of Naruto and their view of him as a father figure. Three, Kawaki counts on Sarada and relies on her like she says he can. The third evidence is a huge deal due to his hostility toward others. There are still more instances, and I await how their relationship will develop in the upcoming episodes.
Kawaki Boruto Final Thoughts: Kawaki’s Flaws and Potential
Overall, Boruto: Naruto Next Generation is a good anime series to watch on its own. It may not be on par with the Naruto series, but it gives justice to Naruto and his comrades’ stories. With Kawaki, I think of him as a complex character, having to shift from bad to good. However, the complexity I observe makes him who he is and adds realism in terms of attitude.
It is safe to say that Kawaki ruined his chances of getting close to others from his introduction to the plot. He is difficult to befriend and is seemingly made of steel. However, he manages to come out of his shell and develops good relationships with other characters.
Therefore, I think of him as a good person. I can see how he shifts to the greater good and develops more personality. His bad qualities are justifiable because of his past. His tough approach to things also brought out the best in other characters in how they deal with people like Kawaki. This anime is still ongoing, so there is still a lot left on Kawaki’s plate. It does not end here, and it is exciting to hope that this character will continue to flourish.