Kawaki

Kawaki (Japanese: カワキ) is a fictional character from Ukyō Kodachi and Mikio Ikemoto's manga Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Initially appearing in the flashforward in the series' debut, Kawaki is a young man who apparently would become the nemesis of the series' lead character, Boruto Uzumaki. Kawaki is later introduced as a rebellious member from the organization Kara who wishes to escape and remove his cursed mark "Karma" (楔, Kāma) from his body. In his escape he meets Boruto's ninja team, who take him to the Hidden Leaf Village. Naruto takes the teenager under his wing, seeking to protect him from enemies, and he bonds with the family as time passes, beginning to view Naruto as a father-figure and Boruto as a foster brother, like Sasuke in the past Naruto series, with similar attitude.

Kawaki
Boruto: Naruto Next Generations character
Kawaki as designed by Mikio Ikemoto
First appearanceBoruto: Naruto Next Generations chapter 1: Boruto Uzumaki
Created byUkyō Kodachi
Designed byMikio Ikemoto
Voiced byYūma Uchida[lower-alpha 1] (Japanese)
Michael Schwalbe[1][lower-alpha 2] (English)
In-universe information
RelativesKokatsu (biological father)
Naruto Uzumaki (adoptive father)
Hinata Hyuga (adoptive mother)
Boruto Uzumaki (adoptive younger brother)
Himawari Uzumaki (adoptive younger sister)

Kawaki was created by Kodachi and Ikemoto as a major rival to Boruto. Naruto author Masashi Kishimoto suggested the idea of introducing both he and Boruto through a flashforward in order to cause greater impact. The character is voiced by Yūma Uchida in Japanese and Michael Schwalbe in English.

Kawaki's first appearance in the manga and anime of Boruto caused some backlash from the fanbase due to his implied violent actions against Naruto Uzumaki. However, his debut in the narrative proper was the subject of praise for his interactions with the main character and his growth from a cold-hearted teenager to a more caring person under Naruto's influence.

Creation and development

In the first pages of the first chapter of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, a flashforward shows an older teenage Boruto Uzumaki confronting Kawaki over a ruined Konoha.[2] The scene has a dark tone, meant to build anticipation and suspense throughout the story.[3] When writer Ukyō Kodachi showed artist Mikio Ikemoto the script for this scene, Ikemoto was highly surprised.[4] The artist notes that the teenage designs were created in a short amount of time, and, as a result, once the story reached this moment, the older protagonists' designs might change.[5]

Ikemoto described the character's relationship with Boruto as antagonistic, noting both their implied past as allies, and their greater vitriol towards each other in comparison to Naruto and Sasuke in the original Naruto manga, even clashing in visual appearance.[4] Ikemoto has also commented that when the two interact, Boruto's design becomes more serious and "overgrown", in rebelliousness against Kawaki.[6]

In December 2020, it was announced that Yūma Uchida would voice Kawaki in the anime adaptation of Boruto.[7] Uchida was pleased with taking the role of Kawaki due to the popularity of the Boruto series.[8] Following the announcement, Kodachi expressed joy in seeing Kawaki animated in the anime and thus looked forward to fan support.[9] In the same month Ikemoto stated that the anime would make further progress in regards to Kawaki's and Boruto's meeting. However, he still refrained from explaining the flashforward at the start. Ikemoto stated that in future chapters, more hints will be revealed about the flashforward, such as their growth, why they become hostile and what Kawaki means when talking about Naruto.[10]

Appearances

Kawaki first appears in Boruto's first chapter in a flashforward, where he and Boruto Uzumaki seem to have become enemies. An older Kawaki appears to have sealed or killed Naruto and levelled Konoha as he confronts an older Boruto, declaring "the age of shinobi has finally come to an end".[11]

Kawaki is introduced as a valuable piece of cargo, "the Vessel" lost to Kara in a transport accident, encountered soon afterward by Boruto's ninja team who bring him to the Hidden Leaf. Having become a member of Kara after being bought by Jigen from a cold and drunkard father as a youngster, he was given a tattoo of the Roman numeral IX under his left eye. He, alongside 13 children and teenagers, would be experimented on and bestowed a Kama mark by Jigen,[12] and heavily modified with microscopic Shinobi-Ware implanted in his body, giving him an ability to alter his physiology for combat.

Highly distrustful of Kara for Jigen's abusive and cruel treatment, Kawaki defects. In order to protect him from Kara, Boruto's father, the Seventh Hokage Naruto, adopts him as his own son. Initially distant to everybody, Kawaki spends his time with the Uzumaki family repairing a vase Himawari made for Hinata's birthday, which he had accidentally destroyed .[13]

When Kara's member Delta attacks the village to take Kawaki back, Naruto comes to his defense and saves him.[14] Now growing to care for his guardian, Kawaki requests the Hokage train him to become a ninja.[15] When Kara's leader Jigen, having tracked Kawaki, attacks the village and kidnaps Naruto, Kawaki joins Boruto, and his allies, Sarada Uchiha and Mitsuki, to reclaim him. They face the Kara member Boro,[16] and Boruto's Karma mark causes him to be possessed by Momoshiki Otsutsuki, who mocks and brutally kills Boro. The team manages to rescue the Hokage and return to Konohagakure,[17] and Kawaki later learns from Amado of Jigen's true nature and relationship with the Otsutsuki clan.

After Jigen is outsmarted and incinerated by Koji Kashin, Isshiki Ōtsutsuki (forced to reincarnate in Jigen's charred corpse) attacks Konoha to brand Kawaki with a new Karma and take Boruto as a sacrifice to the God Tree, since Boruto's Karma has reached a high decompression level.

Through the combined effort of Naruto, Sasuke and Kawaki, Isshiki is finally defeated. Shortly afterwards, a Momoshiki-possessed Boruto attacks Sasuke off-guard, stabbing his left eye and destroying his Rinnegan. Kawaki and a barely-conscious Sasuke manage to fend off Momoshiki until Boruto recovers his consciousness.

Reception

Initial reception to Kawaki's introduction was mixed. Allega Frank of Polygon noticed that at the start of both the manga and anime, Kawaki's debut in the flashforward caused fans to revolt over his possible future actions against the previous protagonist, Naruto Uzumaki.[18] Finding multiple issues in the manga's premiere, Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post gave little attention to the flashforward.[19]

Critical opinion shifted after his proper introduction in the series. Reacting to his introduction, Melina Dargis of The Fandom Post found Kawaki's rivalry with Boruto similar to their predecessors (Naruto and Sasuke)'s own, but noticed their differences in personality and potential for a friendlier relationship, and thus looked forward to their future development.[20] Leroy Douresseaux expected Kawaki will have a major impact in Boruto's life in regards to his way of fighting.[21] Manga News found that while Kawaki's introduction might come across as forced, his relationship might also parallel Naruto's and Sasuke's but it would be hard to reach that level.[22] IGN praised Kawaki's fight in the anime against Garo.[23]

Nevertheless, the reviewer found that Kawaki's cold demeanor fades in narrative time the more he interacts with the Uzumaki family, resulting in interesting calm chapters, most notably with Naruto when he asks him to train him to become a ninja. As a result, Manga News found that since his introduction his character made a major impact to the narrative rather than the actual protagonist, Boruto.[24][25] FandomPost agreed, claiming Kawaki's introduction to ninjutsu and bonds with the Uzumaki family to be the highlight of the manga's ninth as the young man wishes to be taught by Naruto.[26] IGN also found Kawaki's relationship with Naruto as endearing as he was willing to return to Jigen if he does not harm the Hokage, whom the writer compared to the one of an actual father.[27] When Naruto and Sasuke are defeated by Kara, IGN looked forward to Kawaki and Boruto's actions to protect the Hokage, noting their Karma seals might be explored in the future to give them new powers even though the antagonists are aware of such power and are using them.[28] Crunchyroll regarded Kawaki as one of the most likable teenagers in anime due to how, despite starting as a rebellious antisocial youth, he quickly becomes more caring with the Uzumaki family when Naruto decides to take care of him.[29]

Game designer Hiroshi Matsuyama from CyberConnect2 praised the debut of Kawaki in the manga due to his involvement in the narrative as well as the fight sequences he takes part of. Matsuyama also praised how Ikemoto designed Kawaki, finding the illustration of him in the cover of the series' seventh manga volume striking.[30] In poll from 2021, Kawaki was voted as the seventh best character from Boruto: Naruto Next Generations.[31] Kawaki's fight with Garo was also listed as the best anime fight from 2021 by Crunchyroll.[32]

See also

Notes
  1. Shin'ya Hamazoe in the pilot
  2. Chris Niosi in the pilot

References
  1. @WhatHeSaidVO (February 3, 2022). ""If they continue coming after me...the bodies are just gonna keep piling up." You've waited a long time. I am the English voice of Kawaki in Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker and Boruto: Naruto Next Generations" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2017). Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 1. Viz Media. pp. 5, 8–10. ISBN 9781421592114. OCLC 962009375.
  3. "Jump Festa 2017 Interview – Masashi Kishimoto And The Future Of Boruto: Naruto Next Generations!". Otakukart. 31 January 2017. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 2 May 2017.
  4. "Interview: Boruto Manga Artist Mikio Ikemoto". Anime News Network. February 25, 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  5. "Le manga de la semaine: Mikio Ikemoto commente Boruto, le spin-off de Naruto" (in French). BFMTV. 6 July 2018. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
  6. "Special interview with artist Mikio Ikemoto". Shonen Jump. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  7. "Boruto Anime Reveals 6 New Cast Members Including Yūma Uchida as Kawaki". Anime News Network. December 19, 2020. Retrieved December 19, 2020.
  8. "From the new series of "Boruto", "The Vessell" arc, visual & special PV have been released! Uchida Yuma, Nakamura Yuichi, and others announced as new cast". AnimeAnime. 5 January 2021. Retrieved July 3, 2021.
  9. Ukyo Kodachi [@u_kodachi] (December 19, 2020). "カワキと〈殻〉の面々には深い思い入れがあるので、アニメで動くことを嬉しく思います。皆さま、どうか改めてますますのご声援を願えればと思います　#BORUTO" (Tweet). Retrieved December 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
  10. "TVアニメ『BORUTO-ボルト- NARUTO NEXT GENERATIONS』新シリーズ「器」編、最新ビジュアル＆スペシャルPV解禁！新キャラクター＆キャストも発表！". PRTimes. 19 December 2020. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  11. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2017). "Chapter 1". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 1. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-4215-9211-4.
  12. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2019). "Chapter 24". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 7. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-9747-0699-0.
  13. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2019). "Chapter 27". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 7. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-9747-0699-0.
  14. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2020). "Chapter 31". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 8. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-9747-0879-6.
  15. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2020). "Chapter 34". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 9. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-9747-1702-6.
  16. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2021). "Chapter 39". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 10. Viz Media. ISBN 978-1-97471869-6.
  17. Kishimoto, Masashi; Ikemoto, Mikio; Morimoto, Mari (2020). "Chapter 43". Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Vol. 11. Shueisha. ISBN 978-4-08-882290-7.
  18. Frank, Allega (6 April 2017). "Boruto premiere leaves fans nervous about Naruto's fate". Polygon. Archived from the original on 8 April 2017. Retrieved 4 July 2017.
  19. "Boruto Chapter #1 Manga Review". The Fandom Post. 10 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 July 2017. Retrieved 1 June 2017.
  20. "Boruto Vol. #07 Manga Review". Fandom Post. 11 December 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  21. "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Volume 7 manga review". Comic Book Bin. Retrieved January 14, 2020.
  22. "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Volume 7". Manga News. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  23. "Boruto: Assista à luta de Kawaki e Garo". IGN. March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  24. "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Volume 8". Manga News. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  25. "Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Volume 9". Manga News. Retrieved October 22, 2020.
  26. "Boruto Vol. #09 Manga Review". Fandom Post. February 10, 2021. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  27. "Naruto: Kawaki hace una emotiva confesión". IGN. 22 August 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  28. "Naruto: Boruto y Kawaki tendrían nuevas formas". IGN. 22 October 2019. Retrieved October 20, 2020.
  29. "FEATURE: 6 Great Anime Kids You Can't Help But Love". Crunchyroll. May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  30. Hiroshi Matsuyama [@PIROSHI_CC2] (February 8, 2019). "『BORUTO ーボルトー』最新7巻。帯にも書かれてる通り『カワキ編』が本格スタートでアクション多目で見所の多い巻。 それにしても表紙がカッコいい。 カワキの耳の正確な描き込みに池本さんの性格が伺える。" (Tweet). Retrieved October 20, 2020 – via Twitter.
  31. "Boruto Popularity Poll Results May 2021". Viz Media. Retrieved July 11, 2021.
  32. "The Top 10 Fight Scenes Of 2021 According To YOU!". Crunchyroll. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
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