Warning: contains spoilers for Chapter 70 of Boruto
The next chapter of Boruto just released, and with it came a few twists in and turns. One of the biggest reveals of the new chapter was the villain Code finally getting his limiters removed, making him incredibly more powerful. The extent of his regained powers remains to be seen, but this event possibly teases something else: the return of Isshiki Otsutsuki, who was the series’ biggest villain prior to his defeat.
As one of Boruto’s new villains, Code has a complex origin and powerset. Like Kawaki, Code was implanted with a karma and was intended to be used as a vessel for Isshiki but was ultimately deemed unstable. He managed to survive, and the karma caused him to mutate, granting him ridiculous power. Despite the fact that he was no longer a candidate to be Isshiki’s vessel, his loyalty to Isshiki stopped him from being killed and limiters were installed in his body to keep his power in check.
Now, in chapter 70 of Boruto, the limiters are gone, and Code’s karma has returned. This means that there’s a huge possibility that Isshiki could now manifest in him some time in the future, albeit in a different form. Code was not fit to be a vessel the first time around, but since Kawaki’s original karma was destroyed, Isshiki now has no other option but to reincarnate in Code’s body. However, due to Code’s prior instability, Isshiki probably won’t be able to manifest himself fully, creating a parasitic situation very similar to Boruto and Momoshiki.
But Isshiki was killed by Naruto, Sasuke, and Kawaki before Code was brought into the picture, so how could Isshiki reincarnate in him? Just because Code didn’t have access to his karma with the limiters doesn’t mean that it still wasn’t implanted in his body. So, when Isshiki “died”, his essence would have regrouped in the only available vessel. This isn’t to say that Isshiki will come back to being the big bad of the series; that would be a boring twist and would be a waste of Code, who still has yet to reach his full potential as a villain. It’s likely that Isshiki will guide Code and have him enact his will and being the devoted Kara follower and worshipper that he is, Code would gladly go along with whatever Isshiki’s plan is.
While this is all speculation, it seems deliberate that the manga is setting up all of these elements. Boruto Chapter 70 granted Code his powers back, and with that comes the possibility of the series’ prior villain’s return. Hopefully, Boruto, Kawaki, and the rest of Konoha’s ninjas are ready for it.
Look for the latest chapter of Boruto available now on Viz Media’s Shonen Jump App!