Boruto vs. Kawaki: Who Would Win in a Fight?

The fight between Boruto and Kawaki was, in the first episode of Boruto, announced as the most important fight in the whole series. Boruto versus Kawaki is, as it seems now, going to be the series’ version of the Naruto versus Sasuke fight from the original series. And while we still don’t know how the actual fight is going to end, we can analyze the two characters to determine the better fighter at this moment, before the actual fight is resolved.

At this moment, Boruto is stronger than Kawaki. Kawaki is a truly formidable shinobi, but Boruto has more experience at this moment and, due to being Naruto’s son, more powerful techniques. How the balance of power is going to change in the end remains unknown, but seeing how Boruto is the protagonist of the show, he is likely to be stronger than Kawaki even in the future.

The rest of this article will further elaborate on the above-given answer, as we are going to compare Boruto and Kawaki in more detail. Through several categories, you are going to see who the stronger of the two is and why our answer is like it is, i.e., why Boruto is stronger at this moment, but also why we think that this balance of power is going to be kept until the end.

Chakra and physical powers

Inheriting his father’s vast chakra reserves, Boruto is able to create four shadow clones even after having much of his chakra absorbed into himself. He also heavily inherited the power of the Ōtsutsuki, and because he possesses Byakugan user blood, he was able to communicate with the deceased spirit of Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki. His chakra control is notably advanced, as he was able to perform one-handed mudras and use the Rasengan effectively after only a few days of training before instinctively refining and improving the technique.

Boruto is particularly quick, able to quickly slip past his opponents unnoticed. Boruto was shown to be quite skilled in taijutsu, able to mount relentless assaults through coordinated strikes from each of his limbs. As a descendant of the Hyūga clan, he learned the basic use of Jūken, though without a Byakugan he could not target an enemy’s tenketsu. He also possesses considerable strength, capable of delivering strikes powerful enough to shatter the ground.

Kawaki specializes in close combat. His style is very agile and coordinated, performing acrobatics to avoid enemy attacks and making use of the environment around him to launch himself at the opponent. He is then able to unleash a barrage of blows with each of his limbs. He is also very resilient, while he was already tired beforehand, he was able to endure Garō’s onslaught and continue to fight effectively despite his battered condition.

Kawaki later proved proficient in the use of a bo, able to match Boruto’s swordsmanship. Kawaki was marked by Isshiki Ōtsutsuki’s Kama, which he had acquired when the Ōtsutsuki marked him in the hope of making it his receptacle. Due to his training under Jigen’s guidance, Kawaki is able to activate the mark at will, although sometimes it activates out of his control, and to properly use its power.

It can absorb any target with chakra and create large scale explosions when activated. However, using the mark causes his body to overheat and he may eventually lose consciousness. By synchronizing his Kâma with Boruto, they can produce a space-time rift to enter different dimensions.

Both Kawaki and Boruto are amazing fighters, but at this point, we think that Boruto deserves this point. Namely, Boruto has much more experience and training than Kawaki and is, unlike Kawaki, a shinobi.

Points: Boruto 1, Kawaki 0

Ninjutsu

Before entering the Academy, Boruto could create several shadow clones, able to coordinate his attacks with his clones to put in difficulty a chûnin, or even a jônin. Initially, Boruto needed his clones to be within sight for them to work. He also learned various sexy techniques from his father. Though initially unsuccessful when learning the Rasengan, Boruto later learned how to create a scaled-down version of it between two hands under Konohamaru’s guidance, then grow it to normal size using a single hand.

When he went to the Ryūchi Cave, he signed a contract with Garaga, allowing him to summon the giant serpent whenever he wished. Likewise, he also formed a kinship with snakes, able to befriend any snake to help him. He can also perform cooperative ninjutsu and fūinjutsu, able to use both to restrict a person’s movements and increase attack power alongside other users at his side.

Since living in Konoha and becoming interested in ninjutsu, he began to learn it from the Seventh Hokage. This includes chakra manipulation and shurikenjutsu, with which he showed notable skill, mastering the basics in no time. He is also capable of performing more advanced techniques with one hand, including Katon and Multi Cloning. He also showed great ingenuity, using the limited skills he had acquired for cunning traps. Kawaki instinctively learned of the Ōtsutsuki’s ability to conceal his chakra signature.

This is, like the former one, also a category where Boruto’s formal training comes to the forefront. Kawaki is not a shinobi like Boruto, which is why Boruto wins this category as well.

Points: Boruto 2, Kawaki 0

Dōjutsu

At the age of eight, Boruto began to unconsciously activate the Jōgan in his right eye, prompted by a prophetic dream given by Toneri Ōtsutsuki and the appearance of Nue. Originally, the eye was instinctively only activated in times of great threat, as it lay dormant for a long time until facing Momoshiki Ōtsutsuki.

However, later, at age 16, he was able to activate it by his own will. This dōjutsu gives him the ability to sense things usually invisible to the naked eye. He can perceive chakra flow, allowing Boruto to see visible changes in his chakra and also track a target through his chakra. He can also see the chakra circulatory system and its key points, and see through the invisible barriers that connect dimensions.

Kawaki is able to manifest Isshiki Ōtsutsuki’s Dōjutsu, thanks to Karma, and utilize the unique abilities of this Kekkei Genkai. Among them, the Daikokuten, which allows him to retrieve objects previously stored in an alternate dimension, such as very heavy cubes and bars, with which he attacks his opponents at high speed, and the Sukunahikona, with which he can shrink objects and himself. Unlike Isshiki, Kawaki seems to not be able to manifest the eye technique at its full power, as Kawaki can only manifest four bars, instead of eight, as Isshiki was capable of.

Although Boruto’s definitely the more powerful Dōjutsu user at this moment, Kawaki’s potential, as well as the quickness with which he learns new techniques, cannot be ignored. This is why we have decided to share the points in this category, as it is the fairest thing to do considering all the circumstances here.

Points: Boruto 3, Kawaki 1

Intelligence

Although usually carefree to the point of being perceived as lazy, Boruto is a very perceptive individual who excels at reading the situation and adapting to it. Although he resembles his father, he shows remarkable ingenuity with the technique of Multi-Cloning for complex strategies, but he shows it more subtly since he is limited to four clones.

While preferring a more direct overall approach to combat, he adapted to various complex feints and misdirections, allowing him to get the better of Iwabee and even the likes of Momoshiki. He also adapts to exploiting the flaws and weaknesses, both his own and those of his enemies, that lie at the heart of his battles. He was shown to be able to perfectly solve advanced problems by his own methods.

Inojin claimed he has a knack for it. In addition, he was the only student in his class to pass the written exercise of the final exams without cheating, obtaining a perfect score. Boruto is also good at using other people’s abilities in creating a strategy, making the most of his allies’ skills. His cunning in battle was even able to deceive and ultimately defeat Ao, a famous jōnin and veteran of Kiri Village with decades of experience and powerful cybernetic weapons.

Although not a ninja, Kawaki remains a remarkably intelligent fighter, having undergone harsh combat training by Jigen, armed and unarmed, to master his various techniques. In the past, he was able to destroy dozens of dangerous robot puppets. With the mental power he possesses, he would have killed Team Konohamaru with a single attack if Boruto had not tapped into his own Kama and absorbed it, Delta openly praised Kawaki’s power. Kawaki would possibly be an incredible shinobi if he could learn to use ninjutsu in addition to his Kama and his Ninja Artifact.

Boruto seems to be more focused than his father in this category, but due to Kawaki’s impressive skills, we have to – ultimately – give him the last point in the series.

Points: Boruto 3, Kawaki 2

Boruto vs. Kawaki: Who wins?

The numbers, as we have expected, confirm that Boruto Uzumaki is, based on their current powers and techniques, the stronger of the two. This is only natural, since Boruto has more experience than Kawaki, he has more powers and he can use both the Uzumaki Clan’s and the Otsustuki’s powers. Kawaki, while he is a formidable fighter and a quick-learning shinobi, is still not at that level at this moment. This is why Boruto is the winner here.

Still, we have to consider the future scene from the first episode of Boruto, where Boruto fights a significantly stronger Kawaki. Now, we don’t know how the battle will end, but we assume it is going to be a close one. We still think that Boruto will eventually be the winner in that battle, since he is the show’s protagonist and is, as it seems, destined to save the world.