Code is Boruto's most disappointing antagonist

Boruto has done an admirable job of continuing Naruto’s legacy, and this begins right from its memorable antagonists. Groups such as the Otsutsuki Clan and the Human God Trees greatly enrich the series by adding fascinating villains. However, not every new character introduced is equally as impactful, and Code is an individual who has thoroughly disappointed fans.

Having been branded with Isshiki’s White Karma, Code was a failed Otsutsuki vessel. Nevertheless, after Isshiki’s death, he was bestowed the Otsutsuki will and instructed to cultivate the God Tree. This made him the new leader of Kara and a primary antagonist in Boruto. Unfortunately, despite all the excitement surrounding Code, he always ended up being overshadowed by those around him.

Ever since his first appearance, Code had been mentioned to be stronger than Jigen. He had limiters placed on him, and his Claw Marks were an intriguing ability unlike anything else in the Naruto universe. Regretfully, apart from the hype built up for him, Code did not deliver on any other front.

Soon after being selected by Isshiki to carry on the Otsutsuki will, Code freed Eida and Daemon, cyborg siblings carrying Shibai Otsutsuki’s DNA. He had done so to make them assist his purpose of avenging Isshiki and cultivating the God Tree by feeding either Boruto or Kawaki to the Ten-Tails. However, his plans were soon halted by his own allies.

Code couldn’t control either Eida or Daemon and was instantly captivated by Eida’s allure. Consequently, he became completely loyal to her and would do anything to gain her affection. Although Code hated Kawaki for being selected by Isshiki, he agreed to spare him since he was Eida’s crush. This had already downgraded a supposedly intimidating villain even before he was in action.

However, Boruto went deeper into removing Code as a serious threat. Thanks to Eida’s monitoring, Code was able to confront Kawaki and tried abducting him. While he initially overpowered his opponent, Code was eventually beaten by Kawaki’s Karma. His defeat was so bad that he was forced to summon Daemon and save himself.

Nevertheless, fans still held some hope for Code as he was fighting with his limiters. During the Omnipotence Arc, he got the opportunity to remove them and regain his true strength after meeting Amado. At this point, a rift began forming between Code and Eida, as the latter believed Amado could help her relationship with Kawaki.

Due to their disagreement, Code began fighting Daemon, Eida’s knight, and faced a humiliating defeat. To rebuild his forces, he was forced to split the Ten-Tails into an army of Claw Grimes. These Claw Grimes ended up evolving beyond Code’s expectations, eventually creating the Human God Trees by consuming other people.

Almost in a depressingly funny way, they became yet another group of antagonists who were far stronger than Code. While the Human God Trees agreed to help their creator achieve his goal, they did not respect Code and felt no sort of loyalty towards him. When Code attempted to attack them to regain his authority, he was brutally beaten down by Jura and forced to retreat.

How Boruto can make Code a better antagonist

Code’s major issue as an antagonist is that he is always at the mercy of another group. Soon after his introduction, it was Eida and Daemon. Currently, it is the Human God Trees, even though he helped create them.

This is immensely disappointing for fans who were once curious about this enigmatic antagonist. Despite being built up as a supremely powerful villain, Code has always suffered defeat in battle and has largely served as a narrative tool used to develop others. As a testament to this, Code suffered defeat in the very first chapters of Two Blue Vortex at the hands of Boruto’s Rasengan: Uzuhiko. This is a major disservice to the only individual currently carrying forward the Otsutsuki will.

The easiest way to make Code a better antagonist is by allowing him to be self-sufficient rather than relying on others. Even to this day, he aims to regain Eida’s love and hopes that the Human God Trees will carry out their duties. This automatically reduces him to a minor and unthreatening antagonist rather than a potentially dangerous one.

Cutting Code’s ties to these groups and allowing him to stand on his own will help make him more memorable. Additionally, there is nothing wrong with a weak villain as long as they gradually gain strength. Antagonists like Tomura Shigaraki from My Hero Academia proved this, eventually growing to become the most dangerous figure in his series.

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Boruto could treat Code similarly and feature his development alongside the cast. Since his main goal is to eat the chakra fruit and become a true Otsutsuki, it would also make his rise in strength consistent.

While it remains to be seen what the series plans on doing with Code, fans are sincerely hoping for there to be a long-term plan for this antagonist, who has been a major disappointment so far.

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