Boruto vs Kawaki: Who would win in a 1 v 1?

The very first scene in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations features a fight between Boruto and Kawaki. However, this is a flash-forward where the Hidden Leaf Village has seemingly gotten destroyed in battle as Boruto and Kawaki take their battle to The Hokage Rock, standing on the carved face of the Seventh Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki.

While details about the same weren't revealed at the time, it seemed like Naruto had either been killed or sent to some other dimension, inaccessible by everyone. Boruto and Kawaki exchanged some words with their focus on "shinobi," as Kawaki believed that the age of shinobi was over, while the former was adamant that it wasn't, considering he was still a shinobi.

While their battle wasn't shown to the fans, it only made them wonder which one of the two would win in a 1 v 1 fight.

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Boruto has more experience as a shinobi and has genetically inherited the blood of two powerful clans

Boruto Uzumaki as seen in the anime (image via Studio Pierrot)

Boruto would win in a 1 v 1 fight against Kawaki if the two were to face each other in the anime right now. This is because he has more experience as a shinobi and has genetically inherited the blood of two powerful clans, the Uzumaki clan and the Hyuga clan. Meanwhile, Kawaki, albeit strong, has only ever learned to use his Karma powers, which may not be able to hold their own against the arsenal of jutsus and techniques Boruto possesses.

Unlike Kawaki, Boruto attended the Ninja Academy where he learned the proper use of chakra and how to control it. Thus, it gives him an advantage over Kawaki. Even before entering the academy, Boruto was able to create multiple Shadow Clones through his father's signature technique, Shadow Clone Jutsu.

Boruto creating three shadow clones (image via Studio Pierrot)

After becoming a genin, he has displayed a wide arsenal of jutsus in different chakra styles, including the likes of Boruto Stream and his lightning-infused Rasengan.

Meanwhile, Kawaki was only able to use his Karma to enhance his strength and speed to attack his enemies through his unrefined moves. After living in the Hidden Leaf Village, Kawaki became interested in jutsus and shinobis, and thus, he decided to start learning about chakra control from Naruto.

Only then could he use Fire Release and Shadow Clone Jutsu. However, that wasn't a small feat, as he used those jutsus to trick Isshiki Otsutsuki.

Kawaki as seen in the anime (Image via Studio Pierrot)

Boruto even excels in Taijutsu and physical powers when compared to Kawaki, as he was able to challenge Chunins and Jonins in a battle through his barrage of attacks even when he was in the Academy.

Meanwhile, Kawaki only had his body manipulation, which required to be enhanced by Karma to pose a threat to his opponents. While he was able to defeat Garou single-handedly, making use of his techniques, his victory was only in sight after he activated his Karma, overturning the entire fight in his favor.

Kawaki vs Garou as seen in the anime (image via Studio Pierrot)

As for Karma itself, while Kawaki was much more well-versed in using it earlier, we have seen Boruto turning into an Otsutsuki much more often, which could hint towards him being able to activate his powers to a larger extent. However, it could also mean that Kawaki has better control over his karma, due to which, he doesn't go out of control.

Conclusively, if the duo had equal control over their Karma, Boruto would come out as the victor if they were to face each other in a 1 v 1 battle.