Does Boruto chapter 67 change Momoshiki’s role from an enemy to that of an ally?

Boruto chapter 67 brought with it some interesting developments which can dramatically change the direction of the plot of the manga. Up till now, Otsutsuki Momoshiki had been established as the primary villain of the series, with Code following not far behind.

But the latest chapter upsets that theory, potentially removing Momoshiki from the list of major threats.

But a more pertinent question that the chapter raises is whether the Otsutsuki member can now be considered an ally, with some fans predicting that his character will have a change of heart similar to Kurama’s.

Major spoilers for the Boruto manga ahead.

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How Boruto chapter 67 affects Momoshiki’s role in the series

Chapter 66 ended on a major cliffhanger with Kawaki seemingly killing Boruto to prevent Momoshiki’s resurrection once and for all. But chapter 67 revealed that he was saved by Momoshiki himself under the pretext of saving his own soul. Momoshiki even went as far as to warn his vessel not to expect such an intervention twice.

This has led to fans being divided in their opinion, with half the fandom maintaining that Momoshiki will still remain as an antagonist, while others predicting that their relationship would end up becoming similar to Naruto and Kurama’s bond.

Both claims are plausible enough and have their own sets of arguments. While Momoshiki did insist that the only reason he saved Boruto was because he was precious to him as his sole vessel, his attitude towards the younger Uzumaki seemed less hostile.

Not to mention, the Otsutsuki clan member had saved the latter multiple times in the past as well. But there is little more contributing to the argument that Momoshiki can now be considered an ally.

In fact, Momoshiki warning his vessel that he would not be able to save his life twice might be as much for his own sake as the latter’s, since his soul will be extinguished if the latter receives another such fatal injury.

Moreover, using up his remaining compressed Otsutsuki data and being unable to reincarnate does not completely eliminate Momoshiki’s position as a threat.

Kawaki suggested in chapter 56 of the manga that Boruto could give someone else a karma and turn them into a vessel for his own soul. If that is indeed possible, it would not be impossible for Momoshiki to force him to give someone else a karma to create a second vessel for the former to reincarnate in, just like Jigen had done with Kawaki.

Even if the remaining 18% of the data was no longer Momoshiki’s genetic material, the Otsutsuki still maintained considerable control over Boruto’s consciousness, as had been seen in the past.

There is no guarantee that he would not try to take over the other’s consciousness and go on another rampage.

Finally, Momoshiki’s obvious delight at whatever tragic or horrifying future the younger Uzumaki has in store makes it seem very unlikely that he harbors any goodwill towards his vessel or has any intention of becoming an ally.

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Otsutsuki Momoshiki being unable to reincarnate definitely decreases his threat level, especially if the younger Uzumaki manages to improve his control over karma.

But whether he will undergo a change of heart like Kurama remains highly debatable. At this point, his stance towards the protagonist remains that of an idle observer, and as many fans observed, similar to Ryomen Sukuna in Jujutsu Kaisen.