Is Jiraiya still alive in Boruto? Understanding Koji Kashin

Both Boruto and Naruto fans were thrown into a frenzy when the character of Koji Kashin was first introduced in the series. Jiraiya had been a very popular character in the original franchise as Naruto’s mentor and one of the three legendary sannin alongside Tsunade and Orochimaru. He played a huge role in both the Naruto and the Naruto Shippuden series, up until the Pain arc.

His death, though somewhat predictable, was still a great loss to everyone. So, fans were both surprised and flabbergasted to see Jiraiya again, eventually hoping for a reconciliation between him and Naruto, who had considered him as a father-figure.

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Did Jiraiya survive in Naruto Shippuden?

One of the biggest reasons Kabuto couldn’t use the edo-tensei jutsu on Jiraiya like he had with so many others including Itachi Uchiha and Nagato, was because his corpse had never been found. During his fight against Pain, Jiraiya had been impaled by several Rinnegan chakra rods, and was seen sinking into the depths of the waters of Amegakure.

Koji Kashin’s arrival prompted many to theorize that perhaps Jiraiya had survived the ordeal somehow and gone into hiding to recover, and had been keeping an eye on Konohagakure as a vigilante of sorts. But there is no doubt about the fact that Jiraiya had indeed met his end during Naruto Shippuden and the Koji Kashin we see in Boruto is not everyone’s beloved “Ero Sennin”.

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Who is Koji Kashin in Boruto?

Koji Kashin is a clone of the late Jiraiya, created by Amado as an alternative measure against Isshiki Otsutsuki. In an attempt to destroy Jigen after the Otsutsuki vessel foiled his plans to use augmented cyborgs as Outer Kara members.

Amado collected the Toad Sage’s genetic material and used it to create Koji Kashin, who he conspired with to kill off Jigen and Isshiki Otsutsuki when the opportunity arose. It was never revealed in the Boruto manga how or where he acquired Jiraiya’s DNA from.

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Are Jiraiya and Koji Kashin the same person?

Despite being a clone of Jiraiya, Koji Kashin and the late Jiraiya are not the same person. Koji Kashin possesses some of the affinities and inclinations that his genetic source had, sharing with Jiraiya his love for Konohagakure and his pride at being a shinobi. But other than that, their personalities are very different, as the cloned Kara member proves to be manipulative and deceptive.

In terms of ability, he surpasses Jiraiya, being able to use Perfect Sage Mode as Naruto and Minato had been able to do. Jiraiya had never managed to be proficient at that skill during his lifetime, turning his face slightly frog-like whenever he used Senjutsu.

Koji Kashin is also able to use space-time jutsu, Yin Release as well as Nature Release jutsu such as “True Fire of Samadhi”, and “Sage Art: Five Fire Gods’ Fan of Flames”.

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Conclusion

Koji Kashin in the Boruto series is like a newer version of Jiraiya in a way, possessing the legendary sage shinobi’s abilities fine-tuned to a greater extent. But despite it all, Koji Kashin is a whole different person and it is unlikely that he would feel more than a mild sense of affection or familiarity towards Naruto, even if they met each other directly.

In fact, even Kakashi had not been able to recognize him despite fighting him in person in the Boruto anime, and only Naruto had felt a strange nagging feeling when he had watched Koji Kashin fight Jigen, and then Isshiki. He did seem to show an interest in Boruto himself however, so he will likely return to the story at some point in the future.