Naruto Shippuden

Episode 467

Hagoromo's super-powered offspring continue their respective journeys in this week's Naruto Shippūden. Although Ashura and Indra's epic battle has yet to begin, seeing how each son tackles the challenge issued by their father is fairly entertaining, if entirely predictable. Even with a substantial portion of the runtime devoted to creating an irrigation system, the episode moves at a brisk pace bereft of padding—which is something that can't be said for many recent installments.

It doesn't take long for the surprisingly perceptive Ashura to determine the cause of the plague that's sweeping the village his father sent him to investigate. As it turns out, the Divine Tree's sap has contaminated the village's crops, ensuring that the people who consume them on a regular basis fall ill. Naturally, Ashura proposes destroying the tree, but the villagers—who have no other source of sustenance—roundly reject this suggestion. Prior to the tree's reappearance, the village was completely barren due to the surrounding area's lack of water. In deference to their wishes, Ashura and Taizo elect not to destroy the tree—at least, not immediately. Using his Ninshu, Ashura sets to work on the seemingly futile task of digging a well. Inspired by the young man's determination, the remaining plague-free villagers request that he teach them Ninshu so they can assist in this lofty undertaking. Following a year of hard work, the gang strikes water and a suitable alternative to Divine Tree sap is found.

Faced with similar circumstances in another village, Indra adopts a very different approach. Annoyed by the villagers' indecisiveness over what to do about the portion of the Divine Tree that's causing them distress, Sasuke's distant pseudo-ancestor takes it upon himself to make the decision for them. Although we don't actually see what this decision entails, he informs his father that peace has returned to the village. Despite impatience on the part of some disciples, Hagoromo chooses to wait for Ashura to return home before naming a successor. When Ashura makes his return over a year later, the Sage reaches his decision, which will be revealed next week. (Of course, the audience is well aware of who he picks.)

While the events that unfold this week are hardly surprising given the “Naruto/Sasuke = Ashura/Indra” analogy, it's hard not to become emotionally invested in Ashura's quest to save the plague-riddled village. Seeing him gradually earn the villagers' trust and turn people on to his way of thinking feels rewarding. Conversely, even though viewers aren't shown what transpired in Indra's village, we have a pretty good idea of how things went down. Odds are he abandoned them to misery and famine because he couldn't see beyond the immediate problem he was sent to solve. Unlike Ashura, he lacks the capacity for empathy and refuses to treat opinions other than his own with any measure of respect. We know that the brothers will soon be at war with one another, but this episode makes their differences clearer than ever and spells out why Ashura (and Naruto) should triumph over Indra (and Sasuke).

There's no real action this week, but hard work bearing favorable results—one of the series' central themes—is nicely represented. While the guest characters in the village Ashura saves aren't memorable, they serve their purpose well enough—rejecting the hero, becoming inspired by him, and eventually falling on his every word. Even though episode 467 largely serves as a preamble to the coming war, it's entertaining enough in its own right and provides some new insight into the show's world.

Rating: B

Naruto Shippūden is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Amy is a YA fantasy author who has loved anime for over two decades.