It’s your girl, back at it again with the Boruto: Naruto Next Generation slander! Okay, okay. So technically, this isn’t about how the anime sequel to Naruto Shippuden slipped the ball with a certain character (though it might become that eventually). But I want to discuss the situation regarding an important character that started as an antagonist only to become a hero later and one we might’ve just lost. That’s right, today we are talking about the nine-tailed issue himself, Kurama!

Sadly, as most die-hard Naruto fans know, Kurama died in the Boruto: Naruto Next Generations, following an intense fight with Isshiki Ōtsutsuki that left Naruto Uzumaki having to resort to his Baryon Mode. This meant Kurama, the nine-tailed fox inside of him, had to sacrifice himself to fuel the immense chakra load it would’ve taken. In the end, Naruto won. But at what cost?

Tailed beasts dying in the Naruto universe is a rare event, but not impossible. We’ve seen them be stripped away from their hosts, the Jinchūriki, before. But we’ve also seen them succumb when they extend their chakra to the point where they can’t sustain themselves. This is exactly what happened to Kurama, who had passed his energy on so that Naruto could have a fighting chance. But an earlier example of a tailed beast dying that we have seen was Isobu, the three-tailed turtle that was sealed inside Yagura Karatachi of Kirigakure.

While this is extremely tragic, considering how Kurama went from being a bane to Naruto’s existence to becoming his ally, fans are now wondering if this is truly goodbye. Could there be a chance of the great-tailed beast reuniting with Naruto at some point? That’s what we’re going to take a look at today in Lore Analysis – where we take a closer look at the history of famous anime and see if we can find out where a plot might be heading with certain events and characters. Today, it’s Kurama and whether he can be revived. Let’s discuss it!

The Origin Of Kurama: From Foe To Friend?

We all know the story of Konohagakure and how it was ravaged by Kurama, then known as Kyuubey, who was unleashed on the village by Madara Uchiha. And then how the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze, sacrificed himself to seal it into his son aka Naruto.

Before this, his host was Naruto’s mother, Kushina Uzumaki. This, of course, led to a strained relationship between Naruto and Kurama, where all the pain Naruto has suffered could be connected back to him. In his childhood, Naruto struggled with his insecurity and the ostracization of the village towards him because of what resided inside of him. He was alienated, ridiculed, and feared when all he was, was a mere child. It took him becoming a genin in Team 7 to finally start on a journey where he was comfortable with who he was.

Kurama and Naruto reconciled as the years went by, growing closer and becoming each other’s strength. Where once he had been a curse on Naruto’s existence, now he was an indispensable ally. Which is what made his death all the more tragic when it finally happened.

Could Kurama Come Back?

See, this is a hard one. Technically, tailed beasts don’t get completely erased from existence. They merely exhaust themselves to the point where they lay dormant. They can’t succumb to injuries, wounds, or anything like that.

Instead, they gain their energy back for an indefinite amount of time. This way, they don’t stay dead forever. Think centuries. These drained beasts wait for hundreds of years, collecting enough chakra that they can resurrect back onto Earth in a new reincarnation.

However, this does mean that we can’t expect to see Kurama come back in either Naruto’s lifetime, or even Boruto’s, for that matter. Sadly, Naruto will now have to navigate life without him, for the first time.