Board Thread:Boruto Discussions/@comment-1458758-20171229124917

I see a lot of comments all over generally talking about Ao and his switch to being a villain in Boruto, so I thought a place to discuss the character and his changes from the original series might be called for. I'd like to start just by giving my view on him.

I personally don't mind his change to villain. While many don't seem to like it, I think I can understand the viewpoint the writer was going for and how we arrived here. Ao was a ninja back when Kirigakure was the Bloody Mist and seemed quite in favour of its regime, thinking modern shinobi were too soft. Now this can be seen largely as the ranting of an old guy with the typical "Back in my day" atitude since its not like he tried to revolt or anything like Zabuza or Shizuma Hoshigaki, but it's part of his persona and plays in largely to where I'm going with this.

As of Part II, he was already in his 40s, and give what he said to Boruto and co. had spent over 30 years dedicating his life to Kirigakure. Given his age, he would have participated in at least the 3rd Ninja War and given the reputation of his village and the fact that he saw fit to take another person's eye and use it for himself, I think its safe to assume, he is not the most delicate of people.

We then come to the 4th war where when headquarters is taken out, he's the only survivor, losing at least two of his limbs and a good chunk of his face in the process. We saw what this type of injury can do to a ninja back in Part I with Lee nearly losing his livelihood being down just a leg, never mind the huge impact from losing a hand into the bargain.

So we arrive at the end of the series where Ao is no longer a ninja, the only survivor of his entire section and having to adapt to not only being less capable than the average ninja, but the average person.

In the 16 years following, we could assume a lot about his mindset, but I think 3 possibilities exist as strong contenders.

1. Ao, having lost essentially his life's meaning at this point for the sake of a world that is decidedly soft by his own standards, becomes bitter and angry and when given the opportunity, has decided to tear the crap out of it as a form of revenge. This seems the least likely as he does seem to be quite calm and clear headed still and shows no real signs of particularly destructive behaviours or intent.

2. Having lost purpose, Ao is simply clinging to what he always did, fight. Presuming he is not welcome within the ranks of the more peaceful ninja society, he has decided to allign with the outsiders, Kara, and is just rolling with what he perceives as his new place in the order of the world. This one seems likely since, as we've seen, it can be very hard to adapt to a new way of life for some people, especially those rather set in their ways.

3. Since Katasuke was controlled by Kara, it is entirely possible that Ao is directly in debt to them for allowing him to resume what he would consider his old life, and while still the same old Ao we know and love, he's carrying out Kara's orders out of a sense of duty to them.

All in all, this is my analysis of Ao at current, but if there's anything pertinant you think I missed, feel free to let me know. 