When it comes to the Ōtsutsuki clan, it’s safe to say they’re pretty despicable villains. The Naruto era revealed Kaguya as a tyrant wanting to drain Earth of its chakra, while the Boruto era had Momoshiki, Kinshiki, and Urashiki plotting the same. However, there was one member of the alien tribe, Toneri, who found a way back.
Toneri was the villain in The Last: Naruto the Movie, seeking to destroy Earth for humans weaponizing the gift of chakra. But Naruto used the Talk no Jutsu to encourage him to redeem himself. Unfortunately, Toneri’s atonement has been totally wasted, with the character shelved at a time the narrative is very much open for him to return.
Toneri Remains Frozen On The Moon
Toneri lived on the moon as a descendant of Hamura but grew disenchanted with humanity. However, he vowed to watch over Earth, only for Urashiki to ambush him. His fellow Ōtsutsuki left him petrified—frozen in time for what’s destined to be 10,000 years. Interestingly, after Urashiki, Momoshiki, and Kinshiki failed, the series has never come back to Toneri. No one’s even thought about him down there in Konoha as Naruto, Hinata, and Sasuke go about their lives and conveniently forget all about him.
Admittedly, Urashiki was exclusive to the anime as a filler, but Toneri’s role in the film that preceded the Boruto franchise is canon. Thus, it’s weird no one wondered why the likes of Isshiki—the villain who’d start up Kara—would mention Toneri. It’s also odd that Toneri never even mentioned Isshiki, or even Shibai, the most powerful of the clan, and a figure the Boruto manga elaborates on later. They’re legends Toneri should have known about during his time watching over the planet, but it just feels like the overall narrative didn’t have a long-term plan for him.
Toneri Could Have Been Used For The New God Tree
Toneri would have fit perfectly as a target for Isshiki, who needed an Ōtsutsuki member to feed to the God Tree. Isshiki claimed to know everything, not to mention he had the all-seeing Eida to shed insight. As a result, they could have sussed out Toneri’s existence and used Toneri as a contingency plan when it was determined the likes of Kawaki, Code, and Boruto couldn’t be rewritten with alien DNA and offered up as a sacrifice to the Ten Tails. This would have organically brought Toneri into the story, having him fight Isshiki’s Kara terrorists with his Tenseigan and trying to save Earth.
It’d have brought Toneri’s journey full circle, reminding Naruto of the promise he took. Even a Momoshiki in Boruto’s body doesn’t think of Toneri when he also wants a sacrifice for the God Tree arc. Code’s looking to do the same, to carry out Isshiki’s legacy, so clearly, there are many avenues where Toneri can be used as fodder. Instead, he’s left out of the plot when really, he’s the perfect battery. Seeing as Naruto lost Kurama and Sasuke lost his Rinnegan, they could even have tried to contact him, only to realize Toneri needs freeing.
Reaching out to Toneri would have forged an alliance between the three, leading to Toneri trying to stop his distant relatives and prove the alien dynasty can do right by Earth. It’d also match what Hamura would have wanted. Furthermore, it could have tied into how the Ōtsutsuki members who grow up on Earth and the moon differ from those making incursions, and how this would indeed affect the God Tree. Ultimately, Toneri’s fate is an oversight that’s hopefully explained, and a creative path opened where he can find agency and meaningful purpose as a hero. Otherwise, it makes The Last: Naruto the Movie null and void and wastes tremendous potential in the anomaly that is Toneri.