Kawaki is one of the main characters in Boruto: Naruto Next Generations. Introduced shortly after the Ao arc, Kawaki quickly made his mark on the story and established himself as a prominent character.
His relationship with Boruto Uzumaki has slowly developed into one of the best that the series has to offer and even today, the bond between the two continues to grow stronger. Kawaki is Boruto Uzumaki's rival, just like Sasuke Uchiha was Naruto Uzumaki's, however, Kawaki certainly makes a better rival than the Uchiha in more ways than one.
10 Kawaki Is A Brother To Boruto Uzumaki
Although Kawaki and Boruto didn't get off to the best of starts, the two have made quite a lot of progress since then and consider each other brothers now. Naruto Uzumaki took Kawaki in and considers him to be his son.
Every single member of the Uzumaki family believes Kawaki to be one of their own, which is also what defines his relationship with Boruto Uzumaki. The two are brothers who always have each other's back no matter what.
9 Kawaki Is An Abuse Victim & He Relies On His Family
Just like Sasuke Uchiha, Kawaki has been through a lot as a child. He was abused by both his biological father and Jigen, and was beaten up on countless occasions. Jigen forced the Karma on his body and made him undergo a tremendous amount of pain.
Kawaki does have a hard time trusting people and living among others, however, he's accepted his family now and understands that they're there for him at all times. This makes his relationship with Boruto more transparent, and their rivalry better.
8 Kawaki Never Hurts Boruto Uzumaki
Kawaki and Boruto's relationship had a rocky start, but even then the two never seriously considered killing each other in combat. As they grew closer, their relationship got a lot better and they never truly hurt the other person, be it physically or emotionally.
Sasuke, on the other hand, caused a tremendous amount of pain to Naruto, especially on an emotional level, when he abandoned the village and later turned on them and planned to annihilate everyone standing in his way.
7 Kawaki's Intentions Are Good & He Doesn't Mean Any Harm
Although Sasuke and Naruto's relationship as rivals was known to be amazing, the former always took things too far by attempting to either kill Naruto or those close to him to avenge Itachi. Kawaki, while also presumably an antagonist in the future, doesn't have any bad intentions.
The only goal that he has at the moment is to protect Naruto Uzumaki, the man who protected him, even if it means getting the Karma back once again. At the end of the day, Kawaki's need for power comes from a good place, making him a more likable rival.
6 Kawaki Is Always Open To Teaching Boruto Uzumaki
Kawaki and Boruto may be rivals, but they know when to push each other and when to take the other person by the hand and help them rise to their level. This was seen when Kawaki trained Boruto Uzumaki in the usage of Karma when he didn't need to.
Seeing that he and Boruto had to deal with the same problem, Kawaki didn't hesitate to help Boruto with the Karma. At the same time, he wasn't hesitant in asking Naruto Uzumaki for help when it came to learning ninjutsu.
5 Kawaki & Boruto Always Spar Together
Sasuke Uchiha's rivalry with Naruto Uzumaki was quite special, however, the two almost always grew in their own ways and rarely, if ever, helped each other get better. This isn't true for Kawaki and Boruto, who always spar together.
Being brothers, Kawaki and Boruto train under Naruto at the same time and ask each other for help when needed. The two know when to put their pride aside and put their trust in each other, which can't be said for Sasuke's rivalry with Naruto Uzumaki.
4 Kawaki Doesn't Intend To Kill His Friends
Kawaki's relationship with Boruto Uzumaki is quite special and the two have mutual respect and love for each other.
Unlike Sasuke Uchiha, who was dead set on killing all his friends in Konohagakure during his time as an antagonist, Kawaki never intends to kill any of his friends and take things too far. While Kawaki and Boruto do seem to have their differences in the future, the context as to why they fight remains unknown.
3 Kawaki Listens To Boruto Uzumaki & Acknowledges Him
Another reason why Kawaki's rivalry with Boruto Uzumaki is simply better is that he is always open to listening to Boruto. The two often discuss plans before a situation comes up and share their ideas.
Kawaki often agrees to train a certain way with Boruto even when his idea differs from him. In doing so, he makes their rivalry far better as the two hold mutual respect for each other. Sasuke, on the other hand, refused to even acknowledge Naruto until the very end.
2 Kawaki Makes Up For His Shortcomings As A Person
Due to the abuse that Kawaki endured, his personality isn't to everyone's liking, which is understandable. Despite that, however, Kawaki ensures that he makes up for anything he does wrong as he always wants to be a better person. When he accidentally broke Himawari's vase, he fixed it to make up for it.
He jumped to save Himawari from Delta when nobody expected him to. Kawaki's behavior only enhances the relationship between him and Boruto and makes him a better rival as well.
1 Kawaki's Relationship With Boruto Is Healthy
Sasuke Uchiha, while a great character, often affected Naruto in negative ways. Sasuke leaving the village put both Naruto and Sakura through quite a lot and his decision to turn on the village hurt them even more. On various occasions, he attempted to kill them, and overall, his relationship with his teammates, especially his rival, Naruto Uzumaki, was very toxic.
Kawaki shares a much better relationship with Boruto, and although he does have room to grow as a person, he is a healthy rival who only helps Boruto when he is down.