The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Episode 3

“In which eyes show the lie.”

This week's episode of The Misfit of Demon King Academy is centered around two characters: Ivis and Sasha.

When it comes to Ivis, it's not really his personality or motivations that are important this episode; It's how his existence deepens the series' mystery and redefines how we (and Anos) look at this world.

Before Anos' final run-in with the hero 2000 years ago, he apparently made seven demon lords to rule for him in his absence. Upon meeting one of them, Ivis, he discovers things aren't as he had previously assumed.

Originally, Anos had thought someone had altered the history books to remove his name. But now he sees that it's much more complex than that. Not only did someone erase the memories of even the Demon Lords he created, they actually went back and altered time so that even if those memories were restored, they'd still be in the dark.

This implies the person behind this didn't simply write him out of history, they actually usurped him. Moreover, this is a person with the power and ability to both overpower Anos' demon lords and alter the timeline—something more than a little strange considering how weak the demons of the modern age seem to be. This is important world-building for the overall conflict of the story—but it is completely overshadowed by Sasha and her actions in the second half of the episode.

At first Sasha seems to be a character following the old bully-who-actually-wants-to-be-friends trope. She picks on her sister, the outcast girl who she was once close with but, thanks to the actions of the protagonist, goes from unrelenting tormentor to her sister's best friend in literally a single day. Yet, that's just the setup for what's really going on.

The Misfit of Demon King Academy takes this trope and plays it straight by asking the question: “why?” Why would Sasha treat Misha so terribly for so many years? It's not because of the expectations of those around her—she has no problem putting her lackeys in their place with her demon eyes when they badmouth her sister. Nor does it seem to be due to jealousy stemming from inadequacy—both sisters seem to be equally talented.

In the big twist of the episode, when Sasha stabs Misha, Sasha claims that her sudden change of heart was all a trick—an advanced form of bullying that would lure Misha into a false sense of security. She goes on ranting to Anos that she doesn't view Misha as human, much less as a sister, and says pretty much the most horrible things possible—which Anos sees through in a heartbeat.

As Anos points out, if Sasha wanted to kill Misha, she wouldn't do it by shallowly stabbing her in the chest. In a world with healing magic, that might as well be a love tap—especially when Anos is in the next room and can literally bring people back from the dead. Therefore, what Sasha is doing must be a performance of sorts.

Everything Sasha has said and done to be kind to her sister in the time since she lost to Anos seems to be her true thoughts and feelings. In a flashback, we see how, when she was still young, no one could withstand her out-of-control eyes of destruction so she was isolated. Yet, in that time of loneliness, Misha came to her and supported her. From what we've seen, there is no reason for Sasha to hate Misha—quite the opposite actually.

Thus, there is one logical conclusion: it's not that Sasha hates Misha, it's that Sasha is trying to make Misha hate her for some reason. But as for why Sasha is playing the villain—and what that has to do with Misha's existence and their 15th birthday—that will have to wait until next week.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• Sasha's eyes are a great example of visual storytelling at work. Even without Anos there to explain things, her eyes show her true feelings in a way anyone can understand.

• I don't know what's better, Anos making his secret paths and trials magic proof or Misha's genuine excitement at watching him brute force his way through them with physical strength alone.

• At this point, I wonder how Misha views Anos. As she has seen his power in action time and time again, does she believe that he is actually the Demon King of Tyranny?

• This episode gives a great peak into Anos' mindset: Discovering Misha stabbed, he immediately removes the knife and heals her but leaves an illusion of her stabbed in place just to see how things play out.

• In the more general sense, I love how casually Anos takes in the world around him—be it class rules, a demon lord he created not remembering him, or one of his friends stabbing another. Yet, at the same time he is certain of his own place in the world: at the very top.

The Misfit of Demon King Academy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.