Back Arrow

Episode 19

Arrow wanders towards the wall with the Granedger crew left behind and trapped in limbo. Rudolph and Zetsu talk, and Rudolph reveals that God specifically sent Back Arrow as a destroyer to counter Zetsu's power and kill him for being too strong. Zetsu laughs this off and leaves, giving control of the dreadnought to Prime Minister Kyo.

Back Arrow keeps trying to escape. He encounters numerous people and either accidentally kills them or nearly does so. He tries to flee into the sky and breaks through at the precise moment another Rakuho is descending. However, Rudolph stops him and casts him back down into Lingalind. The Granedger arrives and Shu talks Zetsu into letting them try to stop Back Arrow.

Though Back Arrow wants them to stay away, the Granedger team advances. Using their combined Briheight powers, including both of Princess Fine's personalities, they fire a giant beam at Arrow that manages to heal him and break him free of his rampaging Briheight. The team gathers for a joyful reunion, but when Shu reaches out to lend Back Arrow a hand to help him up, his arm begins to disappear. Rudolph appears overhead to notify the team that even out of his Briheight, Back Arrow cannot escape his role as the destroyer as Shu disappears before everyone's eyes and credits roll.

...I, uh, did not see that coming.

This series has really taken a number of surprising turns over the past few episodes. I personally think they are really engaging, and have generated a whole heap of dramatic tension with a relatively simple premise that becomes ever more fraught with danger at every turn. That said, it feels like the speed at which changes are occurring and the scale of those changes might be a bit of a turn-off compared to the earlier part of the season. None of it feels unearned or anything, but the pace at which we are getting hit with world-altering setting details, dramatic revelations, nation collapses, and character deaths is accelerating. That early “Tee hee fun monster of the week :)” vibe is ancient history at this point.

This episode in particular reconfigures our assumptions – or at least my assumptions – about what is going on. Zetsu had nearly faded out as the primary antagonist and now we have him put back as not only a primary threat but in fact the primary threat, the very reason God has intervened in the first place. Added to that is Shu's death which, again, I could not have predicted. Perhaps I was taken in too much by his Zhuge Liang-like vibe and assuming he had more plot armor than was really the case, but I certainly did not expect such a shocking and ignoble end for the man with a thousand plans.

Lord help us for what's coming next....

Rating:

Grant is the cohost on the Blade Licking Thieves podcast and Super Senpai Podcast.

Back Arrow is currently streaming on FUNimation Entertainment.