Combatants Will Be Dispatched!

Episode 8

“In which our hero literally whips it out and starts a war.”

One of the best things about Combatants Will Be Dispatched! is that it plays things straight with its world-building and continuity—especially when it comes to its gags. Back in episode 1, Alice fixed the Kingdom's ancient rainmaking machine only for Six to set the new password for activating the machine as “dick festival.” Now, seven episodes later, what should have been a random, relatively harmless gag has basically thrown the Kingdom into chaos.

The fantasy world of Combatants Will Be Dispatched! is suffering from severe desertification. While the human settlements still have enough water and arable land to sustain their inhabitants, the same cannot be said for the Demon Lord's territory. Thus, the demon invasion is a war for their very survival.

However, just because humanity isn't facing imminent doom like the demons doesn't mean the desertification isn't a major problem. Without the rainmaking machine, the Kingdom has stretched itself to the limit to import water from the other human nations. So when word came that the rainmaking machine has been fixed, the Kingdom pulled out of all its previous water purchasing deals. Unfortunately, no one anticipated that the cost for using the machine would be something that the leaders of the country are unwilling to pay.

As we see this episode, to get the machine to work, someone of royal blood—i.e., the King or Princess—needs to stand in a packed auditorium and scream “dick festival” at the top of their lungs. While a leader from our world would likely bite the bullet for the sake of the nation, the same cannot be said for a feudal society where a noble's pride is as important as their life.

The shame of potentially embarrassing himself in front of a crowd of nobles and commoners proves to be too much for the King, who has gone into hiding in order to avoid responsibility. The Princess, on the other hand, attempts to return the Kingdom to importing water, but this time resorting to using a honey trap to blackmail a neighboring nation to give them the water they need without breaking the bank. And honestly, this plan might have worked—if only she had sent any other team than Six's.

There's a ton of fantastic comedy this episode that shows what happens to our characters when they are taken off the battlefield and put into high society. Snow, assigned the role of being the honey trap, is more than happy to not only seduce the lecherous prince for the sake of blackmail but to become his real lover as well—he's super-rich after all. Grimm uses the opportunity to hit on every man with a pulse, and becomes irate when she finds out that each man she approaches is already spoken for in some form or fashion. Rose, on the other hand, simply attempts to eat every single thing at the banquet.

Unlike the others, Alice and Six stay firmly focused on the mission, and eventually discovers that the water that the Kingdom should have bought has been sold to the demons instead. But it's not the fact that Prince has been trading with the demons that spurs Six into action; it's the look the Prince gives him as Heine and Snow argue about which of them should become the Prince's lover. So with a zip of his fly, Six literally dick-slaps the Prince, causing the Prince's nation to formally ally with the demons and declare war on the Kingdom.

It's shock humor at its best.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• What? It's a legitimate Japanese practical joke!

• Grimm is not unhappy to see what Six has been hiding in his pants.

• I feel that Six should be rewarded a substantial amount of after-the-fact evil points given how much trouble the password thing has caused.

• I choose to believe that Alice is actually praising Six's petty evilness. If there is any condemnation, it's that he's not doing eviler things.

• I feel that Six's lack of promotion is not due to lack of evilness but simply because the Kisaragi leaders want a capable person they trust on the front lines. That's why, when their conquest is complete, they want to make him a general like themselves.

• How everyone reacts to the jeep ride is priceless.

• I love that Grimm's curse of impotence turns the lecherous Prince into a wise, calm-tempered ruler.

• So Russel looks to be a Chimera like Rose. Does that mean that Rose has the potential to be as powerful as one of the four demon generals if she eats the right things?

• Six's report to the Kisaragi leadership about the events of this episode is a single sentence: “I went to a party at a castle!”

Combatants Will Be Dispatched! is currently streaming on Funimation.

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.