Gachiakuta

Episode 23

“The Man Who Will Be Stronger” is the kind of episode that makes my job incredibly easy by giving me the most obvious shot in the world to use as the header for its review. If we remember nothing else from this season, let us burn into our brains this image of a van full of the world's biggest idiots, fresh off the most dangerous mission of their lives, bumping some hot tunes and causing a ruckus with their cool shades. After everything they've gone through putting a stop to the Raiders, Lord knows these kids have earned it.

As the title might suggest, this episode is all about tying up the one major loose end left for the Cleaners after the epic Trash Beast battle: Zanka. Last we saw the guy, Zanka had lost his mind to Jabber's poison cocktail after getting his ass whooped, and the flashback we got in the middle of it all would lead us to believe that he can't possibly be handling the loss well. Not only is he the only Cleaner who lost a bout and got stuck convalescing in the infirmary, but Remlin shows up for a surprise guest spot to admit that they may have been, kinda, sorta fucked up by pranking Zanka with a protective spell that didn't do jack all to actually protect him.

To be honest, I had completely forgotten about Remlin and the magic paint spells, which may speak to how busy and overcrowded that Trash Beast Battle Arc was getting by the wrap-up. Still, for as nice as it might have been to have a moment that more clearly illustrated that the whole sidequest to get Remlin's protection was a vital step in the quest, what matters more is how Zanka takes the situation, which is surprisingly well. He doesn't blame Remlin or any of the other Cleaners for his failure; he simply accepts that he has to get stronger and overcome his own weaknesses. For Rudo, who has been agonizing for days over how awful it might be to confront a broken and pitiable Zanka, this is another moment of cathartic, emotional inspiration.

You have to love how Rudo acquires a healthy outlook on how to process difficult emotions the same way that most shonen protagonists collect special moves and power-ups. It's that extra layer of casual but effective nuance that makes Gachiakuta special. If this show can go the distance and craft a long-form story that lives up to the strength of its smaller beats, then we could have a new contender for one of the greats on our hands. Honestly, who can see Rudo reflect on what he's learned and break out one of his trademark horrific smiles and not fall in love with this show, at least a little?

Just about the only question I have is how this episode isn't just the season finale proper. It has everything you'd expect from one last comedown following the big, crazy battle, including a bunch of the ominous teasing of Zodyl's plans that leads us to the end-credits montage. “The Man Who Will Be Stronger” is about as satisfying a conclusion to this shockingly great season as we could have asked for. I'm genuinely curious to see what final surprises Gachiakuta might have in store for us next week.

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Gachiakuta is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.