Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube

Episode 13

Sadly, sans fox boys this week, the final episode of this current Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube cour doesn't function quite as well as a finale compared to how the previous, more action-oriented episode would have done. At least we get some pleasing nods to continuity with the solution to the possession-of-the-week, plus some blink-and-you'll-miss cameos from Tamamo, Yukime, and cute little Zashiki-Warashi. Hopefully they'll all turn up in January 2026's scheduled second cour.

This time, the tables are turned for Nube, as he's the one who requires saving. It's a shame it takes until past the halfway point for the episode's plot to really kick into gear. I get that it's important to build up the mystery of Nube's three-day absence from his job (with the kids making the point that Nube never misses work towards the end of the month because he always runs out of cash and relies on school meals to avoid starvation), but I wish the pacing were snappier.

Nube's infected with a particularly horrid sentient/supernatural tumor thing (Jinmenso) that's grown an ugly face, and prevents his demon hand from functioning. In typical self-sacrificing Nube style, he contracted this infection from saving a young girl. In its cancerous grossness, the Jinmenso reminds me of an Osamu Tezuka Black Jack chapter I read years ago, and it's unusual to see Nube so desperate and dejected.

Thankfully, Nube's kids love him just as much as he loves them, and after Tamamo proves unavailable to assist, Katsuya returns to Hatamonba's shrine to retrieve the cursed sword that tried to behead him several episodes ago. Turns out that setting two scary yokai against one another works wonders, though it also helps that Miki seems to have retained her telescopic neck trick from earlier in the season. I love Miki; she's such a terror in everything she does.

Once the Jinmenso is dissected, Hatamonba seems to be dispatched much more easily than in his first appearance, and after some tearful hugs, everyone's back to normal. Except Nube's hand twitches with electricity, there are ominous storm clouds, and we witness manifestations of what look like multiple new enemies in the city. It's merely a teaser for whatever material the show's second half will cover, rather than anything at all related to the previous scenes.

Although it's nice to see the kids save Nube for once, and to confirm how much their student-teacher bond of trust and love is unbreakable, something about this episode just didn't quite gel for me, at least not as a mid-run finale before a three-month break. Still, even a slightly sub-par Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube episode is still entertaining and goofy, with some moments of genuine horror, and I'll keenly await the show's return in the new year.

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Hell Teacher: Jigoku Sensei Nube is currently streaming on YouTube.