Ninja Kamui

Episode 12

It's the penultimate episode of Ninja Kamui, and it's pretty busy like last week's episode. Even with how close we are to the finale, the show still has a lot to wrap up between the Auza stuff, everything with the ninja code, and whatever it is that Yamaji is trying to accomplish. Luckily, while this one still has a lot of moving parts, it is at least a little better at helping to bring it all together, but those connections don't feel particularly well-earned or satisfying.

I might as well start by getting the most recent sub-plot out of the way by following up on Dilly's decision to betray Yamaji for Joseph. We get a little more detail about her motivations as we learn that he tried to convince her to think about her job beyond the rigid terms she's used to and that she should try to get more satisfaction from what she's doing. Given how strictly we've seen ninjas like Dilly abide by their code, I get what the show is trying to go for, but it feels a bit too shallow to hit the way it wants to. Especially since that advice came from a guy whose actions and level of influence dictate the lives of everyone who works with or under him. The whole “do what you want” mentality comes off as more childish than valuable from him. At any rate, this results in just Dilly getting unceremoniously killed by Yamaji to show off his cool new toku suit, so… I guess that's about all this was destined to amount to.

Meanwhile, as Higan recovers from his fight with Zai, we learn that the mysterious healer he's been going to for help is the former ninja chief in disguise. When Higan wonders why the former chief hasn't struck him down, he reveals that he had started coming around to Mari's way of thinking as the ninjas started falling in relevance with time. He began to feel that the strictness of their code was doing more harm than good. However, that didn't sit well with Yamaji, who felt like the ninjas' devotion to their code needed to get even stricter and claimed to have come up with a plan to ensure the ninjas wouldn't fade from history and they'll obtain peace they have always been fighting for. As for what that plan exactly is, though, the show is still opting to be pretty vague about it, which, at this point, is starting to feel a little ridiculous.

I understand wanting to keep it all a big mystery for the finale. However, given that Yamaji is one of our primary antagonists, it feels weird that we still don't have a grasp on his goals even when we're this close to the end, and all it does is make him a pretty boring villain. I'm at least glad that this whole conversation ends with cementing Higan's character development as he declares that he's now fighting for everyone who's helped him to get this far. However, I still don't feel like said development was particularly well-earned, so while it's certainly nice, it doesn't exactly come off as meaningful.

The same can be said for the Auza stuff this week as Mike confronts his former partner with everything he's learned to get him to arrest Joseph. While his partner gives a whole spiel about how interconnected widespread corruption can be, he starts singing a different tune when Mike reveals that he's started leaking everything about Joseph's ninja-related activities to the internet and will expose the FBI's connections to them if he doesn't cooperate. Mike also tries to appeal to whatever lingering sense of justice his partner still has, pushing his buttons hard enough to lead them into a fistfight to settle their differences. It's pretty funny, but like with this episode's other intended emotional beats, it left me feeling dry. It felt more weird than endearing seeing Mike try so hard to change the mind of a guy who had already decided to side with the people in power.

We get some decent set-up for the finale. Mike and his old partner scramble to find Joseph before the higher-ups in the FBI can assassinate him, while Higan heads off to his showdown with Yamaji as he prepares for whatever his ninja revolution involves. At this point, I don't have any high expectations for the finale, but there's still plenty of opportunity to get something that's at least entertaining. So, even if it's too late to stick the landing, I'm at least hoping for a pretty fun time.

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Ninja Kamui airs on Adult Swim and streams on Max.