To say Tougen Anki Episode 23 surpassed my expectations wouldn’t be an overstatement, because my expectations were, in fact, quite low. Still, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy the episode. You know something is about to go down when an episode doesn’t start with the usual recap and instead dives straight into the opening, especially when every previous episode followed that unwritten rule without exception.
And honestly, how long has it been since the first episode of Tougen Anki aired? Months ago! So it was definitely hype to see Berserk Shiki back in action. Given that the Shiki vs Mikado fight was going to be the Season 1 climax, this was somewhat inevitable. Still, to the anime’s defense, the execution was quite pleasing to the eye.
No One Saw the Tougen Anki Climax Fight Hitting This Hard
The anime took ages to build up to this grand fight. It wasn’t just because the battle was between two powerful enemies; the emotional weight behind it was certainly there as well. The question was: who would give up first, and how would Shiki & Mikado befriend again?
Although I mentioned before that this so-called friendship felt shallow in how the anime portrayed it, for some reason, I found myself rooting for them to reconcile. I mean, who actually likes sad partings just because of a misunderstanding with a mate?
That’s why this fight was even more crucial. It brought the idea that you have to be stronger than your opponent to make them listen. So Shiki’s win felt necessary. However, the early part of the fight was rough for him, as Mikado clearly had the edge over Shiki.
In the latter half of the fight, though, Shiki turned the tables as the power of his fire attribute, Enki, began to leak out. It gave him the boost he needed to fight back, and oh boy, what a fight back it was. Shiki even went as far as declaring that they were now at ‘equal strength,’ but even that didn’t prepare Mikado for what came next.
What Good Is Strength If Mikado Can’t Even Save His Friend?
Berserk Shiki and Mikado in a still from Tougen Anki Episode 23 | Credits: Studio Hibari
Shiki going into his berserk form, followed by Mudano stepping in to temporarily neutralize him, reminded me of the very first episode of the series. Honestly, it was quite terrifying too, as there’s almost no power cap once Shiki enters his berserk mode. He becomes a beast.
However, even though he no longer had control over his body, Shiki remained conscious. He was left crying, knowing he couldn’t help but kill everyone around him, and begged Mikado to kill him instead. Sure, this was meant to be an emotional scene, but the voice acting and direction felt a bit cheesy, and overall, it didn’t hit as hard as I wished.
But now the question is: would Mikado even be able to kill Shiki? Even Mudano gave him the green light to do it; otherwise, if Berserk Shiki were to go on a rampage in the city, many innocent lives would be lost for no reason.
In the final moments of the episode, Mikado fires his ultimate attack at Shiki, but also hopes Shiki will survive the impact. If he were truly powerful enough, he must not let Shiki die and protect him and the civilians altogether. True strength doesn’t rely on violence; it lies in protecting those close to you. Well, for a shonen, it’s kind of obvious that he will, but still, let’s see how it’s handled in the final Tougen Anki episode next week.
Tougen Anki is currently available to watch on Netflix.
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