「戦王の使者篇IV」 (Sen o No Shisha Hen IV)
“Messenger of the War King IV”

If there’s one thing that Strike the Blood does extremely well, it’s its arc finales. Like the previous arc, things go up a notch just when it’s most needed, and it’s an action-packed episode filled with great reveals. Following a blood offering from Kirasaka, Akatsuki brandishes a new familiar in Al-Nasl Minium, Gardos counters Himeragi with his secret army of Nalakuvera weapons, Kirasaka counters that with her weapon’s secret abilities, and it’s no wonder the Nalakuvera was named a Weapon of the Gods. Even Vatler was impressed, and we all know how hard he is to—especially since he was the one who instigated all of this in the first place.

This week’s not all “piew piew” though, as the episode sets up crucial developments for the future too. Most notably, Vatler looks like he’ll be hanging around for the near future as embassy liason, and we all know how fun life is with him around. It make me wonder how one keeps a monster like him in check, but I suppose that’s just how powerful the Progenitor’s are, and why Akatsuki’ll need all the help he can get in the future. Luckily—and unluckily—Kirasaka looks like she’ll be joining the fray from this point forward too, and Asagi’s obvious confession throws yet another complicated wrench into Akatsuki’s unfortunate life. It’s all good though, because there are few things as priceless as Himeragi’s reactions to his “infidelities.”

That said, the uppercut Akatsuki gives Gardos ends up priceless as well. It’s been said before that Strike the Blood resembles Index, and that punch just sealed the deal. Akatsuki’s essentially a slightly different version of Kamijou Touma, and I’m looking forward to him striking down the illusions of terrorists, Deacons, demons, and vampires alike. Once again, it’s just a fabulous episode, and I’ll let the screenshots (39 this week!) do the rest of the talking. I gotta say though, I’d love to be out there fighting with these gals from my side.

 

Preview

52 Comments

    1. And Himeragi needs to be called out for that. She continues to be irrational. She has gotten mad at Akatsuki several times now for things that were outside of his control. Frankly I’m tired of it. It’s not a good look.

      rukia
      1. You think so? I think she´s adorable! The interactions between her and Kojou are one of the main atractions in the story, but I do hope she gets a little more honest with time since it would be a sign of progress for the unique relationship of the two.

        haseo0408
      1. some of these questions will be revealed in this immediate next arc, so they should be answered in a few weeks 🙂
        as far as the familiar goes, Show Spoiler ▼

        , so that might shed some light on the harem/girls situation here 🙂

        jrj
      2. @zztop, of course, will be glad to do so 🙂 most of the backstory (aka the whole deal about Avrora and how Kojo acquired the power of the 4th progenitor, such as the flashback at the end of episode 1) are revealed in vol.7 and 8 mostly. So I doubt the first season of the anime will be able to cover it (the present timeline in the LN ends at vol.6, and if the anime go with 4 episodes per arc, it will just stop at vol.6), so I will post a summary about the events that I remember from vol.7-8 if the anime doesn’t shed lights on them by the end of the first season(of course in spoiler tags)
        if anyone else read the LN, please let me know if I say anything wrong

        jrj
      3. @jrj: Thank you!
        But why would Paper Noise suspect the 1st Progenitor(‘his direction’) of stirring up trouble in Itogami in the 1st place? Does this relate to any future plot points?

        Also, who exactly IS Yaze working for? The Lion King? Or another group with connections to them?

        zztop
      4. @zztop, both of these questions are related to the backstory I spoke of… and yes, the backstory actually ties to a big plot point, so I am afraid that you might have to hold on to these questions for quite a while in case the anime do decide to insert another piece of the flashback here and there, or I will answer all I know at the end 🙂

        jrj
      1. to awaken a new familiar, the blood sucked must be from people with high spiritual power (such as from Yukina or Sayaka)… This girl, being a homunculus, does not possess that level of power. (confirmed by the LN)

        another point (unconfirmed in the LN) might that the blood must be from human instead of artificial being. we can speculate further on that 🙂

        jrj
      1. well, only Yunina’s and Asagi’s three size have been revealed in the LN so far, so it is hard to compare precisely, but I imagine Sayaka is even bigger than Asagi… (of course I don’t mean height)

        jrj
    1. I hope the familiars can be put in defensive formation while he sleeps for his sake. Pretty much something like this: “Ok guys if you see a blonde vampire approaching you fry to a crisp, if it´s Himeragi there is no problem”. XD

      haseo0408
  1. great episode… really loved the fights and especially the “event” after the ED 🙂 This is exactly why I love Asagi so much! Sayaka is also pretty awesome too in this episode. A little detail being left out in this episode is that Sayaka was abused by her father due to her “strange power”, and that is what caused her fear of men in the first place. She is not les by any means haha (though I think most girls would love Yukina for being so cute) Can’t wait for the next arc even though I still rank Asagi 1st 🙂
    ps. did anyone spot all the subtle fan services in this episode and in the episodes before (precise pauses required)?

    jrj
  2. Sayaka: You think I’m big?
    Kojou: Well, guys generally prefer girls to have bigger sized…
    Sayaka: I meant my HEIGHT!
    Kojou: Ohhh….
    LMAO

    Congrats to the 4th Primogenitor on reacquiring a new harem member, officially. (Conditions being their blood needed to act as medium for his Familiars)

    Unofficially, woot to Asagi being the first to make her move, you go girl! (Sadly, of the series that I’ve watched, girls who make their move first usually end up losing simply because they’re not the designated main heroine. 🙁 )

    echykr
    1. That also proves that that Yukina has a point and Kojou might indeed have a perverted side; most guys would said: “what the hell are you talking about!?”, where our most powerful vampire went with: “Most prefer them big”. Hallarious!. XD

      haseo0408
  3. I’m beginning to confuse Taneda Risa’s roles in StB and Kyoukai no Kanata, as they do have quite similar types of premises. I could almost hear Yukina go “Fuyukai desu” everytime she sees Kojou flirting with other girls. 😀

    (Why is it that both this series and Kyoukai no Kanata have the same scriptwriter in Hanada Juuki (and both stars Taneda Risa), yet this feels more entertaining?)

    echykr
  4. I love silver link when it comes to battle sequence (or “piew piew” XD). it was really good more than the previous arc finale. but yes, it’s good not only in terms of battle sequence, but also the performance and atmosphere of an ending ep for the arc. it was good, really.
    that kiss scene was awesome. made the ep imao.
    and let’s not forget Himeragi for fighting with some new techniques without her weapon or Kirasaka trying to be like damsel in distress (or not XD)

    I’d love to be out there fighting with these gals from my side.

    you just want their blood Zephyr? 😛
    but me too. especially if it’s involves kiss scene 😛

    thedarktower
  5. Harems…. Highschool Harems everywhere! not that im complaining or anything.

    I guess next week we receive the customary white haired girl. The question is, is she going to be part of Akatsuki’s growing harem?

    Ginobi47
  6. Know what? A harem is that good for me when I can’t even decide which one I want to ship for.

    I mean, Yukina’s cute and all, but someone who has bigger boobs, a tsundere and an A-class zettai ryouiki grades higher in my book.

    sadakups
    1. well, her nickname is “cyber empress”, one of the most talented and fearful hacker known to the world… the glowing eyes, as far as I know, is an anime addition, though she does have some unrevealed stuff about her (only another nickname and some hints are dropped in vol.8, since it involves super spoiler, I will wait for a while before I say anything else here)

      jrj
    2. unfortunately I only read Chinese translations… wish I can read JP though, so it would be a lot faster and more precise, but I guess it still works.

      to your question about girls, since vol.9 is kinda a weird one and I get distracted by reading the latest accel world volume, I only have info up to vol.8… as far as vol.8 goes, Show Spoiler ▼

      jrj
  7. Asagi is the best girl for me, offically. Cool spears and bows be damned, hacking the enemy and causing him to self-destruct FTW!
    Plus she is actually making first move on Koujou. DAT KISS!
    Other than that, Vatler definitely won’t be bored watching this anime form inside, so to say. In-show audience!

    ewok40k

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