Overview: Haru (Casey Mongillo), Aoyama (John Van Doren) and Taiga (Phillip Sacramento) face off against Ojori (Corpse Husband) as Neo Tokyo faces imminent destruction.
Our Take: Ojori takes on Minato Tribe in a final XB game, but fires Kamiki. She decides to send Chiyoda’s flying fortress crashing towards Neo Tokyo.
Aoyama holding off Otori is not only an attempt to knock some sense into his edgelord highness and for Haru and Taiga race against the clock to get the homerun, but a segway into their past. Overall, the flashback scenes are uninspired. They do nothing in fleshing out and deepening the characters, but also don’t shed light on how they both turned out the way they did effectively in Aoyama being scheming but goodhearted and Ojori wanting to turn his back on him and dominate with strength above all else.
The XB game transitions into a brawl pretty much right from the onset. However, as opposed to how middling it was with Kamiki, it is much more fun with Haru and Taiga double teaming up against Ojori with their strength and speed, respectively. The animation is a highlight with amazing fluidity in their strikes with one another, surpassing that of previous season bouts. Although plain and abrupt as far as motivations go, Ojori eventually reconnecting with Aoyama due to him putting his life on the line was a sweet moment for what it was.
Teaming up with Ojori, Aoyama and Ojori fair and square take on Haru and Taiga for a frenetic race to home plate. What made Ojori somewhat likable from the get-go was the thrill that XB could provide and that’s what continues to make him interesting now. It reflects one of the show’s pure hearted themes in enjoying the fun purity of the sport that is also reinforced through Haru remembering Shun’s joy for it along with him along with embracing his own passion for the game.
Despite the whole fortress crashing on and destroying Neo Tokyo, Minato manages to pull out the win and Otori and Aoyama become friends once again and head out on their own. With the few moments of levity and heartfelt comradery we have gotten with them, it makes me want a heavier focus on them to truly flesh out their past and their chemistry as a whole. With Neo Tokyo newly rebuilt and there being a power vacuum, the rest of the teams resume their activity. While not especially original, Haru’s arc in overcoming his fears has been a joy to watch in seeing him develop more confidence slowly but surely through his tough games with Minato and Shun’s tutelage. One great way that showcased is how even when he is denied by Saori, he is proud of himself for taking the shot nonetheless with it being a refreshing turning point for him for how much of a scaredy cat he has been. It has been a fun ride since Shun and the gang recruited Haru and Taiga, and if there is any continuation, it will be even more interesting as they forge ahead in their own way at the forefront of Minato as they all continue to play the sport they love.