Overview (Spoilers Below): As Kiyoka rushes to meet Arata at the imperial family’s vacation estate, Usui surprises Miyo and her guards at the dojo, revealing a traitor among them.
Our Take: Due to Usui’s unexpected visit, Miyo’s sanctuary has become a war zone. We’ve seen how menacing Usui’s presence can be back in the fourth episode, not just because he is the leader of the Gifted Communion but also because of his connection with the Usuba family. However, this week’s episode shows that this mysterious person offered more than just his twisted and manipulative persona to make him the series’ most formidable foe. With Usui’s illusion abilities at his disposal, he’s able to manipulate Jinnochi to compromise the dojo’s barrier so he can sneak in undetected and take out the guards easily. Fortunately, Jinnochi managed to atone for her mistakes by fighting him off, but that didn’t prevent her from leaving the dojo as punishment. But, at the very least, Miyo’s friendship with Jinnochi remains intact despite the sudden betrayal. I believe a villain can be as good as the protagonist if their strengths and personalities have the same interest and depth as their backgrounds. Based on what I’ve seen in “The Man Called Naoshi Usui”, there’s a strong chance that Usui would be another example of this belief when all is said and done. We still know very little about whether Usui is actually Miyo’s father or if it’s part of his manipulation tactics to possess Miyo’s Dream Sight ability. However, regarding his illusion powers and intimidating appearance, there’s no doubt that Usui would cause many issues for Miyo’s peaceful marriage, more so than the Saimoris. Hopefully, we’ll learn a bit more about this so-called “father” sooner or later as we reach the season’s halfway point.