English Dub Review: Thunder 3 “COUNTERATTACK”

Overview

Aliens surround a sleeping Futaba! In Shibuya, Segami and his comrades fight fiercely but lose ground. As he retreats, he spots Tashiro under attack.

Our Take

Picking up from the previous episode, the Battle of Shibuya continues as the aliens attempt to recapture Futaba. While the Rebellion’s impressive equipment and Tashiro’s space-shifting ability provide some genuinely cool moments, the episode spends far too much time on a resistance storyline that feels padded and poorly paced. The action can be entertaining, particularly when the characters finally begin using their abilities effectively, but some of the combat stretches credibility with characters standing in the open, missing easy shots, and surviving situations that should have been far more dangerous.

The biggest issue is that the episode continues to sideline the characters who make *Thunder 3* so much fun. Segami’s storyline has some worthwhile moments, especially when his martial-arts experience finally comes into play, but it takes up too much of the runtime while the Small Three remain largely absent. The episode repeatedly teases the more interesting characters before pulling away again, making the story feel like it is deliberately stalling before getting back to the main cast. Even the introduction of new powers feels less exciting than it should because the pacing has made the buildup feel unnecessarily prolonged.

Overall, there are some solid action sequences and creative abilities here, but the episode struggles to maintain momentum. The Rebellion has potential, yet their battle never carries the same energy as the series’ central characters, and the constant detours make the episode feel more like padding than progression. With Futaba and the Small Three still being the most compelling part of the story, I’m hoping the next episode finally brings the focus back to them because the titular *Thunder 3* is starting to feel like a guest star in its own show.