English Dub Review: Naruto Shippuden “The First and Last Opponent”

Kakashi shows us why he’s the man of 1000 jutsu!

Spoilers Below

I remember this fight a bit different from when I read the manga. Granted, that was three years ago, but I thought there was more of a sense of fear when Kakashi went in to fight Zabuza. This week, “The First and Last Opponent” gave us a look into a more fearless set of ninja who was ready to face the best of the Seven Swordsmen of the Mist, with five of them at full power with their swords. Bee has Samehada, and Chōjūrō has Hiramekarei, in case you’re keeping score.

I absolutely loved how Suigetsu and Jugo were used as the history lesson on the Seven Swordsmen, even though they were still in the prison at the Land of Iron. For now, they would have been a useless pair of characters, so it was good to see these two being used for comedic relief of sorts while telling a pretty integral part of this episode was pretty cool. It was refreshing to get a “fanboy’ approach to the Seven Swordsmen and what their swords were, and what they can do. I wish these two would continue, but it looks like the Seven Swordsmen story is over, at least for now.

Now, this goes without saying, but Kakashi completely carried this episode. Maybe it’s because he was one of the leaders of the army, or maybe it’s because of the past he had with Zabuza and Haku. Thankfully, this fight has left Kakashi in a position you haven’t seen him in before. This man is pissed off, and he wants vengeance. Nothing shows this off more than this one quote he says to Sai right after Zabuza and Haku are sealed away: “Look. It takes a lot to get me worked up, but this time my boiling point is as low as it’s ever been. The Copy Ninja Kakashi, the man who copied one thousand techniques, is about to go on a rampage!” The best part of any show is when the characters are put in a position where they end up at, or past, their breaking point. Kakashi has finally gotten pissed, and he has Zabuza’s sword!

This episode had the perfect mix of exposition and action. The only problem was that I was hoping to see Kakashi go ham on the rest of the Seven Swordsmen. Zabuza was sealed, and then they cut to a hectic battle with the squad with Neji and Hinata fighting a bunch of white Zetzus, then they cut from that to what will be the next battle with Mu finding Gaara and his platoon. The jumps were very awkward and didn’t really do much. Unfortunately, I found this last two minutes to be a bit of a drag, and a little detrimental to what “The First and Last Opponent” set up in the first 20 minutes with Kakashi. The last two minutes aside, “The First and Last Opponent” was a great episode. Check it out today on Hulu!