Yaiba: Samurai Legend

Episode 14

I probably should have figured this out from the OP, but it seems like Yaiba and the others tracking down a new orb every week is going to be the format for the foreseeable future. This shift back to a villain of the week format has stayed mostly enjoyable, but since not every new villain or wacky scenario can be winners, it was probably only a matter of time before the show hit a dull spot. That more or less ended up being the case this week, and while nothing in this episode was particularly bad, it's the most bored I've been with the series in a while.

After obtaining the Water Orb, the gang plans to head to Shikoku to continue their search for the Dragon God Orb. Getting there proves to be more of a challenge than expected, as none of them have a boat, and Yaiba still can't figure out how to get the Water Orb to work. When he does, it ends up working a little too well as it causes a few nearby floods, but since Yaiba remains oblivious to any of the damage he caused, and his actions part the sea long enough for him and the others to cross it, they all just chalk this up as a win. Once they arrive, they quickly reunite with Yamoto (who somehow got there on foot, but don't think about that too deeply) and track down the orb to a sealed cave. When they arrive, they only discover a bunch of captured tanuki as well as Onimaru's newest minion, the ninja, Kotaro Fuma.

Between Yaiba's drive to become a great samurai and this show's tendency to use Japanese history for comedy, I'm honestly a bit shocked in hindsight that it's taken this long to pit Yaiba against a ninja. I'd love to tell you that this fight was worth that wait, but this one didn't do much for me. Kotaro has all the cool ninja magic you'd expect, breathing whirlwinds, performing substitutions, and making poison clouds, but in a post-Naruto landscape, none of it stands out as particularly cool, and couldn't quite grab my attention. This wouldn't be too much of an issue if Kotaro were a fun villain or the action scenes were as stellar as last week's, but there aren't any notable animation highlights beyond the show's normal standards (which to be fair, are still extremely high), and Kotaro isn't much more than a cool ninja which just makes him unmemorable as a villain. Even Kotaro transforming into a bird ninja midway through the fight doesn't move the needle much, since while it is silly, it's fairly par the course for what you'd expect of the show by now, and for a series as goofy as Yaiba, a bird ninja feels a little boring compared to its usual standards. Even the climax is a bit underwhelming, as Yaiba is only saved from defeat by the tanuki cloning him, and overwhelming Kotaro with sheer numbers. I don't need every fight to have a clever solution, especially for a show that doesn't take itself too seriously, but this is a bit too random even for this series, and it just makes the whole battle feel like a waste of time.

If there are any bright spots to the episode, they came after the fight when Yaiba tests out what this new orb can do. Despite some warnings from Musashi about how trying it recklessly could be too dangerous and Yaiba could turn into a dragon for all they know, Yaiba ignores his words, which makes it funnier when this happens. Since we're too early in this new adventure for the gang to reach their goal, it goes without saying that this turns out not to be the Dragon God Orb, but instead allows Yaiba to transform into any animal or object he wants, including boats with cute little anime eyes. This might be the most the show has leaned into its classic cartoon trappings, and it's just silly enough that I can't be mad at how much the show is otherwise stalling. Beyond that, nothing about this episode wowed me. As I said before, not every villain of the week scenario can be a winner. All I can hope for is that next week has a little more to offer.

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Yaiba: Samurai Legend is currently streaming on Netflix and Hulu on Saturdays.