The Same Training
"This is awesome!"
The entire Ring Battle Arc perfectly fits the mold of a classic shonen manga. The battle scenes, brought to life by the Porter's expert pen, are stunning. The paneling, the lines—everything is crafted to perfection, with a tight, exciting pace.
The story itself doesn't fall into the common traps of making characters act foolishly. Even the typical trope of villains standing idly by while the hero charges up their ultimate move was avoided here. The ending, too, was satisfying.
Tsuna was confirmed as the next Vongola boss, and the rebellious XANXUS was taken away by the Ninth. The characters in Katekyō Hitman Reborn! are some of the most well-crafted the fans have seen. Each character is distinct, with their own beliefs and ways of doing things. They may not always get along, but when the family is in crisis, they unite as one. This is what they call the power of bonds, right?
One character that stood out to fans was Tsuna. At first, his wimpy, loser image frustrated many readers. But as Tsuna grew, so did the readers' affection for him. Watching him evolve and uncover the good qualities buried deep within him gave a feeling of pride—like a parent watching their child finally grow up. The emotional connection wasn't overly dramatic but deeply touching, the kind that lingers long after.
Meanwhile, The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious continued to deliver the laughs in episodes five and six.
For example, in episode five, we see the return of the Sword God from episode three. But this time, the once fearsome figure now appears in a way that made readers burst out laughing—a muscular man wearing a flowery apron featuring a chibi Madoka Magica character, holding a whisk and making cakes. It turns out he abandoned the sword arts and became an apprentice to a chef named Leo, learning to cook instead.
This transformation showed just how deeply scarred the Sword God was by his last encounter with Seiya. But when he found out he wouldn't be training Seiya again, his mood did a complete 180. Yet, still traumatized by Seiya, he repeatedly questioned whether Mash had any hidden powers before finally agreeing to train him, but only after thorough confirmation.
However, in episode five, something puzzled Daniel. Seiya directly challenged a berserk god of destruction, and just when things looked dire, the goddess Alia Doa appeared and saved Seiya. But there was something odd—Alia Doa was far too kind to Seiya! She had already helped him find powerful gods to train under, and now she had saved him again.
The Porter never includes useless scenes in his stories. Daniel had a nagging feeling that this was laying the groundwork for something big, possibly even dark. Could the Porter actually turn this comedy into something deep and tragic?
"Impossible," Daniel chuckled to himself. No matter how talented the Porter was, he couldn't change the tone of this series that drastically. Such a shift would be too difficult.
As the story continued, Alia Doa led Seiya to yet another mentor, a goddess who lived in a damp, dark place and looked more like a demon than a deity. But remembering what happened to the Sword God, Daniel had low expectations. Surely, this new mentor would end up just as traumatized, right?
But surprisingly, the War Goddess wasn't intimidated by Seiya's cautious approach—in fact, she seemed to be looking forward to training him. By the second time the ditzy goddess visited her, she had even changed her appearance slightly, giving off a more girlish vibe. She even wiped drool from her mouth while saying, "He's just too amazing," in a way that made fans' imaginations run wild.
"So, what exactly does she find amazing?"
"For some reason… I feel like they're sneaking around behind the ditzy goddess's back."
"Shouldn't there be a green aura over the ditzy goddess's head right about now?"
Even with these thoughts, fans were curious about what had really happened. After seeing the fate of the Sword God, they wondered why the War Goddess seemed so eager.
Then, as Seiya set out to obtain a legendary weapon in the Dragonkin village, the War Goddess appeared again.
"Pfft!"
Daniel, sipping cola, couldn't hold back his laughter when he saw her. Who was this person? The contrast was just too much!
If the War Goddess had been an unkempt recluse before, now she was a cute, charming girl next door. She wore a white dress, and her hair was neatly styled—she practically radiated romance!
But no, this was still a comedy. Seiya bluntly rejected her advances, saying, "No thanks, it tastes bad," before heading off to the other world.
"Of course, it's still as ridiculous as ever," Daniel chuckled as he moved on to episode six.
He was eager to see how the story would subvert expectations once more, particularly with the classic trope of the hero gaining a powerful weapon. And sure enough, the Porter delivered!
In the Dragonkin village, Seiya learned from the Dragon Queen that to obtain the holy sword, he would need to sacrifice one of the Dragonkin siblings. Naturally, Seiya refused and ended up battling the Dragon Queen herself.
His weapon of choice? The Dragon Slayer Sword!
"Poor ditzy goddess's hair…"
"One Dragon Slayer Sword equals 100 strands of hair, but with Seiya's habits, he probably made three backup swords, so 300 strands in total… At this rate, by the time Seiya saves the world, this goddess will need to pray at a temple for a miracle!"
"…I can't even look; it's too sad. I don't get it—why doesn't Seiya, who's supposed to be a man, do something else while the goddess is unconscious from the pain of losing her hair?"
"…Hmm, knowing Seiya, he'd probably poke her with a silver needle first to make sure there's no poison before doing anything."
"…Now that you mention it, I can totally picture that."
"I'm starting to wonder if Seiya will ever be able to get married."
Soon, the conversation in the fan forums started to veer off course, with fans speculating about everything from Seiya's love life to whether there was a biological barrier between humans and goddesses.
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