The Jūto Hunter
Summary
They live among us...
Haruka: The Donbrothers now have an awesome power with Toradora Onitaijin!
And yet, unknown to us, the enemy forces would soon lead us to an even greater struggle.
And yet, unknown to us, the enemy forces would soon lead us to an even greater struggle.
Haruka's aunt, Yuriko, has been kidnapped by the Anōni. Their terms for returning her: capture and seal away the natural enemies of the Anōni, the Jūto. To assist the Donbrothers, the Anōni provide a list of Jūto; among the listed names is that of Tsuyoshi's wife, Miho.
Tsuyoshi decides to track down and confront Miho himself, even though he refuses to believe that she is a Jūto. Meanwhile, Haruka also finds a familiar name on the list...
Tropes
- Badass Normal: Yuriko establishes herself as one, effortlessly taking out the kidnappers (actually Anoni) sent to kidnap her in close quarters combat. She only loses when a fourth one chloroforms her from behind.
- Blackmail Backfire: The Anoni's attempts to strong-arm the Donbrothers into a truce with Haruka's aunt as collateral only serves to get said Anoni killed by the Cat Juto and draw the attention of the Crane, who convinces Taro to leave the Cat group to her. The ensuing distraction allows Haruka to save her aunt and Taro to tell the Noto to stick it.
- Cassandra Truth: When on the topic of the Anōni kidnapping relatives of the Donbrothers to request for their help as ransom, Tsuyoshi asks why did they not kidnap his wife Miho as well. In response, the Anōni the Donbrothers are talking to presents them a list of Jūto, with Miho listed as one of them. Despite slightly raising Tsuyoshi's concerns, his surveilance of her has him ultimately conclude that she isn't a Jūto.
- Enemy Mine: Sononi and Sonoza attempt this with the Donbrothers to fight the Jūto. Unfortunately the one they decide to approach about this is Tsubasa who unbeknownst to them does not know who the others are and can't get in contact with them outside of battle. While he eventually manages to tell them once he's summoned to a fight, by then Taro has talked with Miho and refuses their offer which causes Sononi and Sonoza to attack them instead.
- Foil: The Anōni and the Jūto are juxtaposed with each other when interacting with the Donbrothers at Donbura. The Anōni representative is unfailingly polite and even pays for the Donbrothers' order alongside his own, telling Kaito to keep the change. "Kenji", on the other hand, is a sloppy eater, and when Kaito moves to present him with the bill, he foists it off on the Donbrothers, effectively dining and dashing.
- Gang of Hats: Miho reveals Juto society as ranks of these. Cat-types are free spirits and Cranes are storytellers. Before she can tell him about the Penguins, she runs off.
- I Have Your Wife: The Anōni kidnap Yuriko in order to gain the Donbrothers' assistance against the Jūto; despite being rough when abducting her, they ultimately ensure that she's treated well. Unusually, the kidnapping gets hijacked by the Jūto, with their own much simpler demand (hand over Murasame).
- Improperly Paranoid: While Haruka is scared to the point of believing Shizuka is trying to eat her, the latter didn't show any major signs of hostility despite being creepy. She only gets mad after finding out Haruka successfully sneaked out.
- Internal Reveal:
- Miho reveals and confirms herself as a Jūto to Taro.
- Tsubasa finally finds out that the "Natsumi" he had been pursuing was Tsuyoshi's wife Miho all along.
- Retcon: The Anoni were established from #1 as a Wild Card race that served the Hitotsu-Ki up until a Noto General shows up to take command, at which point they desperately turn face. This episode firmly establishes them as Mooks to the Noto.
- Mistaken for Cheating: While spying on Miho in order to dispel his fears about her being a Jūto, Tsuyoshi assumes she's cheating on him when she goes with a young man... who turns out to be someone requesting her services as a beautician.
- Once More, with Clarity: As "Kenji" states the Jūto's demands to the Donbrothers for Don Murasame to be handed over, the scene flashes back to Taro's last conversation with Sonoi, which now reveals in full that he theorizes that Don Murasame is an anti-Jūto weapon made by the Council.
- Out of Focus: Jiro never appears in his civilian form and shows up at the end of the episode with his fight against Choushinsei-Ki beginning offscreen.
- Present Absence: While approaching his house, Haruka notices that Hitoshi hasn't been appearing in her school life for a while. Being told that he moved to the countryside to recuperate only causes her to find it suspicious and increases her paranoia.
- The Reveal:
- Both the Anoni and the Juto are well aware of Haruka's Secret Identity as Oni Sister, which is why the former took her aunt.
- Hitoshi's mother Shizuka is revealed to be a Jūto as well.
- The Jūto are face stealers, and the humans whose faces have been copied by them are still alive. However, if a Jūto is Killed Off for Real, the original owner of their face will perish as well.
- Secret Identity: Played for Drama. Both the Anoni and "Kenji Sayama" call Haruka on her aunt's phone to state they're holding her hostage, addressing her as Oni Sister both times.
- Skewed Priorities: The Anoni representative and "Kenji Sayama" both arrive in the Cafe and state various spooky demands to the team. Taro only notices how politely (or not) they conducted themselves.
- Tsuyoshi is more focused on whether or not Miho is cheating on him than the fact that she may be a monster.
- Stockholm Syndrome: Yuriko finds the Anōni taking her captive to be attractive and took in their hospitality well. Averted with the Cat Jūto due to her passing out when they took over the place.
- Suddenly Speaking: Kenji's Cat persona has only uttered one word from its debut way back in #10 to now (with an implication that he was capable of talking a few episodes ago), where it's talking in complete sentences.
- Tap on the Head: The only reason Miho is unsuccessful in her battle with the Cat posse is "Kenji Sayama" taking advantage of a distraction (One of the Mooks announcing the Donbrothers have arrived) and hitting her neck to knock her out.
- What Measure Is a Non-Human?: Discussed. Miho asks Taro not to hurt the Cat Juto despite their natures, seeing their sorry state as a lack of guilt.
- Wicked Cultured: The Anoni that kidnap Yuriko feed her with caviar and foie gras; very high-end food. It's heavily implied the building they took her to was actually a Juto meeting spot whose food they were pilfering.
