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Edens Zero Chapter 166 Review/Recap

In Avengers: Infinity War, Thanos spoke about how much it sucks to lose. To feel like you’re in the right, only to fail all the same. It’s a sickening feeling, yet also one we cannot avoid in life. And in this week’s chapter of Edens Zero, even though the heroes beat Shura, it feels like they still lost the war, and Witch is the one who has to make the final sacrifice.

Recap

Everyone aboard the Edens Zero is panicking with only one minute left before the anti-matter bombs go off. However, Witch calmly tells everyone that she will protect the ship no matter what. Down on Nero 66, Shura’s crawled away from his fight with Shiki, only to be confronted by Ijuna. Rather than take revenge, Princess claims the feelings of love between the two were real, and then the two embrace as the bombs go off. Stockholm. Syndrome.

As the bombs detonate, everyone on the ship watches as Witch goes outside and uses the full extent of her powers to shield the ship, even as the bombs begin to annihilate everything in their path. Even as a tearful Shiki orders her to stop, Witch refuses, vowing to protect Shiki and her family. In her last moments, Witch remembers when she and the Shining Stars first met Shiki as a baby and how she promised to look after the child. Thus, after giving everyone words of encouragement, Witch smiles as the explosion vaporizes her body, while Shiki can do nothing but cry.

Review

Hiro Mashima can be an absolute master of hitting his readers right in the feels. Every time he has an important character die, he doesn’t hold back, making sure it’s as big a tearjerker as possible. He did with Simon in Fairy Tail. He did it with Valkyrie earlier in this story. And now, he did it for Witch!

While there is the chance that Witch may not be dead, or Rebecca may deus ex machina her out of this, Mashima will probably anger people even more. After such a tear-jerking sacrifice, bringing her back will make it seem disingenuous, like it doesn’t matter. Either way, this is going to affect the plot going forward majorly.

As for Shura and Ijuna, the less said about what happened to them, the better. Everything I said about Ijuna having Stockholm Syndrome proved to be right, and that got her killed. People, if someone you know somehow goes through this, get them help. This isn’t love. It’s a perverted form of sympathy and pity. 

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I will go try not to cry about Witch’s death.

I Give “I Love You” A 4.5/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 165 Review/Recap

Three times. That is how many times we have now seen a planet that Shiki and the heroes have been on come under threat of destruction. Firstly, we saw the Chronophage wipe away the filth of Guilst. Then, we saw the Muller almost destroy Foresta. Now, Nero 66 is about to be on the chopping block thanks to Ziggy. Worse, there’s nothing that Shiki can do to stop his grandfather. His only option now: run.

Recap

As the heroes look on helplessly, Ziggy activates the antimatter bombs and prepares to have them detonate. In less than twenty minutes, they’ll destroy not just Nero 66, but the entire sector. With the All-Link terminal disabled, there’s no way to stop this. Nero 66 is doomed.

However, Shiki stubbornly refuses to give up. It’s only when Xiao Mei directly addresses him that he realizes that this is one fight they can’t win. With their goals accomplished, the Crew of Eden return to their ship and warn everyone of what’s about to happen. As a result, everyone hightails it away from the planet. Yet Ziggy’s not done; remotely hacking the Edens Zero, he freezes the ship in place, keeping them from fleeing as the bombs prepare to go off.

However, they’re not going down without a fight. Now fully healed, Witch prepares to live up to her reputation as the Shield of Edens and drive her former master out.

Review

Well, I definitely wasn’t expecting any of this to occur. It seems like a very bittersweet way to end the Nero 66 Arc. Shura’s defeated, but Nero 66 is about to blow, and Shiki can’t stop his Grandpa. Were this any other situation, I’d like him to stay and stop the bombs somehow. But there’s no way to do so! Thus, retreat is the only option.

One thing that I think is noteworthy is how the chapter emphasizes the importance of knowing when to fold’em. In this case, the Admiral in charge of Nero’s forces wanted to stay and keep fighting anyway. He wanted everyone under his command to die a pointless death. Thankfully, he gets relieved of command before that happens.

On the plus side, Witch is all better now, and ready to fight Ziggy. Rebecca called her the Mom of Edens Zero, and right now, mama bear is not happy! This is gonna be good!

Also, Shura’s gone missing, and I doubt we’ve seen the last of him. Or of Princess.

I Give “Fork in the Road” a 3.5/5

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Edens Zero Chapter 164 Review/Recap

I’m starting to see why Mashima decided to give Shiki the power of gravity manipulation. On the surface, that’s already a versatile power, allowing him to do amazing feats. However, as the series has progressed, we’ve seen Shiki and Ziggy show just what the power of the void can truly do. Among other things, the void has the power to drain the powers of others, and defy so-called destiny.

In other words, I called it with Nero’s reliance on his dice being his downfall.

Recap

Both in the space above and on the ground below, the ones fighting against Nero and Shura wage their own battles. Witch returns to the Edens Zero for treatment while Laguna’s shocked to learn that Princess somehow got away. Meanwhile, at the Temple, Ziggy gloats about how losing his head isn’t enough to kill him. When Nero retorts by saying its his destiny to win, Ziggy reveals he stole the Empire Dice, before crushing them within the void. Next, Ziggy decides to take Nero’s power for himself, using the void to draw it to him.

Back on Nero 66, Shiki tears into Shura and gives him the usual Shonen hero speech while also demonstrating what he learned from training with Xenolith. Thanks to that, he’s strengthened his resolve to fight, letting him unlock a new form of the void himself. As a result, he wipes the floor with Shura.

However, Ziggy interrupts things, revealing he’s taken Nero’s power, and uses it to prime the anti-matter bombs on Nero 66.

That is not good!

Review

I knew that that whole “destiny” stuff Nero was spewing wasn’t going to hold up. However, I did not expect Ziggy to outright destroy the Empire Dice. Those were relics left behind by Mother, making them very valuable. For Ziggy to destroy them so easily means that he’s on a level of power that few can hope to match. Now, he’s taken down Nero, and somehow, his void was able to absorb Nero’s Ether Gear. It’s like what Blackbeard can do in One Piece!

If Ziggy can somehow absorb the Ether Gear of others, then there’s no limit to what he’s capable of doing. If he got hold of Rebecca’s Cat Leaper…I don’t want to think about what he could do! He’d be unstoppable!

The big question that I got from this chapter, though, is about Shiki. Shiki’s a gravity user like his adoptive grandfather, so can he invoke that same kind of power? Let us hope he can and use it for good.

This was a good chapter, overall, as it continued the twists found in last week’s chapter. I can’t wait to see how this arc ends, as it could go many ways.

I Give “Downpour of the Black Heavens” a 3.5/5

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