Hey all, Sean here, and we’re back with another episode of Ultraman Arc! This week, we pick up where we left off with Sweed continuing her plan to open the Ze Su Gate, as well as Arc gaining a new power, what’s going to happen?!
Recap
The episode opens with Yuma in a hospital, with a doctor and nurse keeping an eye on him, before exiting the room. We then cut to SKIP HQ, as Captain Ban finishes a call with the hospital involving Yuma, as he tells Shu that, despite nothing being wrong with Yuma at surface |level, he won’t wake up. Ban then asks Rin about the forest, the latter explaining that all the GDF will say is that it’s “under investigation”. YouPi shows that there’s post after post about what’s happening online, with every post suddenly being deleted. The team turn to Shu for answers and he finally reveals the truth, apologizing for keeping it from them. Yuma then wakes up in the hospital, face to face with Sweed, as he finds that he’s being pulled out of his own body, despite Arc’s attempts to prevent it.
Meanwhile, Shu explains to the rest of SKIP that, 16 years ago, an object not unlike a black hole appeared 1,000 kilometres from Earth. However, it soon contracted and fell to Earth, with the GDF giving it the codename “Onyx” as they began searching for it. As this all happens, Sweed and Yuma watch on, with Yuma trying to get their attention, only to be told that they can’t be seen or heard. Shu continues, adding that given the amount of kaiju activity in Hoshimoto City, the GDF suspected the Onyx was in the area for years and that the appearances of Monogelos, Digelos and Ultraman Arc support the theory. Ban asks if that’s the reason why Shu was stationed in Hoshimoto, with Rin adding that people should have known about the Onyx. Shu replyies that, when it fell to Earth, Onyx’s gravitational frequencies and energy particles had awakened kaiju that were slumbering for a long time. The GDF concluded that the Onyx was the catalyst for K-Day. Shu adds that, somehow, energy from space is still flowing into the Onyx and it’s about to reach it’s limit. YouPi remembers that Givas was looking for something it called a “new moon”, theorising that it could be the Onyx. Shu concludes that the energy accumulated could cause the Onyx to explode, with enough power to rival a supernova, as Sweed tells Yuma that Earth is fated for destruction, and they might as well give up.
Shu then receives a call that the GDF is trying to collect to Onyx to take it to a research facility. However, the video feed shows that the GDF jets can’t even get close to it without being destroyed. Sweed releases Zadime, as Yuma asks what she’s going to do. Sweed reveals her plan to break the Onyx’s seal, not caring if she’ll die.
Yuma returns to the hospital, finding his unconscious body holding the Arc Cube. Despite Sweed taunting him with the fact that Arc left out Earth’s fate, Yuma doesn’t give in to despair. Meanwhile, as Zadime rampages, Shu gets ready to head out, joined by SKIP, who convince him to let them go with him thanks to their knowledge of the area and their data. Zadime manages to crack the seal, Sweed is elated, as Yuma and Arc are unable to transform, which leads to Yuma entering the mirror world. Arc apologises for keeping the truth from Yuma, adding that in the past 16 years, he’s learned about humans through Yuma and that it was Yuma’s imagination that gave his wounded body strength, the form of Arc, and the powers to fight. Sweed tries to convince Yuma otherwise, but Yuma steels himself, declaring that he and Arc are one in the same. The Arc Cube begins to glow in the real world.
Also in the real world, SKIP and Shu arrive at the site of the Onyx, as Zadime is still working on breaking the seal. Just as Shu’s scanner says that the Onyx is about to explode, Arc arrives and begins to fight Zadime. As Arc manages to gain the upper hand, Sweed arrives, immobilising Arc, as she orders Zadime to release the Onyx. YouPi reveals that he sees Sweed, as he had seen her earlier when Shu was explaining the Onyx. A short while later, Shu is using YouPi’s head to get a precise aim on Sweed, however, she dodges before the shot can hit her, but it winds up being enough to free Arc. Arc then summons the Solis Armour, continuing the fight, before approaching the Onyx. In a role reversal of episode 1, it’s Yuma who tells Arc to “unleash his imagination”, which leads to Arc doing a flying drill right into the Onyx.
Arc emerges from the Onyx, summoning a new set of armour, the Galaxy Armour! The power of the Galaxy Armour is enough to overwhelm Zadime and Sweed, who are both destroyed by the armours finishing beam. While the rest of SKIP celebrates, Shu is shocked to find that there are no more readings of the Onyx, as Yuma returns to the hospital, asking the Arc Cube if they saved the Earth.
The episode ends with a piece of Zadime crumble, leaving a giant crack in the sky.
Extra Lore and Fun Facts
There isn’t much extra lore this episode that hasn’t already been touched on previously, so let’s look to something I’ve been neglecting to mention, the “SP” Recap episodes!
In these episodes, we learn that aside from Hoshimoto City, there are SKIP branches all across Japan, each with their own AI robot (all sharing YouPi’s frame). However, they don’t see as much action as Hoshimoto due to more limited kaiju activity. In these episodes, we follow Ichiro Nakamura, who at first was stationed at the Fujiyama City branch but was transferred to the Miyako city branch.
Sean’s thoughts
This two parter, wow was it something! For starters, unlike Blazar before it, it avoided the pitfalls of not having a buildup to Arc gaining the Galaxy Armour. It even showed us Arc in Yuma’s childhood in a flashback, showing that the minute Yuma had began to draw his “Ultimate Hero”, Arc took the form of the drawing. I also like how we get to see some more interactions between Arc and Yuma, and the Galaxy Armour being the result of Arc unleashing his imagination, instead of Yuma.
All in all, I give this episode a 9.5/10!
Did you enjoy the episode? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on social media. This is Sean signing off with another Shuwatch to Watch!
