Recap: Shuriken Sentai Ninninger, Episode 3 – The Formidable Enemy Gabi Appears!

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The Ninningers are training on a mission to retrieve a scroll, but when they reach it, Takaharu happily screams which triggers the trap. Back at the dojo, Fuuka tells Takaharu he was acting recklessly again. But he says their mission was to get the scroll and they did.

Grandpa is at the dojo enjoying some caffé and tells them he saw their training and they were horrible. They’re still on the mission until they get back home. If they don’t understand that, they’ll never be Last Ninja.

Grandpa pulls himself up to the rafters and poofs away while leaving a “Naive!!!” banner for Takaharu. Yakumo thinks Grandpa is “funky.”

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Meanwhile, Kyuuemon introduces herself as Kibaoni’s page to which Gabi Raizou does not care. She asks him though if he could help attack people so they can acquire enough fear to help resurrect Kibaoni. Gabi thinks that kind of work is beneath him. He says he’ll go kill some time until there’s some fighting going on.

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Back at the dojo, the others are marveling at all of Nagi’s textbooks. He even has a Ninjutsu for Dummies book. Takaharu says that’s no way to train though. But Nagi says he’s gotten all his certifications by reading these textbooks; accounting, boiler engineer, electrician, firefighting…

Yakumo asks if Nagi has some sort of addiction. It’s “too easy.”

Downtown, a Sealing Shuriken has attached to a pair of roller blades and it turns into the Secretary General of the Kanto Branch of the Kibaoni Alliance, Yokai Kasha. He starts rolling through and picks a kid up.

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But Takaharu uses a substitution technique to replace the kid with himself.

The Ninningers henshin and take on the Hitokarage. But Takaharu and Yakumo make it a race to see who can finish off the Yokai first. Nagi tells them to wait up, but Fuuka tells him to let them take care of it. Nagi says he’ll be fine.

Kasha knocks Takaharu and Yakumo around before rolling away, but Nagi cuts him off. He decides to use what he learned in his textbook, but he instead swings and misses. Kasha rolls off.

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Nagi apologizes for letting him slip through. Yakumo says Nagi is “too easy” and acted like he won even before even fighting. This isn’t some licensure exam, this is real battle. And if he can’t think on his feet, then he shouldn’t be here.

Alright, Nagi says, he’ll just have to make up for his mistake. He runs off after Kasha. Takaharu follows.

Nagi calculates where Kasha might be and he finds him attacking people again. Nagi henshins.

He kicks him in the back, but Kasha suggests they have a race and duel. He wheels off and Nagi uses a water technique to quickly follow. Takaharu sees them and also follows.

But Takaharu goes too fast and ends up running into Kyuuemon. She introduces herself as a retainer of Kibaoni whom his grandfather sealed away. “No need to rush to your death, grandchild of the Last Ninja.”

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Kyuuemon says they’ll see each other plenty more in the future. She covers his eyes with leaves so she can leave.

Nagi has followed Kasha to a scrap yard. He knocks Nagi over and then attaches a ring to a truck taking over its controls. The driver becomes unconscious and Kasha directs the truck to try and run Nagi over.

Nagi uses the substitution technique to create a decoy, but the truck still finds him. Kasha tosses a ring around Nagi’s wrists and chains him to the side of the still moving truck. Kyuuemon is collecting Nagi’s fear as he swings around.

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Yakumo, Fuuka and Kasumi arrive and henshin to fight Kasha.

But suddenly, Gabi Raizou appears. Kasha tells the Ninningers that they’re in for it now what Raizou is here. But Raizou says he’s just annoyed at seeing underlings fighting and he turns and kills Kasha. Kyuuemon picks the Sealing Shuriken up.

Raizou then sends a blast toward the three Ninningers forcing them to dehenshin. Raizou can’t believe people have gotten weaker after all this time. He sends another blast toward them, but Takaharu arrives and uses metal technique to block it.

Fuuka tells Takaharu about Nagi and he tells them to go find him while he fights Raizou.

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Takaharu is looking forward to it.

Meanwhile, Nagi sees the driver inside the truck and thinks about what he can do in this situation. He decides it’s best not to think. He slashes free from the ring and enters the truck, but the brakes don’t work. He pushes the door open and uses wood technique to toss the driver safely onto a net of vines before the truck falls off the side of the cliff.

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Nagi also falls, but the others arrive just in time on Byunmaru to catch him.

Raizou has Takaharu pinned down, but he uses substitution technique again only to get flicked away by Raizou. He says nothing Takaharu can do will defeat him, but he compliments him not being afraid.

Takaharu tries using a Ninja Fury Slash Strike and… doesn’t even leave a scratch on Raizou.

Raizou is happy he’s found someone he can go toe-to-toe with. He is about to deliver a final blow, but Kasumi arrives and uses water technique to create a fog.

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Kasumi says it takes great courage to withdraw. And this mission isn’t over until they can make it back home. Takaharu understands.

Raizou tells Takaharu to be stronger the next time they meet and Takaharu says he will be. Takaharu and Kasumi leave.

The Ninningers reunite and Kyuuemon shows herself again. Fuuka recognizes the mallet from their dojo and Nagi sees she has a Sealing Shuriken.

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Kyuuemon transforms the Sealing Shuriken and tells them they are not the only ones who know the summoning technique. She uses the Shuriken and mallet to summon the Giant Yokai Gashadokuro.

“I look forward to the next time we meet, Ninningers… assuming you survive this.”

Kyuuemon disappears and the Ninningers hop onto their Otomonin. Nagi uses Dumpmaru to hurl boulders at the Yokai to distract it. He then has Dumpmaru hurl him right toward the Yokai to crack his nose.

The Ninningers form Shurikenjin and easily finish off Gashadokuro.

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Back at the dojo, Nagi is boxing up his textbooks since he’s read them all. And besides, he has his cousins who are much better examples than any book.

“Even bad examples,” Fuuka says, motioning to Takaharu.

An arrow pops in and a balloon attached to it inflates with grandpa’s face on it. He tells Nagi that using the others as examples proves he’s still got a long way to go. “Yes I know!” Nagi answers.

“You guys should be called Shuriken Sentai Not-yet-ready-ger!” Grandpa says as he pops.

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Yakumo asks if Nagi wants to try be the Last Ninja too. Nagi isn’t sure, but if he treats Last Ninja as another certification, it’ll look good on his resume. Fuuka says he really does have an addiction. But also, the truly amazing one amongst them is Kasumi. Yakumo agrees, “Who knows what would have happened without Kasumi-nee?”

Takaharu is fired up.

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Episode Thoughts

This was an alright episode. Probably my least favorite of the 3 so far even though I really wanted to like it since it was a Nagi-focus and I like Nagi. I hope Fuuka and Kasumi get separate! focus episodes too. But this is Toei, so I won’t hold my breath. =(

The ninja stuff is still fun. But I’m wasn’t feeling the family aspect at all this episode. And the family dynamic is what made me most excited for this season.

Of course you mess with your siblings and cousins and stuff and nag and tease. But the dynamic this episode between them five just felt like any other cobbled together team instead of the refreshing family relationship we saw in the first and even second episode. I think it adds a lot to the story to have that existing bond between the teammates. You can still have character development even if everyone already knows each other.

And even if the Ninningers didn’t grow up together either. I think that part needed a little more writing since in the first episode it was like no time had passed since they last saw each other. But now they apparently know almost nothing about each other. That would be fine if it didn’t seem like they were trying to do it both ways.

Also, Raizou sounds so much like Zett and it’s throwing me off. lol Having only Kyuuemon and now Raizou with spiritKibaoni leaves me craving for more villain interactions. They feel too basic right now.

So I definitely hope for lots more quick development in the next episodes. For having a set-up like being cousins and already aware of being ninjas and stuff, they seem to be moving slower than they can be I think.

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