Ushio & Tora

Episode 23

If love means never trying to murder your loved one, some characters in Ushio & Tora have a lot to learn. On its surface, “Eternal Solitude” was an episode about Kirio trying to destroy the Beast Spear, but it was actually a fantastic contrast between two stormy relationships. Ushio and Tora's alliance contrasts with the far more poisonous relationship between Kirio and his mama to show that the ties that bind us are sometimes leagues away from what they seem.

Tora's antagonism toward Ushio has given way to mutual respect, and everyone's realized it but Tora himself. Tora says he doesn't understand why he gets so mad when people badmouth Ushio, because he's just too tsundere to recognize feelings. That's something we call “friendship,” Tora. He's having an internal battle where he insists that he follows Ushio so he can eat him eventually, but he's constantly saving Ushio and ignoring opportunities to eat him, like when he doesn't have the Beast Spear to defend himself. Kuin, Kirio's homunculus, knows what's up, and he has the perfect line for Tora: “Your actions lack justification and consistency.” Tora's mental defenses against friendship with Ushio are increasingly feeble, but I'm willing to wait it out as a viewer—as Ushio & Tora gets increasingly dark and tense as a show, Tora's silly struggle with his feelings continues to deliver comedy.

Meanwhile, Kirio's relationship with his mama seems perfect from a distance, but it's massively toxic up close. For one thing, she's an avatar of the Hakumen no Mono, this show's greatest evil, and she's been willing to play the long game for Kirio's entire life in order to manipulate him into destroying the Beast Spear. Mother's love in Ushio & Tora can be truly terrifying, and the worst part is her smile. Even in Hakumen no Mono form she retains those sad, tired eyes, but now they're framed with a hideous Cheshire grin. “On cold days you put my coat on me,” Kirio says to her, beginning to put the pieces of the puzzle together. It wasn't out of love, his monster mother confirms, it was all just to weaponize him as soon as he was able to walk.

It's a horrible confirmation because for much of the show, this is what I thought we were going to discover about Ushio's mother—that she's a heartless defender of the Hakumen no Mono who abandoned Ushio in exchange for evil. Until a couple of episodes ago, it looked like that might be true. Now that nightmare is Kirio's reality, and it's hard to tell how he'll deal with it. At the same time, I'm sure he'll convert over to the Church of Ushio in record time and join the other would-be Beast Spear wielders in protecting Ushio with his life. It's amazing how selfless Hinowa and Akiba have become in that sense.

In their relationships, both Kirio's mother and Tora are lying about their feelings—or lack of feelings. Shown in parallel, it's impossible to miss that despite what they say, Ushio and Tora do care about one another, and deep down, Kirio and his mother do not. Love isn't what you say to one another, it's how you act when the going gets tough. This episode shows abstract human emotions in a concrete way, proving that Ushio has won over a lot of allies into loving him. As I watch this selfless boy, who is always just and kind even toward his antagonists, I can't help but love him—and this show—too.

Rating: A

Ushio & Tora is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Lauren writes about anime and journalism at Otaku Journalist.