REVIEW: ‘Ragna Crimson’ Episode 4 — “Action”

With Crimson (Ayumu Murase) goading Disas Trois (Shunsuke Takeuchi, to chase her and the dragon hunters at the end of the last episode, the stage is set for their running battle. But even as their clash will demonstrate the power of both Crimson’s mind and Ragna’s (Chiaki Kobayashi) silverine arts, a new player visits the capitol, showcasing powers that will raise the threat level against humanity in Ragna Crimson Episode 4 (Raguna Kurimuzon), “Action.”

That Crimson knows all about the superior dragons and their weaknesses is obvious, given the status he holds as their god, but how well the character would be depicted acting on that knowledge was a question that was left lingering at the end of the last episode. With the battle joined in Ragna Crimson Episode 4, the viewer gets their first glimpse at what Crismon is capable of orchestrating on the battlefield, and it is impressive. Every shred of advantage from terrain to Trois’ personality is made full use of as the battle unfolds.

As the fight plays out, the show does an excellent job of emphasizing that this complete manipulation of the circumstances surrounding the fight would be necessary for the desired outcome to be attained. The awesome power Trois wields is never undercut, just taken advantage of by his opponents. The final element that reinforces the danger that was on display is when Crimson himself acknowledges that things could’ve gone wrong, lending weight to the fact that, despite the character’s immense knowledge and power, they can still be bested.

This battle also opts to go in a different direction than that of previous battles, by focusing less on the action and more on the tension of the moment. Trois is kept at a distance till the very end as he chases down his query. The understanding of what will happen to the dragon hunters should he catch them builds weight into the moment, even though there is no actual bloodshed or dying till the climactic blow is struck. That the show is confident enough in its storytelling to not need every battle to be a bloodbath is a good sign for the variety of situations and concepts the series can bring to this aspect of its narrative.

As Crimson, Ragna, and Slime (Fairouz Ai) prepare to head out after the battle, they learn of a series of attacks along the country’s border, prompting the government to call all civilians to the apparent safety of the capital till the war is concluded. Fearing a trap, the trio strike out for the capital in hopes of preventing whatever the dragons have planned.

From here, Ragna Crimson Episode 4 jumps back in time five days to the capital where we see King Leese confronted by a new dragon, Ultimatia. While it initially seems that the matriarch of the winged dragon bloodline is here to offer peace, opening the moment with an apology for one of her kin’s destruction of a human city, the truth soon becomes clear. She intends to wipe humanity from the land, she just wishes to do it a more humane way than wholesale slaughter, causing as little stress and pain as possible in the process.

Leese’s response to this revelation is to lash out, using a secret weapon that is at his command. The description of this power sounds awesome, but Ultimatia’s manipulation of time proves to be more than a match for the king’s weapon.

Having shown her superiority in power, the king agrees to call his people to the capital, so Ultimatia can wipe them out quickly and as painlessly as possible. The despair on the part of the king as he makes this decision is apparent. He has witnessed power he can barely comprehend, and sees no way for anyone to overcome it.

The visual design and way Ultimatia acts bring a striking change when compared to the rage-driven adversaries the show has used in the past. Her calm, pleasant demeanor is disarming at first, but seeing how she talks of painless deaths and “humane” acts of genocide brings their own distinct chill with them. That she can claim some superior morality by wanting to slaughter people in their sleep instead of on a battlefield feels unhinged in a uniquely disturbing way.

The presence of this sequence as a whole also brings with it another showing of the confidence the series holds in its narrative which I mentioned earlier. Rather than depend on the mystery of what’s going on, Ragna Crimson Episode 4 puts it all out in the open, trusting that the threat of the situation, and the quality of its characters will bring viewers in, without needing to depend on mysterious plot hooks.

Ragna Crimson Episode 4 delivers a great story that resolves one battle while setting up the next. Its willingness to deliver variety in its scenarios and characters promises a story that has the potential to stay fresh as Ragna and Crimson continue their pursuit of all dragon kind.

Ragna Crimson Episode 4 is streaming now on HiDive.