Close Menu
  • Login
  • Support Us
  • Newsletter
  • News
  • Features
  • Interviews
  • Reviews
    • Video Games
      • Previews
      • PC
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X/S
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Xbox One
      • PS4
      • Tabletop
    • Film
    • TV
    • Anime
    • Comics
      • BOOM! Studios
      • Dark Horse Comics
      • DC Comics
      • IDW Publishing
      • Image Comics
      • Indie Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • Oni-Lion Forge
      • Valiant Comics
      • Vault Comics
  • Podcast
  • More
    • Event Coverage
    • BWT Recommends
    • RSS Feeds
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
Support Us
But Why Tho?
RSS Facebook X (Twitter) YouTube
Trending:
  • Features
    Momo and Okarun share a close moment in Dandadan

    Momo And Okarun: The Gold Standard For Shonen Romance

    07/03/2025
    Ironheart Episodes 4 6 But Why Tho 1

    ‘Ironheart’ Explained: Explore MCU’s Bold New Chapter

    07/01/2025
    Buck in 9-1-1

    ‘9-1-1’ Has To Let Buck Say Bisexual

    06/29/2025
    Nintendo Welcome Tour promotional image of the maraca mini-game

    The One “Game” That Justifies The Nintendo Switch 2 Purchase

    06/25/2025
    Destiel Confession in Supernatural - Castiel (Misha Collins) and Dean (Jensen Ackles)

    The Destiel Confession: The Lasting Importance Of Supernatural’s Greatest Ship

    06/22/2025
  • Squid Game
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Switch 2 Games
  • Summer Game Fest
But Why Tho?
Home » Anime » REVIEW: ‘The Kingdoms Of Ruin’ Episode 2 — “Heavenly Fire”

REVIEW: ‘The Kingdoms Of Ruin’ Episode 2 — “Heavenly Fire”

Kate SánchezBy Kate Sánchez10/13/20234 Mins ReadUpdated:03/17/2024
The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2 - But Why Tho (1)
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

The Kingdoms of Ruin (Hametsu no Oukoku) is leading the way on a fantastic Fall anime season for fantasy stories. A mixture of high fantasy and sci-fi, the series got off to a brutal start. Based on the manga created and illustrated by yoruhashi, The Kingdoms of Ruin keeps its pacing in Episode 2, “Heavenly Fire.”

Directed by Keitaro Motonaga and animated by Yokohama Animation Lab, The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2 picks up where the last left off—with a broken and formerly imprisoned Adonis (Kaito Ishikawa) ready to take revenge on Redia Empire, Emporer Goethe, and its “Gear Expansion” that has led to the eradication and subjugation of witches.

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here

The last episode started by setting the scene, telling the audience of the lore, and crafting a fast and loving relationship between Adonis and his mentor, the Ice Witch Chloe Morgan. But, it ended with Chloe (Ryoko Sshirrashi) being executed on a dias with people cheering and Adonis restrained and forced to watch in the background. It was a fantastically pulled-off change in tone that paid off and continued in a small time skip where we met Doroka (Azumi Waki), who escaped certain assaults to free the witches kept in cells in the Mayhem Internment Camp for dissidents and witches.

Now, in The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2, the tone is kept with bloody action, and the pace accelerates as Adonis hurdles down his revenge. Free from his prison, he saves Doroka and leaves the complex. As Adonis makes his way through the internment camp, he showcases his power, taking on the officials who are dispatching them. While we don’t get to see Eekhout and Adonis meet face to face in The Kingdoms of Ruin just yet, the ruthlessness on both sides is built up to great heights in the episode’s final moment.

Sent by the National Security Bureau’s Yamato (Satoshi Hino) and Yuki (Hikaru Tohno), Eekhout is the first step in fighting back against the Redia Empire for Adonis. While the audience has understood the use of technology by Redia up until now, Eekhout is an example of how it has bridged the gap with the human body. With Eekhout, much like with Goethe in Episode 1, he shows the audience how little humanity the humans who use endless dehumanizing language for witches has as he dispatched innocent prisoners to clean up the mess.

The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2 - But Why Tho

The bulk of this episode serves to show the gap and conflict between magic and science as Adonis regains his power through his quill and sets out. Known as the Witch’s Apprentice Adonis, he is an SS-ranked level threat, and the damage we see him deal showcases as much. Using a written style of magic, he alters technology with devastating effect—turning a singular bullet into a projectile as large as a building. Set on eliminating every single civilian in an act of revenge, his grief and hatred that have been stored for ten years is devastating when he begins using it.

In this episode, Yokohama Animation Lab showcases a skill that balances when to use still images with layers of movement on top (like when soldiers are mobilizing or people are being mowed down) and when to really focus on the details. Those details in the action moments come together in highlighting specific elements of the character design, like with Eekhout’s body and in the large fight between one of Adonis’s summons and missiles, with some 3D composited elements used to show a dynamic movement in the scene.

Despite its heavy focus on action, The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2 is extremely dense. In one episode, we see Adonis try to satiate his need for revenge and see him rebound from wanting to wipe out the nation into questioning whether it’s all worth it or not when he doesn’t feel any better after…only to be thrown into it again. We also get a look into the structure of technology in Redia, and we also get to know more about Doroka and the role she will play, taking on some of the qualities that Chloe had in the first episode of the series. More importantly, though, we hear Goeth’s petty reasons for attempting to eradicate witches: because humans needed to grow in the world alone.

The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2 is another stunning surprise for the season. While I expected to fall out of love with it after the stark shift in Episode 1, the series manages to not only keep its pacing but capitalize on it. Plus, I’m a sucker for a traumatized and revenge-driven leading man that we get in Adonis. With a shocking ending, I’m definitely locked in for the season.

The Kingdoms of Ruin Season 1 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.

The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2
  • 9/10
    Rating - 9/10
9/10

TL;DR

The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 2 is another stunning surprise for the season. While I expected to fall out of love with it after the stark shift in Episode 1, the series manages to not only keep its pacing but capitalize on it.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘All The Fires’ Illuminates The Essentiality Of Proximity To Queerness
Next Article REVIEW: ‘Gen V’ Episode 5 — “Welcome To The Monster Club”
Kate Sánchez
  • Website
  • X (Twitter)
  • Instagram

Kate Sánchez is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of But Why Tho? A Geek Community. There, she coordinates film, television, anime, and manga coverage. Kate is also a freelance journalist writing features on video games, anime, and film. Her focus as a critic is championing animation and international films and television series for inclusion in awards cycles. Find her on Bluesky @ohmymithrandir.bsky.social

Related Posts

Kyle in New Saga Episode 1
7.5

REVIEW: ‘New Saga’ Episode 1

07/07/2025
Tsukimiya in Onmyo Kaiten Episode 1
7.0

REVIEW: ‘Onmyo Kaiten Re: Birth Verse’ Episode 1

07/07/2025
Nazuna in Call of the Night Season 2 Episode 1
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Call Of The Night’ Season 2 Episode 1

07/06/2025
Hikaru and Yoshiki in The Summer Hikaru Died Episode 1 From Netflix and CygamesPictures
10.0

REVIEW: ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ Episode 1 — “Replacement”

07/05/2025
Jiji and Okarun in Dandadan Season 2 Episode 1
8.5

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 1’ – “Like, This is The Legend of the Giant Snake”

07/05/2025
Endo appears in Wind Breaker Season 2
6.5

REVIEW: ‘Wind Breaker Season 2’ Looks For Fun Despite Pacing Issues

07/04/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Taecyeon and Seohyun in The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8
7.5
TV

REVIEW: ‘The First Night With The Duke’ Episodes 7-8

By Sarah Musnicky07/03/2025

The First Night With The Duke Episodes 7-8 spends welcome time in pre-domestic bliss before new developments stir up trouble.

The Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer First Look Image From Prime Video News

Prime Video Unleashes Teaser for Prequel Series The Terminal List: Dark Wolf

By Kate Sánchez07/04/2025

The first Terminal List: Dark Wolf trailer was released today by Prime Video. The series…

Together (2025) still from Sundance
8.0
Film

REVIEW: Have A Grossly Good Time ‘Together’

By Kate Sánchez01/27/2025Updated:07/04/2025

Dave Franco and Alison Brie’s Together (2025) is disgustingly funny, genuinely ugly, and just a good time at the movies.

Black Women Anime — But Why Tho (9) BWT Recommends

10 Black Women in Anime That Made Me Feel Seen

By LaNeysha Campbell11/11/2023Updated:12/03/2024

Black women are some of anime’s most iconic characters, and that has a big impact on Black anime fans. Here are some of our favorites.

But Why Tho?
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram Pinterest RSS YouTube Twitch
  • CONTACT US
  • ABOUT US
  • PRIVACY POLICY
  • SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER
  • Review Score Guide
Sometimes we include links to online retail stores. If you click on one and make a purchase we may receive a small contribution.
Written Content is Copyright © 2025 But Why Tho? A Geek Community

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

But Why Tho Logo

Support Us!

We're able to keep making content thanks to readers like YOU!
Support independent media today with
Click Here