REVIEW: ‘The Kingdoms of Ruin’ Episode 11 — “Knightfall”

At the end of The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 10, I was mad. I was mad because Doroka had once again been sacrificed for Adonis. Over the course of the series, she has had to carry so much of the violence of the season, and it turns the narrative to ash immediately. That said, The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 11, “Knightfall,” opens immediately after Doroka’s blinding with the black screen and bloody tears serving as the first moment of the episode.

In this episode, Adonis has to face Shirousagi alone while trying to protect an incapacitated Doroka. When his limits are reached, the two of them work together through unsavory means in a desperate attempt to survive. And it pushes expectations for the duo even higher.

Despite my anger at Doroka’s blinding, the unnerving sound design of the episode makes it impactful, the whirring of the mechanical hands mixing with the squishing sound of her eyes. It’s too much and the animation doesn’t hold back in showing how devastating the act is for Doroka. Even though Doroka’s wound is never shown in detail, it is enough to show just how terrible this is—accented with Shirousagi’s maniacal laughter as he played with the eyes, and it’s all just excessive and it’s hard to know if it’s in a good or bad way. At the very least, it builds up the fight into something that means more to Adonis. It’s also an act that bonds Adonis to Doroka as he thinks back to his past when he watched Chloe’s execution.

Doroka’s pain is used to make Adonis stronger, and over the course of the action-heavy episode, she keeps sacrificing who she is for him. All of it is made worse because of how much she trusts him. Her clothes ripped, her eyes burned shut to stop the bleeding, Doroka carries the weight of the violence this episode.

The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 11 is extremely difficult to watch, and while Adonis had begun to care for Doroka on a deeper level, the cost is so high that I almost wish the two had remained distant. Especially as Doroka recounts her dream of them living a normal life together in a place outside of the world they know. But I would be disingenuous if I didn’t give the episode praise for its action animation and ultimate outcome, which connects Doroka with the evil witch and queen of Redia Dorothea.

But perhaps one of the most stark changes to Doroka in this episode is that she changes her position on forgoing revenge. While she preached to Adonis to let everything go, she was able to keep moving forward despite losing her witch sisters, but not anymore. Doroka’s belief that revenge is a cause to hold to now starkly changes who she is and when she chooses to cast her Love Spell on Adonis in order to fight back, her choice to fight back is one of the more emotional moments of the series so far and the power given to Adonis is unmatched.

With his injured body, Adonis is a marionette, and Doroka has to come to terms with how her magic has been seen by others around her as obscene in order to protect someone she cares for and fight back. While Doroka has to push back against the feeling that she is vulgar or less than because of her magic, Adonis is connected to her through the Love Spell and understands her more deeply.

It’s a choice that elevates Doroka’s stature as a combatant, and it opens up a connection between the two of them that helps them protect themselves and do more than just fight back. They can win. Adonis implores her to not hold back and for the first time, the duo are on the same page, on equal footing, and in need of each other to succeed.

In the realm of action, The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 11 is stacked. It’s fast-paced, interesting, and opens up new ways to use magic. Plus, with Shirousagi’s strenth and lack of empathy, it’s fascinating to see a shonen hero so thoroughly defeated. A way that further shows how this series, despite engaging in some tropes, does try to break others. From an action and narrative perspective, the series keeps the audience on their feet and questioning what will happen next.

I’m conflicted about what Doroka has had to go through in The Kingdoms of Ruin, but Episode 11 delivers on her strength at the same time as it weakens her. But one thing is for certain: for the first time in 11 episodes, the pair are working as a unit, connected and understanding of each other. The Kingdoms of Ruin Episode 11 is an episode that makes good on the choices of the last, but it doesn’t stop putting Doroka through the wringer even if it feels like she has gone through enough.

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