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
    EA Sports Madden NFL 26 Head Coach But Why Tho 5

    Dear EA Sports, Why Can’t I Make A Hot Coach?

    08/14/2025
    Blade in Marvel Rivals Season 3.5

    Blade Can Shut Down The Other Team In Marvel Rivals Season 3.5 If You Know How

    08/08/2025
    John Cena and Cody Rhodes during Summerslam 2025

    The SummerSlam 2025 Main Event Was A Fever Dream We All Needed

    08/08/2025
    Street Fighter 6 Sagat

    Sagat Brings Depth And Approachability To ‘Street Fighter 6’

    08/07/2025
    Battlefield 6 Classes - Support trailer image

    Battlefield 6 Really Wants You To Play Support (But Knows You Won’t)

    07/31/2025
  • Indie Games
  • K-Dramas
  • Netflix
  • Apple TV+
But Why Tho?
Home » Anime » REVIEW: ‘Ninja Kamui’ Episode 2

REVIEW: ‘Ninja Kamui’ Episode 2

Allyson JohnsonBy Allyson Johnson02/18/20244 Mins ReadUpdated:03/15/2024
Ninja Kamui Episode 2
Share
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Reddit WhatsApp Email

In Ninja Kamui Episode 2, the series better defines its world and lead character. Directed by Sunghoo Park (Jujutsu Kaisen 0), the premiere saw our protagonist, Joe Higan (Kenjiro Tsuda,) suffer an incredible loss in the death of his wife and son. Now, dealing with the fallout of his injuries, he stumbles into a familiar face while setting forth on his plan for vengeance against those who stole his life from him. It’s a grueling, bloody affair that uncovers truths about Joe and the clan he’d previously been a part of.

A former ninja, the organization he used to be a part of, is trying to exact bloody retribution on Joe for betraying their code. In the organization, a ninja’s mission is their life. The history stems from Japan, though the organization would soon expand globally, opening it up to more significant threats. We don’t yet know what pushed Joe and his wife out, but there’s an explicit, oppressive nature to it that makes it understandable why he’d seek a stable life away from violence.

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

Which makes his return to that violence all the more of an emotional wallop. Episode 1 made sure to develop this character so that we feel his emotional turmoil by the time he lost his family. He’s no longer wearing his mask, but he might as well be for how little emotion reads on his face. Little more than a cold, killing machine, his grief is palpable even if he doesn’t express it. Gone is his warmth, replaced by a soldier seeking revenge, even if it means the loss of his life. In his mind, he should to be dead—he technically was. He’s been given a second chance at life but been damned to be a man on borrowed time.

It adds tension to Ninja Kamui Episode 2 as we can see how this is essentially a suicide run. He’s met up with a former acquaintance: a doctor who is able to help patch him up. Despite little bloodshed at the moment, the doctor’s assertion of Joe’s wounds spells a similar, nauseating effect. Joe admits to using a Secret Art of Stark Awareness technique in his rooftop fight in Episode 1. We see the effects in the discolored bruising on his arm, his shoulder dislocated. Despite its simplicity, the overall depiction of these injuries is grotesque.

Ninja Kamui Episode 2

But things only grow steadily in the sheer brutality the series is capable of. Sungwoo Park refuses to hold back as Joe tortures a member of the party who killed his family. Despite being strung up, the man taunts Joe. Joe never gets the information he wants out of the man and doesn’t seem to care before he burns him alive. The moment offers little by way of subtlety. Instead, it goes straight for excess to show how Joe is slowly losing his humanity.

It makes sense for the character to have become this way. It also makes for a less interesting protagonist. Hopefully, with time and more energy spent on his story outside of just revenge, Joe will become a worthwhile lead. The action isn’t enough to make us care, especially with only one main character leading the way.

The rest of the episode revolves around Joe’s continued travels seeking answers. This plays in tandem with Detective Mike Morris (Atsushi Ono) trying to find Joe. The two meet up, and while the investigative element lacks the same force as Joe’s earlier actions, it sets the scene for a highlight fight sequence. There’s a manhunt out for Joe after his escape. Accordingly, Mike witnesses Joe in action when an assailant arrives at their meeting spot. The show comes alive with these moments of action. The direction is crisp and clear, capturing every piece of movement. The sequence fluidity depicts the character in his element as he dispatches the attacker, utilizing the tools around him no matter their original intended use.

Episode 2 closes out with a hint at the overarching plot, introducing a potential big bad with Auza Tech. Ninja Kamui Episode 2 continues to be overwrought in its tone but is buoyed by its staggering action sequences. Heavy-handed but visually stunning, the series is poised to branch out into greater, more expansive plot beats now that the introductory stage is over.

Ninja Kamui Episode 2 is streaming now on MAX (formerly HBO MAX).

Ninja Kamui Episode 2
  • 7/10
    Rating - 7/10
7/10

TL;DR

Ninja Kamui Episode 2 continues to be overwrought in its tone but is buoyed by its staggering action sequences. Heavy-handed but visually stunning, the series is poised to branch out into greater, more expansive plot beats now that the introductory stage is over.

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email
Previous ArticleREVIEW: ‘Mashle: Magic and Muscles’ Episode 18 — “Mash Burnedead And You Look, You Lose Your Life”
Next Article REVIEW: ‘True Detective: Night Country’ Season 4 Episode 6 — “Part 6”
Allyson Johnson

Allyson Johnson is co-founder and Editor-in-Chief of InBetweenDrafts. Former Editor-in-Chief at TheYoungFolks, she is a member of the Boston Society of Film Critics and the Boston Online Film Critics Association. Her writing has also appeared at CambridgeDay, ThePlaylist, Pajiba, VagueVisages, RogerEbert, TheBostonGlobe, Inverse, Bustle, her Substack, and every scrap of paper within her reach.

Related Posts

My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 7 Marin
7.5

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 7 — “Capture Those Delicious Moments”

08/16/2025
DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 7
8.0

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 7 – “Feeling Kinda Gloomy”

08/15/2025
Slur / X in Sakamoto Days Episode 16
8.0

REVIEW: ‘Sakamoto Days’ Episode 16 – “Slice Slice Dance”

08/12/2025
Still from See You Tomorrow At The Food Court
8.0

REVIEW: ‘See You Tomorrow At The Food Court’ Is A Delightful Slice-Of-Life

08/11/2025
Gojo's Nerves in My Dress-Up Darling Season 2 Episode 6
10.0

REVIEW: ‘My Dress-Up Darling’ Season 2 Episode 6 — “I’ll Make It Happen. No Matter What, With These Two Hands”

08/10/2025
DanDaDan Season 2 Episode 6
8.5

REVIEW: ‘DanDaDan’ Season 2 Episode 6 – “We Became A Family”

08/07/2025

Get BWT in your inbox!

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter and get the latest and greated in entertainment coverage.
Click Here
TRENDING POSTS
Still from Shin Godzilla
8.5
Film

REVIEW: ‘Shin Godzilla’ Is More Relevant Than Ever

By Sarah Musnicky08/16/2025Updated:08/17/2025

It is understandable how Shin Godzilla succeeded at the box office nearly a decade ago. The strength of its story still stands today.

Botanical Bliss Update Palia But Why Tho 5 News

Palia’s New Botanical Bliss Update Brings New Flora, Decorations, And Quest Mechanic

By Matt Donahue08/18/2025Updated:08/18/2025

The Botanical Bliss update adds new event, more plushes, and a host of quality-of-life improvements and more to celebrate 2 years of Palia.

BOOTS Netflix First Look promotional images News

First Look at Coming-of-Age Story BOOTS, Coming to Netflix This October

By But Why Tho?08/17/2025

Netflix is reporting for duty this fall with the new eight-episode series BOOTS, a comedic drama starring Miles Heizer and Vera Farmiga

Nuestra Magia Secret Lair Art Interviews

EXCLUSIVE: How The ‘Nuestra Magia’ Secret Lair Found Its Identity And Raised Over $1M

By Kate Sánchez08/15/2025Updated:08/15/2025

We spoke with Ovidio Cartagena about Magic: The Gathering’s Nuestra Magia Secret Lair drop, its impact, and the real treasure within.

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