REVIEW: ‘Ninja Kamui’ Episode 2

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.

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.

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).