The following contains spoilers for Episode 6 of DanMachi IV, "Rabbit's Foot" now streaming on HIDIVE.
DanMachi IV has been moving a mile a minute these past few weeks, so it makes sense that episode 6 would give the party a breather. However, while it sets up the coming adventures nicely, it highlights the few flaws with the previous arc.
In the last episode, the party used their last resort: Haruhime's new spell but still found themselves outsmarted by their foe, the Moss Huge. At the last moment, Bell arrived after having been separated and slayed the monster, marking an end to the Hestia Familia's first expedition into the lower floors.
A New Second Name
In recognition of Bell's quick ascension to Level 4, the gods get together to give him a new nickname reflecting their ascension from rookie to a legitimate adventurer. "Rabbit's Foot" is a simple and catchy name just as fitting as the previous moniker, but something about the ceremony of it all makes the end of the previous adventure ring just a tad hollow.
If the objective of the expedition was to strengthen the supporting cast and reinforce their strength without Bell, it mostly succeeded, even if Bell saved them all in the end. However, the previous episode's flaw stands, that not enough time was given to selling how Bell grew from the expedition and discovered the strength to defeat the Moss Huge.
It should be mentioned that by all accounts, season 4 has been fairly excellent thus far, so this isn't too large a drawback. The supporting cast has always been incredibly fun and endearing so seeing them take on a larger role was appreciated. But the season began with Bell reflecting on the failures and trials of last season, and the opening arc hasn't quite advanced that.
Coming down from the high of such a near-death conflict and giving Bell that sort of recognition isn't egregious, but rather null. It's a roundabout compliment to say that this has been the first middling episode thus far, and far better to have that happen now than when the tension picks up. Altogether, here's hoping that the next part of season 4 advances Bell's story properly.
Give Lili A Chance
The comedic heart of the episode focused on Lili wanting to have some alone time with Bell to tell him all about what happened while they were separated. Unfortunately for her, everyone else keeps butting in and telling him everything she was planning to say. It's all just her being jealous that she can't spend time with her crush.
Moments like these are conflicting because, after three seasons of Hestia bearing her soul only to be thoroughly friend-zoned, it's pretty clear Bell is just going to be an infuriatingly approachable bachelor for the rest of the series. None of that would be necessarily grating, especially to one who has watched more than two light novel adaptations, but DanMachi hasn't been very delicate with these scenes.
Whether it's Lili or Hestia or Syr, there are a lot of girls who blatantly confess their love, and their ways of confessing aren't so distinct as to not be interchangeable. So it's less about the scenes being "worthless" and more about them feeling somewhat samey and redundant.
A Hard Pivot
The last moments of the episode shift from light-hearted to dark and bloody so quickly that it was actually funny. But the amusement was wiped away as soon as Ryu appeared, seemingly at the heart of the next arc of this story. Ryu has always been one of the coolest, most mysterious, and most powerful side characters in the story, so her taking center stage can only spell great things for the episodes to come.
The second half of DanMachi IV will have a lot to accomplish to come close to the climax of season 3, but even if it attains half the level of pathos, it will still be a worthy ride. As it is, the "darkest season yet" isn't disappointing, and chances are there won't be much time for the Hestia Familia to relax after this episode.