Warning: The following contains spoilers for Ninja Kamui, Episode 2, now streaming on Max.

Between Ninja Kamui and the recently released House of Ninjas, there's been a resurgence of interest in ninja-related media, whether grounded in reality or blatantly supernatural. Despite the ubiquity of these silent killers in fiction already, there's a demand for stories wholly and explicitly rooted in ninja folklore, from which Ninja Kamui emerges as something of a love letter.

Last week's review praised the premiere as an effective opener that survives a simple premise through the strength of its action directing and storytelling, setting a nice standard going forward. It's a pleasure to say that the new episode keeps things interesting, taking the time to develop the world-building, but certainly not at the cost of the action, which is almost bolder this time around.

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The Plot Isn’t Barren, Merely Methodical

The opening of Episode 2 brings to mind the cutscenes from Metal Gear Solid 4, specifically when a character's speech is accompanied by a visualization featuring Yoji Shinkawa's artwork. A similarly striking style is used here that paints a vivid portrait, one that puts Joe's isolated family life, and the string of murders that destroyed it, into context. He was part of a ninja clan, but the world changed, and the clan changed with it, which drove Joe and others like him to defect.

It's a simple and effective opening; there's not much dialog but enough is conveyed visually to answer any pressing questions about why Joe's family was killed in no more than a minute. As stated in the last review, the "why?" wasn't as important as the impact of their death, and as it turns out, there's not much that needs to be said. With explanations out of the way, Joe can begin his quest for vengeance in earnest.

An Aimless Journey in an Indiscernible Setting

Joe's skills are self-evident, and he demonstrates his ghoulish intimidation early on with the torture and death of the man who dealt the killing blow to his wife. Sadly, he has no idea of where to go beyond that, and frankly, the show is as confused about creating a sense of space as Joe is about finding his prey. It's easy to assume that the show takes place in America, but as he searches for various hideouts, they all look like they could be from any corner of the world.

When Joe is only shown to be traveling via motorcycle, one is only left to assume that every locale he visits is some ninja base hidden within the United States. The fact that they're there is one thing, but that they are all abandoned suggests that either the villains were there but are no longer or that these are unrelated bases. Either way, it's an amusing detail that sticks out like a sore thumb in a show that otherwise does a decent job of creating an atmosphere.

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Finding A Lead

Despite the obtuse sequence of location scouting and a somewhat nonsequitur scene of Joe getting into a fight at a bar, it generally gets the idea across that Joe needs some help. Enter, FBI Agents Mike Moriss and Emma Samanda, who are just as curious about who is responsible for these mysterious killings, but who are being told to drop the case by their superiors. Their only lead is Joe, and lucky for them, they're his only lead too.

The "detective being forced away from the case" setup isn't new, but that's not where one's interest will be piqued. Constantly throughout the episode, there are these nods to Auza, a mega-corporation akin to something like Amazon, with the ambition of improving every aspect of people's lives. Naturally, this means having their branding on just about every part of life as well, from advances in VR tech to food delivery reminiscent of Uber Eats.

It might be jumping the gun to expect a cutting critique of capitalism from a show about a ninja going on a bloody rampage, but anime has had wilder premises before. Regardless, this addition adds some nuance. It's fun to imagine a corporation with a handsome, friendly-faced CEO secretly employing ninjas in their bid to dominate the world. If the first episode succeeded in building hype for Joe's revenge, then the second is an exercise in building intrigue for the antagonist.

Ninja Kamui Wants to Be the Ultimate Ninja Show

The highlight of the episode, without a doubt, is the final fight in the Chinese restaurant. Great music and frenetic choreography are half of the charm, while the other half is the sheer creativity of the ninjutsu used. Something that often goes understated about ninjas is that the folklore and legends about them and what they can do are almost on par with the rules defining vampires and werewolves in popular culture.

This means there are certain things ninjas can do that are simply a given, but like vampires, it also means that storytellers often pick and choose which rules to include in their stories. So, when Batman Ninja came out in 2018, a lot of Batman fans thought it was too ridiculous and not grounded enough to see Batman use ninjutsu and other assorted craziness. Ninja enthusiasts, on the other hand, looked at it and went "Yeah, that seems pretty accurate."

But so far, Ninja Kamui has completely opened the floodgates and embraced folklore. Joe's opponent this time around can multiply his arms and even split into two. In response, Joe uses his black smoke ninjutsu to create multiple arms of his own. It's completely ludicrous and utterly amazing. The only thing holding it back is the ghosting and some uneven artwork.

Other than that, Episode 2 was a pretty stellar follow-up to an already entertaining start, which could have easily been the peak of what this story was capable of. Where Ninja Kamui lacks originality, it makes up for it in the full commitment to its premise, and an indulgence in a love of ninjas that will make anyone hungry for more stories of the like very happy.

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