Tougen Anki Episode 20 Review: Flat Fights Kill the Momentum

Tougen Anki keeps dangling Shiki vs Mikado like a carrot, and at this point I’m not betting on a last-second cliffhanger to finally deliver it. This week? Long, single-fight episode. Not filler, exactly, but it felt like wading through molasses. The bright spot was a clever sting: Shinya finally got outplayed.

Shinya finally gets caught (with a VR headset, no less)

Shinya’s whole deal has been leaning on surveillance — think CCTV omniscience and one-trick-pony tactics. This time, they flipped it on him with a VR setup that spoofed what he was seeing. He realized he was cooked in a straight-up confrontation and bolted. Honestly? Pretty satisfying to watch a schemer panic-run for once. Also, bonus points for a counter that actually feels inventive within this show’s rules.

The big fight we got instead: Ikari vs Osuke

The episode tries to sell a marquee matchup, but it isn’t Shiki vs Mikado. Yes, they tease that for next week, but forgive me if I don’t hold my breath. Instead, we’re locked in on Ikari vs Osuke — which could have been great on paper — but between some rough-looking CG in places and a very straight-arrow approach to the choreography, it plays pretty flat. The show leans hard on one-note fighting personas, and it shows.

Even the villains are oddly sporting about it. Tsukuyomi, Osuke, and Mikado basically agree to keep things tidy. Mikado literally partitions the battleground so he can 1v1 Shiki later. Osuke goes hunting for a rematch with Mudano and reveals his technique is copying, which in most shonen worlds is the cheat code to being absurdly strong. Mudano wants no part of it and punts the job to his students.

'I’m not fighting a copycat.'

Osuke shrugs off the students early on — not struggling, but not steamrolling either — until Ikari tags in and the real bout starts.

Ikari’s showcase... with a big asterisk

It’s very much Ikari’s episode, and you can feel the script clearing the runway for him. He loses the first exchange (because of course he does) and then flips the switch for round two, sprouting blood-forged wings and going full aerial predator. That power-up does the trick; Ikari finally bags a W that the show frames as overdue.

The price: he’s left bleeding out so badly the episode wants you worried he might not make it. We all know how these arcs usually land, but the cliff they leave him on is at least steep enough to make you check in next week.

What actually happens this week

• A VR trap exposes Shinya’s CCTV-based trick and sends him running.
• Mikado slices up the battlefield to set up a clean 1v1 with Shiki later.
• Osuke asks Mudano for a rematch and shows off a copy technique.
• Mudano refuses and delegates to his students.
• Osuke holds up fine until Ikari steps in.
• Round one to Osuke; round two sees Ikari unleash blood-transfigured wings and win.
• Ikari is left in rough shape, bleeding heavily, survival uncertain (but come on).
• The show teases Shiki vs Mikado next episode, which at this point feels like bait.

Bottom line

Smart little sting with Shinya. The rest leans on familiar shonen beats, occasionally undercut by janky CG and thin character tactics. If you’re only here for Shiki vs Mikado, the wait continues.

Tougen Anki is streaming on Netflix.