Gachiakuta Bones Film’s animated adaptation is on a roll in its first season so far, and that’s due to more than just its streaming on Crunchyroll. It’s a fierce shonen anime, knowing the ropes of its genre and knowing when to subvert the viewer’s expectations. Now, at a crucial hour, the violent Raider Jabber Wonger has the last word.
Jabber isn’t the only one laughing, though, because Gachiakuta picks up episode 17 to recall many iconic anime rivalries like Naruto Uzumaki’s once heated feud with Neji Hyuga. Just as Zanka seems to be overcoming the blocks from his past, the anime takes its final cruel turn, with Zanka’s situation more dire than ever.
Gachiakuta has a cruel replacement for a classic Naruto moment
After fighting Jabber twice, Zanka lost both times, thus giving priority to Jabber. Gachiakuta the anime has ample opportunity to adapt its backstory in episode #17. Enduring severe injuries from Jabber’s Mankira in the previous episode, this is reminiscent of the damage Naruto took during the Chunin Exams from Neji, taking a crippling combo from his Eight Trigram Sixty-Four Palms attack.
Much like Naruto, Zanka should have, by all means, been harmed by the attack, but as the flashback details, and as he noted throughout episodes 15 and 16, Jabber represents the gifted individuals that Zanka hates. After fighting alongside Hyo as a potential member of the Hell Guard, Zanka felt trapped by his mediocrity in the face of true genius.
Zanka’s portrayal as an average player against geniuses like Hyo or Jabber strongly resembles Naruto’s status as a “proud failure” dubbed by Hinata Hyuga, facing off against multiple geniuses like Neji, Gaara, and Sasuke, among others. Zanka’s initial mentality is more similar to the latter’s in the beginning, with the crow motif of his flashback even evoking the symbolism of Neji’s bird.
Originally considering himself superior and a candidate for the “Golden Throne” of his training academy reserved for elite trainees, Zanka got a painful slice of the modest pie. It is at Zanka’s lowest point that he is recruited by Enjin with the alluring prospect of an average Joe defeating a genius.
This memory pushes Zanka to stand up again, just like Naruto did while resisting the idea of being a failure against Neji. But Zanka doesn’t have the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra to rely on, because he belongs to the Nine-Tailed Fox chakra. Gachiakuta world, not Naruto’s. He is brought back to reality, where Jabber’s attack spread his neurotoxin, causing Zanka to hallucinate and go mad.
Zanka represents Gachiakuta’s subversive Shonen potential
Zanka is generally considered to be at or near the top of Gachiakuta fan favorite characters, and for good reason. His straightforward demeanor and calm personality belie his deep insecurities, and in episode 17, fans see how much it burns him about how average he is. Even his vital instrument, the Lovely Assistaff, is his attempt to subvert expectations.
Even Zanka’s choice of the Lovely Assistaff is his own meta attempt to subvert expectations, choosing a regular staff because it might turn out to be special, while Hyo chose a generic katana. However, it was indeed just a staff, but he clung to it more than any other of Cleaner’s vital instruments, and it became his signature weapon.
Gachiakuta uses Zanka’s fight with Jabber as almost the entirety of its most recent episode, showing her rivalry with Hyo juxtaposed with her frequent encounters with Jabber. His flashback almost gives a similar vibe to Zoro’s rivalry with Kuina from One piece, but with a less predictable tragic ending.
Instead of Zanka having his big moment of triumph in his rematch with Jabber, the episode ends with his capture. The hallucination could even have led viewers to believe that he was fighting against all obstacles to surpass his limits. This is a trope seen countless times among contemporaries, notably Black Clover, Tokyo Revengers, and of course, Naruto.
Zanka’s story is far from over, however. Even without reading the manga, it’s important to recognize Jabber’s lack of a confirmed murder. Gachiakuta the most exciting new shonen anime for Crunchyroll this year, and it’s thanks to moments and characters like these. While he doesn’t get his triumph Naruto moment, Gachiakuta Zanka hasn’t finished yet.
