Lazarus episode 5: Popcorn Wizard makes an entrance and Skinner keeps getting away

Lazarus episode 5, which came out on May 4, 2025, starts with the team attempting to track down Dr. Skinner once again and, this time around, connecting with the organization that helped make the Hapna cure. Moreover, it also features some of the anime's best battle choreography thus far, such as Axel's fight in the elevator.

The bulk of Lazarus episode 5 is mainly focused on the idea of trying to lure Skinner into the public eye, although that comes with interference from the hacker known as the Popcorn Wizard. In that regard, this installment showed a lot of Elaina's abilities in that department.

Disclaimer: The article contains spoilers for Lazarus. Reader's discretion is advised.

---

Lazarus episode 5: Axel comes up with a plan to catch Skinner

Christine and Axel as seen in the most recent episode (Image via MAPPA).

As with the usual small introduction, Lazarus episode 5 properly starts with the team trying to come up with a way to find Dr. Skinner once again. This research by Elaina takes them to an organization known as Medicinal Delta, who were partially involved in the process of making Hapna and the team is tasked with reaching out to the main CEO in his building.

The main characters head to the place, and it is Axel who takes control of the situation as he enters on his own. Once he is detected by the guards, he engages in combat, quickly defeating them in an elevator in what is one of the anime's most dynamic action sequences as of this writing.

As he reaches the CEO's bedroom, Axel demands a videoconference with Doug, Christine, and Leland. This is how the man reveals that he also wants to find Skinner and has been trying to come up with a cure for Hapan. The protagonist then mentions how he has gotten tired of searching for the doctor and now wants to lure him to them.

---

Lazarus episode 5: Popcorn Wizard appears

Elaina gets a call from Popcorn Wizard (Image via MAPPA).

Axel decided to organize, along with the Medicinal Delta organization, a public event where they would announce a fake Hapna cure to lure Skinner, with him, Doug, Christine, and Leland keeping track on stage while Elaina does her hacking research. However, once the event is taking place, the electricity goes out, and Axel goes to hunt down a man who seemed suspicious, although that didn't prove to be the case.

Lazarus episode 5 then has a heavy action-focused scene where all the parties try to find a solution, with Elaina having established a bait on the system so she could track down the hacker, who is revealed to be Popcorn Wizard. The hacker is in Pakistan, but the team fails to track that person since the computer was thrown away, although Elaina receives a call from Popcorn Wizard, ending the episode on a somewhat positive note.

---

Final thoughts

Lazarus episode 5 continued with the titular team trying to find a way to track down Skinner, this time around featuring a lot of Axel's initiative in the story, first with the Medicinal Delta HQ and later on with the event. It also presents the character of Popcorn Wizard, who may or may not be pivotal in the coming episodes.

---