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The long-awaited anime, The Eminence in Shadow episode 1, has finally been released. Fans have been waiting a long time to see this new take on the Isekai anime concept since it was first announced. It is finally time for fans to meet Kageno, a seemingly average high school student who wishes to become a hero.
The Eminence in Shadow episode 1 focused on Kageno’s life in the real world, as well as his secret life as a vigilante. While the calm boy was still the hero, most of the episode was narrated by his classmate, Nishino, who played a major role in this adventure. Continue reading to learn more about the highlights of this exciting and intriguing episode.
Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for The Eminence in Shadow episode 1.
Kageno made it clear that a crowbar is an excellent weapon in the Eminence in Shadow episode 1
A strange classmate
The Eminence in Shadow episode 1 began with a young girl waking up, claiming she must have fallen asleep while reading a book. After she took a bath, the girl looked at herself in the mirror with concern in her eyes. The girl was ready to leave the house, but as soon as she opened the door, she was assaulted by a memory of a group of paparazzi outside her home.
Her chauffeur helped her enter her limousine before departing for school. As the vehicle drove away, a mysterious car could be seen parked in the corner of her home, hidden. The girl, called Nishino, arrives at school, where everyone greets her with admiration. The black-haired girl encountered a boy whom she claimed to despise, called Kageno.
The boy greeted her by calling her Nishimura, which greatly annoyed Nishino. When she corrected him, the boy began giving a speech about NPCs, as if he was playing a videogame. Nishino did not understand anything the boy had said and even forgave him for the mistake. Nonetheless, the boy continued to address her incorrectly.
Nishino explained that she despised the boy for the way he looked at her. Instead of focusing his attention on the girl, Kageno always looked past her, as if preoccupied with something else. The girl was jolted out of her reverie when her classmates began speaking to her. As Nishino spoke about her new role in a drama series, Kageno could be seen discretely exercising his grip.
Nishino’s mask
The Eminence in Shadow episode 1 went on to show Nishino entering a bathroom to splash her face with water. The girl revealed that she was involved in a major scandal during middle school, which is why she started acting like the perfect student and classmate. She wanted everyone around her to love her and appreciate her efforts.
Nishino stayed after class to take her makeup lessons. The girl had previously missed a few school days due to her external commitments. Kageno also stayed behind to play the piano until dark. When her classes ended, Nishino tried calling her personal chauffeur, but the man was sadly attacked by a pair of criminals. As she began walking home, Kageno could be seen on the roof.
As Nishino walked home, the two criminals who attacked her chauffeur ambushed her and put her to sleep. Before closing her eyes, the black-haired girl could see Kageno looking at her from afar, without doing anything to help her. Hours later, Nishino woke up inside an abandoned building, with her kidnappers mocking her.
Stylish Ruffian Slayer
The Eminence in Shadow episode 1 continued with Kageno using his phone to look inside the building Nishino was being held at. He took out a pair of training weights he had attached to his wrists and began changing into his vigilante outfit. While the boy did this, one of the criminals approached Nishino, revealing that this was her second kidnapping incident.
Before the man could do anything to the girl, Kageno climbed the side of the building and entered through the roof window. When asked what his name was, the boy replied that he was a simple Stylish Ruffian Slayer. The blonde criminal mocked him and tried to shoot him, but was defeated almost instantly.
The second criminal, who was revealed as a former soldier, prepared to fight Kageno head-on. Despite the calm boy’s outstanding fighting skills, the former soldier was still too much for him. Kageno was forced to use the sharp portion of his crowbar, his pre-dilect weapon, to hurt the man.
Kageno began talking about his fights with motorcycle gangs at night. The former soldier recognized him as the famous Balaclava Berserker. Kageno continued to talk about his adventures, explaining to the soldier how he accomplished his mission of defeating the gangs. Scared for his life, the former soldier decided to try to pick up his partner’s gun, but Kageno was faster.
Without hesitation, the boy began pummeling the criminal until he no longer moved. Once the criminals were dealt with, our hero proceeded to help his classmate escape. As Nishino prepared to head home, Kageno lamented not being strong enough to fight a former soldier without his weapons. He claimed he would never become The Eminence in Shadow like this.
The end?
The Eminence in Shadow proceeded with Nishino narrating the aftermath of her kidnapping incident. Thanks to her father’s money and influence, the incident was kept a secret from the media, preventing another scandal. The next day, Nishino arrived at school as if nothing had happened. She greeted Kageno and to her surprise, the boy called her by her name this time.
The girl began wondering if the boy was just like her, living behind a mask all the time. Sadly, she was not able to figure it out in time, as Kageno was hit by a truck the next day. The credits began rolling and once they were over, Kageno was shown as a little kid looking at various screens inside a dark room.
Kageno began walking, and as he did, his body began growing older. Our hero revealed that despite being an average student, he spent his whole life training to become a hero, like the ones he admired as a kid. Unfortunately, he was human, meaning he could never do the amazing feats heroes do in their stories. After being hit by the truck, Kageno woke up again in a different world.
In this new reality, the boy was the leader of a secret organization of powerful mages and fighters. He was surrounded by girls, all praising him for his skills and intelligence. Happy with this new life, Kageno and his followers jumped off a roof to begin their secret mission. As the boy flew over his new home city, he claimed he would become the strongest of them all, The Eminence in Shadow.
Final thoughts
Overall, The Eminence in Shadow episode 1 worked perfectly to help viewers understand Kageno and his motivations. For most of the episode, the show presents our protagonist as an invincible and intelligent individual who would not lose to anyone. Tragically, as stated by Kageno himself, his status as a human made him vulnerable.
Nonetheless, he has arrived in a new world, filled with magic, powerups, and new opportunities to become the hero he always wished to be. How his organization was created, what their objectives were, and how he acquired his powers will most likely be revealed further down the story. For now, we can only wait and hope the rest of the series is as good as The Eminence in Shadow episode 1
