Aahana Swrup
In Netflix’s fantasy anime ‘Akuma Kun,’ viewers embark on a supernatural adventure with Ichiro Umoregi, who takes the place of his adoptive father, Shingo, as the newest Akuma-Kun, a child prodigy who emerges once in a thousand years. Ichiro runs the Millenariansim Research Institute with his half-human, half-demon business partner, Mephisto III, who helps him solve mysterious cases revolving around demonic activities. Meanwhile, Ichiro’s tasked duty to create a paradise for humans in the future looms over the boy as he tries to figure humanity out.
‘Akuma Kun’ equips a monster-of-the-week narrative, which is held together by Ichiro’s overarching storyline as he struggles to bridge his complicated relationship with Shingo. As such, by the season’s end, once the protagonist has undergone noticeable development, he finds himself facing a greater evil. Given the intricacy of some of Ichiro’s actions and their consequences, viewers might have some questions regarding how the hero’s story concludes. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Akuma Kun Recap
Every thousand years, a new young genius emerges, nicknamed “Akuma-Kun,” who has to build the perfect paradise for humanity, known as the Millennium Kingdom. After Shingo passes the title down to his adoptive son, Ichiro, the task befalls the young man. However, Ichiro, though a human despite his upbringing under a demon, has a distinct lack of understanding of human emotions. Instead, the boy is governed by logic and reason while sorely lacking in the people skill department.
In contrast, Ichiro’s business partner and close childhood friend, Mephisto III, dearly holds onto his humanity, balancing out their dynamic, especially when the duo has to deal with clients. While business is slow for the sleuthing supernatural detectives, they’re great at their jobs, with Ichiro utilizing his exceptional intelligence to scrutinize every case.
Furthermore, his curiosity often lands him in trouble, as in the case of Mr. Tobayama, a gluttonous man who craves to taste the most forbidden flavor of all: Satan’s flesh. Although Tobayama compels Ichiro to open a summoning circle for Satan using Mephisto as bait, the latter man manages to escape from the trap in the nick of time. Yet, Ichiro commences with his summoning just to see if he could finish the task.
Even though Ichiro’s spell fails, it puts him on Satan’s radar, who craves hearts with staggering desire in them. Afterward, the detective duo’s cases, though still bizarre, remain comparatively tamer. However, during one particular case, Ichiro finds himself reckoned with his past that he has long forgotten after discovering a Demon’s Nail at a mortal crime scene. Another nail appears in his next case, which unfolds in Eastern Polynesia.
Thus, Ichiro crosses paths with Strophaia, a winged being who refers to the boy as Aeshma, a name Ichiro hasn’t heard in decades. Meanwhile, Gremory, a demon and Ichiro’s casual acquaintance, begins to crave the taste of the boy’s heart. Ichiro turns her desire to his own advantage and makes a deal with her to give her his heart if she helps them out with a case. Nevertheless, through a loophole, Ichiro ensures he doesn’t have to surrender to the demon before his death. As a result, Gremory becomes a routine part of Ichiro and Mephisto’s cases, wherein she helps out to gain access to Ichiro’s blood-pumping organ.
The trio continues to solve case after case, with the first few following a common thread of friendship while others revolve around powerful parent/child relationships. Furthermore, Strophaia continues to hold an interest in Ichiro’s progress as he awaits for Physis’ eye to open to set him free. Eventually, after the Christmas season, when Ichiro gets some time to get closer to his father, the eyes finally open, unleashing Strophaia over Shingo’s Invisible school.
Akuma Kun Ending: Does Ichiro Kill Mephisto III?
Strophaia’s freedom relies heavily on Ichiro’s emotions and actions. Before Shingo, the winged angel raised Ichiro as Aeshma and attempted to use him to free the being kept shackled inside Shingo’s basement. Nevertheless, Shingo had managed to stop him, with Ichiro unwittingly entrapping Strophaia with the help of Solomon’s flute.
From there on out, Ichiro grew up under Shingo’s care. His tumultuous childhood informed much of his adolescent personality, and as he began to remember his past, it ended up freeing Strophaia from his confines. Therefore, the latter immediately goes after Shingo, whom he blames for his imprisonment. Magically sealing Shingo and his school inside a red magic bubble, Strophaia endangers the former Akuma-Kun’s life.
Still, Shingo manages to reach out to Mephisto II, his previous partner who helped Shingo in his battles with his demonic powers. As a result, Mephisto II and his son Mephisto III arrive outside the school and try to break through Strophaia’s magical boundary. Although the pair try to convince Ichiro to come with them, the boy flippantly refuses, claiming his father’s demonic apostles would be more helpful than him.
Nonetheless, at his apartment, Ichiro continues looking for a way to save his father through some clues inside books and memories. Eventually, with Gremory’s help, Ichiro retrieves special items from Satan: a scroll to deplete some of Strophaia’s powers and a gun full of Maleficia Holy Water bullets. Arriving in the nick of time, Ichiro saves the Mephistos from a demon disguised as Shingo.
With the scroll overpowering Strophaia, his wards falter, allowing Ichiro to seek out his father while Mephisto II and Gremory hold the angel off. Still, it soon becomes evident that neither is a match for the being. Therefore, in the eleventh hour, Mephisto II decides to pull out his secret weapon. As a half-demon, half-human, Mephisto II often wanes in power compared to other full demons. Yet, he continues to hold onto his humanity for fear of losing it by letting his demonic side take over.
As such, having realized he would have to access his full power, Mephisto II asks Ichiro, his best friend, to kill him should he lose control and turn into a monster. Of course, the boy’s worst fears come true as he faces off against the angel and turns into a blue-blooded demon. In the end, Ichiro is forced to use his powers to bind Mephisto II and hold his demon-killing gun to his best friend’s head.
While Ichiro has been oblivious and even confused by human behavior, especially surrounding selfless friendships before, the act makes him emotional, even as he’s unable to understand the reason behind it. Ichiro promised Mephisto II to end his life if he became something unrecognizable. As such, it’s his duty to perform the task now. Ultimately, Ichiro shoots Mephisto II with the gun made to kill demons and carries out his promise even though it gravely affects him.
Does Ichiro Defeat Strophaia?
As it would turn out, Mephisto II’s death was exactly what Strophaia had wanted all along. After the eyes open, granting the angel freedom from his confinement, he sets out to defeat the one item that can ensure his future fall: Solomon’s Flute. However, the instrument, blessed with power, isn’t as easy to dispose of. Strophaia needs Ichiro to destroy the flute since the boy has a connection with it that allows him to utilize it.
When Ichiro used Solomon’s Flute for the first time, he trapped Strophaia. Yet, the loss of his guardian led to a crack forming on the instrument, rendering it useless. As such, now that Strophaia has returned, he needs to inflict enough pain of loss over Ichiro that his grief would entirely shatter the flute. For the same reason, he goes after Shingo and taints him with his curse, leaving him as good as dead.
Now that Ichiro has killed Mephisto II with his own hands, it completely destroys Solomon’s flute, ensuring Strophaia won’t ever get trapped in the future. Nonetheless, Ichiro refuses to join the angel’s side when he offers and instead reveals a damning truth. The connection Ichiro shares with the flute runs much deeper than Strophaia assumes. The flute is made from the material world’s knowledge and consequently exists outside of it.
Therefore, Ichiro only needs his heart to play the instrument and can piece it together with faith and love. As the boy peers at his father’s lifeless body, moments away from Strophaia’s attack, he brings the flute back into being. As a result, through the flute’s powers, Ichrio entraps the angel again, saving his friends’ lives. Even Mephisto II walks away from the battle alive since the angel’s disappearance rids him of his demonic form, with his human self still unscathed by the demon-killing gun.
Does Gremory Get Ichiro’s Heart?
Ichiro and his friends return to their regular lives after all is said and done, even though the past events have changed something intrinsic within their dynamic. Ichiro understands his relationship with Mephisto II and Shingo and its significance much better now while still retaining his socially inept quirk. Still, one thread of the past remains.
Gremory served a crucial purpose in helping Ichiro take Strophaia down by collecting helpful items from the Devil himself. Due to the enormity of the task and the fact that the demon even lost one eye to it, she demands a fair deal in return. Consequently, Ichiro agrees to let her have a stake in his heart once the dust settles.
As such, toward the show’s end, Gremory arrives at Ichiro’s office and plunges her hand into the boy’s chest to pull out his beating heart, much to Mephisto II’s surprise. While the attempt results in splashing blood as Ichiro’s insides get pulled out of him, the act doesn’t kill the human boy as it should. Therefore, it remains to be seen whether or not Gremory got Ichiro’s heart in the end.
Ichiro’s amused reaction to his persisting lifeline suggests the boy already knew he wouldn’t die from such an attempt. Thus, it is possible that he agreed to the entire deal for the same reason since he always manages to remain one step ahead of his adversaries. Perhaps it has something to do with Satan’s interest in devouring Ichiro’s heart himself. Yet, the particular reason for the turn of events remains ambiguous and will likely only be solved in a potential second season.
Read More: Liked Akuma Kun? Here Are 8 Similar Supernatural Anime
