Now that the last non-Dragon Ball series by Akira Toriyama is coming to a conclusion, what a journey it has been.
It makes sense that the series’ final major battle returns us to the core cast of Rao, Beelzebub, Thief, and a tank. Even better, the encounter is set up so that Beelzebub’s significant power boost appears both justified and well-earned. It seems sense that he would be supercharged under the direct moonlight because, as we’ve seen previously, he must absorb moonlight in order to use the power of darkness.
Naturally, this arc isn’t really about Beelzebub, much like the first one was, even though he gets the major, concluding fight scene. Bred, Ann, and Rao are the three main characters in the finale.
After losing to Rao in combat, Bred is forced to acknowledge that, although achieving peace for Forrest Land was a laudable objective, his method of doing it was entirely incorrect. Ultimately, neither he nor Muniel rescue his men’s lives; rather, it is Ann, his nemesis. Even among those who despise her as a demon spawn, she is the only one who genuinely cares about her people. Bred can’t help but picture himself as the villain he has turned into, especially with Garam set to crash and unleash five times the havoc that Rao did.
Ann, a young lady who has worn numerous hats, is in the meantime. She has held the titles of demon, princess, and rebel leader—all of which were imposed upon her. Her passion has always been engineering, tinkering and fine-tuning every device she encounters. This is the power that ultimately comes through to save the day.
This all leads us to Rao. He had to take action in this arc to stop another calamity similar to the one he was a part of. By doing this, he started the process that led to the realization of the Picchi family’s first desire. Much of the explosive power of the five Aquanium reactors is instead transformed, thanks to Ann’s technological prowess, into a practically limitless supply of water that has been thrown up into the sky to be spread as rain by the Demon King’s sorcery. Rao has the ability to revitalize Sand Land, even if he will never be able to bring back the lives of his wife, any Picchi, or any humans who have passed away.
The character arcs are excellent, but there is one clear issue with this episode: the conclusion. To be honest, the “happy ending” seems a little too cheery, especially in light of what transpired in Forrest Land. Bred is not being punished in the slightest for what he accomplished. He carried out a bloody overthrow and imprisoned the king and queen for a full ten years. He was developing a weapon of mass destruction to unleash on nearby nations during this entire period, all the while searching for and attempting to kill their daughter.
It’s one thing for him to acknowledge his mistakes. Retaining his position as the head of the armed forces is a different matter entirely. The king’s promises that the people of Forest Land, who had mobilized against demons for ten years, will accept Lilith in spite of her demon nature, also appeal to me. Everything seems overly idealistic for the reality that Sand Land has laboriously crafted.
However, the show ends on a positive note as Rao, who has now been further absolved of his guilt, travels with Ann to assist her in becoming the engineer she really wants to be—along with Thief and Beelzebub, of course. So, our heroes ride out into the sunset together. Even while we’ll never know what new experiences are ahead for them, we can be certain that this strange new family will improve the world.
