Gachiakuta’s anime adaptation by Bones Film has been on a roll for its first season so far, and that’s due to far more than it streaming on Crunchyroll. It’s a ferocious shonen anime, knowing the tricks of its genre, and when to subvert viewer expectations. Now, in a crucial hour, the violent Raider Jabber Wonger is getting the last laugh.
Jabber isn’t the only one laughing, however, as Gachiakuta takes up episode #17 to build up a callback to numerous iconic anime rivalries like Naruto Uzumaki’s once-heated feud with Neji Hyuga. In the moment where Zanka seemingly overcomes the hangups of his past, however, the anime pulls its latest cruel twist, with Zanka’s situation more dire than ever.
Gachiakuta Has a Cruel Replacement of a Classic Naruto Moment
Having fought Jabber twice now, Zanka has lost both times, giving the Gachiakuta anime ample opportunity to adapt his backstory in episode #17. Enduring dire injuries from Jabber’s Mankira in the previous episode, it’s not unlike the damage Naruto undertook at the Chunin Exams by Neji, taking a crippling combo from his Eight Trigrams Sixty-Four Palms attack.
Much like Naruto, Zanka should have, by all means, been put down for the count by the attack, but as the flashback details, and as he has remarked throughout episodes #15 and #16, Jabber represents the gifted individuals Zanka resents. Having sparred alongside Hyo as fellow prospective Hell Guard members, Zanka felt trapped by his mediocrity against true genius.
Zanka’s portrayal as an average joe against geniuses like Hyo or Jabber strongly resemble 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 like the latter’s at first, with the crow motif of his flashback even evoking Neji’s bird symbolism.
Believing himself to originally be superior and a shoo-in for his training academy’s “Golden Throne” reserved for elite trainees, Zanka got a painful slice of humble pie. It’s at Zanka’s lowest point where he’s recruited by Enjin with the enticing prospect of an average Joe overcoming a genius.
This memory propels Zanka to get up, just as Naruto did while bucking the notion of being a failure against Neji. But Zanka does not have Nine-Tailed Fox chakra to fall back on, as he belongs to Gachiakuta’s world, not Naruto’s. He is snapped 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 commonly considered at or near the top of Gachiakuta fans’ favorite characters, and for good reason. His blunt demeanor and calm persona belie his deep insecurities, and in episode #17, fans see just how much it burns him inside how average he actually 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, picking an ordinary stick because it could turn out to be special, while Hyo picked a generic katana. However, it was indeed just a stick, yet one he clung onto more than any other Cleaner’s vital instrument, with it becoming his signature weapon.
Gachiakuta uses Zanka’s fight with Jabber as almost the entirety of its most recent episode, showing his rivalry with Hyo juxtaposed against his frequent encounters with Jabber. His flashback almost gives similar vibes to Zoro’s rivalry with Kuina from One Piece, albeit with a less predictably tragic ending.
Instead of Zanka having his big triumphant moment in his rematch with Jabber, the episode ends with his capture. The hallucination even could have led viewers to believe he was getting up against all odds to break past his limits. It’s a trope seen countless times throughout contemporaries, including 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 the lack of Jabber’s confirmed kill. Gachiakuta’s 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 triumphant Naruto moment, Gachiakuta’s Zanka is not done yet.
