Summary
“Nihilo the Vortical Stampede and Kia the World Word” does away with the usual action to focus on worldbuilding and character dynamics, as the two most potentially powerful characters we’ve met thus far are both introduced in the same episode.
Ishura Episode 4, “Nihilo the Vortical Stampede and Kia the World Word”, lacks the action of other instalments in Season 1. However, it makes up for this with a more thorough unpacking of the mythology, taking its time on the latest character introductions and exploring their significance within the wider world that is being created. Lamentably, the lack of gore is replaced by a leering quality that looks at the female characters through a bit of a pervy lens, but that’s hardly a new thing for anime shows with a more adult slant.
Ishura Season 1 Episode 4 Recap
Back in Episode 2, we heard our first mention of “The Vortical Stampede”. Here, we get another hint, though despite being a named character in the episode title it still remains more of a tease for events to come than a proper character introduction.
Let slip the dogs of war
Regardless, the titular Nihilo is being held in Aureatia’s Central Detention Centre, presumably for the safety of everyone. Lord Hidow, a new character, wants to free the so-called Vortical Stampede to assassinate Taren, which was also discussed in the second episode. Since communications between secret service members has ceased – probably because Dakai slaughtered them all in Episode 3 – Hidow is releasing Nihilo to do some serious damage.
From what we can glean, Nihilo is possessed of unbelievable destructive power and once single-handedly barbecued at entire regional army. On paper, she’s the most powerful character introduced thus far, but Episode 4 spends the rest of its runtime introducing a very different contender for that title.
A Primer on Word Arts
Focus subsequently shifts to Minia’s Seventeenth Minister, Elea, a teacher of Word Arts who is obsessed with how she looks – the same can be said of Ishura itself – and probably has some ulterior motives in teaching young girls, including a youth named Yawika, the intricacies of this unique form of magic.
Word Arts can be divided into four categories – Thermal Arts (which we’ve seen displayed), Craft Arts, Force Arts, and Life Arts. This is a lot of information to take in, and the way it’s presented is a little clunky, not to mention a bit creepy considering it all takes place in a hot bath that Elea and Yawika share, the camera obsessed with the former’s cleavage. Why the mentor and student are bathing together is anyone’s guess, but the information is illuminating nonetheless. We’ve had many mentions of the different Word Arts thus far and it’s nice to have some additional context.
Breaking the Laws of Nature
This stuff also helps to contextualize the titular Kia, the World Word, since her Word Art ability is unique. She can – against the laws of nature, it’s made clear – control life itself. She’s an elf girl with a very different temperament to Nihilo, but the implication is clear. These two are rivals for the title of the show’s most powerful character.
Elea can see this in Kia. She recognizes that she has the potential to win the Demon King competition, and has the ulterior motive of taking her to Aureatia to study. Elea must have some backstory to unpack in subsequent episodes, since she’s clearly not the kindly teacher she masquerades as, but the focus for now is on Kia and her potential power.
How does Ishura Season 1 Episode 4 end?
At the end of the episode, Elea takes Kia on an expedition up the Fourth Mountain. While there, she showcases the true extent of her power by dragging aside a dense mist, allowing the sun’s rays to creep through. Kia can control nature itself, and Elea is visibly excited by the potential of this great power, considering Kia to be undefeatable.
How is this going to affect the dynamics moving forward? Hard to say, since Kia isn’t a character who has been mentioned before and seems to exist outside the machinations of Aureatia and Lithia – at least for now. Either way, it seems likely that she will at some point face off with Nihilo.
What did you think of Ishura Season 1 Episode 4? Let us know in the comments.
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