Daemons of the Shadow Realm

Episode 11

This episode, we resolve the final loose end from the big fight last episode: where was the enemy Daemon's master, and who are they? The answer we get is Ken, Dera's heretofore unheard of half-brother. Much of the episode is spent discussing Ken and his situation—how he grew up as the child of an immigrant and how his father wasn't really in his life (with the latter point being something that Dera himself understands all too well).

We get the big reveal that it was Dera's father who helped Yuru and Asa's parents escape the village—and that he retired shortly after and basically disappeared. It's not much of a lead, but finding him could potentially give some hints about the abduction of Yuru and Asa's parents—or a bit more backstory and context as to why they fled at least. At this point, any information helps for Yuru and Asa.

While the direction and tone of the episode make Ken seem pure and pitiable, there is an unspoken question looming over this whole episode—one that no one seems to be considering. Is Ken telling the truth? Oh, I have no doubt he is Dera's brother, but the whole thing about just randomly finding a pair of powerful Daemons on par with Left and Right and then hiding them in a place Dera (and thus Yuru) would be likely to frequent (as it's Dera's go-to place to lose those tail him)... that's one hell of a coincidence. Add to that his story can't be confirmed (as his mother is dead and father missing) and the fact that he comes off as completely innocent of all wrongdoing in his story despite almost killing our heroes… it all just feels too convenient to be true.

It kind of feels like Ken was part of a plan where Ken and his Daemons were sent to kill Yuru and awaken Seal. However, should that fail, there was always the backup plan of Ken infiltrating Yuru's group and befriending him—becoming a spy capable of setting up numerous other chances to kill Yuru. After all, as they make a big deal about this episode, Yuru is only sensitive to direct killing intent. As long as you aren't actively wanting to/trying to kill him, you're completely under his radar.

As for who Ken might be working for, it feels like it would be a Higashi Village faction rather than a Kagemori one—but it's rather irrelevant at this point. Heck, it's not like we even know who Dera is truly working for either. Oh sure, Dera claims to be allied with the main Higashi Village faction, but he's also the one who suspiciously led Yuru to awaken Left and Right (despite being the future owner of Seal) and then spirited him away down the mountain without checking in with anyone else. It's almost as if he used the chaos to steal the village's two greatest treasures for his own purposes.

All in all, Yuru's biggest issue at the moment is taking everyone at face value—trusting far too much in the fact that they don't want to kill him. He doesn't seem to grasp that there are far more ways to use him than just awakening Seal (like using him as a hostage against Asa and, through her, the Kagemori's). He is still a stranger in a strange land, but we'll just have to see how it all plays out.

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Daemons of the Shadow Realm is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.