Being generously rewarded a few more days alive for their work so far, Suicide Squad Isekai episode 5 sees the gang now face off against a dragon (seriously).
Showrunner & Director: Eri Osada
Genre: Anime, Superhero
Number of episodes: 10, released weekly on Thursdays
Ep. 5 Release Date: July 11, 2024
Where to watch: Hulu & Max
After the previous episode ended with our villains heading for a dimension-spanning portal – thinking that the radio signal to delay the explosion of their neck bombs is more likely received the closer they are to said portal – Suicide Squad Isekai episode 5 sees them immediately there, and their neck bomb countdowns bumped back up to seventy-two hours. So that’s that sorted.
And there wasn’t a scene from any Belle Reve control room, or any communication from one Amanda Waller (Kujira) as I was expecting, either. Rick Flag (Taku Yashiro) instead fills the silence by reminding his latest squad of the current mission objective: establish bridgeheads inside this magical realm, to be later utilised for resource acquisition and research.
Flag reckons they need to be on friendly terms with the locals for that to go well, and so proposes they all get back to stopping this civil war that’s going on to earn some good favour. We then cut to a montage of that supposedly happening, but, before the entire conflict gets wrapped up quicker than a music video, those of the squaddies relying on guns for fighting, rather than on being a shark-man, or on being able to control clay, run out of ammunition. For a moment, I thought this was the perfect excuse for Suicide Squad Isekai episode 5 to get a bit into this magical enhancement stuff that’s been happening.
Like, do you remember, back in the series premiere, when Harley Quinn (Anna Nagase) batted an ogre into the ceiling with a flash of pink light, and Clayface (Jun Fukuyama) levelled a fortress? But, the opportunity passes, and Rick Flag speaks up again to suggest the group double back on themselves to loot the helicopter he and the first suicide squad flew in on. So that’s what they do, with the trip seen in montage, of course.
Arriving at the mountain that this helicopter was parked on, the group find that their salvational bullets are sitting snugly inside of a dragon’s nest. Awkward. And so Suicide Squad Isekai episode 5 goes on to be mostly occupied with showing the team running away from the attacks of said dragon, and figuring out a way to defeat it. Colour me surprised when they don’t just use another montage to do so.
Bit of a water-treading episode, this one, then. There’s no real progress made in the plot department, and not a step taken in solving any of the outstanding mysteries. It’s a bit of an out-in-the-world sort of episode, like something that might happen to you whilst free-roaming in a videogame. Which is a little disappointing for those like me, who are curious about this Princess Fione (Reina Ueda) and Harley Quinn relationship, who want to see more of Katana (Chika Anzai), and who are keen to continue learning about Amanda Waller’s A-team.
But if there’s to be an episode that best demonstrates how the show’s concept is being put to use, it could end up being this one. If you want to see how the Suicide Squad are getting on, and what they’re getting up to after being isekaied, but don’t fancy getting attached to any characters, or getting tangled in any narrative, a quick watch of this one might just do it for you.
Also, we are already at the halfway point, and so perhaps episode 5 is just the eye of the storm. A short break between the introduction and the rest of the series. But this does, however, open up Suicide Squad Isekai to that common anime criticism: “are you sure there’s enough time for this? With only five episodes left now, should you not be getting on with things?” Happily less jaded than some of those more outspoken anime fans, I’m not much worried. There’s been no reason for me to doubt it yet, so I trust the show’s got a destination in mind.
Episode 5 of Suicide Squad Isekai is now available to watch on Max and Hulu.
