The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 26) – John Smith
John Smith has drawn the attention of Shadow Garden and the Cult of Diablos, but can either of them stop his plan? Did they really have a chance? Finally, Alpha gives in and sends Delta to deal with him!
The Eminence in Shadow (Episode 26) – John Smith
What did you watch?
I think this series gets more and more interesting as it progresses and there were some things that I think could have been missed in this episode if you weren’t paying attention. I understand! Delta was there so it’s hard to focus on anything else, but trust me things are just getting started and I can’t help but feel like Cid is about to give himself a real headache. Let’s get into it.
What happened?
Agent 664, 665, and 666 (Rose) reported back to Alpha and Gamma about John Smith, although it would seem that they were already escalating things. Aware that the influx of counterfeit money was going to cause a major problem for them, they sent Delta to take care of him once and for all. She caught up with the train and flew through the window. Of course, John Smith was ready for her and even though she destroyed the carriage, he pinned her to the ground with the wreckage. Then, as he warned her about how futile her attacks were, she jumped up and hugged him. She could smell her boss all over him.
Not wanting Delta to report back to Alpha, he sent her to the Lawless City to take care of Juggernaut, or Black Jugga Jugga as she decided to call him. When she didn’t return to Shadow Garden, they feared the worst. This time, Alpha would handle things personally. The MCA had set up blockages on all goods coming into the city in the hopes of stopping more counterfeit money coming in, but John Smith took care of that. No sooner had he done so that Alpha attacked. However, she quickly realised who John Smith was and couldn’t understand why he was going against them. He easily defeated her, but it seemed to shake her core. Since Yukime had acquired most of the gold that backed the MCA, it was just a matter of time before they all came crashing down, and then there was Gettan to deal with.
What did you think?
It was a great episode with lots of action, however, it was some of the quieter moments that really spoke to me. At the beginning of the episode, Alpha mentioned Zeta who was on a quest to find something. Then, it showed Zeta and another member of Shadow Garden looking over the remains of an ancient city… Or rather, it looked like the remains of a modern city. That raises lots more questions and I’m dying to find out what that means. Seeing Delta taking such a large role again is great news and I loved that he sent her off to take care of Juggernaut, even without knowing that Juggernaut was planning on coming after Shadow Garden in the near future. It looked like she ripped down the entire Black Tower too, judging by the scene after the ED.
What was your favourite moment?
There were two moments that seem fairly unrelated but I think they speak to something that Cid has been doing for some time now. In his attempt to do whatever it is he’s doing, he’s involved several other characters, usually referring to them as the protagonists of that arc with him being a background character of course. There was Alexia, Sherry, Rose, Iris, and of course, the girls of Shadow Garden, although we didn’t see much of their origins.
He’s left most of the girls bitter and angry at Shadow. Iris seemed to still be mad about it and her interaction with Alexia tells me she’s heading down a dark path while Alexia seems to have learned from the experience. Then, with the way Alpha reacted to the revelation that he was John Smith, I can’t help but think, Cid’s going to have some very angry girls hunting him down in the near future. I’m hoping he realises what he’s doing before it’s too late, but knowing Cid, there’s little chance of that happening.
Who was the most impactful character?
I feel like Cid upsetting Alpha is going to be the biggest threat to his life of peace and quiet (or killing bandits and spending his gold on ornate decorations). For too long, he’s gotten away with saying whatever he wants and it working out for him, but at some point, it’s bound to backfire. From earlier episodes, it’s safe to say that Alpha is somehow related to Beatrix and they will be a fearsome duo if they team up. Also, she’s somehow linked to the hero that the Cult of Diablos used to defeat Diablos. Basically, she’s not someone he should be upsetting, and he should know that. I have to wonder if his over-confidence will someday come back to bite him.
What have you learned?
So, Gettan killed Yukime’s mother and left her for dead too. Then, as he left his village, he was attacked and there was the unmistakable sound of the Fancy Bandit Slayer launching a joyful attack. Basically, Cid saved Yukime, in the same way he saved Rose and so many others. Again, I wonder if he’ll put two and two together or not, but I like the way everything is linked together. It makes me feel like we’re going to get a massive revelation at some point that will flaw us. There are lots of theories flying around about the world and how Cid is connected to it, so it’ll be nice to see what the author has up his sleeve.
Other posts in the series
Series Information
| English Title | The Eminence in Shadow |
| Japanese Title | Kage no Jitsuryokusha ni Naritakute! |
| Author | Daisuke Aizawa |
| Artist | Anri Sakano |
| Genres | Action, Comedy, Fantasy, Isekai, Magic |
| Demographic | Seinen |
Anime
Season One
| Season | Season One |
| Released | Fall 2022 |
| Animation Studios | Nexus |
| Episodes | 20 |
Bonus Posts
| Analysis | How Much Does Cid Know? |
| Lists | Five Best Fights |
Season Two
| Season | Season Two |
| Released | Fall 2023 |
| Animation Studios | Nexus |
| Episodes | 12 |
| 21 | The Lawless City |
| 22 | The Haven |
| 23 | The Hour of Awakening |
| 24 | The Mask of Falsehood |
| 25 | He Who Pulls the Strings |
| 26 | John Smith |
| 27 | Something Precious |
| 28 | The Dragon’s Tears |
| 29 | The Key |
| 30 | Caged Bird |
| 31 | Determination |
| 32 | Highest |
Manga
| Volumes | Ongoing |
| 1 | We Lurk in the Darkness and Hunt Down Shadows |
| 2 | I Am Atomic! |
| 3 | Hidden Normie Technique |
| 4 | Battles Are Like a Conversation |
| 5 | A Memory I Never Want to Lose |
| 6 | What Beautiful Swordplay… |
| 7 | A Fancy Bandit Slayer |
| 8 | The True Aberration!!! |
| 9 | He Who Destroys All and Rebuilds it Anew! |
You might also like…
The sad truth about Cid Kagenou is just how he would sacrifice for a dream.
Even before he died and reincarnated, everything he does and gave up was all for that dream. His family, his friends, his future, his sanity and his life.
And now’s he’s doing it again. We’ve already seen that madness in several parts of the series like how he jumped in and took that slash for Rose or how he mentally broke Iris. But the John Smith arc really shows the most unfiltered and raw form of Cid’s character.
Even after knowing how real the credit crisis and when his childhood begs and cries for him, I think deep down, Cid knows how genuine Alpha is feeling and yet, he still keeps up an act.
At this point, being the Eminence in Shadow is top priority, overshadowing his relationships and his sanity.
Yeah, I think you’ve nailed it. It’s hard to remember that Cid isn’t exactly a nice guy. Sure, some of his actions appear to be good, but it’s never about the person he’s helping. It’s all about him.
Just like how he decided not to tell Sherry that her adopted father killed her mother and was a member of the Cult of Diablos because he’d rather see how her anger played out.
He’s got to the point where he thinks he can do just about whatever he wants as there are no consequences. If he wasn’t the protagonist, it would be pretty clear that he is a villain.
The sad thing is that he could have it all if he just listened to Alpha and the others without needing to be a jerk about it. Like you say, he’s become so focused on being the Eminence in Shadow that nothing else matters to him.
When Cid did not tell Alpha anything about Delta except, “I’ve sent her far away,” that was the moment of a crossed line. Why did he give Delta a different mission? To keep her from telling Alpha about him. But now she knows, there’s no point in keeping it from her, is there? He could have told Alpha exactly where he sent Delta, or at least said, “She’s alive.” But no, nothing like that. That was a moment I really wanted to punch his lights out.
Up to this point, I could believe that Cid, however insane he clearly is, still at least cared about his Shadow Garden girls. This episode really strained that idea.
I don’t think he does care for them really, beyond what they can do for him. He’s already shown that he’s prepared to destroy all their hard work with Mitsugoshi just so he can get some money, whereas if he just asked them for some money, they’d give him it in a heartbeat. He’s fully bought into the idea that he needs to be mysterious and aloof, and since everything he does seems to work out, he has no reason to believe anything else.
I’m curious to see how this story moves on from here, because I feel like he’s stuck a massive wedge between him and the girls of Shadow Garden.
Cid, aka John Smith, is a narcissistic jerk. Explains everything. I’m hoping Sherry actually finds a way to clean his clock.
Yeah. He needs to be brought down a peg or two. I get the feeling he’s going to lose it all at some point, and it would serve him right!