Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight 49

覇王大系リューナイト Episode 49
Lord of Lords Ryu Knight Episode 49

SPOILER Summary: As Katze and Paffy prepare a meal, Izumi performs a ceremony for Gratches and Gesshin while Adeu mourns and Hittel fires his Spirit Stone rifle in their honor. Katze approaches and overhears the guys discuss Hittel's plan to attack the mother ship since the Jya-ryuzoku wouldn't expect it after they'd destroyed two Ryu units. The plan involves using the other Ryu units as decoys so Hittel can get inside the mother ship. However, he'll do so not in his Ryu but as himself. Further, Katze will be left behind, something she doesn't want since she'd already been left by Hittel once before.

The next day when the Ryu's all depart, Katze manages to get into Ryu Derringer and convinces Hittel to let her fight with him. The attack starts and lots of Jya-Ryuzoku soldiers are dispatched to fight the Ryu units, led by humanoid Jya-ryuzoku Nyle in his Doom unit. Everything is going according to plan and during the heat of battle, Ryu Derringer is able to slip away. Katze and Hittel manage to hitch a ride on board a supply ship and make it into the mother ship. They are soon discovered and begin slaughtering Jya-ryuzoku and cause destruction.

Isaac's aide Danan is ordered to recall Nyle, who returns in his Doom unit to confront Hittel and Katze. His Doom unit proves a bit too much for Ryu Derringer and so Nyle begins beating them. Even with the Spirit Stone rifle, Hittel and Katze cannot harm Nyle's Doom and are forced off the ship. There, Nyle's Doom continues to beat Derringer and then delivers a critical hit, which the other Ryu units immediately react to. Realizing that Katze and Hittel are in danger, they race to aide them as Katze and Hittel pledge their lives to Derringer's Spirit Stone for one final shot. Realizing that his critical hit had not finished off Derringer, Nyle rushes in but gets caught in the blast of the firing of the Spirit Stone rifle and the shot damages the foundation of the Jya-ryuzoku's device to take down the Mystic Shield.

Isaac orders the guard ships to take out the Ryu units and the closest one opens fire. Izumi states they need to retreat, but the enraged Adeu channels that rage into an attack which destroys the guard ship. However, he's exhausted and Ryu Paladin reverts to Ryu Knight. He's caught by Izumi and Sarutobi in their Ryu units and despite not being able to do anything, he demands they let him go so he can fight, even though he cannot.

Thoughts: So, two more bite the dust. I still think the big cosmic reset button will be pressed at series end and they all will come back to life. I figure Galden will return by series end as well to help Adeu in the final battle.

Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight 50

覇王大系リューナイト Episode 50
Lord of Lords Ryu Knight Episode 50

SPOILER Summary: Adeu wallows in self-pity after the deaths of Gratches, Gesshin, Katze, and Hittel, which is further added to when he finds Katze damaged abacus. The others try to bring him out of it since the Jya-ryuzoku have finished their repairs and the device to destroy the Mystic Shield once and for all is attempting to penetrate the shield to be attached to the top of Earth Blade. Seeing this, Sarutobi and Izumi take off to fight while Paffy attempts to bring Adeu out of his funk. She ends up smacking him in the face, then is sorry for that. She brings his head to her bosom before she too takes off to join the fight.

Adeu finally comes round and discovers the others are fighting the Jya-ryuzoku to try to prevent them from completing their mission. Issac, desperate to ensure that the Ryu's don't cause any further delays which could stop them altogether, enters the fray with his Doom, which is more powerful than previous Doom's seen. The fight is a tough one but when Adeu finally arrives, he tries to get them to retreat until that night. However, they don't have that much time left. Sarutobi attempts to do what he can, but his attack is repulsed and he's almost sent packing.

To Adeu's amazement, three armies arrive from Earth Tear to join the battle. Flora leads an armada, Iori leads the ninja, including ones on kites, and Nuzzi leads an army of Solids and tanks. Even as Adeu gets knocked from the sky by Isaac's Doom, the armies open a barrage on it, even though they cannot harm the Doom. As Zephyr sinks into the water, Adeu feels it is impossible to win, but seeing Paffy call his name causes him to revive and Zephyr to come to the surface. Adeu witnesses everyone fighting and realizes that he's been too self-centered. With this, he re-enters the fight, preventing Isaac from wiping out all three armies.

Isaac tries to hit Adeu with a big attack, but Adeu manages to hold it off and repell it, forcing Isaac to retreat. Isaac needs to buy time to allow the device to get through the Mystic Shield and so flees to the mother ship with Adeu in pursuit. Inside, Isaac ambushes Adeu to prevent him from being able to prevent the device penetrating the shield by stabbing the foot of Zephyr, pinning it to the floor of the ship. Adeu manages to cut Isaac's Doom in half, destroying it. The subsequent explosions destroy the mother ship, though Isaac's aide Danan manages to escape, as does Adeu. However, the destruction device has started to penetrate the Mystic Shield.

Thoughts: Wow. No one on the Ryu team died. Time for Galden to make an appearance. Yeah. Well, either that or the other Ryu riders who'd supposedly died.

Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight 51

覇王大系リューナイト Episode 51
Lord of Lords Ryu Knight Episode 51

SPOILER Summary: As Isaac's aide Danan flees to the descending Mystic Shield destruction device to give his report to the Emperor, Adeu finds himself having to rouse the spirits of not only his fellow Ryu Riders, but the others who'd come to aide him. They see things as completely hopeless but Adeu tells them that it was they who gave him strength to carry on the fight after the death of the other Ryu Riders. As such, they agree to help as best they can. One Solid will be loaded onto the flying sail ship along with a contingent of ninja, pirates, and others. Escorted by the four surviving Ryu units, their mission will be to damage the foundation that the destruction device will land on while the Ryu's fight the Doom's.

Initially, things go OK for the small band of attackers as the ninja manage to take out a Doom unit using ninja techniques to plant bombs all over its surface while the rest, given cover by the lone Solid, plant large bombs all around one section of the foundation. They set off the bombs, causing some nice damage to the one section of the foundation. However, the sheer number of Doom units are more than the four Ryu's can handle and they inflict heavy casualties on ninja and others, including the destruction of the Solid. Iori, Nuzzi, Jeffery, and Flora are all injured badly in the attack. Sarutobi has to use Bakuretsumaru to try to get Iori and Flora to safety.

The Emperor has order the docking of the Mystic Shield destruction device despite the damage to the foundation as the Mystic Shield will soon begin to re-strengthen. Adeu tries to prevent this but fails and begins to give in to defeat. However, just before three Dooms can destroy him, he's saved when Dark Knight Steru arrives on the scene and dispatches the Dooms. He gives Adeu a bit of a hard time for his current attitude, then announces he's brought friends. To Adeu's and everyone else's amazement, the White Dragon appears and on his back are Derringer, Hayatemaru, and Shinebaram in their class-changed form with their Katze, Hittel, Gesshin, and Gratches still very much alive. Apparently, the White Dragon's technology teleported them to safety before they could be killed.

Now re-enforced, the White Dragon evacuates the wounded while the others join the fight. The destruction device lands on the foundation, but because one of the supports were damaged, it inflicts some damage to the device. Galden class-changes Dark Knight Steru into Rune Knight Steru, forcing Sarutobi to grudgingly concede that Galden is an ally. Galden continues his attacks on the giant device but it begins to work despite the damage and begin taking down the Mystic Shield for the Jya-ryuzoku armada in orbit to land. Further complicating things is a giant mecha unit which has emerged from the destruction device.

Thoughts: Ha!Ha! I knew Galden would return. I figured there would be a way for the other slain Ryu Riders to return. I'd forgotten about the White Dragon though. Isn't life sweet? One more to go. With only one more, will we learn where Galden got a Spirit Stone?

Haou Taikei Ryuu Knight 52

覇王大系リューナイト Episode 52
Lord of Lords Ryu Knight Episode 52

SPOILER Summary: As the destruction device begins to tear down the Mystic Shield, the Jya-ryuzoku Emperor uses his Dragon Doom to keep the Ryu units at bay. He beats them down and forces them to retreat and rethink their plan. It is decided that Sarutobi, Galden, and Hittel/Katze will take their Ryu's to penetrate the destruction device and attempt to destroy it from within. The remaining Ryu's will then keep the Dragon Doom occupied. Having agreed to the plan, the groups set off as the hole in the Mystic Shield begins to grow.

Sarutobi's group manages to penetrate the device structure as planned but soon find themselves sealed in a section of the device, and that section is then ejected. Sarutobi has to use his ninja to allow their escape. Meanwhile Adeu's group is getting their collective rears handed to them by the Dragon Doom. The White Dragon appears, having picked up Sarutobi's group and Nuzzi. Nuzzi gives them some final advice about combining the power of their Spirit Stones. As the White Dragon provides a bit of cover, all of the Ryu Riders send their Spirit Stone energy into Ryu Paladin, who appears to class-change again. Adeu uses the power to damage the Dragon Doom and send it crashing into the destruction device, which eventually causes the destruction of both the Dragon Doom and the destruction device.

With the war won and the Jya-ryuzoku out for at least another 1000 years, the party begins to part. Galden decides that he's going to visit the country he was born in. Sarutobi sends a shuriken Galden's way as a parting gift, but in reality, Sarutobi has forgiven Galden and Galden accepts the "attack" for nothing more than a measure of respect. Gesshin goes to improve his bushido and Gratches goes to unite his scattered people. Katze decides she'll get rich but use proceeds to help those harmed in the war (what Hittel does, I'm not sure). So Adeu decides to leave Paffy, Izumi, and Sarutobi to work on being a knight. While he's depressed a bit to be alone, he seems unhappy when Sarutobi finds him and decides to tag along. Paffy and Izumi arrive with the wagon, and the four plus Hagu Hagu head off for new adventures.

Thoughts: Well, its finally over. It only took almost three years to get through this, but I finally finished it to write my CAR review (coming shortly after this page is published). Now that anime no longer has that newness to it combined with my getting older, shounen titles such as this one are difficult to get through. Still, despite some annoying moments with Adeu, I was entertained and I suppose at the end of the day, that's what its all about.

One place this anime title did surprise me was in the villain department. When Idoro was killed, I thought she'd show back up because Galden certainly kept coming back. But then Galden joined the good guys and a chain of villain bosses get wiped out up through the Emperor. I did like that though because I hate the villains that just won't die and stay dead.