The Misfit of Demon King Academy

Episode 10

“In which the humans act way more evil than the demons.”

Character-wise, this episode is about adding some depth to two newer characters, Revest and his teacher, Ms. Menou. Revest himself is a different kind of Royalist from what we have seen before. He's not like Lay or Sasha who, for familial reasons, don't care if someone wears white or red. But neither is he like the power-hungry Royalists who only want to increase their own standing.

Revest is the rare true believer. He believes that the Demon King of Tyranny was, well, exactly the kind of person Anos is—a protector instead of an aggressor. However, by devoting himself to this idealized Demon King of Tyranny, he is also forced to accept the common knowledge about the Demon King as gospel—i.e., that the Demon King wanted purebloods to rule.

This puts him in an odd position: He clearly does not like Anos but is not actively out to get him. He is proud, honorable, and determined to show his superiority without using tricks. He actually walks the walk when it comes to his convictions, which explains his antagonism towards Anos. He doesn't hate Anos because he is a mixed-blood or because he is so powerful. He hates him because, for him to accept Anos as the Demon King reborn, he'd have to give up his entire worldview—and accept that much of his growth while at the academy stems from a false premise.

However, what's best in Revest comes from Ms. Menou, not his Royalist leanings. While she doesn't believe Anos to be the Demon King reborn, she clearly recognizes his talents and power. She has a much more liberal view of the past—that it is not as black and white as it seems and that recorded history is subjected to interpretation. Rather than trying to trap her white-wearing students and “expose” their inferiority like her predecessor, she seeks to inspire all those under her charge—which she clearly succeeded in. And, in the end, Revest's understanding that his actions as a student reflect how the rest of the world will judge Ms. Menou allowed him to accept Anos' healing and request his help. His loyalty to the one who has so shaped him as a person is more important to him than his pride.

But beyond simple character building, the exploration of Revest and Ms. Menou also serves another purpose in this episode: to remind us of how the demons view the other races so that we can compare that to how the humans of Hero Academy view the demons. In contrast with their demon counterparts, the human students' prejudice stem from a different rationale. Simply put, the demons believe they are superior and the humans (and all the other races) are inferior. The humans, on the other hand, believe that they are good and the demons are evil.

This is a vital distinction which can be better understood through Anos' interactions with both hostile groups. The demons Anos has faced off against tend to bend the rules rather than break them. They look for loopholes and use underhanded tactics but they also follow their agreements when they lose. This is because for demons, their central motivation is pride—in themselves and their families. The Royalists believe they will win because they are smarter and stronger than both the other races and mixed-bloods.

But as far as the humans of the Academy go, rules don't matter at all beyond the pretense that they exist where demons are concerned. They are righteous and their enemies pure evil, thus there is no need to be honorable to them. Winning at any cost isn't just allowed, it is the moral and just thing to do.

Moreover, it's important to note how this dangerous mindset is spread. While the Royalist view permeates demon society from the top down, the “humans good, demons bad” doctrine comes directly from within the Hero Academy—with graduates spreading the message as they go out into the world.

This is indoctrination, plain and simple. It is the teachers who are really at fault, pushing a twisted sense of morality onto the students—especially those in the elite hero class. Over the course of the episode, Mr. Diego, the teacher of Hero Academy's elite class, not only allows but also helps with all the underhanded rule-breaking we witness to reinforce in his students' minds that good always prevails over evil. Thus he has to make sure the playing field is as skewed as far as possible in that direction.

However, as the episode comes to a close, Anos levels the playing field by taking out the holy water lake in its entirety. When this happens, Mr. Diego goes into full panic—not only because he can now see how insanely powerful Anos is but also because his students are so indoctrinated that they are unable to recognize how outclassed they really are.

I can't wait to see the beat down next episode.

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• What is the end game here? All I can think of is either A) the Hero Academy teachers are zealots and believe their own hype that these students can defeat the Demon King or B) they're laying the groundwork to start a new war.

• I loved the tiny interaction of Sasha stopping Anos from stumbling in on Lay and Misa's date. Anos, for all the keenness of his demon eyes, sometimes overlooks the more emotional aspects of his relationships. And as he and the girls contain their meddling to a bit of eavesdropping, it's apparent that he is secure enough in himself to follow her lead when he is out of his element.

• I'm now leaning more towards Lay being the reincarnation of Kanon instead of Misa. He was able to instinctively unhook the necklace he won while Misa was baffled by it. Of course, there's nothing to say that they couldn't both have one of Kanon's souls at this point.

• It's funny how the two types of racism in this world collide. The humans see Anos as the Demon King due to his great power—which the royalists vehemently object to. To the humans, there is no difference between mixed blood and pure blood—they just see evil and their inevitable triumph over it.

The Misfit of Demon King Academy is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Richard is an anime and video game journalist with over a decade of experience living and working in Japan. For more of his writings, check out his Twitter and blog.