The following article contains spoilers for Tiger & Bunny 2, Episode 1, “A Word to the Wise is Enough,” now streaming on Netflix.
Since Kotetsu and Barnaby’s last appearance in the 2014 movie tiger And Bunny: The Uprising, Fans have been waiting with bated breath for the duo’s triumphant return. Eight years later, it finally arrives on Netflix in the form of tiger and bunnythe second season of , simply titled Tiger and bunny 2.
Season 1 ended with the pair briefly retiring from superheroes, and in turn from Stern Bild City’s illustrious First League, before returning to the Second League. the ascent dealt with the fallout from this, with Barnaby being promoted to the First League without Kotetsu and being paired with a new hero named Golden Ryan. However, at the end of the film, Golden Ryan stepped aside, allowing Kotetsu to join his old teammate in the First League.
This setup courtesy of the ascent It allows tiger and bunny 2 to start running. Kotetsu and Barnaby are back in the First League they belong to and join in the exciting action sequence that kicks off the season. It is through this scene that tiger and bunny 2 establishes some important changes in the status quo.
Most notable is the addition of four more heroes to the Stern Bild First League, bringing the total to 12 heroes on the roster. Three of these are brand new characters: there’s Subaru Sengoku aka Mr. Black who can conjure energy barriers, as well as his partner Thomas Taurus aka He Is Thomas who can lift objects psychokinetically. Last but not least among the newcomers is Lara Tchaikoskaya aka Magical Cat, a feline-themed magical heroine who can shoot waves of water like a projectile.
The final addition to the First League is a returning character: Golden Ryan from The ascent. At the end of the film he is seen leaving Stern Bild City in search of new pastures, returning in tiger and bunny 2 a surprise for the fans.
The new recruits are not the only major change in the First League. There’s also the introduction of the buddy system: inspired by the partnership of Kotetsu and Barnaby, each First League hero is paired with another. Kotetsu and Barnaby are of course one of the couples, as is the aforementioned Mr. Black and He Is Thomas. The other duos are Sky High and Fire Emblem, Blue Rose and Golden Ryan, Rock Bison and Origami Cyclone, and lastly Dragon Kid and Magical Cat.
In Season 1, heroes were encouraged to compete for points to become the King of Heroes; buddy pairs are now made to compete against other pairs for the title of King of Buddy Heroes, a title currently claimed by the Sky High and Fire Emblem association.
The rest of Episode 1 is a pretty basic game where the heroes must foil a villain, including a humorous subplot in which Barnaby petulantly ignores Kotetsu because he drank his energy drink. It’s a humorous tangent that recalls some of the sitcom-style plotlines and misunderstandings from the first season that endeared viewers to the titular duo in the first place.
However, despite not speaking to each other, the pair are able to effortlessly foil the villain of the week’s plan, much to the amazement of Mr. Black. This shows that even when they cannot communicate with each other, the tiger and bunny duo are perfectly in sync.
The premiere also drops some tantalizing hints as to where the rest of season 2 could go. Before the opening action scene re-introduces the heroes of the First League, the episode’s first actual scene is fast-forwarded to two months into the future, where Barnaby takes a beating from two mysterious white-haired villains: Fugan and Mugan. .
Episode 1 concludes with a post-credits scene showing the duo defeating various superheroes. It’s a reminder that as fun and lighthearted as tiger and bunny may be, he also knows when to present genuine danger and drama as well; danger will undoubtedly take center stage at the end of the season.
read next
About the Author
