Ryuko defeats the COVERS assaulting the Nudist Beach base, but they coalesce to form phantom versions of Ragyo and Nui, who taunt Ryuko. Enraged, Ryuko makes her way to Honnouji Academy to challenge the two against the advice of all her friends. Once there, she clashes with Nuo, who reveals she is also a Life Fibre-human hybrid, born of a womb of Life Fibres. Ryuko is then trapped, and forced to wear Junketsu by Ragyo. THe Godrobe wipes Ryuko’s memories, and replaces them with a fake life with Ragyo. Meanwhile, Satsuki escapes with her toenails make of the same material as Bakuzan and reunites with the Four Devas.
Aboard Nudist Beach’s flagship, Rising Sun, the gang plans their next move, but no before a brainwashed Ryuko wearing Junketsu tries to sink them. Satsuki intervenes, managing to convince Senketsu to aid her, setting the scene for a fierce battle.
As expected, Ryuko is having real issues dealing with the fact that she is a Life Fibre-human hybrid, and she’s taking it out on her friends. She’s not thinking clearly and hurting all her friends, especially poor Senketsu. Obviously it’s a huge thing to process and deal with, and given Ryuko’s hot blooded character, her reaction of wanting to take out Ragyo seems natural. I feel as though that given how much Ryuko despises herself now, she actively sought out Ragyo as some kind of punishment; she sought to destroy herself at Ragyo’s hands. However, Ragyo had plans to use Ryuko rather than kill her, plans which are much more horrible than death.
Junketsu has overridden Ryuko’s memories, implanting a false life with a loving Ragyo (which could not be further from the truth). This brings new significance to the term “Life Fibre Override”, and makes me wonder about the dynamic between Junketsu and its wearer. As Junketsu took control of Ryuko, she was in visible pain both physically and psychologically. It makes me wonder if when a wearer performs Life Fibre Override on Junketsu, does it experience the same phenomenon? Is that the reason why Junketsu is portrayed as wilder than Senketsu?
Regardless, Ryuko has a lot to deal with following her inevitable recovery from her brainwashing (at least, I hope she recovers). She still needs to deal with the fact she’s a Life Fibre-human hybrid, as well as the fact she briefly was controlled by her motehr and A Godrobe, endangering her friend’s lives.
However, certified badass Satsuki kIryuin is back on the scene and stealing the show! Not only did she manage to escape her mother’s prison and take out an army of COVERS with only her toenails, she joined forces with her former enemies. And she’s got a Godrobe again in the form of Senketsu! And she’s dual wielding Bakuzan! CAN SHE GET ANYMORE BADASS? I don’t think so. For me, Satsuki is definitely the star of the show, and I’ve loved watching her become a protagonist in her own right, and watching her make the story hers as well as Ryuko’s.
Will Ryuko actually manage to break free of Junketsu and Ragyo’s control? Given Kill la Kill’s breakneck pacing, I imagine she will next episode. If not, I don’t think she’ll manage to until the finale. The words Nui said this episode – “You’re only alive thanks to the Life Fibres inside you” – worry me; will Ryuko die along with Original Life Fibre? Will Ragyo manage to be defeated? And why are there only 4 episodes left? I NEED MORE KILL LA KILL.