"The shocking past of a brutal Momotaro revealed: 'I'm crying' and 'I can't hate him' are reactions to episode 11 of the anime 'Togen Anki'."

Episode 11 of the anime “Togen Anki” is currently being broadcast from September 19. The episode revealed a “past that turns our perception upside down” for the brutal enemy Tsubakiri Momomiya (voiced by Daisuke Kishio), shocking viewers with comments like “I can’t hate him now!!” and “He’s more human than I expected.”

Tsubakiri, a member of the Momotaro agency, is known for showing no mercy even to children if they are oni. In battle, Tsubakiri even manipulates the corpse of his late comrade Manaka Momobe (voiced by Masaaki Mizunaka) in his determination to defeat the oni. However, episode 11, titled “Thank You!”, reveals Tsubakiri’s tragic past.

As a child, Tsubakiri’s parents were killed by oni, and after joining the Momotaro agency, he spent his days coldly dissecting oni. During these days, Tsubakiri is assigned to Manaka’s squad. Perhaps out of concern for Tsubakiri, Manaka invites him to his family’s dinner table, and Tsubakiri’s heart gradually begins to change.

However, during one mission, Manaka hesitates when he sees a child oni, imagining his own child, and lets it escape. As a result, the escaped child oni goes on to kill Manaka’s wife and child. While trying to protect his family, Manaka is mortally wounded, and in his dying moments, expresses his regret to Tsubakiri: “I was wrong… To feel compassion for oni was a mistake. If I had been more cruel and coldhearted, my family might still be alive…” He then says, “Oni should be destroyed on the spot, no exceptions, not even for children. It’s too painful to end like this…!” Leaving these words behind, he entrusts Tsubakiri with the use of his own corpse, and passes away.

Thus, Tsubakiri, honoring Manaka’s words, continued to fight by controlling Manaka’s corpse like a puppet and eventually rose to the rank of squad leader.