"He's grown into a fine man!" "I'm falling for him!" The rival from Episode 1 reappears! Fans shocked by his massive growth in Episode 5 of the anime "Akane-banashi"

In Episode 5 of the anime "Akane-banashi," broadcast on May 2, Jumbo (CV: Fukushi Ochiai), who fought with Akane Ōsaki (CV: Anna Nagase) in the first episode, made a reappearance. The sight of a fully grown Jumbo encouraging Akane sent shockwaves across the internet, with fans commenting, "He's become so respectable!" and "Wait, isn't that the boy she had that huge fight with?"

In Episode 5, "The Path Forward," Akane receives career guidance from her homeroom teacher, Machiko Iwashimizu (CV: Mariya Ise). Even when Akane expresses her desire to become a rakugoka instead of going to college, Iwashimizu refuses to back down, insisting on a realistic university path. As Akane walks away looking exhausted, a well-built male student calls out, "What's with that face?" Akane brightly replies, "Jumbo!" Jumbo encourages her, saying, "You got proper permission for the rakugo thing from your parents and master, right? Then you don't need to worry about what anyone says." Akane is impressed, noting, "Man, you've really become respectable, Jumbo. I can't believe you're the same person as that crybaby liar from back in elementary school. Taking up judo was definitely the right choice." This revealed that he was indeed the same boy who had picked a fight with Akane in the first episode.

Viewers online were surprised by Jumbo's reappearance, with comments like, "He's become a fine man!" "I'm falling for him," "He's grown up so much," and "Whoa, he's the boy who had that huge fight in Episode 1! I'm shocked (lol)."