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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 07/10/2026

The bar for measuring 'better' seems pretty low to begin with...

Panels from Indonesian edition of Hanako-kun volume 24 showing Kou's mom praising Kou for acquiring better cooking skill than her, while she herself has burnt, spiky menchikatsu on her hands.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Is this somewhere on the shores of Lake Biwa?

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing sunrise over a body of water with a lone conical mountain visible in the distance.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Inako on the lake's shore telling Kihachi that her mom used to tell her that Mount Fuji is visible from there.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

They've really come full circle

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Inako telling Yosuke that she doubts his claim that Kihachi is not with him.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Kihachi and Inako on a plane with Kihachi telling Inako that he trusts her to help fly the plane into a massive sinkhole.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Setting that aside, I wonder who had the idea for this reverse damsel in distress scenario.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Inako removing the lid of a glass case where Kihachi is being kept.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Inako lifting Kihachi from the glass case.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Inako carrying Kihachi away from a collapsing room.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I suppose Seiroku hoped to achieved that by bringing together Kihachi's inventiveness and Mizoe's position that might eventually be able to direct Mizoe Firm's resources to be invested in mass adoption of electric devices.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Seiroku telling Mizoe that he has faith in both Mizoe and Kihachi to bring about the Age of Electricity together.

Screenshot from episode 13 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Kihachi telling Mizoe that he needs his help to create the Age of Electricity.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Upcoming season's trailers playlist youtube.com/playlist?lis...

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Pretty neat new postgame stats layout youtu.be/BOFZ6J-gA2k

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Sparks of Tomorrow is amusing in the way it puts these characters in a world where electric technology stalled and then they leapfrog decades or even a century of electric tech developments in just a matter of months, while still in 1907.

Screenshot from episode 12 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Kihachi explaining to Inako the capability of the Electric Brain to do calculations 100 times faster and more accurate than any abacus, and its potential to make possible trains that could run like bullets, and sending electric signals across the ocean.

Screenshot from episode 12 of Sparks of Tomorrow showing Kihachi feeling certain that the Electric Brain will make the Age of Electricity come in one huge leap.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 15/09/2026

Just because it has 'electric' in the name doesn't mean it's an electric appliance. Still, somehow Seiroku still developed the idea for integrated circuits from a sake recipe.

Screenshot from the eleventh episode of Sparks of Tomorrow where Seiroku is examining a notebook labeled "Electric Nishiki" containing numbers written in kanji.

Screenshot from the eleventh episode of Sparks of Tomorrow where Seiroku promises to figure out what the Electric Nishiki was.

Screenshot from the eleventh episode of Sparks of Tomorrow where Inako shows a sheet of numbers copied from Seiroku's notes and reveals that they are numbers for a sake recipe.

Screenshot from the eleventh episode of Sparks of Tomorrow where Inako's father confirms that Electric Nishiki was the name Inako's mother gave for a new sake idea which she had hoped to compete with foreign spirits, and this, named after what was then seemed to be a promising new technology to symbolize the future.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The Cobra Man episodes are also back-to-back featuring Rider helping kids distressed by Shocker. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where a boy celebrates the Kamen Rider defeating the kaijin who killed his dog.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where a boy reports seeing a monster to Tachibana.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

I don't think there is any mine now, so Cobra Man's really the first kaijin in this show to blow up, I suppose. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where the Rider finishes Cobra Man with a Rider Throw.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where Cobra Man falls to the sea after receiving the Rider Throw.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 showing an explosion bursting through the sea's surface.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Pretty extreme with the choice of fight location this time.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where the Rider brawls with a Shocker grunt in a tide pool.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This time they hired another guy to say "Wow, that's broken!" in English. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where a foreign ship officer points to a broken through vault while exclaiming, "wow, that's broken!" in English.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Why don't the police do anything about Shocker? It appears this officer at least treat it as just nonsense, or no more than petty thieves, despite almost being executed by them earlier.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where a police investigator is held captive by Shocker to get executed.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where Hongo warns the police investigator that Shocker aims to steal the gold bullion that will be shipped from the harbor.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where the police investigator is skeptical about Hongo's warning because his department was never informed about Shocker.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Logical outcome for getting this kind of attack bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where the Leader instructs the revived Cobra Man to execute the scientist who has revived him because she has outlived her usefulness.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where Cobra Man attacks the scientist who has revived him with a flamethrower attack.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 showing the ashes left of the scientist's body.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Another case that took some while bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where Hongo says, "I knew Shocker was involved in this!"

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Why would Shocker be after your pets? To revive a dead kaijin.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where a suspicious woman places a sign announcing that Ayakoji Biological Research Facility is buying dogs and cats.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where Hongo, Ruriko, and Tachibana discusses the possibility that a boy's dog has been kidnapped by someone to be sold to Ayakoji Biological Research Facility.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 10 where the woman proclaims that they are gathering animal blood to revive Cobra Man.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Despite dying, Cobra Man still becomes the villain for two episodes in a row.

Screenshot from next episode preview for Kamen Rider episode 10 where the narrator informs that Cobra Man will be revived.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Wow, Cobra Man seems to be the first kaijin in this show to blow up after taking a finishing move. But maybe it's because one of the mines he planted on his own earlier? bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where Cobra Man talks about mines he has planted around his Shocker base.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where the Rider delivers a Rider Kick on Cobra Man.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where Cobra Man fell to the ground after getting Rider Kicked.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 showing explosion on the ground where Cobra Man landed.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

The Tachibana-san who doesn't just watch menacingly from behind a wall.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where Hongo thanks Tachibana for coming to his rescue while they brawl with a couple of Shocker grunts.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This is one of the faster ones. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where the Leader instructs Cobra Man to use his powers to acquire all of the world's gold.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 showing news report of attack at the Gold Reserves that, mysteriously did not end with any gold bar taken.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where Hongo suspects Shocker behind the Gold Reserves attack.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

This time, foamization is an effect of Cobra Man's toxic fume. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where the snake head on Cobra Man's hand releases toxic fume from its mouth.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 9 where a grunt sprayed by Cobra Man's toxic fume melts into foam.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Another one for the children distressed by Shocker's plot helped by Kamen Rider list. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Hongo asks a crying girl if she's all right.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Hongo and Ruriko brings the girl's missing dad back to her.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Wasp Woman and her grunts perished in somewhat similar fashion even though the latter was stabbed by the former while the former was Rider Kicked. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Wasp Woman stabs one of her grunts.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where the stabbed grunt melts like ice cream.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where the Rider delivers a Rider Kick on Wasp Woman.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Wasp Woman's body melts like ice cream.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Took them a while, but they got there eventually. bsky.app/profile/halm...

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Hongo discusses with Tachibana the fact that the disappeared people have all bought new glasses at Kagemura Glasses.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Hongo suspects Shocker to use the glasses to control people and make them disappear.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where Hongo rides his bike while thinking that only Shocker would use the glasses to control people and make them disappear on such a broad scale.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

Certainly nobody would suspect Shocker for mind-controlling glasses.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 showing a glasses boutique named Kagemura Glasses.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where the proprietor of Kagemura Glasses tells a customer that they have been getting wonderful reviews despite being a new store.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where a person wearing a pair of glasses from Kagemura Glasses sees a vision of Wasp Woman calling on the wearer to join Shocker.

Screenshot from Kamen Rider episode 8 where a man wearing a pair of glasses from Kagemura Glasses says, "the glasses are calling me!"

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Might even get a working computer this early?

Screenshot from the tenth episode of Sparks of Tomorrow where Mizoe a hidden text on a metal plate inside the 20th Century Catalog describing a device that uses electricity to perform calculations and would work faster the more circuits get stacked.

Screenshot from the tenth episode of Sparks of Tomorrow showing plans for a complex integrated circuits copied from a bullet-struck metal plate into a large sheet of paper. Mizoe comments the electric calculation device will eventually surpass even humans.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 08/09/2026

Boy has far-reaching visions for 1907.

Screenshot from the tenth episode of Sparks of Tomorrow where Kihachi shows off the prototype of his electric aircraft.

Screenshot of a paragraph from English Wikipedia's page on Electric Aircraft which notes that "most crewed electric aircraft today are still only experimental prototypes."

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

He wished he were the boy in Suiyou Kyoudai

Panels from an Indonesian edition of Hanako-kun bonus manga where Yokoo badmouths his older sister, not aware that said sister is nearby and proceeds to give him a beatdown.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Durarara!!'s Ikebukuro has Russian sushi, this school festival has...

Panel from an Indonesian edition of Hanako-kun manga where Mitsuba points at a Russian takoyaki stall at the school festival.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

How many students do they need to cast in the play that they have up to four tornado roles? ww

Panels from an Indonesian edition of Hanako-kun manga where Nene reveals to Hanako that she has been casted in the class play as tornado no. 4 that struck Dorothy's house in the Wizard of Oz.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

I can tell from the silhouette that it's a giant isopod. Mainnya kurang jauh lol

Panels from an Indonesian edition of Hanako-kun manga showing Kou and Mitsuba pulling gachapons of sea creature keychains. One of the keychains is a mystery item shown in the items list as a silhouette of a giant isopod. Kou and Mitsuba pulled the mystery item which turns out to be a giant isopod, to Mitsuba's shock. Mitsuba complained that he didn't see such item included in the items list.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

Akhirnya ada wkwk bsky.app/profile/halm...

Panels from an Indonesian edition of Hanako-kun manga showing a phone screen displaying a chat group of the main human characters. Akane's message has been localized as "No pap, hoax wkwk".

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

A surprising upcoming change is how the JP's Meiji Restoration tech has been reworked so that it also changes almost the entire military unit roster into westernized Meiji units (they still can train ninjas at the Consulate, though lol). Even the flag gets changed.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing the full description of the effects of the Meiji Restoration tech.

Picture comparing Age of Empires III's Japanese civilization's Barracks before and after the Meiji Restoration tech. Yumi Archer has been replaced with Meiji Rifleman, Ashigaru Musketeer has been replaced with Meiji Musketeers, and Samurai has been replaced by Meiji Grenadiers.

Picture comparing Age of Empires III's Japanese civilization's Stable before and after the Meiji Restoration tech. Naginata Rider has been replaced with Meiji Uhlan and Yabusame Archer has been replaced by Meiji Dragoon.

Picture comparing Age of Empires III's Japanese civilization's Shogunate Wonder before and after the Meiji Restoration tech. The building's name has been changed into National Government. The military-units-hitpoints-boosting effect is still in place. But the Daimyo and Shogun units have been replaced with Culverins, Horse Artillery, and Gatling Gun. Fort, Factory, and Imperial Meiji Army techs have been added as well.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Polish Grand Duchy of Warsaw revolt

Screenshot of Age of Empires III DE loading screen from the open beta of The Baltic Powers expansion for a single player skirmish game with 2 AI allies and 3 AI opponents in the map of Lithuania. The player was on the Polish civilization, the allies were the French and Danes, while the opponents were the Russians, British, and Germans.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode showing the Polish town the player had built by a river while a river barge is passing by.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode showing Duchy of Warsaw military units advancing on the British town guarded by some Field Guns.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode zoomed in to Duchy of Warsaw cavalry units attacking British Redcoat units.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

We roleplay the Zaporizhian host?

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode showing the Polish town the player had built that had revolted into the Cossack Hetmanate.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode zoomed in between a couple of buildings where some Danish military units were fighting off Cossack units.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode zoomed to some Cossack units razing a building. Some of the units were horse drawn carts, each with one person controlling the horses, one person shooting with a firearm, and another with a torch in hand cheering.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This photo mode is too much fun

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode showing the German town the player had built that had revolted into German Confederacy, with the buildings featuring modern German flag instead of the flag of the Holy Roman Empire.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode showing a corps of Dutch military units in orange passing through shallow waters into dry land.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta in photo mode zoomed in between a couple of Polish buildings where some Polish pikeman units are fending off an attack by German military units. Some broken Russian artillery pieces are scattered on the ground.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

I also tried to use the photo mode for the first time. I should have used it from the start. Why did I keep forgetting it?

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing the riverside Polish town the player had built with a railway cutting through it.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta with the camera zoomed in to a train passing the Polish town the player had built.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing Polish cavalry charging upon Russian and Swedish units.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

This is a musketeers-and-cannons-era game, and they still found an excuse to put Teutonic Knights into it

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing the German town the player had built that had revolted to Livonia.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing Livonian Knight Brother units charging unto Danish artillery.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing Teutonic Knight units in idle stance.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Screenshots from last month's new DLC open beta. The Danes' main military unit roster is the most vanilla you can get. They get some weird shipments that give them stuff like Hospitaller knights or war elephants, though.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing the Danish town the player had built.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing Order Hospitaller units among regular Danish units.

Screenshot from a game of Age of Empires III DE The Baltic Powers expansion open beta showing a Danish army in combat against a Swedish army.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Becoming a minister by deceiving everyone in the country including the King, 'cos basically nobody else is smarter.

Screenshot from the film depicting the Fox being appointed as minister by the King.

Screenshot from the film depicting the King telling his subjects that he has made peace with the Fox and appoints him as minister because he is more resourceful than everybody else.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

$Screenshot from the film depicting the Fox in a bucket in a well persuading the Wolf to join him. The background appears like light refracted by church windows.$

Screenshot from the film depicting the Wolf emerging from the well with a bubble popping from his snout.

Screenshot from the film depicting the Fox trying to convince the King that he had hidden a treasure for the King. A footage of the fox with a treasure chest is overlaid upon a background footage of cloudy sky.

Screenshot from the film depicting the Bear with a crown above his head. The footage is distorted around the crown and the Bear's temple.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

The expressiveness of the figure and the intricacies of the sets are impressive, indeed www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dCv...

Opening intertitle for the 1937 stop motion animation Tale of the Fox, explaining that the film took 10 years to make.

Screenshot from the film depicting the king lion character sitting on a throne while making a proclamation with his mouth opened wide.

Screenshot from the film depicting the king lion character crushing a dining table with a piece of bone.

Screenshot from the film depicting the Fox operating the levers that controls his castle's defenses.

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Hal @ what's next? @halm91.bsky.social · 31/08/2026

Mikoto trick. Funny for him to name the device like that when there's a girl claiming to be an actual ninja over there.

Screenshot from Sparks of Tomorrow episode 9 where Kihachi introduces a device he calls "Electric Ninja".

Screenshot from Sparks of Tomorrow episode 9 where Kihachi explains that "Electric Ninja" uses electromagnetism to stick to the side of a ship and allows him to climb it.

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