I guess we have out answer about Joker Jake Martinez – doesn’t look like he’s the top boss after all.

Assuming what appeared to happen actually did, Jake was taken out by the crashing helicopter. That’s a neat way to eliminate him without getting cold blood on Barnaby’s hands, but it does make me wonder why Barnaby wasn’t more upset about the situation. After all, the guy he’d spend his whole life trying to find just died without giving him any insight as to why he killed Barnaby’s parents. If I were in his boots, I’d be pretty pissed off.

Kudos to those sharp-eared viewers who caught the fact that Jake called Tiger “Kotetsu” last week, as it turned out to be the key to figuring out his second power. What’s interesting about that is that it does appear that Jake actually had two powers – which seems to be a first as far as our heroes are concerned. Kotetsu is always underrated for his smarts, and it was he that figured out the connection. If the name clue wasn’t enough, his kick landed because he was unconscious, with no mind to read.

Kotetsu used his hundred power to heal himself so he could go to Barnaby’s aid, which is pretty GAR and a neat application of said power. Except it appears that it largely a cosmetic surgery, with his internal injuries still there. He’s a tough old dog, our Tiger, and while he seems to have the respect of his fellows he still can’t manage to land any credit with the public. Alas, it’s Bunny who hogs all the limelight again for taking the kill, and apparently it never occurred to him to tell the adoring press that Tiger was the real hero of the day. For a change, even Tiger had the temerity to be ticked off, but the only other person who got any credit (thanks to Legend Mr. Maverick’s keen political sense) was the useless Mayor.

Still, fujoshi everywhere will delight in the fact that Barnaby finally acknowledged Kotetsu himself. Not only did he smile at him, but even called him by his name. Not to mention trusting him about the sonic device. Ironic that the day was saved by Bunny finally trusting Tiger when Tiger was actually lying – but then, it was a pretty clever plan at that. The highlight of the episode for me was probably the brief exchange between Fire Emblem, Blue Rose and Dragon Kid, especially the latter’s “I’m sorry – is it because I’m a tomboy?” F.E.’s predictable response and Blue Rose’s obvious urge to crack their heads together like Moe Howard revealed a lot about all three characters.

What now? That’s the big question, of course. With Jake dead, does Yuri Petrov i.e. Lunatic re-emerge as the big villain? Even more to the point, does the whole story of Barnaby’s parents simply go away because their killer is dead? That would be pretty dissatisfying, and I can’t imagine it will go that route without even explaining why they were killed, so I think it’s a good bet that Ouroboros will continue to serve as the main plot driver and the Brooks’ death will be tied up with that. For now, though, it looks as if we may return to the “Hero Slice-of-Life” mode this show does so well for at least a week, with some possible Tiger/Blue Rose development next week.