Boy, what a ride it was! Choujin X chapter 32.1 truly surpassed any expectations that I might have had of it. And I couldn’t have been more wrong with my predictions of what would happen.
The previous chapter ended with Ely absorbing Chandra, and I thought the focus might finally shift to Azuma’s face off with the Mandala body choujin, Yubiko. However, that battle’s conclusion seemed to have happened off-page, because whatever happened in this chapter was something way better.
Ishida just upped the ante in Choujin X chapter 32.1, as the Noh Mask got his hands on all three newly inducted choujins, namely Ely, Azuma and Tokio.
Noh Mask, the stealer:
If it is choujin abilities that Noh Mask usually stole, it is choujins themselves that he carried off this time.
The start of Choujin X chapter 32.1 suggests that absorbing Hume was not something that Ely wanted to do. She just happened to activate her abilities. And as I mentioned in my previous chapter review, she is not particularly happy with its outcome.
Ely is too vexed to even wipe her bum with her hand, on the off chance Hume existed inside her now. No way she would let Hume, even if he is in a meta state, to feel her bum.
There are still a lot of unanswered questions regarding her ability, but there is too little to speculate at this moment. The best prediction now would be that Hume will turn out to be the Kurama to Ely’s Naruto. But that equation would go off balance once Ely absorbs someone else.
Well, we don’t even know if Ely can absorb multiple people, nor does Noh Mask.
If Noh Mask’s appearance wasn’t surprising enough, his unusual reaction at Ely’s ability certainly was.
His instincts screamed to steal her ability, but he begged to differ. The reason? He was scared that a fate similar to Chandra’s awaited him. And he certainly did not want to risk gambling on that.
Instead, Noh Mask decides to steal her, along with a thoroughly defeated Azuma, who was delivered to him by Yubiko. He just tears up his arm and sucks them in. Weird kinda ability if you ask me. Scary too considering warp-gate is added to his ever increasing arsenal!
And Tokio? Noh Mask did not have to take any particular efforts to steal the beast. All he had to do was beckon him, and use his two friends as bait.
Noh Mask’s reaction suggests that Ely would be an unpredictable force in the future. An X to be precise. And if that is the case, we have three candidates now, who can probably fit the title of Choujin X.
I am hoping that Ishida gives us some crumbs from the fight between Azuma and Yubiko. We know for sure that he went berserk. What did Yubiko see in him to make her feel that he had lots of potential. But she also claims that Azuma’s ability is nothing special, which is even more surprising. Allow me to tell you why.
Noh Mask slipped in a crucial detail, albeit in a very casual way in Choujin X chapter 32.1. He mentions that both Azuma and Tokio have the same blood, suggesting that the serum which made them choujins probably originated from the same person.
There’s multiple interpretations we can make based on this line.
One, it establishes that abilities of the awakened choujin are independent of the abilities of the choujin, who’s blood Noh Mask may have used, suggesting that he only farms for the supercells.
I guess this is the most probable outcome because it has been stated in the past that a person’s ability is intrinsic to their personality and a reflection of who they are, unless it is inherited, as seen in Momoma’s case.
Or, it could point to Mother possessing multiple choujin abilities, being a stealer herself, since Noh Mask’s faction is working for her too, there is a high chance that it was her blood he used to make those syringes, in search of the beast of salvation. You can read more about mother and her identity in the article linked below!
Read More: Who is Mother in Choujin X? Uncovering Identities!
I am just scratching the surface with these assumptions here and there are a lot more underlying elements at play here.
But, that’s a discussion for another time. Let’s shift our attention to the next major part of the chapter, and that is Sato’s appearance.
What’s the deal with Sato?
First things first, Sato’s ability is off the charts. Ok wait, I don’t know if it was Sato’s ability in particular or Ishida’s art that blew me away. Considering the fact that his ability is tied in with the projection of imagery, I guess both played a part.
But, we sure got a glimpse of why he is the second in command at Yamato Mori. Since we are talking about it, any guesses on who this following imagery could allude to? Tokio at full power?
Sato’s return saved Shadowl, Momoma and Roja from a tight spot. Despite that, there is something about his sudden appearance that seems off. He claims to have come back for a book, which he accidentally forgot on the island. But then, his demeanor suggests that there is more to it than just a book.
He seemed pretty unperturbed by whatever had happened on the island, even the appearance of the Noh Mask. He even came up with a plan apparently to retrieve the three kids, almost as if he had anticipated the whole thing. And if he did, it didn’t make sense for him to leave the island in the first place.
This would only mean one thing, that he is somehow allied with the enemies. Not that we know who the true enemies are, but for now let us term Noh Mask’s faction to be the enemy.
However, his demeanor could also point at Sato being someone who has a lot of experience and knows exactly how to deal with a situation.
He did mention in chapter 17 that he exposed himself to all sorts of imagery to hone his ability. Is it possible that he also thought up various scenarios that could ensue in a particular event? Not something that I would rule out entirely. Even so, his sudden appearance is suspicious
It seems that Sato, along with Shadowl and Roja, is headed to where Noh Mask currently is. He probably understood the severity of the situation and wanted to waste no more time.
They might convene with Sandek before actually going to rescue, but let’s wait and see how it plays out. Might be that I am entirely wrong with this assumption of mine.
Momoma was tasked with healing an injured Simon Kagomura.
It really was hard to see Simon tear up over not being able to save ‘him’, which I guess is referring to Azuma. He had promised Tokio to keep Azuma safe (chapter 29), but he couldn’t do that and this is killing him from the inside.
Another small thing I noted was the mention of Turbo raiser. If it is what I think it is, there exists an artificial way to raise choujins. I wonder if we’ll get to see more of it in the future chapters of Choujin X.
In the end, we finally get a panel of where Tokio is. It’s hard to figure out his location. He’s most probably in the Omega tower, guessing from the name of the chapter. However, allow me to divert your attention to something else. Or to be more precise, keep reading as I dissect that last panel a little bit.
The final panel:
Ok. The last panel of Choujin X chapter 32.1 is very intriguing, once again for its imagery. Tokio is seen under an archway. And….there’s a decapitated head crowning it off?
Ishida’s unconventional art makes it hard to figure out what it is. Could very well be just a lantern, but to me, it seemed like a head. Well, I’ll go out on a limb and say for sure that it’s a head!!
Why? Take a closer look at the archway, or at its legs. Yeah right. LEGS! Those are legs right next to the pillar. And they sport the same stitches that the Noh Mask had on his hands. Safe to assume that Tokio and the other two are in his domain.
The more I think about this, the less I believe that they are in the Omega Tower.
Now, the question is. Whose head is that?
The first guess would be Sora Siruha. You know, matching hair color and all that. But, the more you look at it, the less it seems like Sora. So, here’s my second guess. Queen Nue!
I am not just spouting names just for the sake of it. Allow me to explain.
The head on the archway has a halo like thingy, a black ring of sorts. The closest match I could find to this was from the choujin Queen Nue, who was mentioned in the volume 1 extras. Check out the image below!!
But Queen Nue is someone who lived in the ancient historic Yamato. How did that head end up there? Do you have any guesses on who that could be? Let me know in the comments below!!
All of this is only possible of course if we assume that it indeed is a head on top of the archway. But there is a high chance that Ishida might pull the rug out from under our feet!!
All in all, Choujin X chapter 32.1 is simply amazing, and I am looking forward to what happens in the next chapters.
This is without a doubt a make or break stage in the plot of Choujin X. Taking out a major character like Chandra, and then the main trio getting captured by the Noh Mask, the gears are turning quickly now.
Let’s hope Ishida has some great content planned ahead for us!! What are your thoughts on the chapter? Let’s discuss all we want, till a new chapter drops!!