Episode 7: Barnaby tells Kotetsu and Nathan about the Ouroboros syndicate who killed his parents, frustrated that he has lost another lead. Nathan theorizes that the mysterious flame-wielding NEXT is killing members of Ouroboros to keep them quiet. With Barnaby not answering his calls, Kotetsu is temporarily paired up with Karina to stop a hostage situation. Afterward, the heroes are asked to head into a crime syndicate's hideout at a church, but just as they are about to make their move, the mysterious NEXT attacks the hideout. As the other heroes unsuccessfully try to save as many criminals as they can, Barnaby pursues the NEXT, who identifies himself as "Lunatic", preaching his own type of justice.
Episode 8: As Lunatic continues to kill criminals, the public start to question the need for heroes. A public relations campaign is launched, with Kotetsu and Barnaby visiting Hero Academy alongside Ivan "Origami Cyclone" Karelin, who has a lot of self-doubt about his worth as a hero. Ivan's closest friend and classmate, Edward, was the best student of Hero Academy, until he accidentally shot a hostage he was trying to save and was imprisoned on murder charges. Edward escapes from prison and attacks Ivan, blaming him for hesitating to back him up during the incident, but Kotetsu rescues Ivan and encourages him to stop Edward. Ivan confronts Edward, who is attacked by Lunatic, whose targets are that of murders, not members of Ouroboros. Kotetsu and Barnaby soon arrive on the scene to fight Lunatic. Kotetsu, although injured in the attack, manages to break part of Lunatic's mask, forcing him to flee. After Edward is put back into police custody, Ivan vows to move out of the background, whilst Barnaby wonders why Kotetsu does so much for him. At the end of the episode, it is revealed that Lunatic is Yuri Petrov, Stern Bild's judge.
Episode 9: The heroes are tasked to keep guard on the mayor's baby, a NEXT with strong telekinectic powers who soon becomes attached to Huang "Dragon Kid" Pao-Lin. Pao-Lin and the baby stay for the night at Barnaby's house, where Barnaby shares with Kotetsu his findings regarding Ouroboros, the criminal organization involved with his parents' death. The next day, the duo find that Pao-Lin and the child were kidnapped by a trio of NEXT criminal sisters, each with a smell based ability, who demand a one million ransom. With the baby's help, Pao-Lin manages to subdue the criminals, but the sight of Kotetsu holding one of the sisters' stun guns makes Barnaby remember the face of the man who killed his parents and he leaves the scene in a rush.
Episode 10: Kotetsu is put on paid vacation and decides to go home to visit his family, purchasing a strange plushie known as a Mad Bear along the way. Meanwhile, Barnaby appears to have found the criminal responsible for his parents' murder, Jake Martinez. On his way home, Kotetsu encounters a terrorist bombing on a bridge, deciding to handle it alone so that Barnaby can investigate Jake. He soon finds the attackers are a group of mechs being piloted by living Mad Bears, with more bombings happening around the city. With the heroes overwhelmed, Barnaby decides to postpone his prison visit to assist Kotetsu. Just then, the culprits reveal themselves to be Ouroboros, placing the entire island city hostage and demanding the release of Jake in exchange.
Episode 11: The higher ups discuss how to respond to Ouroboros' demands, while Barnaby is frustrated about losing his only lead yet again. As Ouroboros start to attack the columns supporting Stern Bild, Kotetsu and Barnaby go to see the mayor to convince him to prioritize the public's safety. When they are confronted by Hans Chuckman, a member of Ouroboros, the mayor agrees to release Jake, with Ivan transforming into Chuckman and taking his place to infiltrate Ouroboros. However, Jake refuses to release the hostages, instead choosing to keep them in his palm. In order to regain the public's trust, Hero TV's president, Albert Maverick, asks Barnaby to reveal his past to the public. Meanwhile, Ivan arrives at Jake's hideout, but is uncovered by Jake.
Episode 12: Barnaby attempts to confront Jake, but he manages to escape when Kotetsu charges in, causing Barnaby to lose trust in him. Ivan, who had been forced to act as a decoy in the form of Chuckman, is recovered and sent to the hospital. Jake challenges the heroes in a series of one-on-one fights, promising to surrender if he loses, but blow up the city's support columns if he wins. The first two heroes, Keith "Sky High" Goodman and Antonio "Rock Bison" Lopez, are easily defeated by Jake's ability to produce barriers. As Ivan reveals to the higher ups that Kriem, another member of Ouroboros, is controlling the Mad Bears piloting the mechs, Kotetsu fights a one-sided battle against Jake and ends up seriously injured. Agnes manages to delay the next match until morning to give the higher ups time to set up a jamming signal for the mechs. As Barnaby prepares for his match, Jake announces he will destroy half the city if Barnaby loses.
Rating: 9/10 (Average)
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