The battle on the oil rig enters a new phase in Astro Royale chapter 27 as Hibaru and friends face off against Himuro and his allies in pitched individual battles. Kuran, in particular, puts in a good showing against the former pro wrestler Harumi, but is it enough to save this series from mediocrity?

It’s probably worth being up front with the fact that I don’t really like Astro Royale. While I was a fan of Tokyo Revengers for its interesting premise and almost single-handedly staging a revival of the delinquent sub-genre, Ken Wakui’s latest series feels very generic and comes across as a blatant attempt to make the surface level elements of his last story work in the battle manga-dominated environment of Weekly Shonen Jump. Even so, that’s exactly why I wanted to spotlight Astro Royale chapter 27: it’s a surprisingly good installment in this otherwise uninspiring series.

One of the reasons why is the abilities on show. When Yotsuragi uses his Astro known as Cheshire Cat, he can transform into a variety of animals and sea creatures, allowing him to evade Harumi’s attacks in numerous exciting ways. Harumi, meanwhile, uses wrestling moves such as throws and holds alongside his Astro Poseidon, which gives him control over water. The result is a clash that manages to balance both close quarters combat and zany abilities with surprising ease, even if Harumi’s water powers don’t prove as powerful as Cheshire Cat in the end.

Another reason why Astro Royale chapter 27 proves surprisingly effective is because of its characters. Up until now, pretty much all of the cast has been either yakuza or related to the yakuza in some way, but Harumi is nothing of the sort: he’s a former pro wrestler who Yotsuragi instantly recognizes and can’t help but ask for an autograph. The resolution of the fight is also neatly tied back to Harumi’s past as Yotsuragi disparages him for walking away from the ring before delivering the final blow. Taken out of context, it’s pretty good.

The only problem is that the clash in Astro Royale chapter 27 is but one part of a series of battles. Now that Yotsuragi has defeated Harumi, the series is going to go right back to less interesting abilities and characters, including the protagonist himself. Even though volume two sold over 25,000 copies according to Shoseki estimations, it honestly feels like this current arc could end up being the last one as no bigger threats than Himuro appear set to emerge.

It may be best to savor this series while we can, for what it’s worth.

You can read Astro Royale chapter 27 for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.