Yodaka wrangles with the lazy ninja Hachikuma in Shinobi Undercover chapter 11, laying waste to an entire shopping mall in the process. Amid an uncanny sense of familiarity, the series attempts to put forward a message, but does it succeed?

As the latest example of Weekly Shonen Jump’s recent penchant for pathetic main characters, Shinobi Undercover has always felt a bit like a series with an identity crisis. Like so many other features in the magazine right now, it’s a serious action manga that also tries to be funny on account of its awkward protagonist, but there isn’t much else going for it. At least Ultimate Exorcist Kiyoshi has some unique character designs. This feels perfectly generic.

With this in mind, the fact that Shinobi Undercover chapter 11 actually tries to weave some sort of thematic thread about Yodaka’s purpose as a character immediately caught my attention. This all starts when Hachikuma reflects on his past as the former scion of a ninja clan: his strength caused everyone to believe in him, but he viewed them as nothing but dead weight. He imagines the weak converging around the strong as a thread surrounded by smaller pieces of twine, linking his point of view to his wire-based abilities.

Yodaka, on the other hand, rejects this. As a new convert to the cause of friendship by Aoi, he’s utterly convinced that the bonds between people are the true power, rejecting Hachikuma’s opinion that attachments only weigh you down. The ultimate triumph of Yodaka’s point of view, in turn, is proven by how he defeats Hachikuma: braiding his wires together so that he can pull it and deliver the final smackdown. You couldn’t make it more obvious if you tried.

Although Shinobi Undercover chapter 11 delivers its thesis with all of the delicacy of an elephant walking across a tightrope in a tutu, this does mark the first time that Yodaka has really been given much of an identity as a character beyond a simple punchline. Back when Hibari took the center stage during the fight against Miyake, it was almost embarrassing how much more interesting she was over Yodaka as an adult trying and failing to act like a high schooler. At least Yodaka now has something to believe in, even if it is quite generic.

Whether or not Shinobi Undercover survives for much longer very much depends on its first volume, which goes on sale in January. Positive reception could stave off an early cancellation, but this seems unlikely: there hasn’t been much buzz for this series online, and the creators’ previous series Candy Flurry also ended after just three volumes. The precedent is there, no matter how neatly they try to thread the needle.

You can read Shinobi Undercover chapter 11 for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.