Despite only just realizing his feelings for Aoi, Yodaka already has competition for her heart in the form of a new ninja in Shinobi Undercover chapter 18. Can he overcome the challenge, or is his romance doomed to fail before it even begins?

Following something of an uninspiring start, Shinobi Undercover may have finally discovered its secret sauce in the form of romance. All of this started in the previous arc, where Yodaka was tasked with becoming Aoi’s boyfriend during the camping trip: he literally laughed off the proposition at first, but their ordeal with an enemy ninja ended up bringing them closer by the end. Chapter 17 then left off with the hilarious request from Yodaka to book an appointment at the hospital as his “chest hurt” every time he looked at Aoi, signalling a pretty strong case of the love bug.

Even so, acting on those feelings may prove more difficult than initially expected as the main purpose of Shinobi Undercover chapter 18 is to introduce Makoto Yui: another ninja who was supposed to join the same club as Aoi at school to protect her, only for her to never join one in the first place. As a result, Makoto now has his sights set on becoming Aoi’s boyfriend instead, bringing him into immediate literal conflict with Yodaka. It’s not quite a love triangle, but it’s definitely an interesting dynamic that makes for a fun chapter.

Making a character unlikable is almost as difficult as making them likable in fiction, so it’s no small feat that Shinobi Undercover chapter 18 immediately succeeds in getting you to hate Makoto’s guts. The main way it does this is by characterizing him a complete sleazeball: not only does he call girls names like “flower fairy” and “princess,” he also declares that he already likes Aoi because of her “pretty face.” Compared to the timid but pure Yodaka, the difference is like night and day.

On a narrative level, introducing Makoto is a smart move too. Instead of simply struggling internally with his feelings for Aoi, Yodaka will now have to fight against a literal enemy for his love: this stops the series from becoming bogged down in useless melodrama and helps it stay true to its action comedy premise. At the end of the day, conflict between characters is just so much more interesting than navel-gazing in thought bubbles, so this is pretty encouraging.

Nevertheless, will any of this help Shinobi Undercover avoid an early cancellation? Maybe not, because the first volume sold well enough to get a reprint without any hint of romance in it. It’s very possible that ninjas are just so popular among readers right now that the premise alone will be enough to draw people in, but any improvement in the narrative will surely help the word of mouth to improve over time too. 

Love finds a way… right?

You can read Shinobi Undercover chapter 18 in English for free via VIZ Media’s Shonen Jump.