The only person that can probably beat Kazuma is another contractor
(either Fire, Earth, or Water) but I’m not sure if the novels or manga ever mention anything like that.

however this isn’t entirely that bad, well for me that is. I don’t mind the action however i am not interested to watch the whole episode of ayano and kazuma kicking each other butts when there is more important thing to deal with like Pandemonium, Lapis and the Bravenheart ( which ever way his is spelled)

i support Ayano with Kazuma..becos at least in some way ayano’s character really suits kazuma’s. Yea everyone will probably say “eewww incest” but actually a cousin marrying a cousin is seem to be ok and not really that incest compare to sis and bro type ..

and yea i agree, finally ren gets to show his male dominant…and not being the damsel in distress always getting saved by the big brother. Hmm and actually ayano’s fighting skills seem to improved.. at least there is nothing ripped from her clothes. Compare to the earlier episode her clothes is always ripped and ended up showing of stuff >.>”

Ayano’s portrayal on KnS is more on comedic side to me and also adding a lil bit of lovey dovey scenes as the anime goes..sadly to say its ending..

if there is a second season, best the author goes change ayano from being weak to strong and also more about her discovering how to really be a confidant fire mage and not rely on kazuma everytime there is a big incident

And the MOST IMPORTANT FACT HERE is that KAZUMA AND AYANO ARE RELATED!
NOT JUST CLAN RELATED BUT BY blood as well!!!!!!!!!!!
I mean for crying out loud they’re COUSINS!!! EWwWww Them ending up together is just plain sick and wrong. They’re already familly in the first place.

According to the posts I’ve read, the biggest problem with this episode (for some people anyway) is that Kazuma lost to Ayano. It is illogical, as Dark Kazuma is supposed to be very strong; strong enough to oblierate an entire society.

Now. Personally I have thought of the following reasons that Kazuma lost to Ayano:

1) Kazuma is waken by Ayano’s words, and simply stop fighting.
2) Kazuma lost the will to fight as a result.
3) Ayano has grown stronger, and so isn’t flattened at the very first blow.
4) Kazuma underestimated his opponent, because let’s face it: Ayano has not appeared to be very strong in front of her.
5) And most importantly, IMO; Kazuma did not, at the very beginning, used his full strength in the fight. Because in the end I’m very certain that he does not want to hurt Ayano. Because of that, he subconsciously controlled his strength.
6) On the other hand, Ayano goes full out, because she knows that she couldn’t really kill Kazuma.
7) Dark Kazuma, IMO, is not as strong as Usual Kazuma because Usual Kazuma will do anything to protect someone. Dark Kazuma doesn’t care enough, or is too consume by fury and vengeance to do much else (vengenace is not as strong a motivation as the need to protect, I believe is what the producers are getting at), and so does not have the emotional power to back up the physical power. In a real fight, Dark Kazuma will be as strong as Usual Kazuma. But in an emotionally driven fight like with Ayano, Dark Kazuma will not be fueled by vengeance and anger because he does not feel anger and vengeance for her. So in such a case Usual Kazuma will of course be stronger.

Ayano never expected to hurt Kazuma, you know. When she is saying “I wouldn’t use my full strength”, it’s just a characterization on her usual brash behaviour.

So on the question on who can beat Kazuma. My answer is no one.

1) Genma cannot beat him, because Kazuma does not really have any warm feelings to him, and so will use his full strength. He would also not underestimate him, because he knows very well Genma’s strength.

2) Ren cannot beat him, because much as he doesn’t want to hurt him, Ren does not yet have the physical strength and control to fight him. Not to mention Ren himself would probably not use his full strength either, unlike Ayano who trusts very much in Kazuma’s god-like power. It’s a matter of different character between him and Ayano.

3) Soushu may beat him, or may not beat him, although I’m more inclined towards not able to beat him. Both sides will use their true strength, and although we have yet to see how strong Soushu is, I truly think that Kazuma is stronger than him. However, Soushu has better emotional control, so it may balance out.

4) IMO, Ayano is the one who stands the greatest chance of beating Kazuma, not just because of power, but because of her personality.

I really like ayano. She reminds me of myself. Naive. But anywho I like her kinda bratty, it makes me hate her but like her in another way. It makes up her character and what role she’s playing in the anime. Especially when she gets angry at Katherine Mcdonaled (Omdz Mcdonald’s you know xDDDD) over Kazuma. -Jealousy- That was cute ^_^!

Oh yeah, and people who hates this anime, just shut up!!!!. What’s the point of complaining on here eh? If youu dun like this then watch suiinkk else, simple!! CHARRR~ no need to critisize about it and make a big deal. ¬¬ im not saying don’t make opinions, just dont fuss over it for goddamned sake!!

Yeah basially that’s it ^^.

AND WORST AYANO JUST COMPLETELY DOMINATED THE DARK KAZUMA, WTF KINDA REASONING DID THEY DO ABOUT HER BEING SCARED, IT’S LAME ASS.

DAM YOU AYANO, I HOPE HE JUST FOOLS AROUND WITH YOU AND DUMPED YOU. KNOWING KAZUMA’S CASE, HE WOULD PROBABLY BE BETTER WITH A NORMAL GIRL, WHY NOT JUST TARGET YUKARI? SHE’S PRETTY HOT!

Actually I have come to even dislike Ayano, just like the good reasoning from the comments above, what in the hell kind of explanation did they just pull off about Ayano being afraid of Kazuma? OMG That wasn’t intricate at all, it is plain half-witted. Well I can appreciate the oh so sudden approach, they just made that explanation beyond stupidity.

It also makes me wonder, who else can beat the evil Kazuma? Ren perhaps could probably do it? His father, Genma can probably kill him off quite easily? WTH, the evil Kazuma who stands far more intimidating than the normal one, who in fact made him quite infamous, has just been beaten down to a level, for shame. Their reasoning about him being weak is such a half-backed notion, it’s shameful. Just like others who watched this show, mainly because of Kazuma, since others would just hate it for something like Ayano being a Shana rip-off. I for one, dont care since the male lead is what made me watch this show, and now it’s ruined. Shame on you GONZO.

“And while “dark” Kazuma is still ridiculously strong (he did lay a beatdown on Burnheart’s boss), the whole point is that true strength comes from the desire to protect others - it’s the whole reason Kazuma got his contractor powers in the first place.”

Yeah, I think that was the point of the producers, but somehow I keep on remembering Naruto while saying the “desire to protect”. hehe. Maybe it’s just me. But I don’t find Ayano annoying, and for me she deserves to have Kazuma. If you love someone you deserve to have them.
Anyway, I really love the part where Kazuma said

“Be prepared, I am selfish and I have strong desires” - that was sweet.

And while “dark” Kazuma is still ridiculously strong (he did lay a beatdown on Burnheart’s boss), the whole point is that true strength comes from the desire to protect others - it’s the whole reason Kazuma got his contractor powers in the first place.

@nanaya, that was a cool information (the shinigami Kazuma obliterating the organisation). Now i understand why many are pissed-off with that scene. It just doesn’t make sense. Maybe losing the will is better (and X’s explanation that because he has hurt Ren)

but just my humble-st opinion, sometimes when you transfer material from a novel into a script, it just cannot be helped. Some materials will be lost because books can be very clear as it can apply many writing techniques to deliver the story. But you can’t do that to a script, i think. It is limited. I used to hate LOTR movies because they butchered Faramir’s character, but now i have come to accept the limitations that movies offer (it’s an interpretation anyway) and just stick to the books. And so now i’m interested and really looking forward in reading the KnS novels.

But i dislike it too, because now the anime is the same that the rest, the “good” guys will win, doing “good” things and getting a “good” ending. Well, i really dont have any hope of see a “bad” (or evil) ending, i mean i’m a “evil” guy that only thinks in kill Burnheart, beat the crap out of seeds to get his whereabouts, and when find it:

- I keep waiting to the “bad” guy make his move (not killing in the moment i find).
- I wait till Ayano and Ren come (not rush in the building).
- I wait till Ren talks (if dont mind, why listen?).
- I wait till Ayano talks (if dont mind, why listen?).
- I fight with Ayano (you can fly, remember).

And all this from a guy that only thinks in kill, come on, Burheart must have died 2-3 days before. The Kirika speech of Kazuma wait till the last moment to kill Burnheart is a patetic excuse to justify that the “good” guys can bring back the “good” Kazuma to get the “good” ending.

Ok, another show more to the big group of anime with typical and “good” ending.

I hope some day can see a anime with a BAD lead protagonist, not a “good” bad ass (usually only a bit of bad ass and a lot of asshole).

THE KICK-ASS MALE LEAD KAZUMA, WHO WAS THE ONLY REASON WHY I BOTHERED WATCHING THIS SHOW, HAS JUST WENT DOWN THE DRAIN. I LOVED HOW THIS SHOW KEPT KAZUMA’S SUPERIORITY AND NOW THEY JUST CRASH IT ALL DOWN, JUST AS NANAYA SAID, GONZO WHO IS KNOWN FOR BOTH GOOD AND QUITE HORRIBLE ADAPTATIONS, HAS ONCE AGAIN INFURIATES ME.

>.

Getting way too off-topic, basically I am comparing how terrible the anime producers do to perfectly good shows, I for one am quite disapointed at this show now. Let me make this clear, I dont hate Ayano, but I hate how this show is turning for the worst, and I mean really, come on what the hell was the point of ep.22? It was soo dam boring, they made Ayano look stupid (ok we get it you bigoted producers) and also shows that dam perver whats-his-name, ok whats up with that? We all know too well he’s just a character meant for getting slaughtered.

This episode I expected it to go as the novels went, and well frankly cover the rest, and not focus entirely on Ayano stopping Kazuma, I mean come on, I who read the novels and from discussing with others who do, know that Kazuma lost due to the usual cliche of lacking the will to fight and after getting sucker-punched. Yes, I am glad that Ayano is actually getting better and mature, but I hated the fact that they completely degraded Kazuma’s current evil self (just as one the comments from tryolegend) what was the point of Kazuma being evil self when he was that weak???!

Do you guys know or realize that that evil Kazuma obliterated “The Stars of Sagacity” or “Armagest” Organization”??? That self he was may not have any emotions besides the intent to kill, and he certainly isn’t one to lose quite easily, and to Ayano too, it was really quite disappointing for me. Since does that mean, Ayano herself can take everyone on? The producers just made the evil Kazume who was a legend on itself about the Death Reaper who would kill anyone on his way, makes him just feeble. I myself would been a lot fine with the usual shounen route about losing their will to battle, rather than losing completely.

I know that people justified as above that Kazuma didnt really “lose” since he was fine in the end and that he stopped fighting, but we all know too well that they are implying that evil or dark Kazuma was sooo pathetic that Ayano can actually brag that she wont even use her full power on him since he was soooo dam weak.

So i just dont get this logic, so the dark Kazuma who sliced Vernheart’s boss, Erwin Leszaar, to bits and completely destroyed the organization that was responsible to Rin’s death. An organization btw that even both the Shousho and Genma are quite afraid of, since they are quite a powerful contemporary organization, was no match whatsoever to dark Kazuma who even they labeled as their hated sworn enemy. So by this logic, Ayano who completely dominated dark Kazuma, can by herself take out Pandemonium and all the organization? Well hey, great job GONZO, I had actually thought they did a decent adaptation of KnS, and just like it’s other horrible adaptations, they ruined this show, I am not even expecting anything about the last episode. I wonder how the hell they’ll do it, ah just a regular beat all the enemy after wasting so much building up tension and focus on Kazuma, that his goals and enemies are just left for one episode, that’s GONZO for ya!