The dark fantasy action-adventure ONA “Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-” or “Bastard!! Ankoku no Hakaishin” is based on the Japanese manga series of the same name authored and created by Kazushi Hagiwara. Will Bastard season 2 exist? Let’s investigate!
The protagonist of the tale is Dark Schneider, a formidable evil wizard who was on the verge of enslaving the entire planet. He was finally victorious, though, and his spirit was imprisoned inside Lucien Renlen.
In the ensuing fifteen years, Tia Noto Yoko, the daughter of Head Priest Geo Noto, who was crucial in Dark Schneider’s magical captivity, grew up alongside Lucien. Geo told his daughter that she would have to live her entire life as a virgin maiden in order to kiss Lucien and break the seal because he thought that one day the humans will require Dark Schneider.
To liberate Anthrasax, the most potent of all the demon gods, four former followers of Dark Schneider and their Dark Rebel Army are currently at war with the four kingdoms of humans. Yoko is forced to release Dark Schneider back into the world when the Dark Rebel Army invades her realm while her father and the king are away. After its debut, “Bastard” earned favorable reviews from critics who praised its animation and action scenes. We have all the information you need if you’re wondering if “Bastard” will return for a second season.
Bastard Season 1 Recap
As suggested by the title and the names of the characters, bands, and locales, Hagiwara was inspired by heavy metal. The first episode of the series takes place in the present, when technology is at its most advanced. However, as a force known as the Darkness manifests and starts obliterating the cities, human development abruptly comes to an end. Another being emerges out of the ground and a shaft of light arises out of nowhere. This individual resembles a dragon. In their battle, which largely destroys the planet, the Darkness and the dragon. Millions of people pass away. In the end, the dragon triumphs, and it confines the Darkness in four places beneath the earth.
The narrative then jumps 400 years and picks up with the invasion of the Kingdom of Meta-llicana by the Dark Rebel Army. One of the places where the dragon’s seal on the Darkness is located is there. The Kingdom of Judas, another place, has already fallen, and the seal there has also been broken.
The four Heavenly Kings—Gara, Arshes Nei, Abigail, and Kall-Su—lead the Dark Rebel Army, a group of demi-humans and monsters. Back 15 years ago, during the Golem War, they were all followers of Dark Schneider. They made the decision to try to release the Darkness, who is now known as Anthrasax, the greatest demon god of all, when Prince Lars of Meta-llicana fought Dark Schneider. Lars was said to have passed away. In actuality, he was changed into a young dragon, who later clung to Gara despite the latter’s ignorance of his identity.
The Head Priest Geo Noto Soto imprisoned Dark Schneider’s spirit in Lucien’s body following his defeat. But he understood that they might require Dark Schneider at some point in the future. He therefore instructed his daughter, Tia Noto Yoko, on how to temporarily break the seal using a virgin maiden’s kiss. The Head Priest, King, and Knights are currently away from the realm as the Dark Rebel Army attacks Meta-llicana. When Yoko kisses her childhood friend in a desperate attempt to save her house, Dark Schneider finally escapes from his magical prison after 15 years.
The Dark Rebel Army’s brigade and its commander, Osborn, are easily routed by him. Then he admits that he hasn’t abandoned his initial aspirations to rule the globe. However, because of her relationship with Lucien, Yoko appears to have considerable control over him. Despite being close in age to Yoko, Lucien has a younger-looking physique, heart, and mind. Yoko also learns that by kissing Dark Schneider one more, she may turn him back into Lucien.
Dark Schneider becomes the kingdom’s largely uncaring defender despite having little interest in protecting Meta-llicana. In the end, he and Lucien are two sides of the same coin. And for that reason, he feels practically obligated to defend Yoko. The four Heavenly Kings attempt to make sense of the fact that their previous commander has returned and joined with the adversary.
To lure Dark Schneider to his base, Gara kidnaps Yoko. He ultimately loses, though, and switches allegiances. The three Sorcerer Generals Sean Ari, Kai Harn, and Di-amon are then given the mission of taking down Dark Schneider by Thunder Empress Arshes Nei. He seduces the first two and puts the third under the Accused spell, forcing Di-amon to comply with all of Dark Schneider’s directives. He will be transformed into a toad if he ever decides to revolt.
In the “Wavering” season finale, Dark Schneider battles Arshes Nei. She identifies as both human and dark elf. She was raised by Dark Schneider, who subsequently became her boyfriend. They lived together for a century. But because he built a harem for himself, she started to hate him. The Thunder Empress has only gotten stronger over the past 15 years, and is now likely just as formidable as Dark Schneider himself.
Bastard Season 2 Potential Release Date
Season 1 of “Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy” debuted on Netflix on June 30, 2022. It has 13 episodes, each of which lasts 25 to 26 minutes. This is all we know thus far about season 2.
A total of 24 episodes of the ONA have been created by Studio Liden Films. The first cour of a split-cour anime, which contains the first 13 episodes, was released on June 30. The remaining 12 episodes from the second cour will be made available at a later time.
The two halves of a split cour are generally separated by three months by Japanese broadcasters. Netflix (The Marked Heart Season 2) appears to follow this system significantly. Previously, on March 23, 2018, they made available the first season (episodes 1–12) of the ONA “Sword Gai.” On July 30, 2018, the second season (episodes 13 to 24) was released. The release date of “Bastard” season 2 is probably going to be October 2022 if the streaming behemoth keeps on moving in the same direction.
What Could Be the Plot of Bastard Season 2?
From the names of the characters, bands, and locales to the title itself, both the ONA “Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-” and its source material are rife with heavy metal allusions. Although “Bastard!! -Heavy Metal, Dark Fantasy-” is a manga series that is still active, no new chapters have been released since 2012. However, much of the existing content was omitted from the first season or course. Volume 5, Chapter 40 of the first arc of the story, “The Dark Rebel Armies,” is about where the first season ends.
The conflict between Dark Schneider and Arshes Nei is resolved in the “Wavering” season 1 finale. The potent Helloween spell was cast by both. Arshes is ready to be engulfed by Dark Schneider’s magic when Lucien tells him that she doesn’t want to kill him or perish. Dark Schneider learns as a result that Arshes is the target of an Accused spell cast by Abigail. In the end-credits sequence, he redirects the Helloween spell before cutting his heart out to release Arshes from the Accused spell.
It’s possible that Dark Schneider will return in season 2. Arshes can reunite with him so that the two of them can defeat the Dark Rebel Army together. Anthrasax may be awakened by Abigail and Kall-Su in the meantime, resulting in a titanic conflict between Dark Schneider and the ancient being. Dark Schneider might end up in hell if he loses.
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