EPISODE CONTEXT

Sitting at the exact midpoint of the twelve-episode season, this episode pivots from the external supernatural threats explored in Episode 4 ('Those Who Come From the Darkness') to internal fractures within the Shinsengumi's own leadership structure. Itou Kashitarou's introduction and Sannan's deepening research both plant seeds for the loyalty crises and power struggles that will dominate the back half of the season. This is the hinge episode—everything before it established the world and the threats; everything after will test whether the corps can survive its own contradictions.