The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of Trapped in a Dating Sim, "Mind If I Go Easy on You?", now streaming on Crunchyroll.

Trapped in a Dating Sim stars the isekai hero Leon Bartfort, who found himself in a bizarre game world that blends the otome genre with giant robots. Episode 4 sees these two categories collide in messy ways as Leon takes on the scheming Marie's five champions in giant mech battles in the arena, and it's anything but a fair fight.

Amusingly, Leon doesn't actually break the official rules -- even when he uses a powerful Lost Item mech loaded with unexpected weapons -- yet the crowd despises him. His enemies actually do cheat in an attempt to foil him, which should set the tone for future Trapped in a Dating Sim episodes. Leon may soon have to fight dirty to keep up.

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Leon in cockpit 2

Leon faces formidable odds after appointing himself as Angelica's champion. He intends to take down Marie's own five champions, then confront the petite schemer herself. Leon can already tell that Marie is not the same innocent young lady from the original game and rightly has his guard up. That pays off well in Episode 4, when he must fight an unfair battle as Angelica's champion.

In the arena, Leon uses his Lost Item's unexpected power to vanquish his foes, despite them piloting quicker and more modern machines. He faces accusations of cheating or fighting dirty, but it's Jilk and Marie who are using underhanded tactics. At one point, prince Julius' good friend Jilk asks Leon's in-game sister Jenna to plant explosives on Leon's mech between matches, but fortunately this ploy fizzles out and Leon defeats Jilk anyway.

In addition, Jilk threatens Leon's entire family as retaliation for the latter's shameful opposition to prince Julius, but Leon won't tolerate such vile threats. He even has his robot friend Luxion record Jilk's voice to gain evidence of foul tactics, which further proves Leon is already prepared for, and expecting, unfair schemes to be used against him. Leon has no illusions about anyone -- even his sister -- plotting against him with underhanded tactics, and most of it can be traced right back to Marie herself.

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Trapped in a Dating Sim Leon vs Julius mechs

Episode 4 ends on a cliffhanger as prince Julius himself finally confronts Leon in the battle arena, with both mechs ready to rumble. It's not yet clear if Julius will fight fairly or use underhanded tactics -- given his personality and Episode 4's events, it seems equally likely that he could cheat or fight fair.

On one hand, Julius has a reputation to uphold as a noble and honorable young man, and he has spoken politely to everyone so far in Trapped in a Dating Sim. On the other hand, he might get desperate in the face of Leon's unexpected power, and decide that the shame of cheating is nothing compared to that of losing to Leon in their mech duel. Leon can't afford to lower his guard just yet.

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Whatever happens there, Episode 4's events also promise more dirty fighting and nasty rumors in the future. Already, Trapped in a Dating Sim shows how quickly its otome game's plot is unraveling as both Leon and Marie, as isekai heroes, make a mess of things. Otome games portray idealized romance with a happy ending but when they come to life, the plot becomes a total jungle -- and that includes antics in the combat arena as well as vicious gossip circles and bullying.

Leon isn't endearing himself to anyone with his powerful Lost Item in Episode 4; his humiliation of Marie's team and defiance of prince Julius will likely make things worse for him. In fact, in light of these events, Leon should watch his back especially if he defeats Julius and can expect more dirty tactics to be used against him. Even if he can win in mech combat, Leon probably won't win in the long run.