The following contains spoilers for Episode 11 of Black Summoner, "Rank S Promotion Exam," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Black Summoner is an isekai title of the Summer 2022 anime season, and while the protagonist is the charmingly OP hero Kelvin, the most compelling characters are Kelvin's friends and teammates, who are more balanced and thus have better character arcs. An example is a girl named Rio Saeki, now going by the nickname Rion.
Rion is a friendly and enthusiastic member of Kelvin's party, and having been reincarnated after dying in the hospital, she is eager to repay Kelvin for bringing her to this fantasy realm. Rion gets her chance to do just that in Episode 11 when she and her allies take on Trycen's invading army in the nation of Gaun, and she makes a good show of it.
Back in Episode 10, viewers met the council of generals who command the Trycen nation's formidable military, and at the time, the generals needed a tiebreaker to decide whether or not to invade the rest of the continent's kingdoms. Based on the powerful Trycen monster army muscling its way into the forested regions of the Gaun kingdom, it's evident that the vote is now 3-2 in favor of war, with the eccentric General Clive voting for war. No single nation can stand up to Trycen's combined monsters and soldiers, and the elf village of Gaun faces its gravest threat of all time. That is when Kelvin and his party of adventurers step in to help.
Kelvin uses his magic to set up the elf village's defenses, but he leaves the fighting to his allies, including Efil the archer half-elf, Sera the demon princess and his goddess friend Melfina, who commands powerful magic. However, Black Summoner fans already know what they are capable of. The highlight of Episode 11's battle is the young lady Rion, who finds herself thrown into the deep end when Melfina tells her to fight the Trycen army's biggest, baddest monster -- a towering giant clad in leather armor. Rion and her pet dog Alex leap into action, Attack on Titan style, and use three swords to fight a foe many times their size. Rion may be small, but she's not helpless. In fact, everyone is in for a big surprise.
Black Summoner fans can take it for granted that Kelvin, Melfina and Sera are all powerhouse fighters who can clobber any foe to save the day, so Episode 11's most exciting battle involves Rion herself, as she faces the steepest odds of all. At first, she and Alex struggle against the giant's thick hide, but then Rion wields two special swords along with Alex's blade, and they tear the giant apart with a devastating electrical sword attack.
This prompts the giant to morph into its fiery true form, only for Rion to strike again and fully defeat it. Until now, Rion's combat prowess was a total unknown; for all Black Summoner fans knew, Rion would be a total underdog with a strong spirit but weak attacks. However, Rion is right on par with Sera and Melfina, much to the Trycen field commander's shock. It's an exciting, amusing and empowering sight to see, with Rion going from a bedridden hospital patient dreaming of fantasy to saving the day as a fairy tale hero made real.
Rion has come a long way in just a few episodes, and it seems her character arc is already almost complete, given her power and newfound confidence. Still, Trycen's war is not yet over, and a Trycen officer arrives -- likely General Clive -- with four bodyguards in tow. Kelvin can sense how overwhelmingly powerful this new threat is, and even Rion might be outclassed this time. Nonetheless, she will give it her best shot and fight to the bitter end to impress Kelvin and repay him for giving her this new lease on life.