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Episode 9 “Death On Two Legs” Details

• Available On: Adult Swim
• Public Release Date: June 1, 2025
• Director(s): Sayaka Morikawa
• Writer(s): Sai Sato

Episode 9 “Death On Two Legs” Recap (With Spoilers)

Distractions: Hersch, Leland, Schneider, Abel, Captain Hayes

With the rescue of Chris causing friction, Abel and Hersch find themselves under questioning, with it seeming Abel’s rival, named Schneider, and an acquaintance named Captain Hayes, are potentially adversaries. Though what doesn’t initially help is Leland being brought in as a witness, but as revealed later on, Leland’s father is a close friend of Abel, so what initially appeared to be a betrayal was actually anything but.

Also, with a new video released, Lazarus goes from on the defense to a necessary program under the NSA, which will only be allowed to authorize for the remaining days until the first people die from Hapna.

Dr. Skinner’s Warning: Dr. Skinner

Now, what was on that video? Just Dr. Skinner reminding people he existed, no one has found him yet, and as one of the first people to take Hapna, he’ll be one of the first to die, and apparently he will take the antidote with him. So, in his mind, instead of worrying about war and pursuing other conflicts, people should be making more of an effort to find him.

Note, he leaves no clues on how to do so.

A Taste Of What’s To Come: Captain Hayes, Schneider, HQ, Soryu

With Schneider having a bug in his bum regarding Abel and Lazarus, he, alongside Captain Hayes, meet with a man named HQ who is the agent of Soryu. From what it appears, to stick it to Abel, they plan to have Axel either killed or captured and Soryu is the answer to their problem. The only issue is he costs $30 million and Captain Hayes finds that to be a lot for one person.

However, a test is provided and after Soryu kills at least 12 soldiers with ease, the money is paid and Axel’s life becomes more threatened by Soryu than Hapna.

New Cast and Characters

HQ (Koki Uchiyama)

• Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
• Character Summary: The enigmatic agent of Soryu is presented as someone with a dry, even dark, maybe, humor, and who doesn’t know Soryu personally, yet handles his affairs.

Soryu (Unknown)

• Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
• Character Summary: Speaking exclusively Chinese, and the show not offering translations for such, the only thing you learn about Soryu is that he is a top-tier assassin, with a love for a material that is like piano wire, alongside using a blade as he gets up close and personal. However, this isn’t to say he isn’t apt for other types of weaponry if the situation call for it.

Schneider (Kensho Uno)

• Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
• Character Summary: A potential rival of Abel’s, who works under INSCOM (Intelligence and Security Command), and seemingly has something against the work and existence of Lazarus to the point of actively being more focused on sabotaging it than saving his, and countless other lives, as Dr. Skinner’s countdown continues.

Captain Hayes (Kenji Hamada)

• Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
• Character Summary: A potential frenemy of Abel, knowing him since Abel’s Green Beret days, Captain Hayes is a career military man who potentially is the type to smile in your face and stab you in the back.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Soryu Eclipsed Everything We’ve Seen Thus Far [89/100]

While Chris presented an interesting story, and Leland is next to have his background explored, largely, Lazarus has been uneventful and certainly nowhere near worthy of the acclaim and legacy of Cowboy Bebop. At this point, Lazarus will mainly be remembered since Toonami will likely repeat it over and over again as opposed to this premiering on Crunchyroll, Netflix or HiDive where, after the season got fully released, I could guarantee you that unless someone was looking up a person involved, this would just be another show in the abyss of content.

However, Soryu, with what he did to those soldiers, and the mystery behind him since he doesn’t speak of word of English, paired with HQ and the mystery he presents? I’m re-engaged. I’m invested. This Dr. Skinner stuff, I can forgive and forget, since it seems the show barely cares at this point. But Soryu? Honestly, it feels like this show should have been built on either taking him down or following his work, with HQ walking around, seemingly with the shroud of God on him, for how he avoided that mass shooter incident at the beginning of the episode was wild.

On The Fence

Some Sense Of Ramifications For What’s Happened Thus Far [73/100]

Lazarus, for a program under the NSA, is very flashy, and having that addressed seemed appropriate. Now, you could submit that this team being given grace when surely there is a much larger amount of resources put into other teams may not make sense. However, has Lazarus ever made sense as a team? Someone good at parkour and escaping prisons, with some weapons training and fighting abilities, paired with a failed STEM student who can operate a good number of vehicles and can fight and shoot if needed.

We’ve gone through this before and the more we learn about characters, about the assumed oversight of Lazarus, the less it makes sense and as much as Abel may have some form of respect or connections, it is undermined considering the team he has is a bunch of misfits who, outside of Eleina, have never been touted as some of or one of the best, but simply who could be captured or was given to the team.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [81/100]

This episode of Lazarus marks a turning point, largely due to the introduction of Soryu, who finally brings a level of intrigue and intensity the series had been lacking. Until now, the show has struggled to justify its existence beyond its creator’s name and the assumption that this would be his next big thing, especially for Toonami. However, Soryu’s brutal efficiency, his silence, and his association with the enigmatic HQ breathe new life into the narrative.

But despite this improvement, structural issues persist. There remains long-standing confusion around the legitimacy and cohesion of the Lazarus team itself. Characters seem mismatched for their high-stakes roles, and the logic behind their assembly continues to fall apart under scrutiny. Still, Soryu’s impact is strong enough to temporarily overshadow these flaws, restoring some viewer engagement and raising hope that the show may have finally found its spark.

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