Zenshu episode 9: The true ending of A Tale of Perishing is revealed as QJ makes a heroic sacrifice

Zenshu episode 9, Hero, was released on Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 11:45 pm JST. This was undeniably the anime's darkest episode yet, as it not only revealed the dark ending of the original A Tale of Perishing movie but also featured the shocking sacrifice of one of the core members of the Nine Soldiers - QJ.

The first half of Zenshu episode 9 focused entirely on the grim reality of the world of A Tale of Perishing and how bleak and hopeless everything seemed before Natsuko Hirose came along.

As for the latter half of Zenshu episode 9, it not only saw Natsuko revealing the depressing ending of the original movie, but it also threw the viewers off-guard with QJ's unexpected demise, especially since he was stated to have lived till the end of the original story.

Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in the article are solely those of the author, not Sportskeeda as a whole.

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Zenshu episode 9 sees a surprising twist in fate of one of the series' most beloved characters

Zenshu episode 9: Brief recap

Luke, as seen in Zenshu episode 9 (image via MAPPA)

Zenshu episode 9 began with Luke Braveheart recollecting his life in the Last Town before Natsuko's reincarnation. It all happened according to the original story of A Tale of Perishing - the Nine Soldiers banded under Luke's leadership to protect the Soul Futures. However, as time went on, the Nine Soldiers fell in battle one after the other.

Soon, the Nine Soldiers were reduced to only four, causing Luke to fall into depression. He started questioning what he was even fighting for anymore. However, Natsuko Hirose's sudden arrival in this world changed everything.

Her eccentric yet captivating nature and otherworldly powers changed the tide of the Nine Soldiers' battle against the Voids and gave Luke a renewed purpose for living.

As a result, Luke eventually fell in love with Natsuko. However, he struggled with his feelings for a long time, especially since he was still a stranger to the concept of love. After a brief talk with his old friend Justice, Luke gathered the courage to propose to Natsuko - and the rest is history.

As for Natsuko, she seemed to be visibly struggling with something as well. QJ noticed this and followed her to see if she was okay. When he offered to help with whatever was troubling her, Natsuko decided to confide in him the original events of A Tale of Perishing.

Natsuko claimed that in the original movie, Luke eventually became disillusioned with reality after witnessing his friends and loved ones dying one after the other. After succumbing to the dark side, Luke went on to destroy the last Soul Future, assumed the role of the Great Void himself, and laid waste to the very world he once protected with his own hands.

What troubled Natsuko the most however, was the fact that although she managed to bring about a lot of positive changes to the world of A Tale of Perishing with her powers, the creator of the original movie warned her that the true ending and Luke's eventual demise were already set in stone.

QJ was shocked to hear all this. Nevertheless, he tried to reassure Natsuko by saying that she was the only one capable of changing the terrible fate of their world and that he believed in her. He was also shocked to hear that in the original movie, he was the only member of the Nine Soldiers that survived till the end - that is, until the whole world got destroyed.

Natsuko, as seen in Zenshu episode 9 (image via MAPPA)

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a nearby Void response. When Natsuko and her group rushed to the scene, they were stunned to see another gigantic Void battleship heading towards the Last Town. What was even more shocking, was the fact that the Voids had somehow managed to clone a couple of Natsuko's creations, which proved to be overwhelming even for Luke.

As Luke and Unio struggled to fend them off, Memmeln tried to keep the battleship from laying waste to the entire town. As for QJ, he tried defending Natsuko until she finished drawing with her animator powers. Unfortunately, Natsuko was at a complete loss - she couldn't think of anything to draw in time, resulting in a Void attack decimating her drawing table.

Seeing how badly his allies were injured and the dire situation they were in, QJ made a decisive choice. He entrusted Natsuko with making sure that they got a happy ending, and flew right towards the giant battleship. Although he suffered grave injuries in doing so, QJ managed to take out the whole battleship with one final attack.

It was truly a shocking moment - as the lone survivor of the original story ended up with such a tragic twist in fate. Seeing QJ sacrifice himself tore Natsuko from the inside, as she started to blame herself for all this - similar to how Luke gave in to despair in the original story of A Tale of Perishing. With this, Zenshu episode 9 came to an end.

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Concluding Thoughts

Zenshu episode 9 was undoubtedly one of the series' most depressing episodes yet. It not only revealed that Luke, the legendary hero, was destined to become the Great Void in the end, but it also shockingly reversed the fate of QJ - who was the only one from the Nine Soldiers who was supposed to make it to the end.

This proved that while the movie's ending may be set in stone, there's a high possibility that Natsuko could prevent it from happening - though at a great cost.

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