Sakamoto Days Episode 6: Sakamoto Adopts Another 'Baby' Assassin

One of the coolest assassins ever, Taro Sakamoto, just adopted another 'baby' assassin in his strange family. Episode 6 titled 'Heisuke Mashimo,' sees a young man trying to survive everyday life, trying to 'kill' Sakamoto for the bounty. Of course, Sakamoto's aloofness but also warmth really showcases the charm of Sakamoto Days, proving why it is currently one of the most popular shōnen series today.

Meet Heisuke Mashimo

In the previous episode, we learned who JAA and the Order are and that more and more enemies are trying to eliminate Sakamoto for the huge bounty he has on his head. Of course, this means that Sakamoto's grocery store is being attacked every single day by numerous assassins, who want that money. However, they are too weak to even touch the aloof man but after their failed assassination attempts, they always leave chaos behind them.

Sakamoto, Shin, and Lu decide to join a local paintball tournament to win the prize money so they can repair and even upgrade the store. On the other side of the town, a young man with his loyal parrot is living on the roof of a building trying to survive - his name is Heisuke Mashimo, while his loyal companion is called Piisuke. They are trying to earn some money for food, and Heisuke sees his opportunity when he learns about the bounty on Sakamoto's head. The young man actually arrives at Sakamoto's store, and showcases that he is not very bright - he cannot recognize Sakamoto at all. However, seeing he is hungry and desperate, Sakamoto gives him food for the day so he can eat something, which makes Heisuke very happy.

More about the topic of Sakamoto Days at Game Rant.

Paintball Tournament Brings Out the Chaos

After meeting Heisuke, Sakamoto, Shin, and Lu go to the local paintball tournament to apply so they can win that prize money, and on the way they meet Heisuke, who is all alone and cannot enter the competition by himself. Sakamoto immediately takes him under his belt and lets him join his team, especially after Lu refuses to participate in that 'barbaric' game.

Heisuke immediately wants a long-ranged weapon to help the team, and immediately showcases his 'bullseye' skills - he immediately headshots three opponents. Shin and Sakamoto are impressed but things get worse when Lu, who has been drinking all the time, slips out Sakamoto's full name. After the initial denial, Heisuke still learns that Taro Sakamoto is in front of him and starts to attack the duo; not without getting his hands on a real sniper. Heisuke acquires a sniper from his loyal companion Piisuke and shoots at Sakamoto, who barely dodges the bullet, even getting injured, and silently muses about Heisuke's great skill. The hunt begins.

Heisuke Is a Sniper Prodigy

Sakamoto and Shin are on the run and they can barely escape Heisuke's shots which are very unique due to his bullets being 'swirly', making it possible for them to ricochet from any hard surface. Although Sakamoto is impressed, Shin is terrified and tries to think of a way to stop the guy. While they are trying to figure out their plan, we learn Heisuke's backstory, which is filled with him trying to become a freelance assassin, and majorly failing in every single category. Although his sniper skills were elite, other assassins mocked Heisuke and he eventually lost his job at Agency. The same day he learned that there was a huge bounty on Sakamoto's head and decided to prove himself and earn some money. 

The hunt continues, but Shin manages to hear Heisuke's internal thoughts and tells him that he shouldn't care what others think and always try to help and prove to himself what he can do. This leads to Heisuke being distracted, which poses a great opportunity for Sakamoto to showcase his skills and simply disengage the younger man with a simple pebble. In the end, Sakamoto's team wins the paintball tournament, including Heisuke who is feeling devastated - he is simply a failure. Sakamoto encourages him saying he is the most impressive sniper he ever encountered and Shin gives him his share of the prize money - only 50 yen due to Heisuke destroying half of the neighborhood. 

Conclusion: Good To Have More Allies Against Many Enemies

It's clear that the Sakamoto Days series is getting better and better. Putting aside the animation 'issues' that weren't even that bad in the first place, the series is unfolding really well - Sakamoto is slowly but surely building his group of allies and learning more and more details about the people who are behind his bounty. This was a small filler episode that will open up so much further as we go into the season, but it's safe to say that Sakamoto Days is a solid series that will only get better - knowing the manga series that is, as manga fans like to say, absolutely 'peak'.

Watch Sakamoto Days on Netflix.