The Seven Deadly Sins recently came to a close with its final, completely berserk season. Well, it’s probably more accurate to say its final half a season given that its conclusive outing was divvied up into two individual parts. While the initial 12 episodes were excellent due to how cohesive they felt, the latter 12 succeed for the exact opposite reason - they are, put plainly, absurd to the point of near nonsense. I watched them with my brother and, no word of a lie, one of us would involuntarily shout “What the f*ck” at least once every ten seconds.
While The Seven Deadly Sins’ final season teems with all kinds of brilliant moments, it’s best and quite literally brightest bit is focused solely on Escanor, the Lion Sin of Pride.
Major spoilers for The Seven Deadly Sins season five follow. Obviously.
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Escanor has always been my second-favourite Sin after Ban. He has the most unique ability of the Sins - during the day, when the sun is shining, Escanor’s Sunshine allows him to become the embodiment of power itself. Even Meliodas, Dragon Sin of Wrath and firstborn son of the Demon King, struggles to keep up with him. Before learning to refine his power, Escanor used to vent by levelling literal mountains - something Merlin slags him about in the most recent batch of episodes.
At night time, or when the sun isn’t out, Escanor is a scrawny poet who likes washing wine glasses. He’s exceptionally smart but is far too shy to really do anything about it. Earlier in the series, when Meliodas tracked him down to a bar hidden in an isolated ravine, he shat a brick within seconds of being discovered. These are his mates, remember - even around his best buds in the world, he’s a jittery little twig of a man who is afraid of his own shadow.
But he’s still the Lion Sin of Pride, right? This is exactly what makes him the star of the series’ final season - the fact that both sides of Escanor play equal parts in his identity as The Seven Deadly Sins’ strongest Sin.
The problem is that once it was revealed that Estarossa, supposed brother of Meliodas and Zeldris, was actually a corrupted manifestation of Archangel Mael, Escanor’s Sunshine was taken away from him. It was originally Mael’s ability, so being the literal Sin of Pride, how could Escanor allow himself to keep it? Without Sunshine, though, Escanor is back to just being a scrawny poet. Not much to marvel at next to Meliodas, Ban, Merlin, King, Diane, and Gowther.
That’s where you’re wrong. In arguably the most affecting scene of the series’ last season, Escanor protects Gil, Howzer, and Griamore from one of Indura’s offspring with nothing but a short sword and a wooden shield. Time after time, he rushes at the demon and is beaten bloody and bruised. Time after time, he gets back on his feet and charges again. It is an exhibition of courage, loyalty, and a stupidity so brazen it is uniquely befitting of the Lion Sin of Pride.
It’s not particularly unexpected, but Mael arrives and protects Escanor before he is brutally killed. Escanor, knowing all too well that reclaiming Sunshine will be the death of him, asks Mael a single favour: Lend him Sunshine so that he can martyr himself in order to save the friends who once saved him. Mael reluctantly obliges, paving the way for The Seven Deadly Sins’ greatest ever sequence.
In a war of attrition spanning several consecutive episodes, Escanor and the rest of the Sins take on the Demon King, who has possessed Zeldris in order to manifest his power outside of the Demon Realm. Escanor’s introduction to the battle comes at a dire stage in the fight - just as the Demon King is about to gain the upper hand, the Lion Sin of Pride catches a would-be fatal blow and exerts his dominance. Escanor, at this point, is pretty much on par with the Demon King. What’s more important, however, is that noon is approaching - Escanor is about to use Sunshine at its most powerful for the final time.
To be basic for a minute, it’s just... cool to see just how anime this becomes. Escanor pushes himself past his regular boundaries, to the extent that he is eventually just on fire. His body ablaze, his eyes ferocious, his power unparalleled, Escanor single-handedly turns the tide in a desperate fight to save the world. He should be in intense pain, and yet his inherent pride converts every single feeling he endures into pure adrenaline. He is calm and collected in the middle of a sweltering blaze, instilling a disarming fear in the Demon King himself. He is, at this moment in time, the most untouchably powerful person on the planet. Amazingly, all of said power is channeled into a singular stream: Save your friends before you burn to ash.
Escanor, of course, succeeds. After knocking the Demon King out of Zeldris’ body, the former attempts to use the world itself as his new vessel, becoming some kind of weird mountain monster with too many teeth. As I mentioned earlier in the article, levelling mountains used to be Escanor’s favourite hobby. Right before he comes to the verge of death, the Lion Sin of Pride defeats the Demon King - who, again, has literally become the world itself. Once it’s all over, he has one final conversation with his friends, who, after all this time, he feels like he has finally repaid.
“It looks like this is the end of the road for me,” he says, his typical pride unwavering even on the brink of biting the dirt. “I wish you all the best. Farewell, Merlin-san.”
The scene that follows this is - excuse my French - badass as f*ck. Merlin lunges into the flames and kisses Escanor, before saying something like “You’ll live on in these scars.” It’s obviously very anime and intensely cringey, although it is, once again, still badass as f*ck. Escanor fades as his ashes float towards the night sky, the fiery flickers representing his final flair of Sunshine. The season continues - and gets very, very weird - after this, but it’s never able to top Escanor’s last few episodes. After all, it’s only fitting he maintained his pride as number one right to the very end.
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