The highly anticipated anime series Lazarus, helmed by renowned director Shinichirō Watanabe, concluded its run in June 2025 with its thirteenth episode, “The World is Yours.” The finale sought to tie together the intricate narrative threads of a dystopian future plagued by the deadly drug Hapna, bringing the journey of protagonist Axel and the enigmatic Team Lazarus to a definitive, albeit critically divisive, close.
The Climax of the Hapna Crisis
At the heart of Lazarus‘s overarching plot was the mystery of Hapna, a miracle analgesic discovered by the world-renowned neuroscientist Dr. Skinner, which, three years after its widespread use, revealed its true nature as a slow-acting lethal poison. The series finale picked up with the urgent need to find Dr. Skinner, the only individual believed to possess the cure or the knowledge to create one. Team Lazarus, comprised of Axel, Douglas, Chris, Leland, and Eleina, finally located Skinner, who had been hiding in a homeless camp.
A significant reveal in the finale was Dr. Skinner’s true motivation for developing Hapna. It was disclosed that the government, specifically INSCOM and a corrupt military figure named Schneider, had been secretly using Skinner’s research to develop biological weapons. Skinner’s creation of the killer drug was partly an extreme, self-righteous attempt to expose the government’s nefarious plans and illustrate humanity’s destructive potential. This revelation, however, painted Skinner not as a hero, but as an “omnicidal self-righteous maniac” to some critics, willing to cause widespread death to make a point. Schneider, the corrupt military official behind the bioweaponization of Hapna, was ultimately arrested.
Axel’s Final Confrontation and the Team’s Future
A major subplot resolved in the finale was the long-standing rivalry between Axel and the assassin Soryu. Their climactic battle unfolded atop Babylonia Tower, an architecturally impressive, visually striking sequence. The fight, while “gorgeously animated,” was noted by some as feeling “like a waste of time” given the more pressing global stakes of the impending Hapna catastrophe. Soryu, suffering from dissociative identity disorder linked to the “Hundun Program,” was ultimately crushed by falling debris after a helicopter he shot down crashed into the tower. Axel, heavily implied to also be from the Hundun Program, provided Soryu with answers as he died, helping him find peace.
With Dr. Skinner found and the formula for Hapna’s cure secured, the fate of Team Lazarus, a group of individuals who had seemingly “risen from the dead” or survived the initial airport incident related to Hapna, was uncertain. To their surprise, instead of being eliminated to maintain secrecy, the team received full pardons for their past criminal records and were offered the opportunity to continue working together. The series concluded with a montage showing the aftermath of the world being saved by the distributed cure, and the team agreeing to remain intact, leaving a clear opening for a potential second season.
Critical Reception and Lingering Questions
The finale of Lazarus was met with mixed reviews, with many critics echoing a sentiment of being “underwhelmed” and finding the conclusion “rushed.” Common criticisms pointed to the episode’s attempts to resolve numerous plotlines too quickly, leading to convenient and sometimes illogical solutions. The social commentary that was a significant part of the series felt compressed into brief conversations, which some reviewers found disappointing given the extensive setup.
Reviewers frequently noted that the ending, while providing a conclusive answer to the Hapna crisis and tying up character arcs, often felt forced or too neat. The final confrontation between Axel and Soryu, despite its visual spectacle, was criticized for feeling detached from the main plot’s urgency. Despite these criticisms, the finale did manage to address many of the show’s previously criticized plot holes, particularly regarding the backstory and shared experience of the Lazarus team members at the initial airport incident.
Ultimately, while “The World is Yours” provided a definitive ending to the immediate threat, its execution left some viewers and critics desiring a more impactful and satisfying resolution, particularly for a series helmed by a director of Watanabe’s caliber. The setup for a potential second season, with the Lazarus team continuing their work, suggests that the “story is only just beginning for Axel & the Gang” and offers hope for future redemption for the series.