Knowing Ryuhei Tamura, it’s clear that his best writing comes from when he goes full bonkers on something. (Case in point: Hard-Boiled Cop and Dolphin.) So when COSMOS attempts to take things seriously from time to time, it feels like Tamura is struggling to find the meaning behind the tougher scenes. Sometimes it works out, and other times it doesn’t.

There is one thing that I think Tamura figured out how to do properly in the fifth volume of COSMOS: have a kick-ass fight! The combatants: Rin Homura and the Pied Piper. After infiltrating the Piper’s lair, Rin and the serial kidnapper have a fight that would feel at home with the ones seen in Hunter X Hunter. This fight kicks off after the discovery of a giant robot, one that Soprano believes to be her long-lost brother, Alto. (Thankfully, that’s not the case.)

It’s in the fight where we see Rin pushed to her limits for the first time. In the past, COSMOS has gone to great lengths to show off her strength, as she tends to be the muscle of the team. So when you see Rin having trouble dealing with the Pied Piper, readers will quickly realize that the threats of the universe may be too much even for her. Hence why it’s important that Rin’s got teammates in her corner, rather than take things on solo.

Muzumori may be the one that is most likely to be Rin’s go-to guy, and not because she swooped him up and brought him into this intergalactic world. Nay, it’s because Mizumori doesn’t bottle up his feelings and opinions like her, going so far as to pull her out of the fight against the Pied Piper at a precise moment. But he doesn’t do it to make Rin quit; it’s so she can take something of his and use it to her advantage. The end result is one of the funniest gut-punches I’ve seen drawn in a seinen manga in ages. Oh, and a flurry of jabs that’d make Kenshiro smitten by her strength.

But it’s not over, sadly, as the Pied Piper takes over the giant robot. It looks like another epic fight will happen, but it’s replaced with some legal jargon that takes away the strength and power of the Pied Piper and her minions. Just as tax fraud took down Al Capone, a client list takes down a serial kidnapper. Honestly, after the beatdown that Rin gives her, it’s kind of satisfying to see the Pied Piper get her just desserts in such a way.

The aftermath of the Pied Piper incident has its moments, as we see the team recovering from the fight. We even get a touching reunion between Soprano and her youngest bro, Tenor. It’s a tender kind of moment, but it doesn’t have the emotional punch one that other manga of the same genre have when these sorts of scenarios are played out. But hopefully, it’s all building up to a big reveal when the time is right.

A party is needed after such a big mission, and COSMOS delivers one in the fifth volume’s final chapter. Good behavior is the only thing missing from the party, as the men, women, and species of an unknown kind eat, drink, and reminisce about the old times. Like, how did Bureau Director Mann go from being a high-end host club worker to the head of one of the galaxy’s biggest policing forces? Perhaps that’s a story for another time.

Speaking of stories, it looks like we’re finally going to see how Rin got herself wrapped up in this odd intergalactic financial group next time around. Volume Five of COSMOS closes the book on the Pied Piper for now, and while I wish the villain had a bit more staying power, I can’t complain about how she was taken down. Besides, the galaxy is a vast place, so there’s bound to be a bigger villain just around the corner to pop up in the narrative. For now, let’s look forward to seeing Rin’s origin tale take shape the next time around.

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.