When King Andragoras dies in enemy custody, Arislan determines that he must recapture his deceased father's kingdom at all costs. In an effort to restore balance to his ailing nation, Arislan emancipates all of Palse's slaves. But his allies question whether this new freedom will guarantee the loyalty of the previously subjugated. Perhaps the newly free will direct their ire upon their savior.

On a parallel course, the traitorous General Kharlan's suicide spurs his vengeful son, Zante, to carry on his father's vendetta. As Silvermask's new field commander, Zante will stop at nothing until Daryoon, who he believes assassinated his father, meets the same fate.

Unrest abounds in Arislan's camp, as Lord Narsus, the coy dilettante, has second thoughts about Arislan's capabilities as a leader. Arislan's other allies begin to doubt him as well. Gieve, the thief-turned-acolyte, considers turning Arislan over to the enemy for a cash reward. It becomes more difficult to determine which of Arislan's allies will remain loyal until the final battle.

As Arislan and his advisors brood over when to make their final stand against Silvermask's army, an armed force riding elephants attempts a surprise attack along the banks of Arislan's stronghold in Kishwan's castle. The young prince must decide whether to dispose of his would-be vanquishers or to form a strategic alliance with them, in hopes that it will help him overcome Silvermask's forces.

Fidelity and trust become vital issues in this episode. Alliances and allies, once considered rock solid, begin to crumble, as the cast of heroes approaches their final confrontation with Silvermask.

In the second part of "The Heroic Legend of Arislan," screenwriters Haruki Kadokawa, Shugo Matsuo and Yutaka Takahashi persevere in their quest to produce the most unintelligible, overpopulated story ever told.

This installment of the "Arislan" saga ensures that the time invested in the characters from the previous episode bares no fruit. With a revolving door cast, it is impossible to keep track of which characters are important. The doomsday priest from the first episode, spouting prophecies of death and destruction, vanishes without explanation. General Kharlan expires in the previous chapter, but his son, Zante, seamlessly replaces him, as one of the many vengeful zealots who want to see young Arislan dead. A carbon copy of his father, Zante simply hates Arislan. But, considering that after losing to Daryoon in a fair duel, Kharlan throws himself from a suspension bridge rather than face imprisonment, Zante should thank Daryoon for clipping such a cowardly branch off of his family tree.

Main cast members aside, although whom that would consist of remains difficult to discern, the remaining players also do little to pique interest. Narsus, the contemplative, but alcoholic, nobleman proves intriguing at first. However, with his constant brooding and Machiavellian musings, patience quickly wears thin. He insists that he doesn't want to be a part of the uprising, but he never fails to inject his inebriated two pence worth whenever a dispute arises. His sentiments echo those of many periphery characters - they live and breathe in this world, even though none of them want anything to do with it. And that's just the male characters.

The writers also conveniently place a dutiful female character at the side of each male lead. The script even includes a quasi-homosexual slave boy, Elam, who loves Narsus with all his heart, and possibly other selective parts of his anatomy. These additional love interests complicate a plot already too confused for its own good. Figuring out why all of the characters are angry with each other is taxing enough, let alone deciphering who is in love with whom and why. This reduces the film to a game in which the creators try to link soap opera characters together before they are either killed or escape from this amoebic story.

Anime fans looking for action should search elsewhere, and hopeless romantics should stick to reading greeting cards at drugs stores. "The Heroic Legend of Arislan: Part 2" and its characters distill disinterest and discontent until nothing remains except disdain for this title.