The All-devouring Whale episode 3 suffers a major quality decline

The All-devouring Whale is a Chinese anime, or donghua, that has captivated fans with its stunning visuals and creative premise. Taking inspiration from Pokémon and classic Chinese themes, the series revolves around spirit pets, their masters, and cultivation.

Also called The All-devouring Whale: Homecoming, the anime premiered with two episodes on May 1, 2025. While these presented some of the most gorgeous animation of the year, the recently released episode three has seen a major decline in quality. This is highly disheartening given the crucial elements of the story that are covered in the latest installment.

The All-devouring Whale follows Fan Lingxiao, a talented spirit master who faces an untimely death at the hands of his own whale. However, he is reincarnated a year later in the body of a random man named Liu Fengmang. Starting over from scratch, Fengmang aims to get back to his sect, the Lingxiao Pavilion, and help it rise to glory.

The first two episodes were a spectacle to the eyes, completely drawing fans into this world of spirit pets. Unfortunately, episode three, which came out on Saturday, was shocking, and not in a good sense.

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The All-devouring Whale episode 3 recap

The third episode of The All-devouring Whale saw Fengmang return to his sect, only to find that it had been trampled over by enemies. While only three members and the newly joined Fengmang were left, the sect members did not lose hope, trying to continue the departed Fan Lingxiao’s legacy.

In their attempt to restore the sect, the members set out to capture spirit pets. Fengmang, using the knowledge from his previous life, took them to a secret location that housed a high-class spirit pet. There, they met a Fire Tail Fox and its master, Su Muchuan, who were also trying to catch the spirit pet.

Just as tensions were rising, the lord-class spirit pet Rhino Horn Panda appeared, forcing the opposing parties to join hands to take it down. Despite initially struggling to face the creature and its powers of manipulating pigmentation, Fengmang and his pets emerged victorious.

While the members of the Lingxiao Pavilion were celebrating their latest capture, Muchuan snuck out with the Rhino Horn Panda, leaving behind the regretful protagonist and his allies. Left with no choice, Fengmang decided to go to a fair to buy spirit pets.

In the meantime, Muchuan arrived at the Leisure Society to meet its head, Yo Yang. This was the same group that had destroyed the Lingxiao Pavilion, and they had been controlling Muchuan by capturing his pet, the Ice Tail Fox. While Muchuan had hoped to trade the Rhino Horn Panda for the fox, he was betrayed. Yo Yang ordered his subordinates to beat him down, while his foxes were set to be sold the next day.

The scene then shifted to Fengmang and the rest of the cast, who were having fun while exploring the fair the very next day. However, they soon discovered the Rhino Horn Panda being sold by a worker of the Leisure Society. Wishing to get payback, they set the panda free, allowing it to beat up its seller.

Soon after, Yue managed to capture the panda using her Summoner’s Ring. After having obtained a valuable spirit pet for their sect, the Lingxiao Pavilion discovered that Muchuan’s foxes were being sold. Finding that the Leisure Society had a hand in this twisted situation, they decided to confront their enemies.

The episode ends with Fengmang leading his allies to a location where he had hidden his treasures, as Lingxiao. Armed with the resources and power to face the Leisure Society, the main cast set off on their quest for vengeance in the next episode.

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Why The All-devouring Whale episode 3 was disappointing

Episode 3 of The All-devouring Whale was the most informative installment in the series so far. It explained the different ranks of spirit beasts, as well as the methods to capture, store, and evolve them. The story also introduced its first primary antagonists through the Leisure Society.

Unfortunately, the animation of the episode was far from what was seen in the first two episodes. The fights lacked fluidity, and the characters' movements appeared wonky and unnatural. The scene editing was also inconsistent in several places.

Additionally, the first two episodes took a more serious route compared to the source material’s lighter, comedic tone. Episode 3 seemed more in line with the manhua, where jokes took precedence over intense battles. While this may be more faithful for fans of the comic, it could put off many fans intrigued by the anime’s first two episodes.

The All-devouring Whale anime is adapted by Big Firebird Culture, which has faced a similar predicament of declining quality with their Super Cube anime. This appears to be yet another case where a majority of resources are spent on the initial episodes to attract an audience, after which the quality drops off.

While the story may seem just as exciting, the visual experience fails to elevate it to the level it deserves. Although episode 3 has been disappointing compared to the standards set by the series so far, fans are sincerely hoping for the show to redeem itself in the future, returning to the high quality of animation that the first two episodes featured.