PopRot / Anime / Full Metal Panic! / Episodes

Full Metal Panic! Episode 22: Jack in the Box

August 17, 2026 · Anime, Episodes, Full Metal Panic!

POPROT / ANIME / FULL METAL PANIC!

Spoiler note

This recap covers Full Metal Panic! episode 22 and avoids later-franchise reveals.

Quick facts

Episode: 22
Title: Jack in the Box
Air date: 2002-06-04
Runtime: 24 minutes
Canon/filler label: Canon TV episode

Original summary

Trouble brews on the Tuatha de Danaan. Gauron has taken control of Dana and isolated the crew into the back half of the ship. Tessa and Kaname are held prisoner on the bridge, helpless to stop Gauron.

What happens in this episode

Episode 22, Jack in the Box, uses the series’ central contrast: Sousuke approaches the situation like a soldier, while Kaname and the school setting force him to respond to emotional and civilian consequences as well as tactical ones. Based on the available episode record, the key movement is: Trouble brews on the Tuatha de Danaan. Gauron has taken control of Dana and isolated the crew into the back half of the ship. Tessa and Kaname are held prisoner on the bridge, helpless to stop Gauron.

The important PopRot read is that the episode is not disposable even when it leans comedic. It either develops the Sousuke/Kaname dynamic, shows how Mithril operates around Kaname, or tightens the pressure around enemies who know more about the Whispered and Arm Slave technology than ordinary students ever should.