It's been 11 years since the original run of Tiger & Bunny in 2011, and it shows. It definitely shows. The first season way back then ended on a spooky cliffhanger implying that the nefarious secretive terrorist organization Ouroboros was real and not something Maverick made up to manipulate Barnaby. And I think they forgot what they were trying to do with that plot point. The chief issue with this very latest season is the focus it puts on Ouroboros that ultimately goes nowhere. The primary antagonist here is explicitly a member of Ouroboros, but it's revealed in one of the last moments that she was acting completely independently in her schemes. The higher-ups at Ouroboros, who are shown only in silhouette profiles, end up convincing her lackey to take her out for them before disposing of him themselves. The heroes are constantly on the back foot and end up barely mattering in how the conflict resolves. The whole thing feels like filler to wait out a future season that may well never exist.
Even ignoring the failings of the overarching narrative, this season is a mess. Little Aurora, who is seen constantly in the background in billboards and such in the first half of season 2, is jawdroppingly useless. She's gifted with the power of supernatural intellect whenever she closes her eyes, but all she does is show up to be targeted by the villains and a damsel in distress, never once actually trying to think her way out of the situation. The incredibly dumb racism plot, the motivation behind our primary antagonist, feels like something the writers pulled out of thin air, pretending anti-superpower sentiment was always a thing despite no signs of it in season 1, in a society were superpowers have largely been extremely beneficial. It's funny that it ends up causing the mayor, who brings to mind the Jaws meme about why it's important to vote in your local elections, to order all the supernaturally gifted into literal internment camps, at the behest of public outcry, but no time is spent on the aftermath. I guess everyone forgot about it once the day was saved.
The main saving grace of the season is the character moments, though they don't get nearly as many chances to indulge in them compared to the first half of season 2. Kotetsu's and Barnaby's concern and care for each other as partners is always nice to see, though it does feel a bit rehashy of material we already saw in previous seasons. The other buddy hero duos do get cute enough bonding moments, if a little superficial. The most unique element of this season is Yuri, and it's nice to see him finally work through his lingering dad-related trauma, even if the execution is pretty clumsy. I'd probably watch a season 3 for more of these characters, but at this point, my expectations are rock-bottom for a satisfying plot.