01x12 - Okashira – Aoshi Shinomori

[bunniefuu]

I will avoid
any unnecessary battle if I can.

Will you stand aside and tell me
where Kanryu and Megumi are?

You will ask where they are
with your Sakabatō.

I will answer with this.

{\an8}ORIGINAL STORY BY NOBUHIRO WATSUKI

The length of that sword.

You're going to fight him
with just one Wakizashi!

You're mocking him!

Stay away, child.

Why you!

I must ask the same.

Oh, I mean...

You guys are both...

Don't let one Wakizashi
give you any trouble.

Settle this quickly!

If that truly was a Wakizashi,
we could settle this without trouble, but...

It seems you know
the characteristics of a Kodachi.

Kodachi?

Simply said, it's a sword between
a Katana and a Wakizashi.

Being short, its attacking power
is lesser than that of a Katana,

but the light weight
and its ability to turn quickly

make its defensive ability very high.

Attacking towards that
might be a great disadvantage.

Then...

I'll attack first.

He's fast!

-Kenshin!
-A kick?!

Is he a...

Like Hanya, he's a Kempoist!

I see.

You create an impenetrable defense
with the Kodachi,

then, like Hanya, attack using Kempo.

I was the one who taught Hanya Kempo.

The speed and strength of a master
and his pupil are vastly different.

Battōsai, I have
no personal grudge against you,

but as the strongest of the Ishin Shishi,
I am going to k*ll you here.

Seems like you're not
doing this for Kanryu.

Of course not.

Is it for the destroyed
Tokugawa Shogunate?

If you too were a patriot,

you'd know about the battle of Tobafushimi

and the conduct of Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

The last Tokugawa Shogunate, Yoshinobu,

knew his army was outnumbered

and he and his senior officials
fled Osaka Castle

and escaped to Edo in his warship.

{\an8}He abandoned over 10,000 soldiers

{\an8}who were fighting and laying down
their lives on the b*ttlefield.

{\an8}After he fled to Edo,

{\an8}he sought sanctuary
in the Kanei temple in Ueno.

He entrusted everything to Katsu Kaishu,
who was in conference with Saigo Takamori,

and the Edo castle surrendered
without bloodshed.

The Bakumatsu ended without
the Oniwabanshū ever fighting.

I don't care about
that Tokugawa being a coward.

But we regret that
we were not able to fight.

In the course of history,
there is no "if",

but if there had been a battle in Edo,

the victory of the new era
would have been ours.

We would have started a great fire,

taken advantage of the confusion,

and k*lled the leaders
of the Ishin Shishis.

The remaining incompetent could be smashed

by the superior numbers
of the Shogun's army.

And that would have been it.

There's no way you could've done that!

Of course, we could have.

I can prove it to you
by making it happen now.

In this Tokyo.

This guy!

However, doing that now
would have no meaning.

What matters most is proving.

Proving who was the strongest
during the Bakumatsu.

That it was the Oniwabanshū.

During Bakumatsu,

Ishin Ishishi and the Samurais
for the government

were both putting lives into battles.

We were enemies.

But it wasn't to decide
who was right and who was wrong.

It was for the country's future.

We laid down our lives
for people's peace and happiness.

But this is not the case for you!

You speak of a burning
a city to the ground.

Amidst all this bloodshed, there is
only a fighting heart cold as ice.

As an Ishin Shishi and as a Rurouni,

I cannot pass by without silencing you!

Whatever you say.

As serious as you are,
you have no chance of victory.

Come!

From the Ryutsuisen
of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū

to the instantaneous Battōjutsu.

You attack well,

but my Kodachi
cannot be destroyed so easily.

Dammit!

Damn, those hirelings of mine!

They are making a fool of me!

Megumi, Aoshi, and all those b*stards!

But I know this now.

Like Battōsai,
that man has no interest in money.

His fighting spirit is so strong
he's almost mad.

Is there no way to get rid
of both at once?

Think, Kanryu.

Think of a way. Think of a way!

Think...!

Mr. Kanryu.

The test scheduled for today.
What would you like to do?

That's it!

No matter how many times you attack,
it's pointless.

When in defense, my Kodachi
could keep off b*ll*ts from a r*fle.

Kenshin can't even hit him once.

And...

no matter what advantage he has,
he never has even a smile on his face.

He really does have
a fighting heart of ice!

Dammit, I can't move my legs.

Kenshin!

I am fine.

If I got defeated with such an attack,
I would have to apologize to Megumi

and I wouldn't have a face
to show to Kaoru.

Imagine what Sano would say.

Plus, I've come to see
how to keep off the Kodachi.

Usually, I would assume it's a lie,

but it's not in your nature
to say such things.

Show me...

your solution.

Slow!

What?! The base of the blade...

Aoshi.

The secret to your strength

is perfectly controlling
your opponent's range.

Range...

Okay Yahiko,

range is the distance your opponent
can cover with one attack.

In a match at the master's level,

to fight within your range
will be the key.

While it seems like I have
an advantage for having a katana,

my longer reach creates
a blind spot near my body.

You use this to your advantage and attack.

So, I matched my range to Kodachi as well,

which, in turn, eliminates the blind spot.

I see.

By holding the Katana near the handle,

which is the dullest part of the blade,
it won't cut through to your bones.

To cut flesh and sever bone,

you've shown me
the essence of the Hitokiri.

In return, I shall bring you down
with the essence of the Oniwabanshū.

Slow! Why so...

Is this A Kenbu, the sword dance?

This is no ceremonial Kenbu!

Stop.

You're too used to
the clearly defined moves of Kenjutsu.

This ever-changing
flood of movement cannot be read.

The Kempo moves
and the Kodachi techniques are combined!

This is Shinomori Aoshi's
true fighting style!

Die!

Kenshin!

The Kaiten Kenbu.

The technique which disposed of
all who crept into Edo Castle.

Ken...

shin.

It's over, kid.

Himura Battōsai is dead.

Shut up! Then I'm next!

I'll destroy you,
even if it's the last thing I do!

Brave words.

I'm almost sorry I'll have to k*ll you.

Yahiko is the successor
to the Kamiya Kasshin-ryū.

He can't die in a place like this.

And I have no reason to die here either!

Kenshin!

Are you immortal?!

Hardly.

The Kaiten Kenbu,

it cut through the iron sheath
as if it were wood.

I see.

By quickly raising the sheath,
you cut the force of the blow in half.

A great man.

I see why they called you the strongest.

No, I admit it myself from the heart.

So, once more, we are prepared
to take your title of strongest!

Watch out, Kenshin!

He's going into Kaiten Kenbu!

I said it before,
you can't stop this flood of movement.

You're slowed by wounds from head to foot.

It's over, Himura Battōsai!!

Kenshin!

Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, Ryūkousen.

The only empty-handed technique
in Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū.

I certainly can't read
your flood of movement,

but when you move to attack
from the Kaiten Kenbu,

for an instant, it's a different story.

Aoshi, if you want the title of strongest,
it's yours.

It's not something I'm proud of.

Right now,

saving someone and returning
to someone who's waiting

is a thousand times more important!

I... will lose?!

It's futile! Retreat!

A second blow to the windpipe...

Not yet!

Kenshin!

I'm all right.

Better than Aoshi.

Is he dead?

No, just unconscious.

It wasn't the pain
of the second blow to the throat

but the breath he needed
for that last punch

that caused him sharp pain,
making it difficult to breathe.

In the end, his fighting heart
that wouldn't give up

caused him to lose.

When the Kaiten Kenbu knocked me down,

your words showed a strong heart.

All right!

Now, to destroy Kanryu and rescue Megumi!

You amaze me.

I was down.

Not for more than ten seconds.

Why didn't you deliver the final blow?

I'm a Rurouni now,

not a Hitokiri.

But even without the final blow,

a man like you would understand
which of us won.

Answer me one thing, Aoshi.

You were a great man,

entrusted with the position
of Okashira for the Oniwabanshū.

Were there no opportunities

for you to become an officer
in the new government?

There must have been a place

for you to use your own abilities.

There were loads of opportunities.

Anything from an intelligence officer

to a bodyguard for important members
of the government.

But all the offers were only for me.

Those like Hyottoko and Beshimi
were considered mere one-trick ponies.

Those like Shikijo
were considered traitors.

If you've seen Hanya's face,

you understand
why he didn't even have a chance.

No offers were given to any
of the other Oniwabanshū members.

How could the Okashira betray
his followers for a government post?

I refuse to be a traitor
like Tokugawa Yoshinobu.

Yoshinobu.

I know.

What he did was to not drag out
the w*r and drain the country's resources.

It was a highly strategized
governmental decision.

But I can't do the same to those guys.

When we were thrown out
into the new Tokyo,

the Oniwabanshū stayed
with me for ten years.

One by one, they found
new lives and moved on,

and in the end, there were only four left.

The miserable few who don't know
how to do anything but fight.

I wanted at least to give them
the honor of being

known as the strongest.

Deliver the final blow

or I'll pursue you until I'm satisfied.

You're pathetic, Shinomori Aoshi!

It's a shame to interrupt your talk,
but I'll have to cut you short.

Kanryu.

Good. I won't have to
waste time looking for him.

You're very self-confident.

But will you be so brave
when you see this?!

-That's...!
-No way!

Gatling g*n!

Yes.

The ultimate weapon developed
by the American doctor

Gatling in 1861, which was used in
the American Civil w*r

and led the Northern Army to Victory!

In Japan, it was purchased
in the domain of Echigo Nagaoka,

and during the third battle
of the Boshin w*r, the Hokuetsu w*r,

it became a great threat
to the government's army.

A destructive power and the technology
that even moves history.

Shall we try it out?

Let's Gatling!

What was that?

Kenshin.

Gosh, that's loud.

It sounds like something
is going on upstairs.

Hanya!

Relax.

Shikijo and I lost our battles.

We have no intention of cutting
the winner's throat in his sleep.

Now, I'm more worried about Lord Aoshi.

I'm going with Shikijo.

You? You're not so much of a bad guy.

I hear sarcasm.

That's right.

Wake up, Shikijo.

What, Hanya?

Your face is exactly
what I want to see when I wake up.

If it's not one of you, it's the other.

Hey, small stuff.

What, fatty?

Did you hear that?

If you heard it,
then it wasn't my ears playing tricks.

Guess this is no place for a nice nap.

What do you think?!

It shoots out 200 b*ll*ts per minute!

That b*stard! He's missing deliberately,
just to mock us!

Gat...!

I'll get you the instant you stop moving!

Kanryu! Where the hell
did you get that thing?!

How dare you address me without a title!

Aoshi!

Well, that's good enough.

Why don't we take a little break
and I'll answer your question?

My ultimate wish is to make more money
than any merchant on earth.

To become a "merchant of death".

Meaning, arms dealer!

Gather capital with the new opium

to fund my line of Gatling g*ns.

This is what the great merchant
Takeda Kanryu was born for!

You'd go as far as to

prey upon the lives of others for money.

Himura Battōsai,

until you attained
your unimaginable strength,

you paid in time and effort.

It was not an easy task, am I right?

However,

with money, it's easy to gain power!

Within an instant!
Without paying any kind of price!

Money! The true proof of power!

Oniwabanshū, the legendary Hitokiri,
they mean nothing!

The true "strongest" is me!

There's nothing more beautiful than money!

And I'll prove it to you right now!

Die!

What the hell is that!

Shikijo!

Now! Run, Battōsai!

Which one?! Which one to aim for?

Aoshi is first. He can't move!

Not so fast!

Gato!

Shikijo!

Next episode,
"The End of Battle to Death".