Battle's End is the 13th episode of the Rurouni Kenshin 2023 anime adaptation.
Synopsis[]
Sanosuke and the Tokyo Oniwabanshū hurry to the mansion's ballroom once they hear the sound of the Gatling gun. Meanwhile Takeda Kanryū has already killed Shikijō and tries to shoot everyone dead with the Gatling gun to prove the superiority of firearms over swordmanship. Hen'nya and the others device a plan to both protect a wounded Aoshi and stop Kanryū, even if that means working with the Kenshingumi. Will the Oniwabanshū be able to protect Aoshi from the gun? Can Kenshin and Sanosuke stop Kanryū and save Megumi?
Summary[]
Kanryū has appeared at the ballroom and presented his Gatling gun, which can fire around 200 bullets a minute. He declares his intention to kill Aoshi, along with the rest of the Oniwabanshū and Kenshin. He begins firing it towards those in front of him but missing in purpose to frighten them, but Aoshi receives several shots in the legs. Sanosuke, Han’nya and Shikijō are seen running towards the ballroom knowing that something must be wrong due to the sounds of the gunfire. The three of them arrive and watch Kanryū firing the Gatling gun at everyone. Shikijō runs to help Aoshi while Han'nya tells Kenshin that he should run towards Kanryū to stop them. And Kanryū, facing with the dilemma of who to shoot first, decides to fire at Aoshi for insulting him earlier, but Shikijō shields him with his body and is killed in the process, but satisfied that he was martyred protecting his Okashira, telling him not to be sad.
Beshimi and Hyottoko also arrive at the ballroom, and Hyottoko starts running towards Kanryū warning him not to shoot at his body or everyone will explode from the oil in his stomach. Kanryū waits until Hyottoko is closer and shoots at the head, killing him. Beshimi jumps from behind him throwing a dart towards Kanryū. He is shot, and the dart is diverted and does not hit Kanryū. Aoshi is devastated at the murder of his loyal followers. Han'nya then tells Kenshin and his allies where Megumi is being held and tells Kenshin to get his Sakabatō, still in the middle of the battlefield, while he covers him, knowing that he will die in the process. It happens just as Han'nya plans and Aoshi is once again broken to bits as he sees his best disciple die, right in front of his eyes, and straight after the others.
Kenshin, now wielding his Sakabatō, is the prime target of Kanryū, who fires towards him. Kenshin charges straight forward and jumps. Just as he is about to be shot like the others, the bullets stop, since the Gatling gun has run out of ammunition. Kenshin then cuts through the handle of the Gatling gun. Kanryū, seeing Kenshin right next to him with a devastating look in his eyes, begins pleading for mercy and Kenshin tells him to ask his money, hitting him hard in the face with his Sakabatō, knocking him out.
The group then heads for Megumi. As they do, Kaoru looks at Aoshi and the Oniwabanshū with a sad look on her face and Kenshin tells her that they were truly the ones who defeated Kanryū's Gatling gun. Meanwhile at the third floor, Megumi decides to end her life to make amends for all her crimes, thinking to herself that she was glad at having met Kenshin and the others.
Just as Megumi is about to stab herself, Sano grabs the knife with his hand, asking her what in the world she's doing, pulling it off her and causing her to fly back. She says that she deserves to die for all of her horrible deeds and Sano shouts at her in anger, mentioning how hard Kenshin and the rest of them worked for her sake and how she was willing to let it all go to waste. Kenshin then tells her that killing herself won't make amends - the only way to do that is to help save people, as he does, using his Sakabatō, to atone for his own crimes.
The police arrive at the mansion, and the Kenshingumi go down to the ballroom to talk to chief Uramura. They have already arrested Kanryū's for drug commerce, and even though Kanryū tries to make Megumi get arrested too, Kenshin convinces Uramura that she is innocent and Megumi is left untouched. When Kenshin asks Uramura about Aoshi’s situation, the police chief mentions that nobody with that name is present. There are only four beheaded corpses, but nobody called Aoshi in there.
Megumi tells everyone that Aoshi must have escaped through a secret passage that connects to the back garden outside the mansion. The police and the Kenshingumi go there and they indeed find that secret passage with traces of having been used. Suddenly atop the external wall of the mansion Aoshi appears holding the four heads of his Oniwabanshū comrades, looking totally furious but broken. He threatens Kenshin to kill him in the future and Kenshin tells him he will not avoid any future encounter as long as Aoshi doesn’t threaten other people. Aoshi then disappears in the dark night.
The Kenshingumi return to the Kamiya Dōjō when the sun is appearing early next day. Kaoru receives them cheerfully (with cuts in all her fingers when trying to prepare breakfast for everyone). They all eat breakfast cheerfully while Megumi thinks of all her terrible past and uncertainly about her future. At the end of the episode, Kaoru tells Megumi that she is welcome to visit the Dōjō whenever she pleases and Megumi thanks her and bids farewell to Kenshin and the others, as she goes off on a journey to become a Doctor, under the guidance of Doctor Oguni Gensai.
In a post-credits scene Aoshi is shown standing before the tombstones of his followers in the middle of a forest, telling them that someday he will place flowers on them, but that he cannot do so now (since he still has not defeated Kenshin and so has not earned the title of "strongest"). He then goes into the forest (despite the warnings of a passerby who yells that the forest is cursed and very dangerous to enter).
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Sagara Sanosuke
- Han'nya
- Shikijō
- Takeda Kanryū
- Shinomori Aoshi
- Himura Kenshin
- Myōjin Yahiko
- Hyottoko
- Beshimi
- Takani Megumi
- Uramura
- Oguni Gensai
Anime Notes[]
- There are several differences in the events of this episode between the anime and the manga:
- The anime shows a flashback scene of the Tokyo Oniwabanshū training with a younger Aoshi. That scene was not present in the manga.
- The decapitation of the Oniwabanshus’ corpses have been heavily edited with moved camera angles and blackouts per media censorship.
- This is the last episode of the anime to feature Hiten and Kissaki as opening and ending themes (respectively).
Trivia[]
- The episode was titled after the original of Act 28.
- Megumi states a historical fact: The punishment under japanese law for opium production was execution at the beginning of the Meiji era.
- This is the fourth series episode with a post-credits scene featuring Shinomori Aoshi standing at the tombstones of his followers, promising them that he will get the title of the strongest.
Gallery[]
To be added