The Formation of an Alliance: The Day When Aoshi Joins with Shishio is the 42nd episode of the Rurouni Kenshin anime series.
Synopsis[]
Now realizing their former okashira has fallen to the ways of madness and amoral villainy into Shishio Makoto's ranks, Okina braces himself to uphold his threat against Aoshi. As the two battle deep in the confines only known to the Oniwabanshū, Misao rushes quickly to end the fatal duel. Is Misao going to arrive on time to stop them? What will be the future of the Oniwabanshū?
Plot[]
A flashback of young Misao sleeping on her futon
Upon the end of the Bakumatsu, in the depths of the night, four mysterious men walk on out from their home, awaiting the coming of their leader. Their leader, talking to his mentor, is told what he is doing will break the heart of the young girl who they care for, with no one else in the world to rely on. Believing that she will only forget him as the times will pass, the leader has no regrets, and tells his mentor to take care of her the best he can. Now down a moonlit road, the four men now inquire what they will do. As the last remnants of the Oniwabanshū, the elite shinobi of the Tokugawa Shogunate of Japan, their leader states that they show now walk the path of showing the world they are history's strongest- With no regrets after all, do they walk down a dark path to power and glory....
Into the present day, that young girl has matured into the brink of womanhood. Wanting to learn the Oniwabanshū's ways, she has taken each and every lesson with her mentor, Okina, seriously. Since their leader's departure into parts unknown, her connection to him is a bond within her heart that cannot be separated no matter how fate wills it. Having wandered far and fought many strong foes who have stood in her way, to seek out her beloved, the Oniwabanshū's leader, Aoshi Shinomori, and now on a quest with the famed swordsman Kenshin Himura to save Japan, her name is Misao Makimachi. With Kenshin's friends Yahiko and Kaoru, after having sought his location to reach out to him for Kaoru's own beloved wanderer, Misao is told the shocking news about how Han'nya and the others were killed off by a Gatling gun while trying to protect Aoshi. She cannot believe it, but that is the reason Aoshi is after Kenshin, trying to kill him to take revenge for his men so he can earn them the title of the strongest. Shaken and with disbelief, she mourns both the death of her close friends who gave their lives, and the fall of Aoshi's grace as her beloved leader.
In Shishio's stronghold, Aoshi is informed by Hōji, Shishio's servant, that only the old man formerly known as the Okina at the Aoiya knows of Kenshin's true location. Sōjirō suggests that torture be the way they get the Battōsai's location spilled out. Aoshi has no care if his own people die, he just wants to fight Kenshin. Though with suspicion that he is a wildcard, Shishio has no problem if Aoshi kills the Battōsai, thus, sealing their alliance.
A member of the Owl Clan attacking Okina
Later down the week, the Aoiya is attacked during the night by the Owls, a group of Shishio's ninjas that do their dirty work best at night. They break in and try to torture Okina and assassinate the staff, but are only beaten up by the Kyōto Oniwabanshū and Okina himself. Word on the morse code machine goes back to Hōji about the mission's failure, and Aoshi snidely remarks how a group of owls were devoured by a bunch of rats. Shortly after, one of the Owls, made to humiliatingly journey back to headquarters by being tied up on a makeshift stockade and was tortured himself, exhaustively barges in and collapses on the floor. On his back, another message is included, written on one of the Owls. The message is from Okina to Aoshi, telling him to meet at "Location A" at 1 PM alone. By the next morning, Okina leaves to the disclosed location, equipped with his old ninja suit and weapons. Misao had gone off to do something, but when she comes back to the Aoiya, she is very suspicious, from seeing Masukame and Kurojo fix a broken floorboard, and as they deny it, on why Okina is gone with the equipment he used as the Okina.
Okina using iron tonfas to fight Aoshi
As Misao dashes off, Masukami and Kurojō can only conclude sadly, that Misao will not be able to save both of them, either losing the one that cares the most for her, or the one she loves. With only hope and the optimism that she will make it in time to avoid her household to be divided into two even further, Misao runs with all of her being, and driven with the memories in her heart, to halt the fateful duel that dares to start at any moment.
Aoshi and Okina begin their battle at "Location A". Aoshi uses his pair of kodachis, while Okina uses iron tonfas. It comes to a point in the battle where Aoshi manages to break one of Okina's iron tonfas, a task that was nearly impossible for a kodachi. Okina has realized Aoshi's strength has probably surpassed that of the Oniwabanshū's founder, only because the evil built up inside of him is being released. Aoshi asks Okina for the location of Kenshin, promising not to kill him if he tells, but Okina refuses. Even if Aoshi threatens to kill the other four at the Aoiya, the Okina still refuses. Okina swears that he won't betray the Oniwabanshū's master like Aoshi has done and will kill him for joining Shishio's cause.
While Aoshi and Okina fight ferociously, at Mount Hiei, in Shishio's keep, Shishio curiously converses with Hoji of his faith. Hoji states he is an atheist, and has no belief of gods nor an afterlife, disinterestedly answering that all men are but of worldly flesh and return to the earth. Piqued of Hoji's lack of faith, Shishio makes his way to Hoji, and takes off the glove off his right hand. In awe of his leader before him, Shishio states that now, he shall give his closest follower a baptism into his religion of chaos. Placing his bare right hand atop Hoji's head, Hoji screams in pain. Clutching his disciple's head, Shishio explains that after his brush with death upon the Boshin Wars, the flames of hell now burn within him, his skin lacking any way to relieve his body heat or exert perspiration. With his view on life being pain, struggle, betrayal, and conflict between fellow men, where the strong only survive to rule and the weak are killed and eaten, Shishio inquires: Is that not hell on earth itself? With his further reinforcement that the Meiji Government only breeding lies with its reign and making the country of Japan weaker, Shishio proclaims his faith as absolute truth than the hypocrisy he sees the Meiji Government festering with. Brought to ecstasy and zeal by Shishio's anointment of hellfire, Hoji proclaims that he is now a true believer of Shishio's perverse faith of hell on earth, born again and retempered to Shishio's cause.
Aoshi warning Misao not to interfere with his revenge
By time Misao arrives at "Location A" after finally being told where Okina went back at the Aoiya, she opens the door, only to see her best friend fall to the ground in a bloody mess. Falling to the Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren, the spectacle of Okina cut apart with the Kodachi Nito Ryu makes it clear that Aoshi is the victor of this terrible battle. With an evil look in his eyes, Aoshi walks out, passing by Misao. Misao turns to the one she loves, simply asking him why. Aoshi states that he doesn't want to see Misao ever again and asks her to tell the Battōsai he'll be waiting at Shishio's headquarters. Okina is brought back to the Aoiya, where he is stitched up and has fallen into a coma. A message is given to Misao, as it was meant to be if Okina was ever in such a situation. The message basically tells Misao to dissolve the Oniwabanshū, since Okina is dead, so she can live a normal, happy life. Misao ignores the letter and turns to everyone, Kaoru, Yahiko, and the four former Oniwabanshū members, announcing that Aoshi is now no longer the leader of the Oniwabanshū, but the enemy, and that she is taking over his position.
Kenshin and Hiko clashing swords in training
Back in the mountains of Kyōto, in the serene training grounds of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū, several days have also passed parallel in the course during the affairs of the Oniwabanshū. Night and day, Kenshin Himura and Hiko Seijūrō the XIII have furiously and rigorously clashed swords, for Hiko to reawaken and temper his student back to his malleable prime for foundations of their martial art. On Kenshin's end, his naivety is still his major glaring flaw. Always taken by surprise by simply seeing rather than sensing what may come before his attacker's intentions, Kenshin is kicked in the abdomen midair trying to clash with Hiko. Hiko calls him out on his narrowed senses, demanding him to open his mind to go beyond the obvious and move in with the flow of the opponent, but as he stares into his pupil's eyes, deep down his admiration remains strong, still seeing the spirited young boy with heart who walked the ways of Hiten Mitsurugi with him all this time before him.
Going into battōjutsu stance, Hiko goads his student to attack him again. Kenshin, sensing the ruse, rushes in defensively, but as he blocks, the weight of the attack Hiko deals is even greater than anything before. Realizing it too late, Hiko strikes with the technique So Ryu Sen: Ikazuchi, having struck Kenshin's defending blade with his sheathed sword in full, knocking Kenshin off balance before pulling out his blade to knock Kenshin back down onto the ground again.
Hiko performing a Sō Ryū Sen Ikazuchi
As Hiko stands before his ever beaten pupil, he reprimands him that he cannot let down those who are counting on him, specifically his friends; especially Kaoru, with the way he is fighting now. Still determined and never giving up, Kenshin makes it clear that Shishio's ambitions are still on the move as they speak, and that with each second that passes, his cruel tyranny still continues to oppress the innocent, and that his mastery of Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū also is what his mission to stop his terrible successor depends on as well. Proud his student refuses to quit the path he continues to toil onward for his undying sake of others, with a smile on his face and brevity to ease his student's weight on his shoulders, Hiko pushes Kenshin on with his intense training, confident knowing the day comes soon that he will be able to master Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū's entirety.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Makimachi Misao
- Kamiya Kaoru
- Myōjin Yahiko
- Shishio Makoto
- Shinomori Aoshi
- Yūkyūzan Anji
- Seta Sōjirō
- Kariwa Henya
- Sadojima Hōji
- Iwanbō
- Kashiwazaki Nenji
- Han'nya
- Shikijō
- Beshimi
- Hyottoko
- Hiko Seijūrō XIII
- Himura Kenshin
- Shirojō
- Kurojō
- Masukami
- Ōmime
- Komagata Yumi
Trivia[]
- There are a couple of differences between the events of this episode and the manga:
- In the original manga when the Owls attack the Aoiya and are stopped, the Oniwabanshū torture one of the Owls, crucify him, nail candles in his hands and other places of his body, and send him back to Mount Hiei. This is censored in the 1996 anime, where there are not signs of torture in the Owl that is sent back to Mount Hiei.
- In the original manga in the scene where Misao declares she will be the new okashira of the Oniwabanshū, she changes clothes inmediately to her ninja outfit so she starts to unclothe. Kaoru, Masukami and Ōmime cover her from the sight of the men. This is changed in the 1996 anime where she does not change clothes.
Gallery[]
