Fighter for Hire - Sagara Sanosuke is the 4th episode of the Rurouni Kenshin 2023 anime adaptation.
Synopsis[]
A very powerful street fighter called Zanza arrives in Tokyo and is looking for trouble. Days after, Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko go to the Akabeko to eat. While there, they meet the fighter and get involved in one of Zanza's fights. Sometime later, the Hiruma brothers return with a new plan to defeat Kenshin. How will Zanza and Kenshin get involved in the brothers' plan for revenge? What motives will have the fighter defeat Kenshin?
Plot[]
At the Kamiya Dōjō, Yahiko is doing some morning kendo training while Kenshin cuts some wood with his Sakabatō. Suddenly Kaoru appears, really happy that she found an ink painting from her late grandfather, which she can sell for a lot of money. She tells Kenshin and Yahiko that they ought to celebrate this and have some gyūnabe.
The three arrive at the Akabeko restaurant. While waiting for their food and drinks, the restaurant's manager, Tae, gets punched by some thug, himself part of a group of rowdy individuals. However, before Kenshin and Yahiko can intervene, the fighter from earlier catches Tae, preventing her from falling, and then picks a fight with the thug who hit her.
And so, in the street in front of the Akabeko, the fighter defeats the thug in a mere flick of his finger, right after taking a suntetsu (a hidden metal spike about six inches in length) to the forehead without suffering any significant damage. One of the thug's friends is about to help him, but gets subtly threatened by Kenshin, so he and his companions leave, carrying their defeated friend on their shoulders.
The victorious fighter and Kenshin then have a brief, friendly exchange. After Kenshin refuses to fight him, the man gives him his address and leaves without paying his tab at the Akabeko, the Kanji for evil clearly outlined on his back.
The fighter talks with the Hiruma brothers Gohei and Kihei that night. Addressing the fighter as Zanza, Kihei reveals that the one called Kenshin is actually Hitokiri Battōsai. This piques Zanza's interest, and he thus resolves to fight the Battōsai with some weapon that he hasn't used in years.
The next day Zanza disappears, and both Gohei and Kihei get impatient as the days and weeks pass for Zanza to fight Kenshin. Zanza, catching them by surprise, reprimands them and tells them that he has been fighting, but that a fight doesn't start with kicks and punches. He then goes to the Kamiya Dōjō to fight his target. Once there, he meets Kenshin, Kaoru, and Yahiko and tells them that he went to Kyōto to learn about this newest adversary he's been hired to fight; he divulges what little information he found.
Zanza declares his hate of the Ishin Shishi and says he wants to destroy the strongest of all of them, namely Kenshin, with all his heart. However, before he can attempt that, Kenshin and Zanza both detect the Hiruma brothers hiding behind a fence.
The brothers come out, being urged to do so by the two combatants. Then, Kihei's concealed revolver, which he had planned to use once Kenshin had dropped his guard following his battle with Zanza, is confiscated and destroyed by the latter. All assembled, then go to the river, where Zanza reveals his actual name, Sagara Sanosuke, and an enormous sword, a Zanbatō, with which he will fight Kenshin.
The pair then start their fight in earnest: Sanosuke attempts to crush Kenshin with his sword, but the latter dodges easily and slashes at Sano with the blunt edge of his Sakabatō, knocking him to the ground. Sanosuke, however, stands back up unfazed and declares that the winner isn't always the better swordsman but the one left standing. To this, Kenshin replies that Sano may say that after he is the one left standing.
Characters in Order of Appearance[]
- Myōjin Yahiko
- Himura Kenshin
- Kamiya Kaoru
- Sekihara Tae
- Sagara Sanosuke
- Hiruma Gohei
- Hiruma Kihei
- Sagara Sōzō
Anime Notes[]
- There are several differences between the original manga and the events of this episode:
- In the anime, Yahiko is doing morning practice while Kenshin cuts wood with the Sakabatō before the opening. This is not present in the manga.
- In the original manga, the suntetsu drunk's injury was a dislocated arm. In the anime, the weapon punctured into the palm instead.
- In the original manga, Sanosuke crushes Kihei's gun. In the anime, Sanosuke's hit instantly dismantles the gun.
Trivia[]
- This is the first episode title that does not correspond to the title of a manga chapter.
- One of the drunks fighting against Sanosuke at the Akabeko has a Suntetsu: A concealed weapon that is a metal rod/spike about 15 cm in length with a ring attached.
- The middle finger is inserted into the ring, and the suntetsu rests in hand by various grips.
- Suntetsu are easy to conceal and small. They are used for stabbing, poking, or pinching.
- Suntetsu can be used alone or as a pair.
Gallery[]
To be added