List of Samurai Champloo episodes
The anime series Samurai Champloo is set during the Edo period. It follows a young woman named Fuu who hires two samurai, Mugen and Jin, after helping in stopping their public execution. The group is on a quest to find the mysterious samurai who smells of sunflowers that Fuu wishes to find.
The episodes of series were produced by Manglobe and written and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe. The first episode premiered in Japan on Fuji Television on May 19, 2004 where it ran for 26 episodes until its conclusion on March 19, 2005.[1] The episodes were collected in DVD volumes in Japan with the first one released on August 1, 2004 and the final and thirteenth on August 24, 2005.[2][3]
Geneon Entertainment licensed the show for distribution in North America in June 2004.[4] An English dub of the series premiered in the United States on Cartoon Network on January 20, 2005, moving to the Adult Swim anime block on May 14, 2005.[5] The series was collected in seven DVD volumes released between January 11, 2005 and January 17, 2006.[6][7] Funimation Entertainment also released a DVD box on May 24, 2011.[8] Samurai Champloo debuted in Canada on December 24, 2006 on the digital station Razer.
The episodes use six pieces of theme music. "Battlecry", performed by Nujabes and Shing02, is used for the opening theme for all twenty-six episodes. "Song of Four Seasons (四季ノ唄, Shiki no Uta)" by Minmi is used for the primary ending theme, except for four episodes. Episode 12 uses Minmi's "Who's Theme" as its ending, episode 17 uses "You" by Kazami, 23 uses "Fly" by Azuma Riki, and the final episode uses the song "San Francisco" by Midicronica for its ending.
Episode list
No. | Title | Director | Writer | Original airdate[9] | English airdate[10] | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | "Tempestuous Temperaments" Transcription: "Storm and Stress / Shippū Dotō" (Japanese: 疾風怒涛) | Shinichirō Watanabe[11] | Shinji Obara[11] | May 20, 2004 | May 14, 2005 | |
Fuu, a waitress who is being intimidated by the village prefect's son, Ryujiro, and his guard, begs 19-year-old vagabond Mugen for help. Across town, skilled 20-year-old rōnin Jin kills the prefect's bodyguards as they prepare to kill a peasant. Jin enters the restaurant, where Mugen mistakes him for the prefect's elite bodyguards and, seeking a worthy adversary, engages him in combat. One of Ryujiro's guards sets the restaurant on fire and it burns to the ground. The local authorities capture both Mugen and Jin, who were knocked unconscious by coal gas, and sentence them to death. After escaping their execution with some help from Fuu, she asks them to join her on a quest to find a mysterious man who smells of sunflowers. Fuu tells them she'll decide on a coin flip. If heads, they get to kill each other and not help Fuu. But if its tails, then Mugen and Jin will have to escort her to the Sunflower Samurai and postpone their conflict. Mugen flips the coin really high in the air, and the coin lands on Fuu's face. Fuu says that the coin flip was tails meaning Mugen and Jin have to postpone their conflict before being chased by angry citizens. | ||||||
2 | "Redeye Reprisal" Transcription: "Veritable Pandemonium / Hyakkiyakō" (Japanese: 百鬼夜行) | Takeshi Yoshimoto[12] | Shinji Obara[12] | June 3, 2004 | May 21, 2005 | |
The trio do not have enough money for a place to stay and food to eat. While trying to get food, the trio overhear from a group of samurai about an ogre who kills people. Mugen offers to kill the ogre after obtaining information for an innkeeper, revealed to give false information to lead them to Ryujiro, the prefect's son out for revenge against Mugen for chopping one of his arms off. Ryujiro kills the innkeeper after his role is complete and is revealed to have hired the ogre name Oniwakamaru who attacks Mugen off guard and kidnaps Fuu to lure him while Jin fights an assassin who lured him to the outskirts of the village. Fuu instead befriends Oniwakamaru but is then baited by Ryujiro against Mugen. Oniwakamaru then kills Ryujiro to save Fuu but is killed by Mugen while the assassin fighting Jin concedes since his client is dead. | ||||||
3 | "Hellhounds for Hire (Part 1)" Transcription: "Tacit Understanding 1 / Ishindenshin sono ichi" (Japanese: 以心伝心 其之壱) | Shintaro Inokawa[13] | Shinji Obara[13] | June 10, 2004 | May 28, 2005 | |
At a fork road, Mugen and Jin trick Fuu and abandon her. Mugen goes to a restaurant and steals food from a gang, enraging them into a fight. Their leader, Nagatomi, is impressed with Mugen's ability and hires him as a bodyguard over his own bodyguard, Ishimatsu. Jin later eats at the same restaurant but cannot pay for his food and must work as a sword-for-hire by Sousuke, heir to the Kawara yakuza. Sousuke struggles to fight against the rival yakuza Nagatomi because his sister-like friend Osuzu was forced into prostitution to pay off her father's debt, the same brothel that Fuu is forced to work at when captured. Mugen encounters Jin again when he guards Sousuke to break into Nagatomi territory in an attempt to save Osuzu but Fuu interrupts their fight. Jin and Sousuke escape using flash bombs and Nagatomi refuses to go after them. | ||||||
4 | "Hellhounds for Hire (Part 2)" Transcription: "Tacit Understanding 2 / Ishindenshin sono ni" (Japanese: 以心伝心 其之弐) | Hirotaka Endo[14] | Shinji Obara | June 17, 2004 | June 4, 2005 | |
Mugen urges Nagatomi to take Kawara territory by force but Nagatomi refuses to, explaining that obtaining their territory through legal means is more effective. Furthermore, Nagatomi discusses his plans of ruling the land through control, something which Mugen disagrees with and leaves the gang. When Jin deters Sousuke from saving Osuzu, Sousuke accidentally kills a man belonging to the Nagatomi gang and is captured. Nagatomi confronts Sousuke's father, Heitaro, and the two agree to gamble: Sousuke's life or Kawara's territory. The night of the gamble, Fuu escapes from the brothel but is mistaken as a dice-roller. When Heitaro loses, he instead commits seppuku. Mugen abruptly interrupts and creates a chaos while Nagatomi is killed by his previous and embittered bodyguard Ishimatsu. Ishimatsu is then offered to return to work for the Kawara by Sousuke but he declines, later being slayed in battle against Mugen. | ||||||
5 | "Artistic Anarchy" Transcription: "Utter Indifference / Bajitōfū" (Japanese: 馬耳東風) | Sayo Yamamoto[15] | Dai Satō | June 24, 2004 | June 11, 2005 | |
Fuu, Mugen, and Jin go in a restaurant to eat, where Fuu meets a ukiyo-e artist name Hishikawa Moronobu. Meanwhile, a detective name Sekami Manzou (Manzou the Saw) is attempting to find the person in chard of slave trafficking. While Mugen and Jin go out to get some money, Hishikawa persuades Fuu to pose for him for his drawing in exchange for money. Jin plays a game with an old man, while Mugen beats up street punks to get money. When Hishiwaka finishes his painting, the yakuza kidnap Fuu. Hishiwaka tries to rescue Fuu, explaining that he joined the Yakuza to get more money since his paintings weren't attracting customers, but is beaten up by the Yakuza. Mugen finds a beaten up Hishiwaka, and Mugen helps save Fuu from the Yakuza. Manzou appears and arrests the old man Jin was playing as well as a woman for being the head of the slave trafficking ring. Hishiwaka tells Fuu that he will never forget her, and plans to go to the country Holland to pursue his dreams of being an artist. It is revealed that Hishiwaka didn't escape to Holland, but his drawing of Fuu would later inspire Vincent Van Gogh. | ||||||
6 | "Stranger Searching" Transcription: "Redheaded Foreigner / Akage Ijin" (Japanese: 赤毛異人) | Akira Yoshimura[16] | Shinji Obara | July 1, 2004 | June 19, 2005 | |
Fuu, Jin, and Mugen enter an eating contest (Jin and Mugen had to give their swords to enter the contest) but all of them lose to a man named Joji Titsingh (or Izssac) who is a gay European man who speaks Japanese. Izssac agrees to give Jin and Mugen their sword back if the trio gives him a tour around the city. While on the tour, the trio are attacked by INS agents (samurai acting as police) who are trying to capture Iszsac because he's a Foreigner. Issac gives Mugen and Jin their weapons back, and when they're cornered its revealed Izssac is from a country called Holland and is the governor of the East India Company. The INS Agents soon leave peacefully when Izssac agrees to go with them. Fuu meets with Izsaac while Mugen and Jin leave, and she reveals that she's trying to find the samurai that smells of sunflowers. Izsaac says that he has not heard of the samurai that smells of sunflowers, but when Fuu shows him a skull with a loop attached to it, Izsaac becomes fearful and whispers to Fuu that she must not show this to anyone. Izsaac tells Fuu to go to Nagasaki, and she will find her answers there before leaving. | ||||||
7 | "A Risky Racket" Transcription: "Surrounded on All Sides / Shimensoka" (Japanese: 四面楚歌) | Takeshi Yoshimoto[17] | Seiko Takagi | July 8, 2004 | June 25, 2005 | |
While Fuu, Jin and Mugen are going to get some soup, Fuu's purse is stolen by a thief in the town. The thief, Shinsuke, tries to make a deal with thugs by using Fuu's money in exchange for his mother's condition. Fuu overhears this but doesn't report to Mugen and Jin. Fuu decides to observe the house the next morning, but she gets caught by Shinsuke's mother who suspects she might be his girlfriend. She takes her inside the house where she explains her situation to Fuu: Shinsuke's father abandoned the family many years ago, leaving him to care for her, and she's worried about what Shinsuke's been up to recently. Later that night, Shinsuke visits the doctor that helps him treat his mother. Unfortunately, her current treatments won't fully cure her, and the type of high-quality medicine that could cure her is way too expensive. The next morning, Fuu confronts Shinsuke but are attacked by a gang and forced to hide. While hiding, Fuu and Shinsuke bond, with both of them revealing their past. Mugen takes on the gang to rescue Fuu, and Shinsuke escapes but is killed by the police after he attempts to stab them. | ||||||
8 | "The Art of Altercation" Transcription: "Self-Conceit / Yuigadokuson" (Japanese: 唯我独尊) | Keiichi Sasajima[18] | Dai Satō | July 15, 2004 | July 2, 2005 | |
A singing swordsman (Nagamitsu) hunts for Jin, challenging any samurai-wearing glasses he can find, accompanied by a beat-boxing duo of thugs. While waiting for their order, Mugen and Jin are infatuated with a curvaceous woman named Budokiba. Budokiba slips something in Mugen and Jin's drinks, knocking them both out. Meanwhile, Fuu goes out to meet Nagamitsu, and learns that Nagamitsu is trying to challenge a samurai wearing glasses. Realizing it might be Jin, she tries to warn them but finds both Mugen and Jin unconscious. The trio manage to earn money by doing tricks, and Jin meets Nagamitsu. One of Nagamitsu's followers, Ogura, challenges him to a duel, and Jin clearly has the upper hand in the fight. However he allows Ogura to win, sparing his life while he still vows revenge on Jin. Suddenly, a big dog interrupts the conflict, as does Budokiba who seems fed up with Nagamitsu's shenanigans and drags him away. The episode ends with the two of them, their kids and their dog Luigi on a boat sailing away as Nagamitsu hopes to find new legendary samurai to conquer. | ||||||
9 | "Beatbox Bandits" Transcription: "Evil Spirits of Mountain and Stream / Chimimōryō" (Japanese: 魑魅魍魎) | Hirotaka Endo[19] | Dai Satō | July 22, 2004 | July 9, 2005 | |
Mugen, Jin and Fuu need to cross a border so they purchase travel passes since they don't have any. When their passes turn out to be fake, the trio are sentenced to death. However, the guards offer Mugen a chance to save his friends; if he can deliver an object through a forest full of bandits and return in time, Jin and Fuu will be spared. Mugen notices he's followed by a warrior priest group who wears Tengu masks, and is captured. One of the border patrols sends out a man named Yamane to tag Mugen, and frees him. During the chaos, Yamane lights a fire on the grass (revealed to be drugs called devil cabbage; marijuana) which cause Mugen to hallucinate and be late. Just as Fuu and Jin are about to be sentenced to death, the odor of the devil cabbage makes the border patrol hallucinate. Fuu and Jin manage to get away, and are angered to see Mugen hanging out with the warrior priests. | ||||||
10 | "Lethal Lunacy" Transcription: "Fighting Fire with Fire / Idoku Seidoku" (Japanese: 以毒制毒) | Akira Yoshimura[20] | Touko Machida | July 29, 2004 | July 16, 2005 | |
Mugen, Jin, and Fuu are trying to get food when a priest offers to buy them supplies if they clean his dojo. When Fuu is doing errands she encounters a group of people discussing a string of mysterious killings where the victims are all skilled samurai, with a bounty of 10 ryō being offered for his capture. (1 Ryo in Ancient Japan is 120,000 yen or $1054.50 in America). Mugen is the only one interested, and while going to a bar to drink, a man named Shoryu sits next to Mugen and talks about the mystery killer. Mugen realizes Shoryu is the mystery killer, and attacks. During the battle, Mugen is briefly overwhelmed by Shoryu's non-contact attacks before the police arrive, with Shoryu promising to fight Mugen in the next full moon. The priest reveals that he is Shoryu's teacher, and Shoryu learned the secret techniques after being shipwrecked in China where he learned the concept of qi. Shoryu wanted to use his techniques in lethal ways, which caused a split between the priest and Shoryu. Mugen trains in preparation for his fight, and during the full moon Mugen fights against Shoryu. Shoryu is impressed with Mugen's skill, and disarms him. However, Mugen pulls out a knife, killing Shoryu while the priest senses Shoryu's death. | ||||||
11 | "Gamblers and Gallantry" Transcription: "Fallen Angel / Daraku Tenshi" (Japanese: 堕落天使) | Sayo Yamamoto[21] | Seiko Takagi | August 5, 2004 | July 23, 2005 | |
Fuu, Mugen and Jin are stuck in town on an extremely rainy night trying to find any work they can. While Mugen trains a rhinoceros beetle for a bug tournament, eventually winning. Jin roams around aimlessly when he comes across a woman on a bridge and gives nonchalant advice on how she can drown herself. The two go to a stall where the stall-owner gives them reign of the stall while he leaves momentarily. The two share an intimate moment together until the woman reveals that she will become a prostitute the next day to pay for her husband's gambling debts, revealing that her name is Shino. He visits Shino the next day at the brothel and buys her company to be with her, then insisting that the two escape together after witnessing Shino's husband beating her. As they leave, the guards of the brothel discover them and give chase. Shino meets her husband one last time, buying her own freedom from him before Jin puts her on a boat to find shelter on the next island. While Shino watches from a distance, Jin kills the guards and the two share one last glance. | ||||||
12 | "The Disorder Diaries" Transcription: "Learning from the Past / Onkochishin" (Japanese: 温故知新) | Hirotaka Endo[22] | Shinichirō Watanabe | August 12, 2004 | July 30, 2005 | |
Mugen steals Fuu's diary that she has been keeping since they first started on their journey to find the sunflower samurai. The episode is a humorous recap on what has happened so far in Samurai Champloo as seen through Fuu's viewpoint, which is in turn criticised by Jin and Mugen. In the end, they find a note written by Fuu herself saying that she knew they would try and snoop into her diary, which enrages Mugen. | ||||||
13 | "Misguided Miscreants (Part 1)" Transcription: "Dark Night's Road 1 / An'ya Kōro sono ichi" (Japanese: 暗夜行路 其之壱) | Takeshi Yoshimoto[23] | Shinji Obara | August 26, 2004 | November 19, 2005 | |
Fuu, Mugen, and Jin go to the beach for the first time, and the trio meet Mugen's childhood acquaintances Koza and Mukuro. While Mugen is trying to find a boat to Nagasaki, Koza tells them that the three of them grew up on a small section of the Ryukyu Islands together. Unfortunately, it was an island where criminals would be exiled to, forcing the three of them to grow up only knowing a world of crime. It is revealed that Mugen was sentenced to death for a crime he committed, and he jumped in the ocean while Mukuro and Koza watch. Mukuro forces Mugen to join him on a job after winning a bet against Mugen. The job is to go on a government ship and try to steal gold, and Mukuro secretly reveals to Koza that he plans to kill Mugen to tie loose ends. While Mugen is fighting the government officials, Mukuro blows up the ship Mugen was in, with Fuu looking in horror. | ||||||
14 | "Misguided Miscreants (Part 2)" Transcription: "Dark Night's Road 2 / An'ya Kōro sono ni" (Japanese: 暗夜行路 其之弐) | Shūkō Murase[24] | Shinji Obara | September 2, 2004 | November 26, 2005 | |
Koza asks Jin to kill Mukuro to avenge Mugen, and Fuu finds Mugen's body near the shores. Meanwhile, Mukuro and his associate Shiren (the mole he had planted on the government transport ship) are discussing matters in a hidden area that they plan to use until it is safe to escape, and Mukuro comments on his efforts to hook up Shiren with Koza. While Mukuro introduces Koza to Shiren, Jin appears and kills Mukuro in revenge for Mugen (Jin believes he is the only one worthy to kill Mugen). However, Jin realizes that Koza tricked him, and while trying to find her he sees a weakened Mugen. Mugen confronts Shiren and Koza, and effortlessly kills Shiren. Mugen realizes that Koza is deeply lonely, and instead of killing her just ignores her, walking past and leaving her to her life without anyone who cares about her or even the gold that the gang stole. | ||||||
15 | "Bogus Booty" Transcription: "Through and Through / Tettō Tetsubi" (Japanese: 徹頭徹尾) | Kazuto Nakazawa[25] | Uwadan Shimofuwato | September 9, 2004 | December 3, 2005 | |
While miserably fishing, Jin manages to acquire a big bag of Japanese money, and the trio go out to eat. However, a gang led by a man named Ginsa is trying to find the bag of Japanese money Jin had. It is revealed that the Japanese money is fake and not meant for public circulation, and believe a ninja police named Yatsuha Imano is responsible. Jin and Fuu go to a hotel to sleep, while Mugen becomes infatuated with Yatsuha Imano and tries to have sex with her. Even though Yatsuha Imano kicks him in the groin, Mugen gets back up. Yatsuha Imano promises to sleep with Mugen and give him a "nookie" if he helps deal with Ginsa and his gang. While this is happening, a group of ninja descend upon Jin, but he manages to take them out in one quick strike. With all of Ginsa's men taken out, Ginsa makes one last desperate charge towards Mugen, but Yatsuha manages to capture him and arrest everyone involved in the operation. Mugen tries to have sex with Yatsuha Imano again, but Yatsuha distracts him and knocks him out. Yatsuha has one of her men drop Mugen off at the tree where Fuu was resting the entire time, and she departs from the tree, reminiscing on her promise to Mugen: evidently, she promised to marry him once “both their journeys are complete”, whatever her journey entails. | ||||||
16 | "Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 1)" Transcription: "Idling One's Life Away, first verse / Suiseimushi hito yume" (Japanese: 酔生夢死 ひと夢) | Masato Miyoshi[26] | Keiko Nobumoto | September 16, 2004 | December 10, 2005 | |
As Fuu, Mugen, and Jin continue to wander the woods, they gets into a massive fight regarding their mission of finding “the samurai who smells of sunflowers”. Impatient and irritated, Mugen angrily presses Fuu for information about their journey, but Fuu remains stubborn about revealing all the details. After things get too heated, the three split up and go their separate ways. Fuu is abandoned by Momo briefly, and falls into a river. Mugen is attacked by an individual name Okuru (who mistakes him for the Matsumae Clan) and barely escapes. Jin is attacked by his former classmate Yukimaru and jumps off a cliff, and Okuru rescues Fuu from the river. While hiding, Mugen is ambushed by the Matsumae Clan who mistakes him for Okuru. | ||||||
17 | "Lullabies of the Lost (Verse 2)" Transcription: "Idling One's Life Away, second verse / Suiseimushi futa yume" (Japanese: 酔生夢死 ふた夢) | Hirotaka Endo[27] | Ryota Sugi | September 23, 2004 | December 17, 2005 | |
Mugen manages to hold off the Matsumae Clan and then captures a clan member who reveals that Okuru murdered an entire village, members of the Matsumae clan, and even his own wife and daughter. Fuu asks Okuru to travel with her to find the Sunflower Samurai, but Okuru declines as he is being pursued. Jin is recovering from his fight with Yukimaru, and overhears the Matsumae Clan talking about Mugen and Okuru. Mugen meets Okuru again, and Okuru explains that the Matsumae Clan spread the disease into his village before setting it on fire to prevent it from spreading. Jin overhears Fuu's screams and finds out Yukimaru used her as bait to draw Jin out. Jin and Yukimaru fight, with Jin killing Yukimaru. They overhear explosions as the Matsumae Clan interrupt Mugen and Okuru's fight. The Matsumae fire and hit Okuru with their flaming arrows, and Mugen attacks them for interrupting their fight. The next day, the trio continue their journey, but Fuu reveals that the Sunflower Samurai is her father. | ||||||
18 | "War of the Words" Transcription: "Pen in One Hand, Sword in the Other / Bunburyōdō" (Japanese: 文武両道) | Sayo Yamamoto[28] | Dai Satō[28] | January 22, 2005 | January 12, 2006 | |
While ordering food, Fuu realizes that Mugen is illiterate and can not read. A man named Bundai decides to teach Mugen how to read, and use excessive force during their training. While walking in the village, Fuu and Jin realized the village is covered in graffiti by two descendants of Jin's old master: Tatsunoshin and Kazunosuke. Jin reveals that when he was a student under Niwa, he made a promise upon request from his master. Jin agreed that if some terrible fate were to ever befall his master, he would take care of his two sons. Mugen finally learns how to read, and the trio learn that the brothers will hold a graffiti contest on Hiroshima Castle, the winner gets Fuu and becomes the leader of the new dojo. However, Mugen wins the contest instead, and a man named Uohori is impressed with the brothers, and offers them to be fashionable icons. However, Bundai takes the brothers away. It is revealed in the future that Kazunosuke and Tatsunoshin would bring graffiti style and fashion sense to the Edo region. | ||||||
19 | "Unholy Union" Transcription: "Karma and Retribution / Ingaōhō" (Japanese: 因果応報) | Hirotaka Endo[28] | Seiko Takagi[28] | January 29, 2005 | January 19, 2006 | |
Fuu is waiting for Jin and Mugen in a shed when a young woman name Yuri barges in, trying to hide from a charlatan name Xavier III who pretends to be Christian so he can get weapons. Yuri notices the necklace Fuu wears, and confirms it to be a sign of Christianity. Xavier's thugs break in the shed, knocking out Fuu and kidnapping Yuri. While the trio try to find Yuri, Fuu is caught, and Yuri reveals Fuu's father's name is Seizo Kasumi. Mugen and Jin expose Xavier III as a regular Japanese man who isn't Christian, and Xavier III accidentally kills himself. The next morning, the trio say farewell to Yuri as they head off to the Ikitsuki island in search of the Fuu's father. | ||||||
20 | "Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 1)" Transcription: "Generous Elegy 1 / Hikakōgai sono ichi" (Japanese: 悲歌慷慨 其之壱) | Takeshi Yoshimoto[28] | Shinji Obara[28] | February 5, 2005 | January 26, 2006 | |
Fuu, Mugen and Jin meet up with a blind woman who is a traveling musician name Sara in a pub. Because of her blindness, she is able to sense the emotions of the group. During their travels, the trio grow close to Sara, especially Mugen. One night, Sara asks Fuu if it's okay for either Jin or Mugen to accompany her during her destination, and Fuu chooses Jin, thinking Jin would refuse. However, much to her horror, Jin accepts and leaves with Sara. That night however, Jin is attacked by Sara (even though she is blind) on top of an old bridge. | ||||||
21 | "Elegy of Entrapment (Verse 2)" Transcription: "Generous Elegy 2 / Hikakōgai sono ni" (Japanese: 悲歌慷慨 其之弐) | Akitoshi Yokoyama[28] | Shinji Obara[28] | February 12, 2005 | February 2, 2006 | |
Jin and Sara fight, but Sara manages to overpower him. Just before Jin is about to be killed, he cuts the old bridge, with both falling down in the river. The next day, Mugen and Fuu overhear a group of people talking about the bridge being cut, and realize that the bridge was where Jin and Sara was heading. Fuu and Mugen find Sara, and Sara lies that she couldn't find Jin. While investigating, Mugen finds Sara's damaged instrument and cane, and realizes Sara isn't what she seems. While Fuu tries to find Jin, Mugen confronts Sara and the two fight. Mugen is initially overwhelmed by Sara's raw strength, but just before Sara kills Mugen, Fuu steps in to cover Mugen's body. Jin wakes up in a cabin and meets an old fisherman who gives him advice on moving with the flow of water to catch the fish. Sara is wandering until she encounters a masked man who says she needs to finish her job or her son will die. Jin meets up with Fuu and Mugen again and explains what happened, as well as the fisherman's advice. Mugen meets up with Sara again, and they fight once more. Although initially evenly matched, Sara overpowers him. Mugen and Sara both try to strike together, but at the last second, Sara pulls back on her strike causing Mugen to fatally wound her. Mugen asks her why did she hold back, and Sara reveals that she has nothing to live for now that her son was already dead. Angered, Mugen tosses her weapon in a fit of rage. | ||||||
22 | "Cosmic Collisions" Transcription: "Anger Shot Toward Heaven / Dohatsu Shōten" (Japanese: 怒髪衝天) | Sayo Yamamoto[28] | Dai Satō[28] | February 19, 2005 | February 9, 2006 | |
Fuu, Mugen and Jin eat mushrooms which cause them to hallucinate zombies and ghosts. | ||||||
23 | "Baseball Blues" Transcription: "Heart and Soul Into the Ball / Ikkyū Nyūkon" (Japanese: 一球入魂) | Mitsutaka Noshitani[28] | Shinichirō Watanabe[28] | February 26, 2005 | February 16, 2006 | |
Fuu, Mugen and Jin try to go to the Ikitsuki Islands where the Sunflower Samurai (Fuu's Father) resides. An American ship arrives, and the inhabitants are baseball players. The Americans want to do businesses with the Japanese by force (The Japanese had isolationist policies which forbids Japan from trading with foreigners). A man named Kagemaru makes Fuu, Mugen, and Jin play baseball with an old man, Sakami Manzou, and a dog. In the game, Kagemaru is killed, but Mugen successfully defeats the baseball team, winning the match. | ||||||
24 | "Evanescent Encounter (Part 1)" Transcription: "Circle of Transmigration 1 / Shōji Ruten sono ichi" (Japanese: 生死流転 其之壱) | Takeshi Yoshimoto[28] | Shinichirō Watanabe, Shinji Obara[28] | March 5, 2005 | February 23, 2006 | |
Fuu, Mugen and Jin have finally arrived in Nagasaki to find Ikitsuki Island in search of the Sunflower Samurai. While camping, Fuu gets emotional with the thought of Jin and Mugen leaving her once their journey ends. Meanwhile, a trio of assassins (Denkibou, Umanosuke, and Toube) are tracking Mugen, Jin and Fuu, and killing people who are nosey or stands in their way. A powerful samurai name Kariya Kagetoki is being recruited by a shogunate councilor to deal with Fuu, Mugen and Jin after hearing one of them killed Sara. While trying to shop for souvenirs, Fuu leaves them a note saying goodbye to the two of them and thanking them for all the adventures they’ve had together as she heads off on her own to confront her father. Kariya Kagetoki meets Mugen and Jin, and states that Fuu's father was one of the leaders of the Shimabara Rebellion, and that the shogunate was tracking the heroes to find Fuu's father. Kariya Kagetoki challenges them to fight, and Fuu is attacked by the trio of assassins. | ||||||
25 | "Evanescent Encounter (Part 2)" Transcription: "Circle of Transmigration 2 / Shōji Ruten sono ni" (Japanese: 生死流転 其之弐) | Kazuto Nakazawa[28] | Shinichirō Watanabe, Shinji Obara[28] | March 12, 2005 | March 2, 2006 | |
Mugen fights Kariya Kagetoki, with Kariya Kagetoki praises Mugen's raw talent and unpredictability, but notes that Mugen doesn't have the skills to defeat him. Kariya Kageoki easily defeats Mugen, and Denkibou arrives, telling Mugen and Jin to go to the church on Ikitsui Island, or Fuu dies. Jin tells Mugen to go, and Kariya Kagetoki expresses interest in killing the samurai who killed Enshiro Mariya (Jin's teacher). It is revealed that Jin's master met with Kariya Kagetoki, and Kagetoki forces Mariya to turn his samurai school into assassins. When Enshiro Mariya asks Jin about this, Jin stubbornly refuses, saying that its dishonorable. When Mariya reported this to Kariya, he commanded him to slay his own pupil in the middle of the night for fear of Jin creating a rebellion in the future. This did not go as expected, as Jin quickly but unexpectedly kills his master, which causes Jin to run away. Kagetoki and Jin talk about how the age of the samurai is about to end, and the two fight again, with Kagetoki seemingly killing Jin. Meanwhile, Denkibou attacks Mugen on the boat, and Mugen kills him while being gravely injured. Mugen finds Umanosuke holding Fuu captive, and Umanosuke reveals he, Denkibou, and Toube were government officials that were in the shop when Mugen and Mukuro blew up (in Misguided Miscreants Part 1 and 2). Umanosuke agrees to give up Fuu if Mugen gives up his sword, and Mugen agrees. Umanosuke lets Fuu go, and attacks Mugen viciously while Fuu goes to see her father. | ||||||
26 | "Evanescent Encounter (Part 3)" Transcription: "Circle of Transmigration 3 / Shōji Ruten sono san" (Japanese: 生死流転 其之参) | Sayo Yamamoto, Shinichirō Watanabe[28] | Shinichirō Watanabe[28] | March 19, 2005 | March 9, 2006 | |
Fuu confronts Seizo Kasumi the Sunflower Samurai (her father), and finds her father dying from an unknown illness. Fuu is angry that her father left her, and expresses all of her hardships, but won't give him any physical revenge seeing as her father's already dying. Kariya Kagetoki arrives, and allows Seizo Kasumi to say his last words with Fuu before killing him with Fuu watching in horror. He tries to go after Fuu but is surprised to see that Jin survived their encounter. Jin and Kariya Kagetoki duel once more, with Jin killing Kariya Kagetoki by using a secret move. Meanwhile, Mugen is attacked relentlessly by Umanosuke and tortured, but insults Umanosuke and uses his hidden dagger to wound Umanosuke, giving him enough time to get his sword. The two continue their battle, and the church collapses. Mugen barely manages to kill Umanosuke, and Toube uses a bomb in his wheelchair to try to kill Mugen, but it doesn't work. Fuu and Jin hear the explosion, and see Mugen barely alive. Since they successfully led Fuu to her father, the two agree to fight each other with Fuu trying to get them to stop. Both of their blades shatter when they hit, and Mugen admits that he doesn't want to kill Jin because he sees Jin as his friend, with Jin agreeing much to Fuu's relief. While Mugen and Jin rest for a few days, Fuu learns that her father was one of the leaders of the Shimabara Rebellion and he left her to prevent the Shogunate from targeting Fuu. After enjoying some food together, the trio decide to split but not before Fuu reveals that she lied about the outcome of the coin flip in the beginning of the journey. Mugen and Jin get annoyed, but the trio soon split on good terms, not knowing if they will see each other again but grateful for the memories they experienced with each other. |
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