Farewell To The Strongest Man

It's coming!

Birth of a Boy Swordsman

Act I

As this episode begins, we see Yahiko next to a river practicing by hitting a board that is hanging from a tree with his wooden shinai sword. Yahiko hits the board, and then drops his sword in pain because he hit the board so hard and it hurt his hands. The board has not stopped moving though, and it recoils and smacks Yahiko right in the face. This sends him flying and his sandal falls off. Meanwhile, up on a hill right next to where Yahiko is practicing, a girl of a similar age to Yahiko watches him. She sees Yahiko’s sandal fly off, and runs down to get it for him. When she picks it up, she realizes that it is broken. Yahiko has no idea where this girl has come from and is a little shocked. She comes up to Yahiko and gives him the sandal. Yahiko sees that the strap is broken, and the girl rips off a piece of her roseate kimono to mend the broken strap. While she is doing this, the river is shining on their faces as if the moment is magical. When the girl is finished, she gets up and walks away, wishing Yahiko good luck in his swordsmanship. Yahiko was never able to find out the girl’s name or thanks her.

Later that day, Yahiko is at the Akabeko with Kaoru, Kenshin, Sano, Ayame, and Suzume. Although there is a delicious hot plate before him, Yahiko is not eating anything. He can’t stop thinking about the mysterious girl he saw earlier. Kenshin asks Yahiko why he isn’t eating, and Yahiko tries to cover up by gobbling up food to make up for not eating before. Sano sees the mended sandal with the pink strap that Yahiko has placed in his shirt, close to his heart, and he starts making fun of Yahiko, saying that his “girlfriend” fixed the strap. Kaoru gets very interested when she hears Sano jokingly say that Yahiko has a girlfriend, but before she can ask for details, that same girl comes up to the table in a waitress uniform. Yahiko has a mouth full of rice, and when he sees the girl he spits it out getting it all over Sano’s face. Kaoru doesn’t realize that this was the same girl that repaired Yahiko’s strap, and she introduces Yahiko to the new waitress of the Akabeko, Tsubame. Before they can speak to each other, a man from another table asks Tsubame for some water, and she goes to the well just outside the Akabeko to get it.

Wanting to return the favor of fixing his sandal, Yahiko goes out to help Tsubame. He thanks her for repairing his shoe, and introduces himself as Yahiko Miyojin. She smiles and thanks Yahiko for helping her with the water, but when she does she calls Yahiko “little,” which Yahiko hates. Yahiko gives the water bucket from the well to Tsubame. As she is walking back to the Akabeko, a gang of men approach her. They pull her over to an alley near the Akabeko and demand money. Apparently this gang knows her, and she replies that she was unable to steal any from the Akabeko. She explains to the men that little money is kept at the Akabeko, and that each night the earnings from that day are taken to the owners’ house. Since most restaurants do this, the men were expecting it. One of the men asks if Tsubame made the key imprint of the owner’s house like they had asked her to. Tsubame struggles and tells the men that robbing the owners’ house is wrong, and she refuses to give them the key. The leader of the gang who is standing in the center is enraged and slaps Tsubame across the face. He yells at Tsubame telling her that she has to obey whatever he says. Apparently his ancestors ruled over hers for over three hundred years since the Edo Period, and the leader is a descendant of a samurai. They tell Tsubame that if she doesn’t give them the key, they will kill the owner’s entire family. Suddenly there is a shout from above. Yahiko is standing on the roof of the Akabeko, demanding that the thugs stop harassing Tsubame. He tells them that the slave and master relationship in Japan is over, as the Meiji government has abolished it. Overwhelmingly happy and surprised to see Yahiko, Tsubame calls out “little Yahiko.” The thugs burst out laughing at the though that “little Yahiko” has just challenged them. Yahiko jumps down from the roof with a powerful bang, and starts fighting the men with his shinai. After knocking two men out, the rest start to surround him, making the fight unfair and impossible for Yahiko to win or escape.

Meanwhile, (abandoning Ayame and Suzume?) Kaoru, Kenshin, and Sano are watching the fight by poking their heads out from the corner of the Akabeko. When the gang members surround Yahiko and begin to beat him up, Kaoru runs towards the gang to save him. However, Kenshin grabs her by her ponytail and explains to her and Sano that they cannot help Yahiko. Kenshin tells them that Yahiko needs to learn responsibility and to know how to fight on his own. After Kenshin says this, Tsubame goes up to the leader and tells him that she will give him the key if he tells his followers to stop beating Yahiko. He tells his men that it is enough beating for now, and they walk away with the key.

After they are out of sight, Tsubame rushes over to Yahiko and asks him if he is all right. He is bloody and scratched but he says he will be ok. Tsubame apologizes for dragging Yahiko into this situation. Yahiko gets up and asks Tsubame what time the thugs plan to rob the owners of the Akabeko. She replies that it will be at nightfall, and Yahiko says he will be there to stop them. He walks away and tells Tsubame that she should not apologize for bringing him this mess. He tells her that he chose to help her on his own. He walks away thinking to himself that he cannot go to the police because Tsubame would be arrested for giving the men the key, and he cannot worry Kaoru or Kenshin about the problem. This is his fight, and the birth of a young swordsman.

Act II

Yahiko needs to train hard for the fight that he must face come nightfall. He is again by the river, practicing. This time he has about ten boards hung from the tree, one for each gang member. He knows that he can beat a gang member (except possibly the leader) if it is a one on one fight, but if he gets into a situation where he is surrounded, he cannot possibly win. Pondering how to avoid this situation, Yahiko takes a break and sits next to the stream. Kenshin walks up to him, holding a tofu basket and Suzume. He sits down next to Yahiko, and lays Suzume down. Not wanting to let Kenshin know that he is going to be in a fight that evening, Yahiko tells Kenshin that he is experimenting with a new fighting technique. He is trying to learn how to fight more than one person at a time but isn’t doing too well. The boards always swing back and hit him in the face, which means he will be unable to fight against more than one opponent. Kenshin asks Yahiko if he is in that situation now, and Yahiko lies and tells him that he is just curious. Kenshin is silent for a moment and then explained a strategy to use when fighting multiple people. It was used by Imperialists during the revolution. First, you must run away from your opponents. They will come running after you, but no two men are exactly alike. They all have different physical capabilities and run at different speeds. When the fastest man catches up to you, you fight him on a one on one battle. After dealing with him, you keep running until the next man catches up to you, and so on. Kenshin tells Yahiko that it is vital that you fight each man in a one on one fight. Yahiko thanks Kenshin for his advice, and they both stand up. Kenshin puts Suzume on his back, and they all walk to the dojo. Kenshin has a few more words of wisdom though. They stop walking and Kenshin tells Yahiko that he must win the fights that he will face in the future to uphold the Kamiya Kasshin style that Kaoru has taught him. Kenshin explains to Yahiko that the Kamiya Kasshin style is based on protecting people. If Yahiko is to lose the fights he will have face, then not only is his death assured but also that of the one he is protecting. Yahiko digests these powerful words. Yahiko sees that Kenshin’s tofu bowl is empty and ask Kenshin if he needs to go get some. Kenshin smiles and replies that “it’s not important now.” Yahiko realizes that the reason why Kenshin came out to where he was practicing was to help him with his difficult situation. Embarrassed and in awe of Kenshin’s wisdom, Yahiko smiles.

The next scene takes place in front of the owner of the Akabeko’s house. The robbers are about to break in, when Yahiko runs up out of the darkness and snatches the key. He runs as fast as he can into a thin alleyway. The criminals run after him and enter the alleyway.

Meanwhile, Kaoru follows behind the bandits and Yahiko, wanting to watch her apprentice in action and help him if he gets hurt. Kaoru runs into Tsubame who has come out to try and stop the criminals. Yahiko got there before her though, and now Tsubame and Kaoru run to where the fight will take place. They stop just in front of the alley and look on at the crowd of gang members, the leader, and Yahiko.

Yahiko’s plan is working perfectly. Two of the bullies get stuck in the alley and Yahiko pounds them both on the head with his shinai. The boss of the gang notices Yahiko’s plan. The boss has had just about enough of dealing with Yahiko, and signals his gang members to withdraw their sheaths. The sheaths cover the entire sword, making it appear as if the sword is wooden. As the sheaths are removed, we see that the men actually have real swords. Yahiko cannot possibly win five one on one fights in a row if he only has his wooden shinai. Just as things begin to look bad for Yahiko, a rock drops down from the sky and hits one of the men in the head. The men look up to see who threw it and see two figures on the roof of the building at the end of the alley. One man yells out that one of the figures is the man with the cross-shaped scar on his left cheek, and that this man is supposed to be invincible. Another man yells out that the other figure is the killer Zanza, the fighter for hire. At the sight of the man with the cross-shaped scar and Zanza, the men run for their lives. The only man brave enough to stay is the group's leader. Yahiko looks up to see who is on the roof, but by the time he looks up, Kenshin and Sano have ducked down. Now it is truly a one on one fight, Yahiko versus the strongest gang member. The leader takes his real sword out from its wooden sheath and swings it at Yahiko. Yahiko is unable to avoid the swing, and gets a huge cut on his shoulder. He does not give up though, and the leader takes swing after swing at Yahiko, who dodges each one. Finally, Yahiko is forced to the very back of the alley and cannot avoid the leader any longer. The leader slashes down at Yahiko, who blocks the swing with his shinai. Immediately the bamboo splits into two pieces from the slash of the sharp metallic sword. Now Yahiko is cornered with no weapons. He is about to give up when he sees Kaoru and Tsubame at the alley’s entrance. He remembers Kenshin’s wise words. “If you lose this fight, not only is your death assured but also the death of the one who you are trying to protect.” Tsubame cries out to Yahiko that he must win for the sake of everyone at the Akabeko. With a burst of confidence, Yahiko is determined to win. The leader takes a huge finishing swing at Yahiko who ducks, rolls past the leader, and picks up one of the other gang member’s sheaths. The leader turns around and tries to slash Yahiko who ducks again, and whacks the leader in the shins with the sheath. The leader screams, and falls to the ground in pain. Yahiko walks over to the leader and smashes the sheath against his collarbone as hard as he can. The leader’s pupils go into his head as he screams in agony. Yahiko has won.

Kaoru is ecstatic, and runs over to her apprentice. She is so happy that her teachings have paid off. Yahiko is not so happy though. Kaoru wasn’t supposed to know about his fight! He is mad that Kaoru was spying on him during the fight, but before he can argue with her he turns around and sees Kenshin and Sano on the roof of the building. As fast as they can, Kenshin and Sano try to avoid Yahiko’s sight and run over to the other side of the roof and make cicada sounds. Yahiko sees past this hoax and yells, “There are no cicadas in the spring!”

Kaoru, Kenshin, Yahiko, Sano, and Tsubame all leave the alleyway together under the light of the full moon. Before they begin to walk home, Tsubame tries to thank Yahiko, but he tells her it isn’t necessary. Tsubame is happy for Yahiko and tells him that from now on, she will be braver. Sano starts to make fun of Yahiko and tells Kaoru to look at how macho Yahiko is acting in front of Tsubame. Yahiko is angry with Sano and starts yelling at him, and Tsubame, surprised at Yahiko’s temper, yells out “little Yahiko!” Of course, this just gives more reason for Sano to make fun of Yahiko, and Yahiko ends the episode yelling at everyone to stop calling him “little.”

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