Rurouni Kenshin Vol. #14: Fire Requiem

By Zubin Kumana     February 12, 2002
Release Date: January 15, 2002



The Review!
A wounded hero. An invincible foe. A plot to take over Japan. A contest of ideologies. A hidden love. Power turned against the bearer. Betrayal. Death. Restoration. Spontaneous human combustion. If these are the things you look for in anime, then look no further, because Rurouni Kenshin: Legend of Kyoto has culminated in this, its fourteenth installment, and all this and more it can truly deliver.

Let's get started.

Menus. This is perhaps the last we will see of this menu, and based on what we've seen, I cannot wait to see the next evolution. Certainly a fine menu, Media Blasters has provided us with an organized, visually and aurally pleasing layout. Good job.

Packaging: Another entry in the light grey/dark grey pattern used throughout the Kyoto arc. The cover offers a wonderful picture of Yumi and Shishio in the foreground, and Kenshin washed in red in the background. There are no obvious spelling errors on the back (but there is a grammatical error).

Extras: You got yer liner notes over here, yer attack translations over here, and yer outtakes over here. The outtakes are, thankfully, quite funny this time. Perhaps it is because of the dearth of humorous moments in the previous outtakes, but I must say, I was laughing out loud a lot at some of the quips and insertions the actors made (Especially David Lucas). One final extra, we get "Character messages", in which the voice actors give little speeches (in character) to the fans. There's some funny stuff in here, too. In the trailers department, we get a preview for Rurouni Kenshin: Tales of the Meiji.

Let me also say that I've never seen Kenshin looking so good. The video quality on this volume is outstanding.

Content. Oh ho ho. Here ends the saga that some say is the taste of heaven we have so longed for, braving hell (Discs 4-6, I guess) to sup on nectar and sweet ambrosia.

Poppycock. Fiddlesticks. Bullhockey. Fu*k 'em.

This whole series has been wonderful, and every disc has been worth it. But don't let me get ahead of myself.

Scene: the arena where the fate of Japan will be decided. The two men square off, facing each other for the last time. The suspense sublimates as Shishio boasts over a weary and wounded Kenshin. Familiar? I hope so, because that's where the last volume left us.

Shishio is the strongest man in Japan, the master of an underground army, and the successor to the legend standing in front of him. That's a pretty large chip to have on your shoulder, and he's obviously got a bone to pick with Kenshin. Kenshin does his own thing, and tries to keep up with Shishio, but it is made clear that he is outclassed. Shishio unveils his second secret attack (quite a dirty little trick, indeed), and Kenshin is knocked out.

Startled at the ease of his victory, Houji and Yumi, and indeed Shishio himself, pause to gloat for a moment. That moment is all it takes for Saito to literally spring forth and smite Shishio. Alas, when Saito selected his target, he chose poorly; Shishio, victimized before, knew this game, and secreted a piece of a helmet beneath his bandages. Taunts are exchanged; Saito stands by his dogma, "Aku Soku Zan." Saito gives all four of his Gotetsus a try, but, wounded in his scrap with Usui, is unable to fell Shishio. Saito falls, defeated.

At this point, Sanosuke, knowing he doesn't stand a chance, challenges Shishio. Brave to the last, he attempts to use the Futae-no-Kiwami on Shishio's jaw. He connects, but his wrist is shattered instead of his intended target; Shishio counters, and Sano is out.

Yumi, wary of Shishio's exertion (it being an evening of some energy expenditure), is pleased to see that Shishio has defeated all those who would oppose him without hurting himself. Houji is enraptured at the skill and strength of his ally. Shishio prepares to dispatch the wounded when a final challenger approaches, Aoshi Shinomori. Houji and Shishio question Aoshi's motives, and are answered when Aoshi claims the right to challenge Shishio as a replacement for the stamina lost by Kenshin in their previous encounter.

Aoshi manages to defend himself against Shishio's martial repertoire, but has little chance to take the offensive. Everyone sees this, including Yumi and Houji, and is puzzled about how Aoshi can hope to overcome Shishio. Aoshi makes a few attempts at attacking, but is rebuffed. Finally it dawns on Shishio that Aoshi is merely playing for time, as Kenshin begins to regain consciousness, surrounded by leaves drifting in the wind. His swordsman's spirit, as the leaves happen to represent, has revived him, and he is ready to face Shishio once more. Aoshi defers to Kenshin, and the battle begins anew.

Kenshin uses the penultimate attack of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu, the Kuzu-ryu-sen, and manages to knock Shishio off the arena. Shishio survives, and his swordsman's spirit is made manifest as well, as the oil flares increase in intensity, reinforcing his infernal elemental affiliation. Shishio prepares to bring forth his third and final technique, while Kenshin prepares for the Amakakeru-ryu-no-hirameki. Shishio, believing that the secret of the attack has been successfully revealed by Soujiro, is stunned to discover that the attack consists of a second move, and is felled by Kenshin's blow.

At this point Shishio appears to suffering from more than just a blow to the side and wounded pride. He begins screaming in anguish due to some unknown cause. It is then brought to the attention of our Heroes that Shishio had lost the ability to sweat due to being burned alive at the hands of the government. Without sweat glands, he no longer has the ability to regulate his body temperature, and is in danger of overheating. The time limit for Shishio to safely maintain a high energy activity is only fifteen minutes, which he has already exceeded. Yumi throws herself between Kenshin and Shishio and pleads for mercy. Kenshin acquiesces, but Shishio seizes the opportunity to stab Kenshin in the side - through Yumi.

Kenshin is bewildered at the perceived betrayal and demands Shishio answer for it, but Yumi declares her elation at fulfilling a useful purpose for Shishio, and contentedly passes to the next realm. Kenshin realizes that Shishio and his way of thinking must be ended here and now. As Shishio and Kenshin prepare to end the conflict between the two of them, Shishio is finally overcome by his own intensity, and bursts into flames, taking Yumi's body with him as he too, passes to the afterlife.

Faced with his master's defeat, Houji unravels quickly, and in a fit of madness, begins destroying the Arena. The heroes escape, but are faced with a crumbling bridge, and one of their number must stay behind (too bad, I really liked the guy.) In the end, their escape complete, they make their way back to the Aoiya.

The next two episodes resolve the loose ends and get Kenshin, Sano, Yahiko, Kaoru, and Megumi (who has hastened to Kyoto to tend to Kenshin's wounds) back on their way to Tokyo. Before leaving, however, we are given the fate of the Juppongatana, related by none other than Chou the Swordhunter (a.k.a. Vash the Stampede). Most members have joined the government in a capacity that best suits their unique talents. Soujiro and Iwanbo, however, are still at large. Houji, who wishes to spread the tale of Shishio across Japan, is never given his day in court, and dies by his own hand.

Megumi and Kaoru discuss what Kaoru means to Kenshin, and Megumi pleads to Kaoru to not be so wishy-washy in the future and declare her feelings for Kenshin. In the meantime, Sano revisits the Arena to look for their lost comrade, and shows Yahiko around, as Yahiko feels like he's missed out. Finally, Kenshin visits a grave, and is visited one last time at this grave by his former master, Hiko. Here is where the OVA's and TV series cross paths, and if you've been holding out on watching them, then you may now do so without fear of spoiling anything.

Finally, Kenshin and company are back on a train, and we leave them as they were, Kenshin back to saying "oro?" (Or, "That I am", if you're watching the English version), Sano afraid of trains, and Kaoru and Yahiko accompanying them on the way back to home.

Thus ends Rurouni Kenshin: Legend of Kyoto.

Ah, endings. I personally found this to be a very satisfying ending to one of the greatest anime series I've seen. Truly memorable characters, on both sides of the conflict no less, and great action sequences and dramatic moments make this an excellent show. Some have expressed disappointment over the "copout" ending (Shishio's spontaneous combustion), but I disagree.

The story consistently refers to the conflict between Shishio and Kenshin as a contest of ideologies, one of which history will choose for Japan. Shishio represents the school of though that the Strong shall live and the weak shall die. He even goes further, at times saying that the weak are mere food for the Strong. One can further extend this to postulate that there is only one Strong man, the Strongest, and that all others are fodder for his might. This sort of Darwinist view, of the survival (or, more precisely, the dominance) of the fittest, is at odds with Kenshin's view, that the strong must protect the weak. It is an age-old argument that cannot be resolved, because both sides hold truth. The winner of the contest between Shishio and Kenshin is representative of the path chosen by history.

As such, we know that one of the two must die, and let's be honest here, we know it isn't going to be Kenshin. Thus, Shishio must die.

Many say that they would have been satisfied if Kenshin had slain Shishio. But this doesn't fit in with anything we know about these two characters. First, Kenshin has sworn an oath not to kill again. Secondly, these ten years on the road have let Kenshin slip in his comparative ability with Shishio (and indeed others). Third, Shishio is good! He's a strong, capable fighter who is obviously superior to Kenshin and Saito. Indeed, he has to be, because for his ascription to his beliefs to hold any real weight with the audience (an, indeed, his devoted followers), he's got to put his money where his mouth is, i.e., he's got to be the Strongest man in Japan.

No, let us imagine Kenshin did kill Shishio.

A) He's violated his oath. It's a big deal for him, but this is a bit too common in anime today. Everyone must face this kind of decision (to keep or break your word), and indeed, Kenshin does so almost every episode, but 1) it takes a stronger man to keep his word than to break it and 2) we've seen too many times the story where the hero must break his oath. (Trigun, anyone?)

B) He has defeated an opponent who is obviously more skilled than he is. Aside from demonstrating that, once again, you only need to be on the side of Good (in the Manichean sense) to win, it cheapens all the other fights that Kenshin has won, and cheapens the stance that Shishio represented. Even Saito seems a better swordsman than Kenshin, both in their first meeting, and in their later battles, fighting side by side. In other words, it's a huge cop-out, and one that is used too often.

C) It proves Shishio's point. Contrary to the previous case, if Kenshin did win, it could be interpreted as meaning that Kenshin was the Strongest, and that Kenshin (the fittest) had the right to kill Shishio, as he was weaker. While taking this stance would be interesting, as Kenshin would have to face the fact that, while he defeated Shishio and saved Japan, he had proved that his enemy was right, it is nevertheless a defeat for Kenshin ideologically, and would lead Japan on the path to chaos.

Thus, the only one who can defeat Shishio is the Strongest. The Strongest is Shishio. Ergo, the only one who can defeat Shishio is Shishio. It strikes a chord deep in the dramatic psyche for a man to be defeated by one's self. Nothing is more potent than the lessons learned by one's self-destruction. And Shishio's end seems engineered from his introduction that this will be the case. His immolation at the hands of the Meiji government was the baptism by which his life and death were cast. Shishio dies literally from an excess of power. Power is applied energy, and all energy eventually becomes heat (per Newton's 2nd law).

In short, this is the reason why Shishio must die by spontaneous combustion: he's the only one powerful enough to kill himself. He is overcome by the very power he wishes to use to shape Japan. By destroying himself, he leaves the path open for a restoration; for a better future for everyone. Kenshin retains his integrity, and Japan is saved. History chose to believe in Kenshin's side of the coin: the brighter side of humanity. And in the end, this is the most satisfying conclusion.

Controversy aside, this is an awesome disc in an awesome season of an awesome series. Filled with character development on both sides of the conflict, and delivering incredible action sequences while also offering plenty to think and mull over, Rurouni Kenshin: Legend of Kyoto delivers in spades. While I certainly don't recommend this disc as your introduction to the series, the events that take place on this disc (and the previous ones) are worth the price of admission.

Bottom Line: I think I've said pretty much all I need to say. Thank you for reading.

Review Equipment
Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft X-Box, 27" Sony WEGA FS12, Sony MHC-M630AV Sound System