A Comparison of Characters - Sword of the Stranger

There are many anime series that are set in a historical time and feature samurai. Stranger of the Sword is a fairly recent film of this type. The film is very good, filled with action, has nice animation (perhaps the colours could have been a bit more stark) and overall a well-rounded and well told story. The story seems rather archetypal with a rogue wandering samurai meeting a homeless orphaned boy and helps him in his time of need. Of course, like other samurai anime we find out the mysterious samurai that never resorts to violence is, in fact, the best swordsman around and is also the most virtuous. Thus it seems only appropriate that this samurai represents the values the film puts forward, like many other samurai flicks. In fact, the values that this film puts forward is most obvious through comparisons between other characters with our samurai, especially the antagonist.


Our main character Nanashi: http://www.zerochan.net/612204

Like most samurai, Nanashi shows all the virtues compared to his enemies, who display the polar vices. The first of these is trust and loyalty. Trust is a big theme within the movie, especially centred around the boy of the film and who he can trust and who he can't. Kotarou has major issues trusting anyone because, as we find out later in the film, he is an orphan who was taken by a monk and then transported to a foriegn land, from China to Japan. Then, shown at the start of the film, his new home, the village or temple he is staying at, is then burned down in an attempt from some Chinese soldiers to find him under the orders of the emperor. Kotarou escapes with his monk friend, who says to find him at another temple and gives him a jade tube as a tradable in case he needed it. Trust is thus understandably very hard for this boy. He is being hunted by soldiers in what is a foreign country for him. It is a great virtue then that this boy, Kotarou, is able to trust our samurai hero. The two initially agree on some sort of mercenary bodyguard escort arrangement for the jade cylinder. Kotarou thinks he cannot trust the samurai and constantly reminds him of their financial agreement and the fact his dog saved him in their previous encounter with the Ming. Kotarou even accuses his “employee” of running away or even looking for someone to buy him. We can see how his issues in trust stem from being sold into slavery. However as time goes on the boy realises more and more that he can trust the samurai, especially after his dog Tobimaru recovers and Nanashi gives him medicine to help this recovery process. At this point the boy realises he can truly trust his companion. Their relationship turns into one of friendship, from being one of an employer and his employee. At this time as well the idea of betrayal of trust comes to the fray. First the man who was giving the two accommodation, for money, goes into town to sell his crops. After being rejected and told his product was of a poor quality, he (with some help) reads a reward sign for a boy and a dog travelling together. The old man turns our protagonists in, but luckily they have already escaped, leaving a “Thank You” note. However, betrayal is more obvious and more important is when the monk, who the boy thought he could trust, betrays him. Nanashi is most notably contrasted with the monk Shouan, who helped Kotarou escape the village and is presumably the one who took him to Japan. The monk follows the orders of his superior and leads the boy of prophecy to the Ming waiting in the temple. Although the monk tries to absolve himself of guilt and blame, saying Nanashi would do the same. Nanashi still blames him, saying he still had a choice even if his superior ordered him to do so. Nanashi says he is worse than a dog (with Tobimaru another good example of loyalty in the film), and that the monk was not worthy of his holy sache, cutting it off him. The monk accepts this, committing suicide not too long afterwards. On the other hand Nanashi goes off and risks his life to save Kotarou, running beyond all endurance he shows how truly trustworthy he is. At the end of the film Nanashi, in the final exchange between himself and Luo Lang, is saved by the green stone the boy had given him for his services. This reminds us that he was doing all this for the boy; Nanashi did not help the boy for the sake of collecting some reward to sell, he did it out of trust. Thus when compared to others (other than Kotarou), particularly the monk who (physically and metaphorically) turned his back on the boy that trusted him, Nanashi shows how valuable trust is and how to be trustworthy.


The main relationship of trust: http://www.zerochan.net/612211

One of the main reasons this story becomes so interesting and is able to hold onto quite a few characters is that everyone seemingly has their own motives (even if some of these characters are fairly one dimensional). The theme of trust and betrayal is not just in relation to the boy but also in relation to leadership and following it. So whereas Nanashi showed he can be trustworthy and loyal, others show they are not, especially to their leader or political alliances. First the Japanese Lord often abuses and betrays his relationship with the Ming he aligns himself with. He captures one of their soldiers and has his subordinates torture him for information on the Chinese and why they came to his part of Asia. He then plans to take the boy for himself and make the Elixir of Immortality for his own purposes. This leads to the Lord in turn to being captured by the Chinese and used to try buy them time to complete their plan, as he is displayed in front of his troops to delay their attack. This is where further betrayal occurs. Itadori, the trainer and general of the Lord's army, backed by his second in command, then uses this force of the army, not to save his Lord, but to kill him and take over his status and position. We truly sense this as betrayal as the princess trusts him to save her father and the men of the army are shocked to see their master in such a state. The second in command, having been promised the hand of the daughter of the man he just murdered, convinces the men to join Itadori and himself afterwards. Thus the Chinese plan to delay the Japanese forces is undone by the Itadori's betrayal. So although others are disloyal to their leaders, Nanashi shows he is everything others are not to the boy. Thus loyalty and obeying others are not seen as one in the same. Kotarou does not really hold any power over Nanishi so it speaks of their relationship that such trust is held. Although it was based on a monetary-esque transaction, it became one based on friendship in the end, not some sort of servitude to be broken. It is interesting the only one who follows the orders of their superior, the monk, is seen as ultimately disloyal because he betrays the one who really deserves loyalty, the boy. We can also compare this to Nanashi's flashbacks, where he too was loyal to his superior in being ordered to kill the children of an opposing Lord. He regrets this and it leads him to becoming a ronin, a rogue samurai. Loyalty is seen as something based around virtues and values, rather than hierarchical superiority or political benefit. Thus the eldery Ming leader is somewhat correct when he says soldiers are disloyal, but this is only because they are part of a hierarchical relationship, not one of virtue and trust. This is what Nanashi embodies with his relationship with the boy. He shows the reasons for loyalty cannot be immoral or cannot be self serving, they must help the other.


This relationship is not based on a hierarchy: http://realcocker.deviantart.com/art/Sword-of-the-stranger-120856453

Largely intwined with his relationship to Kotarou (along with trust) are the samurai's virtues of compassion and willingness to stand up for the innocent. From what we learn about why the Chinese are chasing the boy down is that it has to do with the ritual they are trying to perform on behalf of the Emperor. In order to get the Elixir of Immortality, they must perform an obviously elaborate ritual that can only be completed by sacrificing a boy chosen by prophecy. Kotarou has therefore done nothing other than existing to warrant such treatment. Why should he rightfully be treated in such a manner having done nothing wrong? Nanashi obviously thinks he should not subjected to this. The samurai is willing to stand up against the Ming and has compassion on the lonesome boy. He is willing to fight all those that oppose his stance, who think the boy's purpose is to make the potion or who are not compassionate towards Kotarou. One of the reasons, I assume anyway, that the "unnamed" samurai protagonist is so compassionate to the innocent boy is presumably due the trauma of his past in war. He was a brilliant warrior in the past, as we hear from Itadori's conversations with his wife. However, he gave it all up after being ordered to kill the innocent children of a different fallen Japanese Lord. He followed his orders through and has been haunted by the event ever since. I would assume this is one reason he shows compassion to this child being hunted by grown men, well armed and trained in war. He wants to make up for the past and realises compassion must be shown to youth. Thus Nanashi does what he could not do before and turn on those who look to harm Kotarou. Nanishi's flashbacks show loyalty to his position in the military but how this sort of loyalty was wrong. He is confronted with this when the monk tries to justify how he gave Kotarou to the Ming, he says that he could not do anything else when his life is on the line. The monk then tells our protagonist how he will not save the boy as it means he himself will get killed in the process. It is here Nanishi realises he will stand up for the innocent, he will choose the right path this time. It all shows how loyalty and trust should be based on a mutual and virtuous relationship not on social ranking or any other type of hierachy. When it is based on rank nothing truly good comes from it. It also shows that a samurai is willing to hold their ideals above all else, even life, as Nanashi risks all to save his companion. The monk too realises this importance as he commits suicide, knowing he has broken the values he held true (the Buddhist values he tried to persuade his master with but ended up breaking himself). We feel much more sympathy for him after this, than the cowardly head monk who is captured by the Japanese soldiers, just as Nanashi feels compassion for the innocent boy Kotarou.


Nanashi is willing to fight to all other to protect the innocent Kotarou. http://inupii.deviantart.com/art/Sword-of-the-Stranger-406478247

This traumatic past event also had another large impact on Nanashi. This was that he generally viewed violence as immoral. He is usually reluctant to fight at all and especially to do so with his sword, as shown in his first fight when he only fights to defend the boy and does not unseath his sword. He even has a rope tied from the hilt of his sword to the sheath, so he cannot draw it. When asked about it by Kotarou he responds it is his “prayer” showing that he hopes he will never have to draw it again. One of the most striking displays of this pacifism is when he is goaded into fighting by the blonde warrior upon returning with a new saddle. During this scuffle Nanashi does not draw his sword or even try to strike his enemy. The struggle is visually compared to one between a fisherman and his potential catch, happening under the bridge the two warriors fight on. The blonde soldier is the fisherman and Nanashi the fish. As the fight ends without blood shed so too the fish escapes becoming a meal (with the line breaking). It is very illustrative of Nanashi's nature that he is compared to an animal unable to fight, only desiring to avoid conflict. The same happens when Nanashi and the boy are attacked by bandits, no one comes away seriously harmed, only the pride of the thieves are hurt. We should also notice that Itadori's wife assumes he must be kind and gentle for giving up war, after being told by the general of the warrior he knew in days gone by. Of course Nanashi does fight after eventually drawing his sword (what would a samurai movie be without any combat from the protagonist?). However, when he does unleash his ability on his enemies Nanashi first gives fair warning before leaving a trail of blood and corpses in his wake. Before this Nanashi has his final flashback in a pile of rubble in the climatic scenes. He realises violence in itself is not wrong, offensive violence is wrong. When teaching Kotarou to ride a horse, Nanashi is also asked if he will teach his pupil to fight with a sword. Before brushing off the subject Nanashi reveals he had thought, like Kotarou does at the time, fighting is used for the purpose of survival. However, being a soldier changed his view on violence, seeng it as something that could only bring destruction, death and despair. This would have especially been the case when he fought with people like Itadori who use violence to make their status match their dreams. But Nanashi realises he must use violence in order to save his friend. Violence itself is not evil, the motives behind it are often this way though. Compare him to all others we can see this is true: Itadori and his army fight for their own desires, the Ming fight for an immoral cause, whereas Nanashi fights to protect his innocent friend. We can definitely see the correct use of violence is Nanashi's.


Nanashi does eventually come back to seeing violence as a necessary means for some purposes: http://trixsr.deviantart.com/art/Sword-of-the-stranger-Nanashi-441777149

One much more novel and seemingly nuanced, aspect of a samurai's virtue is his view on drug taking and pleasure. Put simply he does not indulge use drugs or what the Chinese call “medicine”. At the end of the film, before his envitable battle with the blonde “demon”, Nanashi is offered to take some medicine to dull the pain he was feeling from previous fights. He declines, saying to numb pain is to numb the sensation of feeling alive. We could understand it just as one of many ways the red-headed samurai and the blonde warrior are contrasted but there seems to be more to this idea of drugtaking. I should note here that Itadori, another antithesis of our hero, did take the Chinese medicine into battle. If we just observe how those who take the drugs seem they obviously don't feel any pain. The Chinese warrior that was captured and tortured for information didn't even blink when burnt with a red hot metal pole. So too when the other Chinese soldiers fight they are impaled with arrows yet feel nothing, nor does the Chinese soldier who has his finger bitten off by Kotarou. The drugs perhaps seem addictive, with how the tortured man acts after the affects wear off but this could just be him wanting a release from the pain. I suggest we should see this all in contrast with Nanashi (as well as Kotarou) taking pleasure when riding on a horse at full speed. They say that they feel like they are flying and feel so alive. We can put this in stark contrast to when the last native Chinese warrior is killed with his own sword through his throat, yet he still staggers around looking for it. The message about drugs, when put in the contrast of Nanashi and his adversaries, is that while drugs can dull the pain, they also numb your sense between life and death. Nanashi is alive and feeling well with the simple pleasures, the wind rushing through his hair. The drug taking Ming are too numb to life to know that they are actually dying. Thus we can see that drugs may take away pain but also take away true life and true pleasure.

The Chinese Soldier who had a sword stuck in his throat: http://leseanthomas.tumblr.com/post/55811044078/sword-of-the-stranger-sketches-by-saito-tsunenori

Another quite new aspect of this samurai is his relationship with discrimination in the form of racism. The Chinese are generally treated with caution and fear mixed with a bit of hostility. The ordinary citizens of the town where they are staying just murmur about them and the nobles that the Lord has around him dislike their presence, questioning the need for their presence. We can imagine that they are threatened by their presence but there seems to be no sort of attempt to make friends with the Ming. Blonde hair, in quite a few anime, is used to indicate a character comes from the West and is foreign. And so the same goes for blonde warrior, Luo Lang, who is treated as something mystical, exotic and fearsome. The Japanese townsfolk call him a monster with blonde hair and blue eyes, adding he could make a fortune if put on show, not really something fitting to say about another human. So too after he throws a wooden sword at Luo Lang for no reason, Itadori makes a joke about Luo Lang's language when he comes to train with the Japanese. Another case is our protagonist. Although our main character, the samurai Nanashi appears to be Japanese, he is in fact a red-haired warrior and does not know his origins. All he knows is that he is in fact foreign to Japan, coming to the country on the back of some sort of shipwreck. He only dyes his hair black in order to blend in. He reveals this to the boy, who is also foreign (being from China) but actually takes a step back and for a very brief moment Kotarou distances himself from his savoir. Nanashi says how it is just easier to blend in rather than stand out, and presumably take abuse from others. Just as Luo Lang is called a blonde monster, Nanashi is called a red demon. The only time there is any sort of equality speech it is said by Itadori, but this only comes in a time of cruelty. When the initial tortures find it hard to get any progress from their Chinese captive, Itadori offers to have a go, saying that although his words were different he was still a human and could feel pain. This is definite an interesting line, but this topic is actually very underplayed from what it could have been. We could incorporate this with the Old Ming leader’s reaction to Luo Lang’s suggestion that they put their plan on hold for a couple of days if they cannot find the boy. Byakuran calls him a barbarian for suggesting they submit a false report to the Chinese emperor. Furthermore Luo Lang says he doesn't care about Chinese Taoist beliefs or the Emperor when he is asked about the argument the next day by his Chinese companion. It seems that the film suggests appearance and culture maybe difference, and this can cause offence or disagreement, but in the end we are all human. However, this is all not central enough to the storyline, so I would have liked to have seen more on how the creators treated the issue of racism in a film of historical Japan. The very little we get is interesting, but unfortunately doesn't really offer to much in terms of providing a moral compass for viewers, like the film does about violence or drug-taking. The film does not give any race, Japanese or Chinese, any moral superiority and the main character just seems to avoid the issue, choosing to hide his race rather than fight for his rights to be different and not be mocked for it. Maybe the film just shows race as something present in life, that is best just to avoid, but is not a means that gives any one person superiority over another. Everyone is equal in terms of morality so it is up to the individual to decide their own path.


The two prime examples of foreign people in the film: http://www.zerochan.net/612208

As we have seen Nanashi holds many idealistic values, some typical of a samurai and some slightly more novel or at least untouched by previous works. This being said all of these traits are emphasised when we compare our protagonist to the main antagonist of the film, the blonde swordsman, Luo Lang, who is fighting for the Chinese. Although this being said he does not truly fight for the emperor and for the Elixir of Immortality as he betrays the old Chinese leader of the expedition, killing him when he had run out of use for him and his cause. Like many others I have mentioned, he shows he is disloyal in relationships that are not based on his values. The blonde warrior, unlike Nanashi, is unlovable and cannot be trusted by his allies because he only values fighting. The blonde swordsman in fact fights for the sake of fighting and being the best, which he admits to Nanashi who he sees as his rival and the only good reason to stay in Japan. He seemingly loves to fight and wants to scrap whenever possible, as we see when draws his sword on Nanashi on the bridge (asking him to play) and joins in at his Japanese host's sparring facilities. Nanashi on the other hand does not like to fight and it is a big struggle for him whether to even draw his sword during the final battle. Fighting is not something to do for fun but has a real purpose, defending friends and the innocent. I noted before how during their first fight on the bridge, the blonde warrior is compared to the confrontational fisherman but Nanashi is compared to the passive and escaping fish. Nanashi has been scarred by war and has suffered in battles but the blonde fighter boasts he had never been hit before his fight with Nanashi. In other words, unlike Nanashi, Luo Lang has an unrealistic view of violence and one polarised compared to his rival. Luo Lang even challenges himself by fighting the leader of the ambush, at the start of the film, with his bare hands. So too the blonde warrior is also the film's main contrast for drug taking. After Nanashi gives his reasons for not accepting the offer of the painkilling drug, the blonde warrior takes his “medicine” anyway but admits his admiration for the stance. The contrast of these two warriors emphasises the themes and messages of loyalty and trust, the proper use of violence and drug-taking. So too these two also emphasise the theme of racism, little as it is, as these characters are the two foreign outsiders. What is notable about the two most skilled warriors of the film is how these two are the only two in the film with different coloured hair. Whereas Nanashi hides his red hair for ease and not wanting to be seen as different, the blonde haired, blue eyed enemy seemingly proudly keeps his foreign. He looks for the best swordsman in the world but in doing so mocks entire races, namely the Japanese and Chinese as inferior to himself. Simply put, they are the two main points of discrimination, as well as loyalty, trust and drug-taking.


The two most contrasted characters had to fight in the film's finale: http://paganflow.deviantart.com/art/Sword-of-the-Stranger-355729448

Before I finish this essay I would like to bring up one last topic of issue that Nanashi is actually not involved with. This is the idea of having immortality and how long life should be. This idea is mainly expressed through the comparison of the elderly Ming leader and his followers. They all work for the same goals, finding the boy and completing the ritual, however there is a difference of opinion between him and at least two of his followers about the Elixir and its value. The elderly Chinese leader, Byakuran sees the Elixir as a sort of hope for longer life now that he is facing death in the face. He is willing to go to any means for a glimmer of hope that he is able to give his Emperor the potion and in turn be granted with a small portion of it for himself. Others, mainly Lou Lang, doubt its plausibility, saying the boy's blood will not be any different if it is spilt on a different day, which angers the old man. The strongest of his Chinese warriors (excluding the blonde foreigner) is asked what he thinks of the Elixir. The Ming swordsman replies that he does not need anything like this, he does not want a long life, just a short one lived strongly. His old leader reveals that he thought the same but as he got older he realised he wanted to live longer and longer, so he now truly desires this Elixir. The blonde warrior Lou Lang also seems to hold the idea of glory above long life. When scolded for his betrayal, accused of stealing the Elixir from the emperor and using for himself, he kills denying such claims (as Luo Lang only wants a glorious fight with Nanashi, not to have him shot and killed instantly). The blonde warrior adds that the old leader has lived long enough, killing him then and there. Really this seems to boil down to a contrast of the pragmatism and realism (as realistic as one can be seeking an Elixir of Immortality) of the elderly against the idealism and valour of youth. The old, who are close to death, see life as far too short and want to extend it, whereas the young, for whom death is a place far away, are not worried by a long life, just a glorious one. So too this contrast is played out with their fighting styles. Byakuran fights for the end result, he shoots people, killing them almost instantly, with his gun. On the other hand Lou Lang wants a glorious fight with his sword. He is willing to fight the leader of the men who ambushed him at the very beginning without a sword. So too he offers Nanashi some medicine to help his wounds, wanting to fight the warrior at peak condition. Again it seems to be a matter or practical vs ideal. No one side is right but it is an interesting idea, again brought up with the contrasts of the characters within the film. I should also add that Luo Lang, when carrying the bound Kotarou off to his death, tells the boy that life is not long, that he should live to the fullest it while he can. This does just seem like a cliché, as it is, but we do view Byakuran as somewhat foregone; he does not seem entirely sane in his quest for longer life. We could thus take Luo Lang’s advice to the boy (and the other views he was on the side of) as genuine advice for the audience. It does seem to be that the film gives us the idea, through this debate of immortality, we should not be worried by extending our lives beyond limits but living our lives virtuously and as happily as possible. We even hear from Byakuran he has spend years chasing this potion, obviously in vain and presumably in not very good spirits. Immortality is obviously desirable, as the Japanese Lord's betrayal of the Ming shows, but we need only look at how complicated the ritual was (with chicken’s blood covering an enormous altar all made from a special kind of wood) to realise that our efforts could be better spent elsewhere, like being happy or living virtuously.


Luo Lang did not want immortality, only a glorious fight: http://www.zerochan.net/612207

In conclusion, Nanashi is like many other samurai in that he holds his ideals above all other things. Some of his ideals are very archetypal, such as trust, standing up for the innocent, compassion and pacifism (despite being the best fighter around). Although he has some more nuanced values as well, relating to drug-taking and potentially racism. His positive features are most often accentuated by how his rival, the blonde haired warrior, is seen in almost complete contrast to him. Luo Lang is the blonde Chinese mercenary who loves violence, takes drugs and looks out for himself only, and Nanashi is the outcast ronin who disguises his naturally red coloured hair, dislikes violence, sees drugs as bad and does all he can for his companions. The stranger of the sword is thus a samurai portrayed like many others, as the ideal sort of human. His many enemies are the bad examples with him as the shining light for exemplary behaviour throughout the film. As I pointed to before, we might expect that all the Japanese were portrayed as virtuous and the Chinese were the villians, but this is not the case as we see with Itadori's betrayal and drug-taking (as an example of Japanese vice). The only true example of a virtuous man is Nanashi, the red demon.



Nanashi is our only truly good example in the film: http://hallucination-walker.deviantart.com/art/Sword-of-the-Stranger-WP-169484030