Samurai Champloo is an anime classic set in Japan’s Edo period, a time of shoguns, samurai, and strict social order. The story follows three unlikely friends: Fuu, a young waitress from a teahouse, Mugen, a short-tempered outlaw, and Jin, a quiet, disgraced samurai, aka ronin.
Looking for “the samurai who smells of sunflowers,” the trio stumbles into all kinds of adventures. In one episode, they end up in a village tormented by a “tsujigiri,” a rogue samurai randomly attacking—and, in this case, killing—others. This particular tsujigiri has been going after the best swordsman in the area, and, as it happens, both Mugen and Jin can more than hold their own with a blade.
Never one to shy away from a challenge, Mugen is most eager to encounter the tsujigiri. One night, while following a trail of clues to a sake bar, he finds him. For the first time in the show, it appears Mugen is outmatched. Thankfully, a bunch of villagers come to his rescue. “At the next full moon, same place!” the tsujigiri yells as he runs away.
Even if it was his own, Mugen has tasted blood, and so, for the next month, he trains like a madman. He works on his handstand and jumping skills. He practices with his sword. He even lugs a heavy Buddha statue up and down the stairs. Time flies by, and the next full moon arrives.
As the trio is busy with their usual evening activities, Mugen suddenly gets up, picks up his sword, and walks off. “Well, I’m heading out for a bit,” he says. No one dares say what they actually think, but Fuu reminds him: “Hey, you haven’t forgotten, have you? You’re gonna help me look for the samurai who smells of sunflowers, right?” “Yeah, yeah, I know,” Mugen goes. Even the quiet Jin feels compelled to pitch in: “If someone is gonna kill you, it’s gonna be me, got it?” The usual banter is met with the usual response: “Who do you think you are, my wife or something?” And with that, Mugen strolls into an unknown future.
Life drops us at difficult crossroads. Even when we’re not alone in facing them, sometimes it’s easier to not draw out the worst-case scenario. “Don’t paint the devil on the wall,” we say in Germany. If everyone already knows, why dwell on the conclusion? Pretending a fateful day is the same as every other can be a way of letting our loved ones know: No matter what happens, nothing between us is going to change.
Will Mugen defeat his challenger? There is only one way to find out. But even before we do, we already know: In not breaking character, his friends have shown they truly care for him—and they’ll be there regardless of what comes next.