Rurouni Kenshin Manga Translation
Volume Two--Two Hitokiris
Part Eight--And So Another Joins Them
Zanza (swinging the zanbatou in circles above his head): We’ll settle this, Battousai!!!
Yahiko: What--what is he doing?
Kaoru: Centrifugal force! With his gigantic strength and the great weight of the zanbatou,
the swings will add even more force to his attack!
Zanza (thinking): From then--after the Sekihoutai was destroyed, I become a street fighter.
I fought day and night. When I got involved in a fight, I could forget everything. And in
those
ten years, I became strong! (aloud, as he brings the sword down) And now that strength
will destroy the strongest of the patriots!!!
Kenshin: Such mean strength cannot destroy me.
(The swords meet. The blade of the zanbatou is sheared cleanly off. Kenshin leaps straight
up.)
Yahiko: That’s . . .
Kaoru: How he destroyed Hiruma . . .
Kenshin: Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu Ryuutsuisen!
(He brings down the flat of the reverse blade full force on Zanza’s head. Zanza remains
standing.)
Kenshin: Strong, as I thought. You’re the first to have taken the Ryuutsuisen and not been
destroyed. But you must be using all your strength to keep to your feet.
(turning away) Now, wait here while I call a doctor.
Zanza: Not yet! I’m not finished yet! I'm not down yet! I will not lose! In the name
of Sagara and the Sekihoutai, I won’t lose to an Ishin Shishi even if it means my death!
(Kenshin turns back to face him.)
Kaoru (thinking): Kenshin. Are you . . .
Zanza: So come on! Come on!
(Kenshin coolly punches him.)
Kenshin: Did the Sekihoutai teach you to destroy the Ishin Shishi? Or to bring in the new
era?
Zanza: Shut up! You preached equality, but you drowned in greed and acted like you
owned the whole damn world! Don’t tell me about the Ishin Shishi, who gave us the lie of a
new age!
Kaoru: That’s not true! Kenshin wasn’t that kind of patriot! He never cared about glory or
power. He’s a vagabond, who protected people’s freedom! All you know about Kenshin is Hitokiri
Battousai, so you can't talk!
Yahiko (charging): That’s right! Go any further and instead of Kenshin you’ll be facing
Myoujin Ya--
Kenshin (holding him back): This could get complicated, so you’d better stay back.
(Zanza glares at them defiantly.)
Kenshin: Zanza, the new era isn’t finished. Certainly the shape of the new age was formed
ten years ago. But those who are truly in need of happiness are still in the old era where
the weak are oppressed.
And so in my own small way, to bring such people power, I wield this blade. (holding out
the reverse blade) For a year, or ten years, or what if the new age is eternally unfinished?
I don’t know, but I think this will make amends for the victims of the new age. I think it
will make amends for the people Hitokiri Battousai killed. (he walks away)
Zanza (thinking): That's the same.
Kenshin (to Kaoru): You were paralyzed with fear?
Yahiko: You’re pathetic, "master."
Kaoru: Shut up!
Zanza (thinking): He's the same as Captain Sagara, who dreamed of a new age and fought for it . .
And he continued to fight . . . While I despaired, trying to forget by starting into
fight after fight . . .
(He smiles and lets go of the zanbatou.)
I’m sorry, Captain Sagara.
(He falls backwards)
but to this man, I have lost completely.
Kenshin: Zanza!
The next day, outside the Akabeko
Kaoru: Zanza was really hurt--his whole body was bruised, and he lost a lot of blood. He’ll
be hospitalized for at least three months. They say it’s amazing he didn’t die.
Kenshin (looking grim): Zanza is on a completely different level from the other two,
therefore I couldn’t make an allowance for him.
Kaoru: So how long are you going to have that scary face?
Kenshin: It’s been like this since this morning. Yesterday I had my eyes narrowed for a long
time. I think it did something to my face muscles.
(Kaoru and Yahiko take a cheek each and pull.)
Yahiko: Okay, back to normal.
Kaoru: That’s the face of the vagabond we know and love.
Kenshin: But that hurt!
Kaoru: Well, it's all settled now. Let’s get some sukiyaki.
Yahiko: Again? The hag’s a pig too.
Kaoru: Oh? How is that better than a slanty-eyed shrimp?
Yahiko: Stop that! (Slanty-eyed shrimps are popular!)
Kaoru: Make me! (That's only if they're good!)
Kenshin: I’ll go get us a seat. Come in when you’re ready.
(A large man is sent flying through the screen door. Two others peer nervously outside.)
Kenshin: Oro? It’s you from before--
(Zanza appears after than, covered in bandages.)
Zanza: Sheesh. I don’t care if you get drunk and pick fights, I just wish you'd train a little
first.
Kaoru: Zanza!! (As they hurry over)
Zanza: Hey, thanks for looking after me yesterday.
Kenshin: I thought you were supposed to be at the doctor’s.
Zanza: Feh. My business is getting beat up. This is nothing.
(They look at him for a moment. Then everyone pops him one, to make a point.)
Zanza (weakly): My business is getting beat up. This is nothing.
Everyone (thinking): Foolish pride.
Kenshin: Zanza . . . you didn’t take the character for evil off your back?
Zanza: Yeah . . . I can’t forget the Sekihoutai. It’s my past. I can’t take the character
off. Once you're nineteen it's too late to change your nature. I thought a lot
about what you said yesterday. So, I guess when you say it, the lies of the patriots aren’t
really lies. But I’m going to have to hang around until I figure this out.
(a meaningful pause)
Zanza (turning to go): Oh yeah, one more thing. I’m not Zanza anymore. I don’t have the
zanbatou, and I stopped being a street fighter. Now I’m just the fighting idiot Sagara
Sanosuke. Like you’re not Hitokiri Battousai. So don't go off wandering without checking with me
first. Got that, Kenshin?
Kenshin (smiling): I give up. Another strange one joins our group.
(Kaoru and Yahiko perform the one-cheek-each maneuver again.)
Yahiko: Whadduya mean, "another."
Kaoru: Yeah, the strangest thing around here is you.
Tae: Mr. Sanosuke left without paying again . . .
(General face-fault.)
Kenshin: Oro . . .
the Makings of the Characters --Sagara Sanosuke--
If you're a fan of the Shinsengumi, you guessed it at a glance. The model for Sanosuke is
the captain of the tenth unit of the Shinsengumi, Harada Sanosuke. He was known as
one of the five most handsome men of the Shinsengumi (although, according to my bible,
Burning Sword, (a novel by Shiba Ryoutarou) he was sort of fat . . .) and a
spear-wielder of great
strength. He loved to fight, was present at every battlefield where the destiny of the
Shinsengumi
was decided,
and had a rough, stormy temper. But, perhaps because of his humble
origins, he had his softer side. He thought a great deal of his unit and took care of
those beneath him. Judging his likes and dislikes, he seems like the older brother
type from a boy's magazine. He is said to have died on the battlefield of the Ueno
War, but there's even a legend about him, telling how he survived to become a bandit chief.
Looking from the
eyes of the people of the time, he must have been a very romantic figure. Of course, I liked
him too,
and put him in RuroKen as Sanosuke.
I'm extremely happy Sano has become so popular,
but recently he's also become the Most Likely Character to Have His Name Misspelled.
I've seen all kinds of different kanji for "Sanosuke." I even saw "Sasuke," and
wanted to say, "Hey, hey, he's not a ninja!" but by now I've kind of given up.
When I did the design, as you know, I didn't have a certain popular character in mind.
Maybe it's because of the hair, but everyone keeps saying so (I love the manga, but . . .) My model for
Sano was the main character, Lamp, from "Arabian Lamp Lamp." During my assistant days,
I was doodling in my sketch book and drew my own Japanese-style Lamp. I changed it around
a little, and it became the real Sano. (I got the artist's permission, just in case.)