When your clan leader starts demanding his son kills him in ritual combat, it’s gonna furrow a few brows!
There’s not going to be an update next week as the holidays have finally caught up to me! regular updates will continue the week after (granted, we’re getting pretty close to the end here, folks). We here at Bushido Studios apologize for this delay and throw ourselves on our blades in dishonor. Joe, you go first. (Have I made this joke previously in the past 17 years? I legitimately can’t remember)
Published on by Alex Kolesar
Inconceivable!
You keep using that word; I do not think it means what you think it means. 😜
Hirotomo did just fall victim to one of the classic blunders: saying too much. Especially in public. Not quite as devastating to a nation as a land war in Asia, but it’s probably brought down more bad guys.
Like so:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/EngineeredPublicConfession
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DidIJustSayThatOutLoud
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SayingTooMuch
And the wall of lies comes tumbling do-! No, wait… they’re just gonna climb over it. I suppose that works, too.
Sing it! 😎
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PErUiAyVoGc
‘….You OUTSOURCED the killing part?!’
Outrageous!
Evil Overlord List #179: I will not outsource core functions.
I expected Genchu to appear on this page, but dramatic rain made an entrance instead. Should’ve remembered this important character!
(Please don’t throw yourselves on you blades. That is completely unreasonable. We’d be left to clean up the mess.)
And damn, I’m going to miss this comic when it ends. It’s become my favourite webcomic of all. But then, all good things must come to an end.
That look on Eijiro’s face: when you realize your father would rather be dead than leave the clan to you.
I still don’t really understand why Hirotomo wants to make his heir a parricide when seppuku is perfectly respectable.
Probably because a duel over clan leadership is more definite in its outcome. If Yori kills him, Yori takes over. Boom. Done. No room for Eijiro or anyone else to argue his claim is invalid. If Hirotomo just kills himself, then things are more open. Eijiro can claim that Yori being disinherited takes him out of the running and things just collapse into infighting.
As TV Tropes would say, ‘You Kill It, You Bought It’
When Hirotomo realized he’d been manipulated into tyranny, he decided to play out the tyrant and set up his son as the savior who would be supported by Hirotomo’s enemies (basically ever other clan at this point) and the Wataro clan. If Yori wins, everyone is happy! Except Yori, Eijiro, and Genchu, who never wanted Hirotomo to fall this far.
If he just killed himself, Eijiro would end up as Wataro clan leader, which Hirotomo does not want. Nor would it end hostility between the clans.
A little rain and suddenly everyone wants this to be over.
Yeah, but they can’t end it before they agree whether it should end in murder or hugs. I don’t know how to solve this controversy. Maybe they should fight over it?
Maybe some sumo wrestling? It’s both hugs and fighting!
Oh, that’s right. There’s always a compromise!
At first I thought he was reacting to the grappling hooks
Wait, one moment his sword is drawn, and then another it isn’t? Isn’t it a bit odd to sheathe your weapon when it appears attackers are arriving?
Oops, looks like Bushido Studios messed up! 😜
I can only throw myself on my sword so many times!
As long as it’s Yori’s trick sword, you should be fine. 😎
/facedesk stahp
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/6df5a9acd630301a98accd578db9770b76de81db28e411831ea3a88b83f5b2da.gif
He might be gearing up for an Iaijutsu move, where the blade is drawn quickly from the scabbard. Good for counters and attacks!
Realistically, there are few reasons for him to use iaijutsu right now…
But yeah, in fantasy iaijutsu masters sometimes sheathe their sword before each strike xD
Btw. I know only one logical reason why you’d use iaijutsu in situations where you have plenty of time to draw your sword. It can make harder for your opponents to estimate the length of your sword, so they don’t know how closely they can approach you before being ‘in your reach’. Probably more effective against inexperienced opponents, but yeah, whatever xD
Fascinating. Thanks for the insight.
However, I think we can all agree that it falls under The Rule of Cool at this point.
I imagine Hirotomo frequently using quickdraw attacks, but you’re right in that I probably shouldn’t have drawn him having sheathed his sword between panels.
I like it! It’s like that thing where someone dramatically removes their glasses more than once in the same scene.
Yeah! Just once is the rule. 😎
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=EQydxUKKjok
It’s all good. https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RuleOfCool
Improbable.
Welp qataris gonna die by either his son or a heart attack when he sees genchu
I like where this is going. Instead of a reveal and then the duel, reveal him as the architect of the masterplan and have the duel first.
Wataro Clan member: Guys why dont we just vote for a new clan leader?
*some voice from a hard-to-determine direction*
I vote for uncle Yuki!
*other voices of approval come from other directions*
*the vote happens and unanimously Yukizane is chosen as the next clan leader*
Wataro Clan member: So… who’s this Yuki dude we just chose as our new leader?
… and thus through infiltration and proper crowd management techniques, uncle Yuki got one step closer to becoming the next shogun. Time for another game of go.
I think Hirotomo intended Yori to be a bit more revenge-questy by this point. Maybe he should adopt Ken.
Ohhhh dammit, THIS is the solution to all Hirotomo’s problems! Now I see the light.
Man the color scheme is reminding me of StarTrek when Kirk and spock were forced to do battle https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/a2bbe58d77ed8c450c9ea2439841271b7607bb70fcef2b74c7bd4f6ee6e20186.jpg
Nice edit!
So wait he’s pointing his sword at Yori then grappling hooks appear on a wall and he sheathes his sword?
Convenient dark skies and ominous rain: making conversations more dramatic since 3,562 BCE.
Hirotomo: Pick up your sword and kill me!
Yorikiro: Make me.
Hirotomo: Well, since you asked so nicely… 😈
Every time I read this comic I get a sudden, irreversible urge to go play Shogun 2 Total War. What I’m trying to say is Thank you.
Oh, good, I was hoping those guys had some common sense despite thinking this duel was a good idea up until this point.
Impossible!
You keep using that word. I think it doesnt mean what you think it means…
It’s always a bad day for the side that says “Impossible”. When you start out that wrong, it’s hard to catch back up.