LionelValentineAborted on Nostr: He laughed at the irony of it all…. My favorite scene in Rurouni Kenshin really is ...
He laughed at the irony of it all….
My favorite scene in Rurouni Kenshin really is the final fight between Himura and Shishio. It perfectly encapsulated not just the literal conflict between them, but the meta-conflict that underlied the entire arc up to that point.
The conflict between them is simple: Protect the Innocent, versus Survival of the Fittest. In the case of two swordsmen, two assassins who have spilled equal amounts of blood in their careers, this conflict carries a lot of weight.
Kenshin represents the desire to protect the innocent in a complete and total rejection of his past as a man-slayer. Makoto represents the survival of the fittest, fully embracing and accepting his role and the strength he acquired in fulfilling it.
Though Kenshin has his qualms with the Meiji-era government, he ended up having no choice but to side with it in order to defeat Shishio. And though Shishio’s ultimate goal was to strengthen Japan, he knew that to do so would require the immolation of the Meiji government, along with anyone too weak to weather the war and hell that would come with it.
But in the end, who won? Considering that the series is still ongoing, I think it’s easy to guess that Kenshin won the battle and the war. At least, he did so physically… Right?
There’s one hint that the answer is both “yes” and “no.” And it’s the simple fact that before he erupted in flames, Shishio laughed.
That’s it. That’s all. Just a simple, maniacal laugh. But that laugh said everything and nothing at the same time.
Why did Shishio laugh? Was it simple exhaustion? Acceptance that Kenshin had won and his philosophy with him?
Well, looking at the fact that Shishio’s philosophy is “survival of the fittest,” then by Shishio’s own standards he did indeed lose.
But let’s take that to another level. Kenshin didn’t just survive the battle. His ideals did. His ideal of “Protect the innocent.” The ideal itself proved to be the fittest ideal between the two at play.
But it could only survive as an ideal, if it was the fittest ideal between the two… But if that were the case, then Shishio’s ideal would also be correct.
Shishio was right in that only the fittest survived, not just in terms of people, but in ideals. But between his and Kenshin’s ideals, his lost… And won out in doing so.
This is the irony I think that made him laugh. Realizing that even if he won or lost, he would still win out alongside Kenshin, who proved to be his only equal in combat.
My favorite scene in Rurouni Kenshin really is the final fight between Himura and Shishio. It perfectly encapsulated not just the literal conflict between them, but the meta-conflict that underlied the entire arc up to that point.
The conflict between them is simple: Protect the Innocent, versus Survival of the Fittest. In the case of two swordsmen, two assassins who have spilled equal amounts of blood in their careers, this conflict carries a lot of weight.
Kenshin represents the desire to protect the innocent in a complete and total rejection of his past as a man-slayer. Makoto represents the survival of the fittest, fully embracing and accepting his role and the strength he acquired in fulfilling it.
Though Kenshin has his qualms with the Meiji-era government, he ended up having no choice but to side with it in order to defeat Shishio. And though Shishio’s ultimate goal was to strengthen Japan, he knew that to do so would require the immolation of the Meiji government, along with anyone too weak to weather the war and hell that would come with it.
But in the end, who won? Considering that the series is still ongoing, I think it’s easy to guess that Kenshin won the battle and the war. At least, he did so physically… Right?
There’s one hint that the answer is both “yes” and “no.” And it’s the simple fact that before he erupted in flames, Shishio laughed.
That’s it. That’s all. Just a simple, maniacal laugh. But that laugh said everything and nothing at the same time.
Why did Shishio laugh? Was it simple exhaustion? Acceptance that Kenshin had won and his philosophy with him?
Well, looking at the fact that Shishio’s philosophy is “survival of the fittest,” then by Shishio’s own standards he did indeed lose.
But let’s take that to another level. Kenshin didn’t just survive the battle. His ideals did. His ideal of “Protect the innocent.” The ideal itself proved to be the fittest ideal between the two at play.
But it could only survive as an ideal, if it was the fittest ideal between the two… But if that were the case, then Shishio’s ideal would also be correct.
Shishio was right in that only the fittest survived, not just in terms of people, but in ideals. But between his and Kenshin’s ideals, his lost… And won out in doing so.
This is the irony I think that made him laugh. Realizing that even if he won or lost, he would still win out alongside Kenshin, who proved to be his only equal in combat.