Father-Daughter Bond at the Center of Kagurabachi Chapter 71

Takeru Hokazono presented us with a tear-jerker this week. The 71st chapter of Kagurabachi, titled simply 'Contest,' showcases the backstory of Iori and Samura and their family history, which slowly but surely started 'building' up the story for what is about to occur in this hit series. 

Iori and Samura's Past Is Revealed

In the previous chapter of Kagurabachi, we finally saw Iori truly becoming Seiichi Samura's daughter—she awakened her memories and combat mastery that can potentially propel her into a more regular part of the main cast. In the newest chapter, we are immediately brought back into the past—specifically, nine years ago. This is the timeline after the Seitei War and when Kunishige Rokuhira was still alive. Anyway, the chapter shows young Iori, then a nine-year-old, who watches her mother speak with a man who introduces himself as her father. After the Seitei war, it seems that Samura distanced himself from his family, which resulted in his wife (her name is Inori) divorcing him and not knowing his own daughter.

Inori is obviously suffering from a challenging disease and asks Samura to take care of their daughter until she gets better. Samura refuses, saying he cannot 'raise his daughter with his bloody hands,' referencing the atrocities he committed and witnessed during the war. Inori insists, saying that he should stop looking backward and look forward, making Samura reluctantly accept her favor.

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Relationship Progression Between Father and Daughter

The start of their relationship is really rough; when Samura brings young Iori to his dojo, the girl immediately tells Samura how she feels about him. She doesn't care about the praise from his students that he is a war hero and calls him a loser who abandoned her mother. While having her 'angry daughter' moment, Iori takes the wooden katana, closes her eyes, and manages to bump her head on the wall while trying to attack Samura. 

Samura tells her that if she wants to fight, she cannot have her eyes closed just because he is blind—she needs to use her strength and every advantage she has over her enemies. She replies that it's always good to fight on the same level as enemies, which Samura approves of, but also doesn't expect his daughter to immediately want to train to become stronger. However, after witnessing her father being admonished by her mother, Iori decides to make everything a competition and uses her love for Inori for motivation. During cooking competitions, training, living together, and visiting Inori at the hospital, Samura and Iori slowly but surely bond. 

Tragedy That Affects Everyone

The cooking competition ends with Iori winning and bringing her food to her mother, who absolutely loves the dish. After being asked if she feels better after a delicious lunch made by her daughter, Inori smiles and says she feels fantastic and that she will join them soon so she can try more of Iori's food. However, she never lives long enough to see it, because the disease takes Inori's life and Iori's absolutely devastated. The short flashback sees a conversation between Samura and Inori during their last visit to the hospital - she tells her ex-husband that she will die. Samura tells her she fought well for a year and when Inori asks what he thinks of his daughter, Samura says that Iori's adorable. When Inori asks how would he know if he is blind, Samura simply says that Iori smiles like her and that he is sorry for everything.

After the funeral, Iori is inconsolable. Samura thinks back to his promise to Inori and tells his daughter that he will take care of her. As Iori finally falls asleep, a strange man enters the Samura residence. When Samura threatens him, a man tells him that he is there to 'just talk about the sins they committed and the disaster that will befall this country as a result a few years from now on.' The menacing man is the leader of the Hishaku group, Yura.

Conclusion: Leader of Hishaku is a Really Scary Man

This chapter was a real tear-jerker because it showcased the love and bond Iori had with her parents. The whole backstory of Inori, Iori's mother, and Samura's ex-wife, prevails the majority of emotions during the chapter, but witnessing Samura and Iori's bond is not far from that level at all. The father-daughter bond that progressed so much in the short period is an incredible plot point and lore drop by Takeru Hokazono; however, seeing Yura enter Samura's residence puts the whole flashback chapter even further up the 'peak' scale due to its place in the Kagurabachi timeline—this is the moment Samura 'betrays' Kunishige Rokuhira and sends Hiskaku members to kill him and take away his enchanted blades. Like it or not, Samura is one of the responsible people that made Chihiro 'fatherless,' and knowing this moment could reappear very soon makes the future chapter of Kagurabachi even more exciting. A true triumph of Hokazono once again.

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