Samura’s Dilemma: A Villain by Fate in the World of Kagurabachi

One of the biggest success stories of the shōnen genre is Kagurabachi, created by Takeru Hokazono. This young mangaka provided us with a simple but solid shōnen story that was massively elevated with its layered protagonist, great supporting cast, and amazing villains that make fans crazy with every new chapter. One of them is the newest foe of Chihiro Rokuhira, Seiichi Samura, a reluctant antagonist that will prove to be one of the most tragic characters in the series.

A War Hero and Boy's Idol

Seiichi Samura is not a new character in the Kagurabachi universe; on the contrary, we met him in chapter 18, where he presents himself as one of the Sword Bearers of a powerful enchanted blade, Tobimune. However, we don't learn his name until chapter 50, when he mentors Chihiro in sword fighting. Instantly, we learn that Samura is one of the most skillful swordmasters in the world, and only a few can challenge him in a fair fight. First impressions are always important, and when Chihiro meets Samura for the first time, the teenager immediately thinks of the sword bearer as 'weird.'

After taking some lessons from Samura, Chihiro immediately gains respect for the older man, who was a war hero and one of his father's closest comrades. Chihiro even idealizes him, admiring his drive and his swordsmanship but also his advice. Early in their relationship, Samura warned Chihiro multiple times that he is far from a hero, and if he knew how many people he killed in his life, the boy would instantly remove himself from him. Interestingly enough, Chihiro eventually accepts Samura's fears and even admits that he regrets taking a 'murderous and bloody' path on his journey of revenge. However, even that couldn't prepare him for his idol's betrayal, which fundamentally changed Chihiro's core.

Reluctant Villain With a Clear Goal

Samura was always really adamant about his opinions and views of the Enchanted Blades and the Seitei War that he was heavily a part of. He regretted having so much blood on his ledger and eventually decided to make a deal with a devil to prevent people from using the Enchanted Blades for their own wishes—the sorcerers of Hishaku. Samura was indirectly involved in the murder of Chihiro's father, Kunishige, his former friend and comrade, and Chihiro, with Shiba and his other allies, is devastated. Samura even murders Uruha, another comrade and fellow sword bearer, to sever the soul ties with the Blades and make way to their ultimate destruction.

Samura's guilt is very prevalent in Kagurabachi, and it drives him to his goal, even if it costs him everything in his life. And it did, because Samura lost his family due to this conflict and made sure to protect them from harm by severing their ties with them. Samura chose a questionable path to make things right and became a reluctant villain and a tragic character of the Kagurabachi series.

Father That Loves His Family More Than Anything

It's easy to characterize some villains as 'tragic' and possibly 'redeemable,' but Samura definitely does not fit that role because he cemented his path the moment he severed his ties with his family to start his mission. In the recent Kagurabachi manga chapters, we learn that Samura has a family, a wife, and his daughter Iori. To prevent Hishaku and others from reaching his family, Samura decides to cast a strong spell on his family and protect them from the threat and himself. Besides being a 'war criminal,' Samura hated the way his family was isolated from the outside world due to witness protection bestowed on them by the Kamunabi group. Despite keeping his distance from his family, Samura still uses his Owl to surveil his family, especially his high school daughter, who became the most wanted woman in all of Japan—everyone wants to use her as leverage against Samura.

However, it seems that even the strongest spell cannot erase a child's memory and love for their parent, and Iori starts to dream about her father, who to her is only a mysterious man. This family tragedy seems to lead to one scenario, and that is Iori remembering her father, who will eventually die in front of his daughter. A very possible fate for Samura's character, who maybe in other scenarios would have a chance of a redemption arc, but with his actions, he cemented his way as a character that will have a tragic ending.

Conclusion: A Broken Soldier With Nothing to Lose

Hokazono proved he can handle sensitive topics with respect and dignity to his characters, and Samura is the main example of it. He doesn't brush off 'murderous' characters' actions and tries to make them accountable within the plot. Those aspects elevate Kagurabachi, which is, on the surface, your usual action-packed shōnen. However, going deeper and exploring themes and tropes that surround the main character of Chihiro makes Kagurabachi far from ordinary—it respects its characters and makes them accountable for their actions. Just like Seiichi Samura, a tragic character and reluctant whose story touched the hearts of the fans all over the world.