Ito Akemi (neé Tokunobu Akemi) is a character in the Netflix series, Blue Eye Samurai, who is voiced by Brenda Song.
Biography[]
Akemi is a daughter of the samurai lord Tokunobu Daichi, who is bound by the traditional ways of her society. When necessary she becomes the soft spoken, deferential, traditional sounding daughter her father expects her to be. With those she trusts, she can be herself: smart, succinct, and determined, speaking in a stronger lower register.
Synopsis[]
Episode 1[]
"Make way for Princess Akemi"
In "Hammerscale", Akemi is first seen on her way to her father's castle in Kyoto, carried in a gilded palanquin by a team of porters. As they cross the bridge, she and Mizu briefly glimpse each other through the windows. Akemi is rehearsing a speech she will make to her father, regarding her potential marriage. Arriving in the castle, she is met by her father's advisor (and her childhood caretaker and tutor) Seki, who (already knowing what she plans to speak with Daichi about) suggests she address her father with a lilting voice. Akemi irritably asks if she should be speaking to her father like a child, and Seki counters that she would be speaking "like a woman who intends to get what she wants."
She goes to see her father (who is having his midday meal and playing with her much-younger half-brother, Tomoe), saying she would be remiss if she didn't speak her mind on the subject of her potential upcoming marriage. Daichi shoots her opinions down, saying her duty to their family is to build alliances by succeeding as the wife of a noble or daimyo; he compares her to a pig fed too many sweets, which offends Akemi, and she scorns his suggestion of marrying the recently-widowed Lord Saito, who is much older than she is. However, when her father's temper begins to rise at her protests, she takes Seki's advice and hastily switches into a childish, defferential, and naive demeanor. She declares that, while having faith in her father's wisdom, she would be afraid to be sent so far from home, and wishes him to consider someone he trusts to protect her and who has seen the 'toil of life' as he has. Daichi quickly softens, saying he has heard of an undefeated and respected young samurai named Taigen at the local dojo who, though he was born the son of a fisherman, reminds him of his rise from nothing; he claims Seki has suggested him as a potential promising match. Akemi agrees and claims she has also heard of Taigen, though it quickly becomes clear she got Seki to suggest Taigen to Daiichi in the first place.
She later meets with Taigen in the garden, revealing that they are already secret lovers, and they exchange gifts, with Akemi giving him her ornamental gold hair-comb, saying it is an engagement gift. They embrace happily, Akemi saying she'd marry him even if he were "the son of a fish".
Episode 2[]
Akemi consoles Taigen
In "An Unexpected Element", Taigen visits Akemi in her chambers at her father's castle after being defeated by an unknown samurai (actually Mizu), resulting in his public disgrace and expulsion from the Shindo Dojo. Examining in a mirror how precisely Mizu cut his topknot off without harming his scalp, he wonders why Mizu didn't just kill him. Akemi suggests Taigen simply shave the front of his head to disguise it (as it is fashionable for most nobles and samurai to shave the front and crown of their head) and piously says the Gods were sparing him for their wedding. When Taigen grimly notes that her father won't agree to the marriage now, Akemi tells him she can convince him otherwise, but he declares he'd rather commit sepukku than live with the public shame. Akemi argues that, since the stranger (whom she refers to as "some monster") never officially made a challenge but simply 'attacked' the dojo, the defeat doesn't technically count, and that if they'd fought a proper duel, the stranger would be dead.
Pulling off their clothes (to which the surprised Taigen asks if she's sure), she initiates sex, stoking his ego and libido with a romantic description of a future duel between him and Mizu. However, her intention backfires slightly once they have finished with sex: Taigen reasons that Mizu could not have gotten far, that 'he' was looking for Heiji Shindo, and is arrogant and direct enough to go straight for him; Mizu would need to travel by sea, most likely through Mihonoseki. Believing that he can track Mizu down in short order and restore his lost honor by killing 'him' in a witnessed duel, Taigen prepares to leave, ignoring Akemi's requests to stay so they can marry first; when she blurts out "What if he kills you this time?", his pride is stung and he leaves even sooner.
Later, as Akemi is filling a roll of silk to vent her stress and frustration, Seki arrives and insists she get ready to present herself to her father, who has summoned her. When she arrives, she finds the Shogun's advisor, Lord Chiba, there as a guest. When Chiba compliments her appearance and health and Daichi says her 'cycles' are "in precise rhythm with the moon", she realizes Daichi has engaged her to Ito Takayoshi, the Shogun's second son. She is horrified (particularly by their descriptions of her new fiance as 'eager' and his first wife as 'not an affectionate match'), but Seki silently urges her not to react as Chiba's attendants present her engagement gifts. Chiba presents her with the final gift, an ohaguro set, so she can blacken her teeth "like a proper bride" (lacquering the teeth prevented decay and was considered fashionable for noblewomen in Japan), which particularly repulses her.
Akemi protests her engagement
She seeks her father unannounced as soon as Chiba leaves, pleading with him not to send her away from him and Taigen, but Daichi dismisses Taigen as having "rust on his blade, now" and that he was foolish to consider him in the first place. Akemi pleads for Seki to argue on her behalf, but Seki sadly replies that this is now the best option for her, to her disbelief. When she tries to outright refuse the engagement, her father erupts in anger, claiming she is not the hero of their family's story and that he raised the Tokunobu name from nothing; this marriage will raise them further, to the Shogun's court. Berating her as 'too stupid to see', Daichi claims he is giving her an opportunity. Ignoring her tears, he declares they will leave for Edo in five days, and that she must remember to blacken her teeth in that time.
That evening, after washing away her makeup in a bath, Akemi conceals her face with a dark hood and has her servants secretly prepare her palanquin and luggage, only for Seki to intercept her before she boards. He quickly sees through her obvious story of going to see a silk merchant (at night) and offers to come with her, knowing she intends to run away. Akemi berates him for not speaking up on her behalf, but Seki points out he has neither the authority nor the means to change her father's mind, as Daichi is as stubborn as Akemi. She insists she will not be locked away in Edo with a stranger and that she has a plan to 'fix' everything, by finding Taigen (based on her knowledge that he was heading to Mihonoseki) within three days, before she is summoned to the Capital. Seki argues that undefended, she will be killed or abducted by brigands on the road before she can find Taigen- if her father doesn't find her first, which could be just as terrible a fate or worse. He points out that any woman would gladly trade places with her to share a bed with one of the Shogun's heirs, but Akemi argues that men like that treat women as property and are "tyrants". When Seki humorously asks her what man isn't a tyrant, she softly replies that he isn't, surprising him. Exasperated but unable to respond, Seki decides to join her on her journey, if only to protect her.
Episode 3[]
In "A Fixed Number of Paths", Akemi continues traveling with Seki, who soon notices she is getting cold and remarks she isn't used to traveling or the elements; Akemi sharply replies she has hot tea and money to provision herself. Seki warns her of dangers on the road, suggesting they turn back and head for Edo before her father discovers her absence, but Akemi counters that Edo is the real danger to her. Having four days until Daichi calls on her to travel, she plans to use just two to find Taigen: one to make sure he duels his 'demon samurai' and another to return home with him, honor restored. Seki waxes poetic about a case when he was beginning his job as a counselor, about an insane monk who set a farming town's pigs free in the forest, only for them to die of starvation and predators, depriving the town of its' winter food supply. This only irritates Akemi, who is tired of men comparing her to pigs. Seki explains he meant to point out that only so many paths are available to both men and women, and it is wiser to fight within those limits rather than against them.
Just as Akemi snaps that she isn't "out here to learn a lesson" their porters drop the palanquin and flee, having been attacked by four bandits; Seki counters dryly that she's about to learn one. Seki exits the palanquin's side door, telling Akemi to count to ten, then exit via the back window and run. Akemi does so, then watches from behind a tree as Seki attempts to reason with the bandits; when this fails, he draws his sword. The untrained brigands quickly hesitate and retreat, but one of them spots Akemi running away through the trees and tackles her from the side, knocking her down. Mocking Akemi's 'pretty feet', she takes her purse and starts to leave. Akemi unwisely throws her wooden sandal at her back, provoking the woman to return, hit her with it, and steal the other one as well, leaving her in her socks in the snow. She keeps walking, petulantly ignoring Seki's concern, but brightens when she sees a horse and cart coming up behind them, quoting Seki: "When one God forsakes you, another will help you." She cuts off Seki's request for the man to take them to Kyoto and asks to go to Mihonoseki instead, saying she has to get there by dawn and pay him with her gold hairpin. However, she is revolted to find the cart loaded with manure, though she and Seki still climb aboard.
The next morning Seki awakens Akemi, who had fallen asleep on the edge of the manure heap, to her disgust. When they disembark near a solitary inn, she realizes they have passed Mihonoseki, but the Cartier abandons them. Freezing, and upset that they are now a day's walk (Seki corrects that it is two) in the opposite direction, her money gone, and not knowing what to do next, Akemi breaks down in tears at her circumstances, wishing aloud that she were back home.
Seki then reveals he has enough money hidden to pay their passage back, having predicted that her plan would fall apart and she would give up. He compares her to an orchid that is temperamental about when and where it can 'bloom', having never been raised to fend for herself outside a palace. When Akemi stubbornly decides to keep looking for Taigen, Seki retorts that her gamble on Taigen, while worth a try, was a losing one and she has to take the next best outcome: in Edo, married to the Shogun's son. He then reveals he was the one who invited Chiba to discuss the marriage. Saying Akemi isn't a child anymore, Seki declares that the world they live in only grants women "a fixed number of paths", and he would rather see her a respected wife of a nobleman, than a whore in a brothel. Rather than comforting Akemi, the knowledge that her beloved tutor was deciding her fate behind her back angers her further; she claims that his selling her to a rich man's son, is no different than being a whore. Seki warns her that the nearby tavern (and others) are likely filled with purveyors and flesh traders who have bought girls from their parents in every village they pass through. He tells her to ask those girls how it's any different, saying "There is happiness to being 'stolen', as a wife to the right man... or, even the wrong one."
After considering his words, Akemi replies "To find out, only now... you never believed in me." and heads for the tavern. She quickly finds and starts chatting with a purveyor, Goro, who washes and massages her feet. Using her knowledge of fine arts and etiquette, and the acting skills she has perfected on her father over the years, Akemi pretends she is a prestigious courtesan from Gion who poses as a noble and would fetch a massive price if taken to the right place (she claims she doesn't have a contract, due to her last employer pairing her with a potentially abusive client). When Seki follows her in and tries to intervene, she dismisses him to Goro as her previous purveyor who "can't afford me"- throwing a smirk at Seki when Goro immediately falls for her act and saying "He told me 'a woman has no choice but to accept her fate. But I know there's another path, one I choose for myself." Akemi then manipulates Goro into taking her to Mihonoseki within a day, allowing her to keep looking for Taigen. Seki tries to insist that she come with him, but Akemi and Goro both brush him off, departing on horseback for Mihonoseki without looking back.
Episode 4[]
In "Peculiarities" Akemi travels through several towns with Goro (including Mihonoseki). Having drawn a fairly accurate portrait of Taigen, she stops at various sites to see if anyone has seen him, but each time she comes up empty-handed, she claims to Goro that her 'prospects' there are too cheap and they can do better. As no sign of Taigen is found, Goro becomes increasingly bemused, irritated, and impatient with her strange instructions- especially on several occasions where she diverts their direction to avoid patrols of her father's samurai, searching for her. Overhearing his threat to drug her just to shut her up, Akemi hastily sweet-talks him just as they arrive at Hamata's port town. Hearing talks about a death duel between two men (one of who supposedly has a 'face like a demon', Akemi rushes to witness it. She spots a familiar foreign-looking figure (Mizu) across the arena, wearing Taigen's scarf, and, noticing blue eyes behind the glasses, assumes 'he' is a demon. She hastily follows Mizu through the town, nicking a small knife as she goes.
Observing Mizu entering Madame Kaji's brothel, Akemi becomes determined to sell herself there, despite Goro's objections that there are much higher-class pleasure houses in the town and that Kaji's place is known for 'peculiarities. She charms Kaji's doorman (who makes it clear Goro isn't welcome there) but is startled to observe one of the prostitutes pleasuring herself with an octopus behind a screen. Managing to steal Goro's sleeping drug while they wait, she attempts to charm Madame Kaji, but the oiran quickly sees through her acting, recognizing she is an actual princess, and likely has little to no experience (Akemi admits she has only had sex once). Nonetheless, intrigued by Akemi's beauty and vulnerability, Kaji agrees to give her one chance to prove herself; if she fails, she will be thrown out and left at Goro's mercy. Goro agrees to the deal, leading Kaji to remark "Just like that, you've been bought and sold... fast as a marriage." She then reveals Akemi's background to the other prostitutes, telling her her first test is to 'eat or be eaten'. Akemi finds sympathy from one of the youngest girls, but most treat her with contempt for her inexperience with men and her high-born background.
Catching her breath behind a screen, Akemi regains her poise and elegantly arranges her hair, ornaments, and kimono. Overhearing that Mizu has refused the attention of every prostitute so far, she offers to try next, saying 'No one ever refuses me'. However, Ise suggests she deal with 'Watari the Walrus', an obese frequent customer, first; Akemi's attempts to escape this and follow Mizu are shot down by Kaji, saying her opinion does not matter.
Appearance[]
Akemi is a beautiful young Japanese woman with a heart shaped face, light skin, dark brown slanted eyes and pouty heart shaped lips. She usually wears her long jet black hair in an elaborate updo with hair ornaments. She also usually wears white foundation with red blusher and lipstick and always dresses in extravagant kimonos with socks and sandals. As of "The Tale of the Ronin and the Bride" she has lacquered her teeth black in preparation for her marriage.
Personality[]
Akemi deeply resents her lack of what she perceives as "good choices", given the very limited options for women and the way they are treated in commerce. However, despite her impatience and occasional impulsiveness (which leads to her easily being exposed and caught by Mizu when she tries to assassinate her), she has a shrewd, calculating mind and has proven herself highly skilled with persuasion, diplomacy, acting, and manipulation. Her beloved tutor Seki, the one man she doesn't see as a 'tyrant,' provides her with the tools needed to survive and prosper in courtly politics through her education, while sheltering her from what he considers unsafe options for her.
As she sees more of the world and how she has much better options than most women, despite her legitimate complaints, she reluctantly adjusts her worldview and hardens her heart. After Seki, despite his pragmatism, tells her with his dying breath to do only what she chooses, she acknowledges that she doesn't merely want to be "happy", but "great" through an active role in the shogunate's court- resulting in her deciding to stay in her marriage to the new shogun's brother, and place her wounded father under her obligation by hiding his past treachery.
She excelled at many of the fine arts and courtly practices, including tea ceremony, Renku poetry, flower arrangement, painting, dancing, and go. Despite never having been trained in combat and claiming she isn't brave, she has proven to be so on many occasions, especially when she intervenes to save Ringo's life by stabbing his attacker to death.
Though she has genuine affection for Taigen, her journey throughout the first season acquainting herself with the rest of the world- and how she can operate most effectively in it- causes her to put those feelings aside, in favor of her ambitions to shape Japan for the better through her newfound political influence and marriage.
Relationships[]
Daichi[]
Tokunobu Daichi is Akemi's father, who was her owner til her marriage, making her bound to the decisions he made for her. Akemi puts on an act of high respect for Daichi and speaks to him in a softer and more eloquent tone compared to her usual voice. When Akemi's marriage was being planned for him, she tried to navigate him into marrying her to Taigen (her secret lover) which he fulfilled but Daichi called off the engagement after learning how Taigen was defeated in a spar against another Samurai (this being Mizu), instead arranging her marriage to Itou Takayoshi, the second eldest son of the Shogun, through negotiations. Akemi, however, did not want to marry Itou, still wanting to be with Taigen, she tried to talk her father out of the marriage but failed and Akemi would ultimately go on to obey her father's order to marry Takayoshi. However, this marriage was for Daichi to rise the ranks, through his daughter's marriage, as he already knew Abijah Fowler would be attacking the Itou Household- and wanted Fowler to kill the Shogun and his whole family (the Itous) whilst hiding himself and his daughter, who he planned to be the sole survivor of the Itou family, so he could become the Shogun from his new relation to the Itous (the father of their bride Akemi). After Daichi exposed his plan to Akemi, she would stand up to her father for the first time, and actively act against his plan.
Mother[]
Daichi’s wife and Akemi's birth mother died when Akemi was very young, leading Daiichi to appoint Seki to raise his daughter.
Taigen[]
Taigen is Akemi's former fiancé, the two were in love and had sexual relations. Akemi also successfully persuaded her father to let her marry him, but the betrothal would end after Daichi discovered Taigen had been beaten in a duel against another Samurai (this being Mizu). Instead, Daichi engaged Akemi to the Shogun's son, Itou Takayoshi, against Akemi's will, who still desired to be with Taigen and tried to reunite with him, but failed. Akemi however would not see Taigen again till after her wedding to Takayoshi, where she already decided not to run away with Taigen when he offered, but to help the Itous overcome Abijah Fowler's attack on them, to also try and stop Fowler from taking over Japan.
Tomoe[]
Akemi has a much younger half-brother through her father named Tomoe, the two do not spend much time together, due to being kept separately by their father. Akemi seems to be annoyed by Tomoe and the fact that he gets to do whatever he wants.
Seki[]
Seki was a Samurai servant of Daichi and his attendant, who was also employed by Daichi, to help him raise and teach his daughter, Akemi, after her mother had died. Seki taught Akemi from her childhood, how to do many things, including how to wash and play Go. Seki became a loyal and lifelong confidant and father figure to Akemi and would always make plans in her favor, even if it meant going against Daichi’s desires, a choice which was especially exemplified in the finale of season 1, where he joined Akemi in standing against Daichi in his plot to allow Abijah Fowler to kill the current Shogun and his children (the Itou’s) to become the next Shogun of Japan through his daughter, Akemi, who had just married into the Itou family. After Seki became fatally wounded during Fowler's attack on the Shogunate, Akemi begged him to stay alive as she kept by his side and was grief-stricken when he succumbed to his death. It is assumed that Seki and Akemi dearly loved one another.
Madame Kaji[]
When Akemi found Mizu at Madame Kaji's brothel, she decided she wanted to work at the brothel, to make a sneak attack on Mizu, who was the reason her betrothal with Taigen had been broken. After the two met, Akemi successfully persuaded Kaji to let her work for her and Akemi would succeed in Kaji's first task of attending to a client named Watari without stripping or having intercourse with him. When Boss Hamata wanted to massacre Kaji and her workers, Akemi joined Ringo inside the brothel to guard and defend Kaji and her workers. After Akemi was found by men, her father sent his men out to find her, she was delivered back home but would meet up with Kaji again during her trip to marry Itou Takayoshi at the Shogun's home. After commanding her carriage to stop, she ran to Kaji and told her how she wanted to have control of her own life but was being forced to marry the Shogun's son. Kaji imparted to Akemi that she should control her husband's life to gain autonomy of her own. Akemi would later also summon Kaji and her workers to her new marital home, to buy their freedom from prostitution, Akemi also offered the women new jobs as her attendants.
Takayoshi[]
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
Akemi is a unisex given name in Japan. Akemi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:
- 明美, "bright, beauty"
- 明実, "bright, fruit"
- 明海, "bright, sea"
- 明巳, "bright, sign of the snake (Chinese zodiac)"
- 朱美, "vermilion, beauty"
- 朱未, "vermilion, not yet"
- 朱実, "vermilion, fruit"
- 暁美, "dawn, beauty"
- 曙覧, "daybreak, view"
Her surname, Tokunobu means 'virtue, morality, goodness' or 'stretch, extend, lengthen' depending on the Kanji used.