A Fixed Number of Paths is the third episode of the first season of the Netflix adult animated action Blue Eye Samurai.
Synopsis[]
Taigen proposes a deal, and Mizu receives an invitation to tea. Life on the road turns out to be more challenging than Akemi imagined.
Plot[]
Mizu is carried to an abandoned mountain shrine by Ringo, flickering in and out of consciousness and flashing back to her childhood with her 'mother', the burning of their home, and her first encounter with Taigen. Ringo brews her medicine to bring down her fever, and sutures her wounds.
When she awakens, she immediately confronts Taigen- who is writing a contract for a future duel between them- and holds her blade to his neck. He points out that she's still recovering from her wounds and that he could easily have killed her before, but didn't. Claiming she owes him a legal, witnessed rematch, he asks how much time she needs before she's "well enough to die." However, Mizu quickly gets under his skin by referencing their previous battle and his severed hair, which he blames on being drunk due to his now-canceled engagement- which he, in turn, blames Mizu for, along with his lost position at the dojo and dishonor. He demands to know how long, to which Mizu replies "two days", and he offers three. Mizu scornfully remarks he should have killed her when he had the chance, reasoning "the time to kill your enemy, is when you can." which Taigen claims is dishonorable (for not following bushido). Mizu scoffs that he wants spectacle, not revenge, and that when she finds her target, she won't waste a second on ceremony. Taigen retorts "Then you are not a samurai at all... still a stray dog, eating out of my trash."
The next morning, Mizu downs the medicine Ringo brings her, then observes Taigen practicing with the broken blade taken from Chiaki (which, unknown to them, she forged). A sudden disturbance sets them all on guard; when a giant thug wielding a war-club emerges from the trees, Mizu and Taigen prepare to confront him together until he offers an invitation to Mizu from Heiji Shindo to meet him 'for tea'. Despite her injuries causing her visible pain, Mizu takes one of the horses offered by Okiyama (the giant), ignoring Taigen's protests that the entire thing is almost certainly an ambush, and that he is the only one allowed to kill her. She argues that Shindo is a direct line to one of the men she is hunting, and "Revenge does not hesitate."
As they pass through the wintry mountains, Taigen recites a Buddhist sutra referencing Mt Sumeru (a sacred mountain in Buddhist cosmology) while Mizu remains impassive. Taigen tries to make conversation about their childhood home, Kohama, describing his dislikes and reasons to forget it, including his abusive father and the constant stink of fish. Taigen claims he only ever saw two paths for himself as a child, the fishing net or the sword; hating the former and viewing it as no different from his father, he saw the latter as the only alternative. Unimpressed by his explanations of his character, Mizu responds darkly, "I remember Kohama" (referencing his bullying her as a child) and moves ahead of him.
As they make camp for the night, Mizu grows tense when Okiyama approaches with his war-club, but he simply leaves it next to her as a gesture of good faith, then leaves. Taigen scoffs that Okiyama could easily kill her barehanded. He further mocks her for the near-certainty that they will be killed by ambush, either by night or tomorrow, ruining their chance to duel. Mizu counters that she can kill him now if he prefers (eliciting a chuckle from Ringo). Taigen insinuates that Mizu let him tag along (which runs counter to her mantra of "revenge doesn't hesitate") because she needs his help, due to being 'weak' and insisting she's still "a malnourished urchin." Removing her glasses, Mizu counters that she can beat him now with any weapon he chooses, from a spear to a rock- then suddenly throws one of Ringo's chopsticks, with Taigen barely catching it before it hits his face. Taigen assumes a fighting stance and charges, but Mizu easily maneuvers around his strikes, trapping and twisting his wrist. Frustrated, Taigen strikes his free hand against Mizu's wound, momentarily gaining the initiative. However, Mizu quickly turns the tables, throwing him over her shoulder to the ground, pinning him down and holding her chopstick first against his groin, then stabbing at his face- only to retract it between her fingers, merely striking him lightly on the forehead with her knuckles.
Humiliated, Taigen angrily throws her off him, snaps both chopsticks in half and lunges at her; they roll through the snow and over the edge of the campsite. Pushing her down, Taigen sneers that he and the other children of Kohama used to scare each other with stories about the "monster boy" and his "whore mother" provoking Mizu to kick him off. She lunges at him, only for him to dodge, punch her stomach and push her against a tree, saying the children would dare each other to approach the hut, until it burned down. With each blow, Mizu experiences more flashbacks of her first encounter with Taigen and the destruction of her hut by the 'bad men'. Taigen finally denounces her as a dog, scavenging Kohama's gutters. Enraged, Mizu suddenly knees him in the gut, then knocks him down with a punch to the face, breaking his nose; however, her hip wound has re-opened. Beaten, but content at having gotten under Mizu's skin, Taigen concedes "Your round" and walks away, leaving Ringo to attend to his Master.
The next day, they soon reach a dark, icy ravine between the mountains and dismount. Confirming Heiji Shindo is within, Mizu enters it against Taigen's protests; he soon follows, with Ringo and Okiyama remaining behind. Expecting battle, they emerge through the ravine to a wide, enclosed space surrounded by cliffs; Shindo is waiting for them alone at a small encampment, leading Mizu to deadpan to Taigen that she was "just in the mood for tea." Taigen scoffs that it is still a trap as they join Shindo. He serves them tea and asks Mizu to remove her glasses, saying they have no secrets. Mizu lists his professions and commercial interests, then accuses him of being middleman to illegal Western traders. However, she clarifies she isn't looking for him, but the white man he protects. Shindo smirks that there are no white men in Japan, as that would be illegal, but then gives her the name "Abijah Fowler." She clarifies that Fowler must be one of the three white men in Japan when she was born; when Shindo corrects that there were four, Mizu replies "There are three now," and that she intends to kill the rest.
Shindo claims he can't let her sabotage his dealings with Fowler unexpectedly, but Mizu dismisses both him and his business as worthless to her, and confirms that she killed the Four Fangs. Heiji points out he can simply keep hiring expensive cutthroats for her to kill, which will waste both their resources, or they can make a deal. At his request, the Shogun (whose advisor is in Shindo's pocket) will appoint Mizu daimyo of the Sendai doman (in northern Japan), whose current daimyo is "a debauch". Heiji also offers Mizu 50,000 golden ryu, in cash. In exchange, she must cut off her right thumb (rendering her unable to wield a sword) as an assurance that she will not attack Shindo or his clients.
Mizu considers the offer, but finally refuses, saying she has no desire for money or power and "no interest in being happy... only satisfied." As a master of commerce, she notes that Shindo would have expected this, and will have either an ambush or a less attractive counteroffer ready. Smirking, he asks how she plans to attack Fowler's fortress on Tanabe, detailing its' treacherous terrain, weather and eight levels of unique defenses. He claims she would never make it inside without help, revealing a sake barrel: the intention being to smuggle her into the castle. Taigen protest that this offer is a suicidal trap, but Mizu adamantly claims any path to Fowler is a good one for her. She poses several questions to Shindo, the first being how she can be sure he won't betray her; Shindo responds it is a calculated risk she must take, as storming the castle isn't an option. She then asks why he wants Fowler dead when he makes Shindo so rich, to which he admits he has come to hate Fowler after twenty years of dealing with his repulsive personality and habits. He explains that the sake barrel 'smells bad' because it is a cheap brand he serves to prostitutes brought to service Fowler. Taigen interjects, asking how Mizu is supposed to escape the castle afterward, but Shindo counters that he will only guarantee Mizu a way in and a chance to kill Fowler, and that their business ends there. When Mizu notes the perfect cut of the flower pinned to Shindo's kimono, he suddenly drops his pleasantries, demanding she enter the barrel and saying she cannot refuse: his joke about having archers on the cliffs earlier, was in fact true. Raising a ribbon, he claims that if he drops it, they will rain arrows on Mizu and Taigen, ordering her to get in. As Taigen urges Mizu to call his 'bluff', Shindo grows more insistant and hostile, finally grabbing Mizu's arm. Immediately, she draws her katana and cleaves off his right forearm with the same stroke, declaring, "You bed with the devil" but then notices the sound of arrows being loosed from above. As Shindo runs away, Mizu and Taigen take shelter behind the iron lid of his massive tea-kettle, shielding themselves as arrows pour down on them. They carry it across the clearing- Mizu telling Taigen to count the time between the archers' fire and reloading- enduring more volleys before they finally reach the ravine entrance. Though the archers can no longer volley directly at them, many arrows ricochet off the ravine's walls, forcing them to use their swords; Taigen cleaves one arrow in half before it can hit Mizu, but takes another in his thigh. As they both realize they will be exposed as soon as they leave the ravine, Taigen urges Mizu to use his body as a shield and escape, saying that there's no reason for both of them to die, to her surprise. However, Ringo suddenly rides into the ravine (shielding himself and the horse with extra saddles) and rescues them, riding away into the mountains; Mizu repeats his mantra, "Useful", back to him.
When they stop in the forest, Taigen and Mizu awkwardly compliment each other- he for her knowing to count the archer's timing, her for his deflection of the arrow away from her. She claims, "the broken blade fits well in your hand" but Taigen gives it to her, as she won it in battle. She remarks of Heiji, "Men like him like to talk so much, they eventually tell you how to destroy them" revealing that Heiji's answers about the cheap sake- and the prostitutes it was meant for- gave her an idea for how to infiltrate the fortress.
Admiring her guile, Taigen points out it's a pity their duel is set for tomorrow, as it will hinder her revenge plans- only for Mizu to suddenly knock him out, with the broken blade's pommel. Taking his orange scarf, she leaves him with Chiaki's sword and a letter, praising him as a worthy opponent and offering the proper duel he deserves. Mizu promises to meet him at the shrine on the second of autumn once her business is complete, and she can give him full focus. She and Ringo continue onward.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Maya Erskine as Mizu
- Masi Oka as Ringo
- Brenda Song as Akemi
- Darren Barnet as Taigen
- Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa as Master Eiji
- George Takei as Seki
- Randall Park as Heiji Shindo
- Kenneth Branagh as Abijah Fowler
Guest[]
- Eric Bauza as Goro, Farmer, Brigand
- Jenson Cheng as Okiyama
- Judah Green as Young Taigen
- Ann Harada as Mama
- West Liang as Hachimon
- Amber Noizumi as Female Brigand
- Masi Oka as The Messenger
- Harry Shum Jr. as Man's Voice
- Alain Uy as Second Man's Voice
Gallery[]
