"Day of the Samurai" is the fifty-fifth episode of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on February 23, 1993. It depicts the return of Kyodai Ken.
Plot
The two top students, Kairi Tanaga and Kyodai Ken fight one another.
In Japan, at the dojo of Yoru Sensei, his star pupil, a young woman named Kairi, is practicing late at night. She is suddenly interrupted by a ninja, who knocks her unconscious and carries her away, leaving behind a ransom demand for Yoru.
Yoru telephones Bruce Wayne in Gotham City, saying he needs his help. After he and Alfred arrive in Japan, Bruce goes to meet Yoru, wondering innocently how he can be of service. Yoru says that hopes he can pass along his request to Batman, whom Bruce "must know".
Bruce explains to Alfred the particular nature of Kyodai's ransom demand: Yoru is the last living descendant of an ancient master who developed the fighting art, Kiba no Hoko ("The Way of the Fang"). It proved so dangerous that the master never taught it to anyone, and hid the only copy of the art's manual in a secret place known only to his family, who have kept it secret for five hundred years. Since Yoru has no sons, when he dies, he takes the secret with him. Kyodai wants the scroll, believing the knowledge will enable him to defeat Batman, whom he now knows is Bruce Wayne, having fought both of them.
The next morning, Yoru receives instructions from Kyodai. He is to receive a map to the scroll's location in exchange for Kairi. Bruce suggests giving Kyodai a false map, but Yoru says doing so would violate the code of Bushido. Bruce respectfully volunteers to deliver the map.
Kyodai finds the ancient scroll containing the Kiba no Hoko technique.
At the ransom drop, Batman brings the map. He tries to rescue Kairi without giving it up, but Kyodai kicks her off the building's roof, forcing Batman to save her while Kyodai grabs the map. Batman then tries to stop Kyodai, but he escapes.
The map guides Kyodai to a cave in the side of a volcano called Mount Kajiiki, where he finds the scroll hidden in an ancient box. The moment he touches it, however, the aged scroll crumbles to fragments in his hands. Initially distraught, he looks closer and pulls out one intact fragment, which he figures is all he needs.
Later, Batman investigates the cave, and returns as Bruce with the fragments to Yoru, who examines them, and finds that the missing piece gives instructions for the o-nemuri attack – a death touch. Unfortunately, Yoru never read the scroll, so he cannot tell Bruce where the fatal point is, meaning it could be anywhere.
For the next phase of his plan, Kyodai kidnaps Alfred and calls Bruce, ordering him to appear for their final match. Bruce traces the call to Kyodai's hideout, finding it empty, and that Kyodai has destroyed the scroll fragment.
They meet on the slope of Mount Kakiiki, Kyodai apparently not knowing that the local authorities have noticed it becoming active and evacuated the surrounding area. Before they duel, Kyodai compliments Batman on his mastery of stealth, saying he would have made a fine ninja. Kyodai then removes his mask and Batman returns the favor.
Kyodai jabs Bruce in the fatal spot.
They spar, Bruce trying to avoid contact, even as the volcano begins to erupt and lava flows down the side of the mountain. Then Kyodai lunges and jabs his fingers into a spot on Bruce's chest. Bruce groans and falls, apparently dead.
As Kyodai turns away, however, Bruce rises, saying the ancient technique doesn't work. The fight continues, but is interrupted when a lava flow splits the ground between them. Kyodai is left trapped on a little islet of rock. Bruce throws a line on a Batarang to Kyodai, telling him to use it to spring over the gap. Silent, Kyodai kicks the batarang into the lava, then bows to Bruce with utmost respect. Another surge of lava hits the rock, throwing up a cloud of smoke between them. When it clears, Kyodai is gone.
Bruce and Alfred make their way to safety. When Alfred asks how he survived the death touch, Bruce pulls a small armor plate from under his costume and explains that he examined the practice dummy in Kyodai's hideout and found a soft spot that Kyodai had jabbed with his fingers many times.
Bruce bids goodbye to Yoru, who asks him to be sure to pass his respects along to Batman. In a moment of self-doubt, Bruce says that Batman is as much a ninja as Kyodai, but Yoru tells him that because Batman showed mercy to his enemy, and resisted the temptation to use the knowledge of the death touch, he is a true samurai. Bruce thanks his old teacher and departs.
Continuity
- Kyodai reappears after the events of "Night of the Ninja".
- Kairi appears, as a much older woman, in the Batman Beyond episode "Curse of the Kobra".
Background information
Home video releases
- Batman: The Animated Series, Volume Two (DVD)
- Batman: The Complete Animated Series (DVD)
- Batman: The Complete Animated Series (Blu-ray)
Production inconsistencies
- When Bruce is tracing Kyodai's phone number, the number reads as an American number (555-0311), though the episode takes place in Japan and should read as a Japanese number (03-9999-9999).
- Bruce's mouth doesn't move when he says, "It was not good news".
- When Yoru and Bruce are talking outside about enlisting Batman's help, Bruce is just wearing a suit. Then, after he says, "We've met," the next shot shows him wearing a raincoat.
- When Bruce is first seen meditating, a small dragon sculpture is seen giving off smoke for him to breathe. However, as soon as Alfred enters the room, the sculpture disappears completely.
- Kairi's shirt changes color when Bruce tells her, "Batman does as he will".
- During the final fight, when Kyodai says, "It ends now", his mouth doesn't move.
Trivia
- Last appearance of Kyodai Ken, who was likely killed in the explosion.
- Goh Misawa replaces Chao-Li Chi as the voice of Yoru Sensei.
- After the phone number trace, the machine displays "563 TEZUKA", a reference to Osamu Tezuka, the "Godfather of Anime". His name was also seen in "Moon of the Wolf"
Cast
| Actor | Role |
|---|---|
| Kevin Conroy | Batman |
| Efrem Zimbalist, Jr. | Alfred |
| Robert Ito | Kyodai Ken |
| Julia Kato | Kairi |
| Goh Misawa | Sensei Yoru |
Quotes
Kairi: (in wonder) Komori no kami. |
(Kyodai has learned where the fatal point is) |
Kyodai: Once again, you approach unseen, dark one. You would have made a good ninja. |
Bruce: This was a poor choice for a battleground, Kyodai. The volcano may claim us all. |
Kyodai: Sayonara, Batman. |
Yoru: If you see Batman, tell him I have great respect for him. |
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