Chapter 272

## Ipopte

* Volume
* Magazine

**Ipopte** (イポㇷ゚テ, *Ipopte*) is the 272nd chapter of the *Golden Kamuy* manga.

## Synopsis

A flashback to the Russo-Japanese War begins in which Kikuta asks Ariko if he is still alive, to which the latter confirms it. Kikuta asks Ariko to say something so that he knows that they are both still alive and Ariko wonders what he should talk about. Kikuta tells him that anything is fine and that something upbeat would be nice, and Ariko starts to talk about making a *makiri* knife.

Ariko says that an Ainu man gives the knife as a present to the woman he loves and that she looks at the craftsmanship to judge his ability as a provider. He states that that goes to show how important making a *makiri* knife is to a man and Kikuta wonders if Ariko is worried that a girl he loves will turn him down. Ariko denies it, saying that it is for his own personal use, as some parents teaches their sons how to make one, but for him, he just watched his father make it so that he could learn how to do it himself.

Ariko says that he was not interested in the process and that he never thought whether someone was Ainu or Japanese if they picked a fight with or asked help from him. He admits that he thought the Ainu culture was kind of a pain in the ass for him. Ariko begins to talk about the *makiri* knife, saying that it had a design that had been passed down in his family for generations and he is certain that his father would want to pass it onto him as well. Even after Ariko became a soldier, his father continued to make a *makiri* knife for him with the belief that if he has the real thing in his hands, he would be able to duplicate it someday.

However, his father died while he was working on the knife and his own knife also disappeared, and Ariko begins to tear up, saying that he should have watched his father more closely. Ariko asks Kikuta if he is still alive and Kikuta replies, leading Ariko to ask him to make a response every once in a while. Kikuta places his hand on Ariko’s shoulder and apologizes to him. In the present, Kikuta is still wandering around in the rain and Ariko enters the room with Tsurumi choking Sofia and Asirpa saying the words “Horkew Oskoni” to him.

Tsurumi rushes over to his bag, pulls out the tattooed skins, laying them on the floor and begins to quickly examine them. Ariko calls out to Tsurumi, saying that he has come to reveal the whereabouts of Hijikata’s Group and that they should take this opportunity to steal all of their tattooed skins at once. Meanwhile, much to Asirpa’s surprise, Ariko quietly begins to cut the ropes on Asirpa’s hands. However, Tsurumi quickly sees through Ariko’s ploy, asking if this is the path he has chosen.

Ariko pulls out a pistol, demanding that Tsurumi hand over the tattooed skins and Tsukishima and Koito knocks down the door, shooting at Ariko. As Ariko fires back, he tells Asirpa and Sofia to hurry and run while Sugimoto and Shiraishi drives to the church at full speed. Kikuta hears the gunfire and begins to run towards the church. Sofia picks up a bench and throws it at Tsurumi, but he is unfazed, continuing to decipher the tattooed skins. Ariko, Asirpa, and Sofia, exits the church as Sugimoto pulls up in the beer car and Shiraishi holds out his hand for Asirpa to jump onto. Ariko picks Asirpa up and throws her into the beer car, however he is shot in the leg by Tsukishima.

Ariko fires back at Tsukishima and when Asirpa calls out for him, he tells Sugimoto’s Group not to stop and keep going. Kikuta sees the beer car passing by and he and Sugimoto exchange looks as they fully recognize each other. Kikuta spots Ariko lying on the ground and rushes over, asking what he is doing there. Ariko addresses Kikuta by his name and title before he is shot in the chest by Tsukishima, shocking both Kikuta and Asirpa. Tsukishima begins to walk past a stunned Kikuta with renewed vigor in his eyes as Ariko lies motionless in the pouring rain.

## Character Appearances

* Retar *(Cameo)*
* Mokutarou Kikuta
* Rikimatsu Ariko
* Siromakur Ariko *(Flashback)*
* Ikaripopo *(Flashback)*
* Tokushirou Tsurumi
* Asirpa
* Sofia Golden Hand
* Hajime Tsukishima
* Toshizou Hijikata *(Mentioned)*
* Otonoshin Koito
* Saichi Sugimoto
* Yoshitake Shiraishi

## Trivia

* Golden Kamuy x Travis Japan collaboration appeared on the cover of Young Jump Issue 16, 2021. The members of the group are cosplaying as Golden Kamuy characters.