Ringo

**Ringo** is a character in the Netflix series, *Blue Eye Samurai*, who is voiced by Masi Oka. A former soba maker and cook, he becomes Mizu's faithful apprentice during her journey.

## Biography

Ringo was born without hands, a disability that could have resulted in his being left to die as an infant (due to the stigma of bad luck in Japanese folklore). While his father spared him this treatment, he would beat him for asking too many questions, and constantly berated him in front of customers when apprenticing him at his soba tavern. It is unknown what happened to Ringo's mother, who is never shown, but she has presumably died by the series' start.

Despite his harsh upbringing and the limitations posed by his lack of hands, Ringo grew into a strong, kind and resourceful (if occasionally absentminded) young man. Being physically clumsy, he made and adapted several ingenious prosthetics to the ends of his arms, using them to teach himself how to do a variety of tasks, including (but not limited to) sewing, cooking and writing with a brush. His dream was to learn to become a samurai, but his lack of hands (and thus, sufficient dexterity with a sword) made this virtually impossible, and people would laugh when he expressed this wish. Reconciling himself with this and refusing to let it get him down, Ringo instead focused on the other paths within the four social classes (Samurai, Farmer, Artisan or Merchant), not caring *what* he was able to become so long as he was great at it. He never saved his earnings, always giving them to the *saisen* box (donations to Shinto deities) with a prayer for this to happen. All the same, he was unhappy at home.

At the time of his 7th birthday, his family were traveling to the Izushi shinto shrine for a blessing, but Ringo got lost on the forest path when he went to pee. He claimed to have slept with a family of *tanuki* for three days before finding his way home, giving him a newfound appreciation for the wilderness. He also apparently had a traumatic experience involving blood and an eggplant, resulting in him being completely unwilling to eat the vegetable. However, he became an accomplished forager, able to identify and use medicinal and toxic plants and fungi. The soba tavern's customers imply that he is a better cook than his father, though this is spoken out of Ringo's presence and intended more as an insult to his father than a compliment to him.

## History/Synopsis

#### Episode 1

In "Hammerscale", Ringo is preparing meals at his father's dingy soba tavern when he is directed to a new customer. Noticing the sheathed *katana* at her belt, he assumes she must be a samurai and immediately begins chatting to her, offering "bad tea, *great* soba." He is harrassed by the flesh-trader Hachiman, who is ordering more food for a pair of village girls he has just purchased. Ringo brings food to the customers, pleased at how fast the newcomer finishes hers, but as he is serving Hachiman one of the girls struggles against her captor's hand, causing him to accidentally spill food over Hachiman, provoking the pimp to strike him. Ringo's father hastily apologizes, berating his son to clean up the mess. Ringo also apologizes, but manages to fall and spill on Hachii again as he moves away. Enraged, Hachiman draws a flintlock pistol from inside his kimono, saying perhaps he should 'put down this lame dog' as no one messes with Hachiman. Ringo hesitantly protests, but everyone is suddenly distracted as the strange traveller (Mizu) loudly pushes back the table and approaches. Ringo is awestruck when the stranger verbally confronts Hachiman, dodges his shot and slices off two of his fingers *and* the gun barrel with a cleaver. As Mizu interrogates Hachiman, Ringo is even more surprised when Mizu reveals *blue* eyes behind her tinted glasses- and cleaves off two more of Hachiman's fingers, for calling her "a dead-eyed, half-blooded demon bastard."

Inspired, Ringo pulls together his belongings, prosthetics and travel pass, ties the store's wooden sign to his head as a hat, and follows Mizu down the mountain road. When he finally catches up in a bamboo forest, Mizu holds him at swordpoint and tells him to go home, but he implores to serve as her apprentice, describing her as deformed but strong, like him. However, he is tied to a tree and left behind.

Ringo eventually breaks loose and follows Mizu to the city of Kyoto, accidentally disrupting a streetside puppet show when he catches up. Exasperated at having to deal with him again (but correctly predicting he is a virgin) Mizu pays for him to stay at a brothel for three nights, enabling him to lose his virginity with a pair of prostitutes.

Despite enjoying his time there, Ringo soon leaves Kyoto and continues following Mizu. When he stumbles across her bathing in an *onsen*, she catches him at swordpoint again, leaving him further astonished that she is secretly a woman.

#### Episode 2

In "An Unexpected Element", Ringo follows Mizu through a cedar forest at a distance. She attempts to lose him by ducking off the road when he stumbles, but his knowledge of forestry and ability to be "naturally steathy" despite his large size and talkative nature, results in Mizu soon walking into him. Irritably telling him to stay away, she rebuffs his attempts to be "useful" to her and ignores his endless (if innocent) questions about her white heritage and white people in general (who she knows nothing about). Ringo promises she can trust him and that he will always keep her secrets, but when he nearly mentions the fact that she is female, she cleaves a small tree in two and points her sword at him, threatening to kill him if she sees him again.

Ringo leaves her at first, but appears and intervenes when she nearly gets in trouble for trying to pass a river checkpoint without documentation. Ringo stops the potential fight by offering his father's travel pass (which covers two), claiming Mizu is his apprentice cook and forgot hers ("He's a bit dim"). Allowed through, Mizu attempts to lose Ringo at a nearby cemetary, only to run straight into him yet again. She warns him "You will not find what you seek at my side" and that she will stop at nothing for her revenge. Ringo naively says he loves revenge, dismissing her warnings of the carnage ahead and saying he can train and help her, just as he did under his father. Mizu points out making soba is very different from war, but Ringo passionately argues that his entire *life* has been a battle, to overcome and adapt to his disability. Unable to argue that, Mizu reluctantly lets him tag along, to Ringo's delight.

They make for a coastal fishing town nearby, where Mizu hopes to hire a boat to Tanabe island; Ringo keeps chatting along the way, telling tales from his childhood. As they traverse a treacherous path along the cliffs, she remarks that he doesn't have to be here, clarifying that she isn't after Heiji Shindo, but the white man he protects; if she can hire a boat, she can reach Tanabe before dawn. Noticing the town's checkpoint and gate towers are unmanned, and that its outer suburbs seem deserted, they soon realize the entire town is gathered at the center to celebrate the New Year festivities. Ringo is amazed by the spectacles and sights (clearly much larger and more diverse than anything he's seen in his home village) and suggests several activities they could engage in.

Mizu shoots this down, reminding him they aren't there for fun. She find two fishermen willing to take them to Tanabe, but they refuse to leave until the next day. Mizu insists she must travel now, but the fishermen explain that their business is closed for the *Hadaka Matsuri* festival, wanting to purify themselves and celebrate the *kami* to avoid a bad New Year (something that intrigues Ringo). Mizu reluctantly agrees not to leave until morning. Running into Ringo again as she walks away, she buys a silver bell from a curiosity stand and ties it around Ringo's ankle to annouce his presence, telling him that if he takes it off, he is discharged as her 'apprentice', which he agrees to. Intending to train in her spare time, Mizu heads back to the cliffs surrounding the town, but tells Ringo he should stay and enjoy the festivities. Having noticed his enthusiasm for people in general, she suggests Ringo might enjoy settling and living here, more than his father's village, and would be safer than staying with her, saying "there's no shame, in making a home here." Ringo insists he should not leave his master's side and will rejoin her for their journey tomorrow, but is quickly distracted by the celebrations.

While watching the festivities (which include sumo matches, music, gambling tables, tumblers and many other attractions) Ringo converses with a soba salesman and tries a bowl. He is astonished with the flavor and general quality of the dish, realizing that as a township they have access to ingredients and skillsets that he wasn't able to in his village. Trying another bowl at an even more popular stand, Ringo becomes wistful (ignoring the owner's offer of a job), comparing *his* noodles (he usually refers to his soba as the best in the world) to "cold worms" - forgetting how eagerly Mizu ate them.

When the town's *Miko* arrives to initiate the *Hadaka Matsuri,* Ringo is intrigued by her ritual use of the *shingi* sticks (supposedly infused with the *kami's* power) and that catching one of them will supposedly grant a person's wish. Ringo applauds as the drums are played, then joins the other townsfolk in stripping naked (though, as promised, not removing the bell from his ankle) and running off the end of the pier into the icy harbor to purify himself. As the *Miko* approaches the pier's edge, they all hold up their hands to let her walk across, to a large rock holding up a sacred *tori*. She tells them all to make their wish, and Ringo whispers, "*I wish... to be great, at something."* When the *shingi* are thrown, Ringo is accidentally dragged underwater in the ensuing scuffle, but he ultimately emerges triumphant, one of the *shingi* clenched in his teeth.

#### Episode 3

In "A Fixed Number of Paths" Ringo goes searching for Mizu shortly after winning the *shingi*. Finding her wounded and unconscious with Taigen looming over her, he assumes the samurai attacked her and tackles him, only for Taigen to reveal her attackers were the now-deceased Four Fangs. Concerned for her injuries, Ringo carries her away from the town, warning Taigen not to touch her (in order to protect the secret of her gender). Taigen directs him to an abandoned shrine up the mountain where they can find privacy and shelter. When they reach the shrine, Ringo uses his prosthetics to stitch Mizu's wounds, then brews medicine from mountain herbs and mushrooms and feeds it to her, repeating his mantra of "Useful". He rebuffs Taigen's threat to kill him if Mizu dies, but warns Taigen against eating a poisonous snowcap.

The next morning, Ringo brings Mizu (who is now active) more medicine, and is pleased when she finishes it quickly despite its' distasteful ingredients. They observe Taigen practicing with Chiaki's *katana* (which unknown to the two men, *Mizu* actually forged) and Ringo remarks, "Master Eiji's broken blade is a good fit for him." When Okiyama arrives and delivers Heiji Shindo's invitation for tea, Ringo accompanies Mizu and Taigen, riding a horse for the first time to his delight (though he takes some time to get the hang of it).

As night falls, Ringo brews soup/medicine at their camp, giving some to Mizu. He chuckles when Mizu offers to kill Taigen immediately if he prefers. When the two prepare to duel with chopsticks, Ringo warns Mizu to be careful of her stitches, but she ignores him. After their fight (which leaves Taigen with a broken nose, and Mizu's hip wound re-opened), Ringo sighs and goes to get his sewing kit.

As they continue the next morning, Taigen accepts a rice ball Ringo offers him, remarking that in spite of his "ridiculous" choice of master, Ringo is loyal and dedicated. He offers Ringo a spot in his future entourage after Mizu is killed, condescendingly saying he can't have a half-limbed halfwit as an apprentice, but will find a space for him in the kitchens. Surprised, Ringo says he could never work for Taigen (to the latter's amazement), saying he always dreamt and prayed for greatness. When Taigen skeptically asks if Ringo thinks he can be great, Ringo remarks on the four fixed paths in society: farmer, artisan, merchant and warrior (samurai). He amiably declares that each of these can lead to greatness, and he's never cared which of these paths he found. Though wistful that he was never able to at least reach "noodle greatness" after his experience in the fishing town, Ringo claims he's now seen what greatness looks like (looking pointedly ahead of them, at Mizu). He declares " I know I can't touch greatness, anymore than I could swallow the sun, but... I can help. I can *help* greatness." He moves ahead, leaving behind a dumbfounded (and offended) Taigen, and hands Mizu another rice ball.

They soon reach a dark, icy ravine between the mountains and dismount. Ringo is prevented from following Mizu and Taigen inside by Okiyama, and is astonished that the giant man can talk. He builds a fire and tries to make conversation, but Okiyama rebuffs him, telling him to cook something. Ringo obliges, making a mushroom soup.

When Okiyama recieves a signal from Heiji Shindo, he approaches Ringo to kill him. Just as he has the cook trapped on a ledge, he experiences a wave of nausea and vomiting- brought on by Ringo sneaking snowcap mushrooms into the soup he had just eaten. Kicking Okiyama over the ledge, Ringo then spots Shindo's archers raining arrows into the ravine. Strapping the extra saddles onto his back to shield himself from arrows, he races in on horseback to rescue Mizu and Taigen. Once Ringo reaches them, they cling to the straps on the horses' flanks as he rides out of the ravine and through the mountains. Along the way, Mizu repeats Ringo's mantra, "*Useful*", to him, causing him to smile. Once they stop to catch their breath, Taigen praises Ringo for his daring maneuver, saying there is some greatness in him after all. Though slightly surprised when Mizu knocks Taigen out, Ringo does not otherwise react. After he offers her a drink of water (which she thanks him for) they continue onwards on horseback, to Mihonoseki.

## Personality

Ringo is a friendly, cheerful and kind young man, an over-eager helper who talks non-stop. He doesn't see his physical disability as a deterrent – he has no hands. His ingenuity and high energy give him the drive he needs to survive. He can be exhausting, but he is endearing and funny to the people who get to know him, such as Mizu, Taigen, Akemi and Eiji, who ultimately takes him as his second apprentice.

## Appearance

Ringo is a tall and chubby Japanese man with beige skin, a round face, brown eyes with epicanthic folds and a shaved head, he has high black eyebrows, a round pointy nose and thin lips. He is always seen wearing his chef uniform . His physical appearance and personality contrasts that of his father's who is short and skinny with a quick temper.