Episode 3

## Episode Chronology

**Weakness and Strength** (弱さと強さ, *Yowasa to Tsuyosa*) is the third episode of the Jigokuraku anime series.

## Synopsis

Gabimaru and Sagiri set foot on "Shinsenkyō", an island said to be where the Elixir of Life lies. The two are greeted by an eerie scenery full of beautiful flowers and butterflies dancing around their faces. What stood in their way was another competing death row convict.

## Plot

In a flashback, Gabimaru tells Sagiri about the time he witnessed the chief of Iwagakure demonstrate his immortality by keeping himself standing while having his shinobi inflict fatal damage to his body with weapons. Along with the story about how the chief drank a medicine he acquired long ago from a land across the sea to achieve this immortality, Gabimaru believes that the Elixir of Life truly exists but doubts that it is on the island they land ashore on.

While walking, Sagiri becomes captivated by the beautiful scenery but hears Gabimaru's opposite opinion on how he believes that the environment is unnatural and that they should be cautious. After seeing Gabimaru remove the ropes keeping his hands bound, Sagiri tells him that he is not allowed to have his hands freed while on the mission and orders him to tie them again. Gabimaru complains about the rule being ridiculous to follow and further complains about the supplies he was given being even useless. This prompts Sagiri to draw her sword close to his neck and make it clear to him that she is not his ally on the mission and will execute him if he does not get in line. Having no other choice, Gabimaru complies with Sagiri to bind his hands again.

However, the two are interrupted by Warped Keiun who sends Gabimaru flying back with a thrown iron ball. Keiun becomes disappointed at how easy it was to take out Gabimaru but sees him back on his feet unharmed, as the shinobi had dislocated his neck upon anticipating the attack. Gabimaru then points out to Sagiri that Keiun's hands are untied. Although she believed that that was not the main issue, Sagiri asks Keiun's monitor Yamada Asaemon Kishō as to why his assigned convict's hands were unrestrained. Kishō answers that he can simply tie his hands when the time comes to make the trip back and that it avoids having to argue with his convict. He then reprimands Sagiri for following the rules, which he claims is why she is the lowest ranked Asaemon in their clan and proceeds to tell Gabimaru her place, only for Sagiri to cut him off since she believed that it wasn't the time to have such a discussion. Keiun becomes insulted with Gabimaru ignoring him but takes this as an opportunity to test all of his weapons out on him. While Gabimaru tells Keiun that it would be a waste of time to fight each other since their other competitors will get ahead of them, the sōhei believes that the best way to start off the mission is to kill the other criminals first so that he can take his time searching for the elixir. With Sagiri and Kishō allowing the criminals to fight each other, since they are merely monitors, Gabimaru is given no choice but to defend himself against Warped Keiun. Before having him fight, Sagiri demands that he bind his hands, much to his annoyance.

While busy doing what Sagiri ordered, Gabimaru stands still and pays Keiun no mind as he attacks him with a barrage of weapons. After finishing retying his hands, Gabimaru uses a spear as leverage to lift Keiun up in the air and kicks one of his weapons at his chest. Despite being pierced, Keiun stands up alive as he reveals to have armor attached to his body. He then becomes excited to continue with his fight against Gabimaru. Shortly after, Warped Keiun is killed by Gabimaru using his weapons.

Having wasted enough time, Gabimaru request to Sagiri to continue with his assignment to look for the Elixir of Life. With his convict dead, Kishō leaves off with Keiun's head as he is relieved of his duties. Sagiri warns Kishō to be careful on his way back home since sixty men had went missing on the island but is asked if she should really be worried about others at the moment, explaining to her that the criminals have already made their move on both land and sea regardless of the rules set for them on the mission since the only that matters to the shogun is acquiring the Elixir of Life. He then offers to execute Gabimaru so she may leave as well. However, he is prevented from drawing his sword by Gabimaru as the shinobi tells him that he has wasted enough of his time talking and that all he cares about his returning to his wife. Kishō tells Gabimaru that it would be wise for him to quicken the pace since he predicts that over time the number of criminals will gradually dwindle down and will leave the shogun having no choice but to contact Iwagakure for assistance as reported. Before making his leave, Kishō informs Sagiri that this mission will supposedly determine the next head of their clan and warns her to not let her guard down around the criminals. Sagiri takes Kishō's word into account since she has yet to fully understand Gabimaru's true nature but holds this off and asks Gabimaru which direction he would like to go. However, after sensing hostility, Sagiri quickly intercepts a sword attack from Gabimaru in an attempt at killing her.

At the same time of Kishō's explanation, Eizen is killed by his convict Rokurōta, Chōbei frees himself from being struggled to death by Hōrubō and kills him, and Akaginu is executed by her Asaemon for sexual assault.

In a flashback, the Iwagakure chief looks down on Gabimaru's deceased parents for making the decision to raise their newborn outside of Iwagakure and decides to take care of Gabimaru himself. He then tells the infant Gabimaru that he must abandon his emotions to avoid becoming weak and uses his parents as examples.

As she clashes swords with him, Sagiri reminds Gabimaru that killing her would be in violation of the mission. Gabimaru tells her that, based on what Kishō said earlier, the only importance on the mission is obtaining the Elixir of Life and has decided to take her life in order to not be weighed down and prevent Iwagakure from being involved if time runs out. Sagiri believes that she is authorized to execute him, however, she finds herself hesitating. Gabimaru also finds himself hesitating to end Sagiri's life and ends up having a memory of his wife advising to accept his emotions, as she believes that that is true strength, and memories of him killing as a result of his emotions. After hesitating to commit to making a lethal blow aimed towards Sagiri's neck, Gabimaru becomes worried that he won't receive the pardon or survive. However, after he remembers his chief's words to him in the past about ridding his emotions to become strong, Gabimaru's mind becomes clear to snap Sagiri's blade. Sagiri then acts fast to block Gabimaru's next attack by using her scabbard. Gabimaru suggests to Sagiri that she should give up since she can no longer hope to win but adds that her death will make him feel uneasy in the end. Hearing this statement, Sagiri mocks Gabimaru for contradicting his emotionless nature, which ends up reminding him of who he is.

While being pinned down on the ground, Sagiri hears Gabimaru accepting the fact that he is "Gabimaru the Hollow" and is prepared to kill her like he has done with his other victims, causing Sagiri to see how dangerous he is. However, Gabimaru becomes hesitant to bring his sword down on her, as his wife's influence ends up overwriting the Iwagakure chief's influence over him. This then causes him to become frustrated with himself, as he believes that he has no chance of surviving and seeing his wife again if he gives into his emotions. Seeing this side of him, Sagiri realizes that Gabimaru is not truly a person devoid of emotion, as he has been grieving over the lives he has taken ever since the two met, and has also come to realize that watching him has allowed her to face her own emotions. Feeling empathic, Sagiri states to Gabimaru that she believes that strength comes from embracing emotions, which he connects back to his wife's words, and starts to bring the scabbard up around the blade of his sword. While she believes that she has the right to execute him, Sagiri tells Gabimaru that she will overlook his actions as she wishes to see him face his emotions in an attempt to reclaim his life, while also wanting to face her emotions as well. Finally, Sagiri tells Gabimaru that he is not his old self as she puts his sword back in its scabbard.

Meanwhile, the criminal Gantetsusai and his Yamada Asaemon land on the island to find man-made statues. Gantetsusai then notices a human-faced butterfly has stung his left hand. Realizing what that meant after remembering in shock back to when the bloomed solider was put on display at the gathering, Gantetsusai quickly cuts off his left hand and warns the Asaemon, who becomes shocked to see his hand turning into bark. Gantetsusai then becomes excited as the human-faced butterflies and centipedes start to swarm around them but looks up in shock to see a giant suddenly appearing, which he comments is interesting.

On Gabimaru and Sagiri's end, the two find themselves approached by a strange six-armed fish creature. Gabimaru then tells Sagiri to stay back as he prepares to face it himself.

## Characters in Order of Appearance

* Iwagakure Chief
* Gabimaru
* Yamada Asaemon Sagiri
* Warped Keiun
* Yamada Asaemon Kishō
* Hōrubō
* Aza Chōbei
* Yuzuriha
* Moro Makiya
* Yamada Asaemon Senta
* Yamada Asaemon Genji
* Tamiya Gantetsusai
* Yamada Asaemon Fuchi
* Akaginu
* Yamada Asaemon Shion
* Yamada Asaemon Eizen
* Rokurōta
* *Gabimaru's Father*
* *Gabimaru's Mother*
* Shija (flashback)
* Yui (flashback)

## Powers and Techniques Used

**Gabimaru:**

* Taijutsu
	+ Iwagakure-ryū: Kibisuzume

**Yamada Asaemon Sagiri:**

* Kenjutsu
	+ Tameshi Ittō-ryū
		- Tameshi Ittō-ryū: Gusokuwari

## Anime Notes

* The depiction of the Iwagakure chief's immortality is expanded on with the anime showing the Iwagakure shinobi actively piercing his body with weapons.
	+ A young Gabimaru is shown earlier in the anime during this scene.
* The anime expands Kishō's dialogue by having him almost give out Sagiri's rank within the Yamada clan.
* In the manga, Gabimaru is knocked back by the iron ball Keiun throw at him during his assault, while in the anime, the iron ball is destroyed after falling on top of Gabimaru.
* In the manga, Keiun's dialogue where he talks about his living armor and further talk about how Gabimaru failed to proper use his spear against him is excluded from the anime.
	+ Furthermore, Gabimaru's comment on Keiun being a weirdo and Sagiri's mention of the criminals having red seals before the dialogue is also excluded.
* Eizen's time transporting Rokurōta overseas is excluded from the anime.
* In the manga, Gabimaru and Sagiri use named techniques to counter each other. In the anime, the two simply counter without calling out the name.
* The remembrance of Iwagakure shinobi portrayed by Gabimaru is different from the manga and matches with a panel in an omake.