Theory On Mizu's Heritage

Theory on Mizu's heritage

After the season finale, we see Mizu go on a boat to find the other white men who could possibly be her father. But, one theory that has been brought up is that her mother is of European descent and that her father is the Shogun. It would make an interesting twist.

People have brought up that Lady Ito would do anything to make people forget that her husband had been dealing with Western traders. She even makes her son lock the door behind them, trapping the nobles because they saw Fowler. Evidence of the Shogun's dealings with the West. But you know whole else they saw? Mizu, a half Japanese, half white person. More evidence of her Husband's dealings, and evidence of a forbidden affair.

When Mizu confronts Fowler, he notes that he isn't sure if Mizu's his child because he was sure he counted all of his bastard children. I doubt that Mizu is his child because it would make things too easy. Besides, we should talk about the bounty on Mizu's head. Mizu's "mom" isn't actually her mom. Fowler says that she was a maid, and that Mizu's heritage is much more complicated than that. The bounty on Mizu's head wouldn't make sense if Fowler did it because he doesn't even recall her. Plus, Mizu believes that her mother was most likely a commoner, and her mom is dead. So I doubt her own mother put a bounty on her head. Also the bounty was implied to be a very high one. Also, Mizu's "mom" was revealed to be a maid. Since white people don't have power in the Edo Period, I doubt the maid came from her European heritage. It likely came from the Japanese side. Perhaps the Shogun felt some sympathy for the child of his affair, and paid a maid to take care of Mizu.

Regarding who put the bounty on Mizu's head, it was most likely Lady Ito. Of course she would want the evidence of an affair killed off, she's constantly sadistic towards Akemi, her daughter in law. Again, I doubt a white person put a bounty on Mizu's head because of their lack of power. Why would the Japanese people listen to a foreigner's demand? But, if it came from the Empress, it would be more appealing. Plus, it was to a point where Mizu had to pretend to be a boy so that it could throw off the bounty hunters. So that implies the bounty was very high, something that Lady Ito could afford.

This just leaves one factor though. There were only 4 white men let into Japan, so where could Mizu's mom be? I have 2 theories. One of them is that while the 4 men were let in, there was nothing said about their wives. Often times, traders would bring their wives along with them. I doubt the Shogun would have cared if the men brought their wives because Edo Japan did not see women as people, and therefore they were no problems. My second theory is that one of the 4 white men was actually a woman crossdressing. While women crossdressing was uncommon, it wasn't unheard of if they needed to gather more power. Joan of Arc being an example. Mizu also dresses like a man to have more power because women did not have power. I also believe that there are historical examples of women being raised like sons because they were to be the heirs of their families. It's definitely possible. Besides, it would be a nice twist to see that Mizu had been searching for the wrong thing. Instead of searching for a white man, she should have been searching for a white woman.

Madame Kaji's role

Madame Kaji is a headstrong, strong-willed, sharp tongued, yet caring woman in Blue Eye Samurai. We see her softer side when she was heartbroken that Kinuyo was taken from her by Boss Hamata. Her disdain for men shows up when she tells Akemi that men are weak, yet still feel the need to be powerful.

Eventually Madame Kaji and her girls are recruited to be Akemi's Lady-in-waitings, her advisors, and her companions in the palace. We see that Madame Kaji is serious about the job when she sees Mizu. Stating that it was improper of a man to be in the womens' quarters, and that she saw how Mizu watched the guards take Akemi away. Madame Kaji only budges when Mizu mentions that Akemi is in danger. So, we see that Madame Kaji does care for Akemi.

The question now is, what will be Madame Kaji's role in the future? With Seki dead, I believe that Madame Kaji will become Akemi's new mentor. But, she will differ from Seki. Madame Kaji will most likely assist Akemi's goal to becoming great. Chances are, she will encourage Akemi to manipulate her husband even further to give Akemi more power in the palace. After all, Madame Kaji did advise Akemi, "...nurture his weakness and become his strength."

Madame Kaji will push Akemi to become ruthless and manipulative to gain power in court. We've already seen Akemi manipulate Taigen during sex when she convinced him that Mizu did not give him a proper duel. Madame Kaji will Akemi the push she needs to gain control in the palace. If Seki taught Akemi how to bring honour, then Madame Kaji will teach her how to take it. Either by manipulation or by swaying the court to her favour.

I noticed that I thought Madame Kaji and Lady Ito were similar in a way. They were both women in positions of authority. (Lady Ito is currently the Empress and Madame Kaji was the manager in a brothel before becoming Akemi's Lady-in-Waiting.) Both Madame Kaji and Lady Ito have no problem with talking back to Akemi. Also both are intelligent, well-spoken, have groups of people that are loyal to them (Lady Ito's clan, sons, and the nobles in court. Madam Kaji and her girls.) And both are ruthless when it comes to their enemies. Lady Ito made her son lock the door behind them, trapping the nobles, because they saw the Shogun's less honourable side. While Madame Kaji killed Boss Hamata due to his abuse.

Since Lady Ito had made it clear she does not like Akemi, I believe that Madame Kaji will be her foil. Her parallel of some sort. Both women share multiple qualities but one is at the top of society while the other has been near the bottom almost her whole life. From what I have seen of Lady Ito, I believe that she will look down on Madame Kaji and will have a rivalry with her. Same with Madame Kaji, since Lady Ito has constantly taunted Akemi during her stay at the palace.

Madame Kaji will most likely become the key for Akemi to gain the upper hand against the Empress. Perhaps Madame Kaji or one of her girls will overhear of a secret of the Empress. Remember that Lady Ito knew of her husband's secret tradings with the West and kept it on the down low. She probably has some secrets of her own as well. Secrets that could strip her of her power or ruin her reputation.

When the palace burnt down, we learned that Akemi's father is still alive. Akemi offers to take care of him, but she has a devious smile. Akemi will try to punish her father in some way of course, but I believe she will also try to use him. From what we've seen from Akemi, she doesn't use brute force to control people. She prefers emotional manipulation. She's done this to Taigen, the random man she served in the brothel, and her husband to get her way.

Akemi's way of control lines up with Madame Kaji's view on how women get their revenge. Stating that revenge is a luxury for men, but women need to be more practical and focus on the result. They make the perfect duo. An experienced, cunning, and cutthroat advisor paired up with a ruler who is ambitious, conniving, and eager to play Go with the people around her as her Go pieces.

They will most definitely pair up to use Akemi's father for their plans. Whether through blackmail or something more sinister. Perhaps they will use Madame Kaji's girls to eavesdrop on important conversations that hold secrets of the royal family. No matter the method, Madame Kaji will ensure that Akemi will achieve greatness because not only will it benefit Akemi's future, but also her girls' future.

Seki was the mentor that Akemi needed while growing up, but Madame Kaji is the advisor that Akemi needs if she wants to navigate the backstabbing, dishonourable royal court to get to the top.

I love character analysis sm. It makes sense why Mizu and Taigen are rivals. They share a lot of the same values/interests but the way they view their interests/values differ from each other. They make the perfect rivals

uhhh thinkin about how mizu and taigen's relationship being described as "this meeting of the minds, this meeting of the swords, that they could not share with anybody else" in one of the netflix articles about the show

and i'm going crazy because YEAH they're both equally invested about swords and fighting in a way that nobody else in their lives are

cuz like after mizu and taigen's duel, when taigen is examining his bald spot in the mirror where mizu cut off his hair, he's literally like. in awe, openly admiring mizu's skill DESPITE the fact that mizu beat his ass and stripped his honour and status from him

in the next episode, mizu says a very similar line when she examines the cut flower that fowler had pinned to heiji shindo's robe.

this was also such a sudden thing to notice in the middle of their conversation (my interpretation of this is that it hints to fowler's own skills with a blade, and gives mizu information about her enemy being a formidable opponent), but the fact that mizu had such a keen eye and managed to honed in on such a tiny detail from like a foot or two away is interesting because it shows us just how attentive mizu is, especially when it comes to blades and anything to do with them!

to mizu (when she's not spiralling and agonising over her own self-hatred and the way the world treats her), swords are not a mere tool for revenge, but an art form which she is fascinated by and loves and admires. we see this from time to time, during rare moments of respite, like when she admires the duel in the beginning of ep4

mizu also takes to heart all the teachings from her years training, while taigen is (interestingly!) less strict about them, considering some of those teachings mere pedantry, or at least tells mizu as much in his attempt to comfort her after her sword breaks

but that doesn't mean he doesn't care for the more formal aspects of his training at all. because in ep3 when he says this

this is a recitation of a line from the lotus sutra, which are among the mahayana sutras (like the heart sutra that mizu writes on her body in ep7 during her rite of rebirth) that they learned as part of their spiritual training, as zen buddhism forms a lot of the basis for samurai doctrines and philosophy

so taigen saying this, as i see it, is a way to bond with mizu, or at least make conversation over their shared knowledge, as we see him await a reaction as soon as he says this. but mizu gives him none, and he looks disappointed/annoyed/frustrated or what have you as he watches her walk off without a word

also we see a little more of their shared knowledge of swordsmanship in the last episode when it's clear that mizu has been training ringo in sword fighting techniques

and later taigen recognises it instantly

they're both nerds about swords and fighting!!!

they both respect each other's skills!!!

GOD i really hope in future episodes they get to bond some more over their shared passion and common training and just samurai camaraderie in general!!! mizu clearly loves the artistry of sword fighting so much, she deserves to have a confidant who shares that with her, someone she can talk openly about these things to!!!

because like remember when mikio was telling her about the naginata, she looked soooo uwu in love!!! admiring her husband as he took out the naginata!!! believing at the time that she found a match who she could openly share her love of martial arts with!!

except the difference is that mikio--due to, among other things, their large age difference and subsequent gap in life experience--believes he is mizu's teacher, rather than her equal. this is the role he's readily taken throughout their marriage, from teaching her how to throw a knife to cut down fruit (not like she needed that particular lesson), to teaching her equestrian skills.

meanwhile taigen and mizu have were both kids growing up poor in the same backwater fishing village, which means that they are and always have been peers. and this becomes even more pronounced once taigen is stripped of his giant ego and unlearns his prejudice, allowing them both to fully respect each other and view each other as equals

which is again why it frustrates taigen when mizu admits later in this scene that she basically doesn't care about saving the shogun. like he gets mad because it upends his initial belief in their shared goals and aligned values as samurai!

ALSO i'd like to add, that though mizu is the better swordsman as we see her win all their brawls and matches, she doesn't surpass him by that much, and mizu knows this.

these words coming from mizu is such a huge compliment all things considered. and also her saying that chiaki's broken blade suits him well, giving it to him as a surety as she promises him a duel that "he deserves." like!! even though she finds taigen an annoying brat and oftentimes an obstacle to her mission for revenge, she DOES respect him!!

IN CONCLUSION nobody else is on their level, nobody else shares their love of swordsmanship and that is such an important factor to their bond and the way they relate to each other. i rest my case your honour

You know what would be evil? If Mizu has gone through all her trials and tribulations, has killed, been betrayed, lost her humanity, lost all her companions, suffered, face humiliation, only to find out that the white man she has been searching for is dead. Dead. All of suffering and the revenge she was going to get would be pointless because who would she get revenge on? It's entirely possible too. We don't know how old her dad is. We know nothing about her father. All of what she went through. Pointless because she wasted her life. She will still remain a monster because the one who damned her to hell has already escaped through death. That would be a cold ending. In the end, Mizu couldn't get justice. She couldn't get revenge because justice was never for people like her. No matter what era you live in, whether the Edo Period of Japan or the modern day, justice will never be served. Because the justice system we believe in was just a sweet lie to damn us to suffer for all of eternity.

Incorrect quotes

Mizu: What doesn't kill me should run, because now I'm fucking pissed.

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Taigen: I must restore my honour back.

Ringo: Would you like some soup to grow back your hair? I hear that these mushrooms make hair growth more effective :)

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Mizu: You seem familiar? Have I killed your father? How about your lover? I probably stabbed you at some point.

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Mizu: Ringo.

Ringo: :3

Mizu: I need you to be serious.

Ringo: >:3

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Taigen: I fear no man

Taigen: But that

*homoerotic feelings towards Mizu*

Taigen: That scares me

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Akemi: I actually don't mind when people underestimate me because I am a woman. It makes it much easier to plan the downfall of people when they're focused on me being a proper lady.

Seki: That's my girl :)

Which protagonist are you? The cool, unfeeling, emotionally repressed, muscular, perfect hair (usually black), super handsome, and ridiculously OP protagonist?

Or are you the scammer, obsessed with money, my little pathetic meow meow, cunning, grabbable waist, average/pretty boy, scammer smile, and lowkey kinda weak/at the same time powerful, loser protagonist?