In The Elusive Samurai series retainers under Hojo Tokiyuki are growing in number, and in The Elusive Samurai episode 7, another perspective retainer Fubuki is introduced.
The story of this episode takes place after The Elusive Samurai episode 6 and in the winter season, setting up the stage for an adverse situation for Tokiyuki and his band of little samurai.
As if to match with the season, a new character appears in this episode, whose name is related to the winter in Japanese, which is Fubuki.
Like some promised development, each of the introductory episodes for new characters comes with new sets of challenges in this series, The Elusive Samurai episode 7 is no different.
So with ornamentation of new challenges and a new character, this episode requires proper discussion to make it digestable.
Table of Contents
New Year Comes With A New Challange
The Elusive Samurai episode 7 starts in the new year of 1333, half a year after Kazama Gemba joins the team, and this time also this episode begins with a predicament but on a bigger scale than its previous episodes.
It seems like the adventure of one could say misadventure of the Elusive Samurai team is escalating rapidly, at least from the previous episode, where it was only an infiltration mission, this episode with a scouting mission at a warzone is many steps ahead.
Just like a new ally of Tokiyuki is introduced in this episode, one new member is also added to the enemy camp under Ogasawara Sadamune, named Shokan, a criminal by nature, and a new retainer of Sadamune.
To add to the trouble, somehow Yorishige seemed to have lost his future prediction skill temporarily, and in this perilous time, Sadamune’s forces are spying on Suwa.
This episode did an excellent job of creating a sense of urgency, where the plot armor for the protagonist seemed to have taken a backseat.
However, no matter how serious the situation is shown in this episode, maybe, humor isn’t absolutely absent here, since Yorishige’s anxiety was straight-up funny where he seemed to be considering every little possibility that could lead to Tokiyuki’s demise and end of Hojo’s bloodline.
If one says that Yorishige’s obsession with Hojo’s bloodline is the main source of humor in The Elusive Samurai episode 7, it would be difficult to prove wrong.
Putting that aside, a deficit of scouts and to compensate for that, Tokiyuki’s volunteering to take on the scouting mission, seemed like a forced development which was very unlikely of Tokiyuki given his personality, but that could be said to be further development of his character, which is also obvious happening to expect after half a year.
However, it’s an undeniable fact that in such an unfavorable situation, this is the first ever most difficult challenge that Tokiyuki was going to face in The Elusive Samurai episode 7.
Fubuki Enters In The Elusive Samurai Episode 7
Except for Sizuku, all other retainers of Tokiyuki until now have been bratty kids with excellent expertise in their respective fields, however, in The Elusive Samurai episode 7, the new character Fubuki is a somewhat elegant older brother character, with his gluttonous nature.
Well, to be precise, he is a character who seems to be more dependable compared to his age of mid-teens.
A village on the far edge of the Suwa territory which was totally void of adults due to the pillage and slaughter of Shokan’s band of evils, was being maintained entirely by Fubuki nearly single-handedly where he also trained village kids to fight with brains against enemy force’s brawn.
There couldn’t be a better representation of a dependable Fubuki, and this also depicts his empathetic nature, since he knowingly chose to protect the losing side.
Unlike Genba, without the heavy flashbacks, Fubuki’s presence was shown in The Elusive Samurai episode 7 in such a way that it was more than enough to understand his intent and disposition.
More than anything, the fighting sequence, where Fubuki fights against Ayako and Kojiro wielding his duel blade, was probably the best-ever action sequence until now.
Excluding all that, Fubuki’s strategic skill is shown to be top-notch per se.
So, his battle skills, empathetic side, dependable nature, and excellent skill in strategizing are what make him a formidable opponent for enemies and the most dependable ally for Tokiyuki and his team.
Fubuki’s Ambition
The character Fubuki is quite different than the current retainers of Tokiyuki, maybe his traits are closer to Sizuku, if there is anything different, it is his ambition to use his skills for a suitable lord whom he wants to serve.
As tempting as it may sound, it’s still too early to include him in the Elusive Samurai group, so in The Elusive Samurai episode 7 only the excellence of Fubuki’s and his ambition is shown.
Why Does Fubuki Feel Different Than Tokiyuki’s Retainers?
Fubuki is shown in The Elusive Samurai episode 7 as quite different from the retainers of Hojo Tokiyuki.
Be it Fubuki’s maturity level, dependable nature, and abundant empathy for the weak may make him such, but what is more paramount in this case is his intelligence as a strategist.
Despite being in his mid-teens, it was quite easy for him to analyze the importance of the village that he was protecting.
He also was able to deduce the required help for a proper plan to counterattack the enemy soldiers with a chance of permanent victory.
All this may seem like possible for him because he is older than others in Tokiyuki’s team, but, the most important fact to remember is that he still is a teenager, so compared to his age he has far better potential, which kind of makes him a genius.
So, this makes him different from Tokiyuki’s retainers.
Final Thought
After discussing nearly everything about Fubuki that is shown in The Elusive Samurai episode 7, one could come to the conclusion that he is one hell of a powerhouse, who if nurtured with enough care, could turn the tide for Tokiyuki.
So this episode could, be said to be one such episode that delivers one interesting new character whose endeavor is something to look forward to in the next episode.
