E24 - Meiji 11, May 14th

Source: Crunchyroll
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(Please feel free to edit the speaker names if incomplete or inaccurate. Names are handled on a best-effort basis depending on the info on the source file. Dialogue is left as is.)
[00:04] ---
    I see.
[00:06] ---
    So the mastermind
    behind Hajime Saito was you.
[00:10] ---
    Former Revolutionary warrior
    from Satsuma...
[00:13] ---
    and Home Minister
    of the Meiji government...
[00:15] ---
    Toshimichi Okubo.
[00:22] ---
    That said, I have no idea who that is!
[00:26] ---
    Of course little kids
    who don't read newspapers wouldn't know.
[00:30] ---
    Alongside Takamori Saigo
    and Kogoro Katsura,
[00:34] ---
    he's the last of
    the Great Trio of the Revolution,
[00:36] ---
    who achieved the most
    in the Meiji Revolution.
[00:39] ---
    The leader of the Home Ministry
    that controls the entire government.
[00:43] ---
    In other words, he's the minister who sits
    at the top of national power in Japan.
[00:47] ---
    Sorry for the rough handling.
[00:50] ---
    But there was a need for us
    to know your current strength.
[00:56] ---
    Will you listen to us?
[00:59] ---
    Yeah, even if by force.
[01:03] ---
    Th-This has turned into a huge ordeal.
[01:06] ---
    I didn't think someone as big as Okubo
    from the Home Ministry would show up.
[01:10] ---
    It's no time to be talkin'
    about Battosai anymore.
[01:15] ---
    Hmph. What a wet blanket.
[01:18] ---
    I'll have to leave settling this score
    for our next opportunity.
[01:21] ---
    Looks like someone escaped death.
[01:23] ---
    Yeah, you did.
[01:30] ---
    Saito!
[01:31] ---
    Operations report!
[01:33] ---
    Kenshin Himura is completely useless.
[01:37] ---
    However, Himura Battosai
    seems to do fairly well.
[01:41] ---
    That is all!
[01:43] ---
    Sheesh, that guy.
[01:45] ---
    He's the best spy
    in the Metropolitan Police.
[01:48] ---
    But I just can't figure out
    what the Wolf of Mibu is thinking about!
[01:52] ---
    Himura, come with me.
[01:54] ---
    Stop daydreaming.
[01:56] ---
    I'm not the only one
    that got roped into—
[02:01] ---
    Kenshin?!
[02:06] ---
    I'm not the only one roped
    into this situation, that I'm not.
[02:11] ---
    Everyone here will listen
    to what you have to say.
[02:14] ---
    "I"...
[02:16] ---
    Oh...
[02:17] ---
    I'm so glad! You're back
    to your normal self, Kenshin!
[02:21] ---
    Oro...
[02:23] ---
    - Miss Megumi, hurry!
    - Sir Okubo...
[02:24] ---
    - What are you doing, you idiot!
    - Let's do as he says.
[02:27] ---
    Right now, I need Himura's power
    more than anything else.
[02:29] ---
    Kenshin!
[02:30] ---
    How long are you gonna be
    a stupidly powerful girl?
[02:30] ---
    Oro...
[02:32] ---
    You say that, but...
[04:03] ---
    EPISODE 24:
    MEIJI 11, MAY 14TH
[04:10] ---
    Himura, I'll cut to the chase.
[04:14] ---
    Shishio is active
    behind the scenes in Kyoto.
[04:18] ---
    You went so straight to the point
    that I don't get it, Mr. Okubo.
[04:22] ---
    Who the hell is this Shishio guy?
[04:23] ---
    Hey! Watch your tongue!
[04:26] ---
    Makoto Shishio.
[04:28] ---
    After I accepted the role
    of mercenary swordsman
[04:31] ---
    and came out into the limelight
    from the shadows,
[04:33] ---
    another Revolutionary warrior from Choshu
    took over the role of Shadow Hitokiri.
[04:39] ---
    You could say he is the successor
    to Hitokiri Battosai, that he is.
[04:44] ---
    As he completely stayed in the shadows,
    very few know of his existence.
[04:50] ---
    Even I, his predecessor, have never
    met him in person, that I haven't.
[04:54] ---
    But what does this mean, that is?
[04:56] ---
    I had heard Shisho died ten years ago
    during the Boshin War.
[05:03] ---
    I see.
[05:05] ---
    Shishio didn't die.
[05:07] ---
    His existence was eradicated
    by his comrades, that it was.
[05:12] ---
    Secretly snuffing out
    the one executing shady deeds
[05:15] ---
    that can't ever be leaked
    for our own safety.
[05:19] ---
    Back in those days,
    it wasn't anything unusual.
[05:23] ---
    Makoto Shishio had just as much talent
    as you in sword skill and in quick wits.
[05:30] ---
    But he was also a dangerous one
[05:32] ---
    with incomprehensible levels of ambition
    and desire for domination.
[05:37] ---
    He accepted the role of Shadow Hitokiri
[05:39] ---
    only to display his talent
    and existence to the world.
[05:43] ---
    Some of the assassinations
    Shishio committed
[05:45] ---
    would overturn the Meiji government
    from its foundation.
[05:50] ---
    If we were to ring in the new era
    with Shishio still alive,
[05:53] ---
    he would take advantage of such weakness
    and become arrogant
[05:57] ---
    We might even end up
    with the entirety of Japan
[05:59] ---
    becoming a plaything for just Shishio.
[06:01] ---
    That's why you killed him in the chaos
    of the Boshin War, that you did?
[06:07] ---
    Right. We definitely killed him.
[06:10] ---
    We even had oil poured on his corpse
    and lit it on fire.
[06:14] ---
    However, even with his entire body
    engulfed in flames,
[06:18] ---
    Makoto Shishio was still alive.
[06:21] ---
    And now he has taken a multitude
    of treasonous subordinates under his wing
[06:25] ---
    to create a giant army
[06:27] ---
    and has made a base in Kyoto to plot a war
    that splits this nation in two as revenge.
[06:35] ---
    Countless squads we sent in
    to take him down have been eradicated.
[06:39] ---
    You are the only one left
    that we can count on.
[06:43] ---
    It's for the people
    of this country, Himura.
[06:47] ---
    I want you to head to Kyoto once more.
[06:52] ---
    In other words...
[06:54] ---
    are you saying you want Kenshin
    to assassinate Makoto Shishio?
[06:59] ---
    That's what it would mean, yes.
[07:01] ---
    We will pay more than enough in reward.
[07:04] ---
    On top of that,
    we will go outside the law
[07:06] ---
    and overlook
    all of your previous illegal activities.
[07:08] ---
    For instance, we can acquit Megumi Takani
    from her illicit sales of opium.
[07:13] ---
    You've got to be kidding me.
[07:15] ---
    If you're going to use me for negotiation,
    turning me into shackles for Ken-san,
[07:19] ---
    I would rather choose the gallows.
[07:24] ---
    Basically, all of this
    is because of your nasty doings, right?
[07:29] ---
    And you want Kenshin
    to clean up your mess?
[07:32] ---
    Ain't you askin' for a bit much?
[07:34] ---
    Ignorant youngsters keep out of this!
[07:37] ---
    The Meiji government
    is on the brink of extinction!
[07:39] ---
    Filthy governments
    can go ahead and become extinct.
[07:43] ---
    Though, I don't like how people living
    ordinary lives are troubled by all of it.
[07:47] ---
    Without the prosperity
    of the Meiji government,
[07:50] ---
    the people cannot be at peace, idiot!
[07:52] ---
    And that's where you guys
    are being conceited!
[07:55] ---
    If you keep spouting nonsense,
[07:56] ---
    - I'll arrest you!
    - Try me, Mr. Huge Forehead!
[07:58] ---
    I'm just a kid,
    so I don't get it too well.
[08:02] ---
    But I can understand
    that if things had gone wrong,
[08:05] ---
    Kenshin may have been eradicated
    just like Shishio.
[08:08] ---
    Both then and now,
[08:10] ---
    you guys are assassinating
    and eradicating for your own purposes.
[08:14] ---
    All you old guys are a bit crazy.
[08:18] ---
    Sir Okubo.
[08:20] ---
    I understand that you are all in need
    of Hitokiri Battosai right now.
[08:25] ---
    But the current Kenshin
    is a rurouni who refuses to kill.
[08:29] ---
    We will never, ever
    let Kenshin go to Kyoto!
[08:37] ---
    Are you all stupid?! Do you not understand
    just how dire the situation—
[08:40] ---
    Stop it, Kawaji.
[08:45] ---
    Think about it for a week.
[08:48] ---
    In one week, on May 14th,
    I will come again to hear your answer.
[08:58] ---
    Mr. Okubo.
[09:01] ---
    You have gotten quite haggard
    compared to a decade ago.
[09:06] ---
    It is far more difficult to establish
    a new era than to break an old one.
[09:12] ---
    That's what this means.
[09:14] ---
    I'm looking forward
    to a favorable reply from you.
[09:25] ---
    Toshimichi Okubo?!
[09:27] ---
    I'm gonna bail and head to Shanghai,
    where it's safe!
[09:30] ---
    Got that?
[09:31] ---
    There is a safer place to escape to
    than Shanghai.
[09:38] ---
    A place called hell.
[09:42] ---
    It seems all you Imperialists think you
    created the Meiji Era all by yourselves.
[09:48] ---
    But we on the Shogunate side
    risked our lives
[09:50] ---
    for the foundation of Meiji
    through the role of the losers.
[09:55] ---
    I'm obedient to the government as a spy
[09:58] ---
    so I can eradicate
    the mites that feed upon Meiji
[10:01] ---
    as an obligation of the Shinsengumi
    who lived on into the Meiji Era.
[10:06] ---
    Okubo or otherwise,
    if they drown in self-interest
[10:09] ---
    and bring calamities
    to the people of this nation,
[10:12] ---
    I will slay them under the doctrine
    of Evil-Immediate-Slaughter.
[10:15] ---
    W-Wait. I can pay as much as you want.
[10:18] ---
    You can own a dog with food.
[10:21] ---
    You can own people with money.
[10:23] ---
    But nobody can own
    the Wolves of Mibu.
[10:35] ---
    A wolf is a wolf.
[10:37] ---
    The Shinsengumi is the Shinsengumi.
[10:40] ---
    And a hitokiri is a hitokiri.
[10:46] ---
    Right, Battosai?
[10:50] ---
    RUROUNI KENSHIN
[10:54] ---
    MEIJI 11, MAY 14TH
[11:02] ---
    There. Spotless!
[11:04] ---
    - Hey.
    - Oro!
[11:07] ---
    I thought I was going to die, that I did.
[11:09] ---
    This isn't time
    to be leisurely doing your laundry.
[11:12] ---
    What's your answer gonna be?
[11:14] ---
    I say don't do such a shady deal.
[11:17] ---
    The leader of the government
    that is addicted to personal gain
[11:21] ---
    can't be trusted at all.
[11:24] ---
    Sano, you really detest
    the Meiji government
[11:26] ---
    from the bottom of your heart,
    that you do.
[11:28] ---
    I do. Got a problem?
[11:31] ---
    No. But if Sir Okubo was one that would
    be acting only out of self-interest,
[11:37] ---
    Saito would have slain him long ago,
    that he would have.
[11:41] ---
    That punk officer would have?
[11:43] ---
    He's a government dog, ain't he?
[11:46] ---
    Before he fought me, Saito definitely
    uttered the word "justice."
[11:51] ---
    One who has sunken to become a dog
    in both mind and body
[11:56] ---
    would never utter such a word.
[11:58] ---
    That man is still
    one of the Wolves of Mibu to this day.
[12:02] ---
    He bares his fangs
    of Evil-Immediate-Slaughter
[12:05] ---
    in the darkness
    where the sun doesn't shine.
[12:09] ---
    That said, he's not someone
    I can become friendly with, that he isn't.
[12:13] ---
    Right!
[12:14] ---
    Of course not!
[12:15] ---
    I hate him!
[12:20] ---
    Oh, my, Mr. Fujita. So filthy!
[12:22] ---
    Excuse me.
[12:24] ---
    Four times.
    Looks like I have gathered much hatred.
[12:28] ---
    Ah, well. It is the destiny
    Of the Shinsengumi to be hated in any era.
[12:34] ---
    MEIJI 11, MAY 14TH
[12:35] ---
    Now...
[12:36] ---
    what's your move, Battosai?
[12:43] ---
    I will head right now
    to go see Sir Okubo, that I will.
[12:48] ---
    Why? If I recall,
    he said he would come over.
[12:51] ---
    Sir Okubo is quite a busy man, that he is.
[12:55] ---
    - Besides—
    - There you are.
[12:57] ---
    Good morning, Ken-san.
[12:59] ---
    Today is the day
    you're going to give your answer.
[13:02] ---
    It's been on my mind, so I came here.
[13:04] ---
    I thank you for that. But I am about
    to head out right now, that I am.
[13:09] ---
    Huh?
[13:10] ---
    Do you know where Okubo's mansion is?
[13:12] ---
    No. But I did hear
    that he was headed for Dajokan in Akasaka,
[13:17] ---
    so I will likely bump into him if I headed
    over to the Kioizaka area, that I should.
[13:20] ---
    Then we should go, too—
[13:22] ---
    No, this will likely be
    a very complicated conversation,
[13:25] ---
    so I prefer to go alone, that I do.
[13:30] ---
    It's okay.
[13:31] ---
    Kenshin won't leave you behind
    and run off to Kyoto.
[13:35] ---
    That's right. There's no way he'd lend
    a hand to assassination after all this.
[13:39] ---
    I'll never let him go.
[13:45] ---
    Kenshin...
[13:52] ---
    Will Himura actually
    perform an action for us?
[13:57] ---
    No, I need him to,
    no matter what the cost.
[14:03] ---
    If Himura doesn't act,
    this country will fall to ruin.
[14:09] ---
    The fate of this nation is something a man
    who is about to die need not worry about.
[14:15] ---
    Wha—
[14:18] ---
    A message from Mr. Shishio.
[14:21] ---
    "It was quite a brilliant idea
[14:23] ---
    to try sending Himura Battosai
    as an assassin,
[14:26] ---
    but ultimately a futile resistance.
[14:28] ---
    I will take this country for myself,"
    so he says.
[14:37] ---
    I am a samurai from Ishikawa,
    Ichiro Shimada!
[14:40] ---
    Likewise, Tsurahide Cho!
[14:42] ---
    Hateful villain Okubo, brace yourself!
[14:47] ---
    Okubo!
[14:49] ---
    H-He's been murdered.
[14:53] ---
    Who would do this before us?
[14:55] ---
    We have already sent
    the vindication notes of assassination
[14:58] ---
    to the government and the press already.
[15:00] ---
    This is just how it's gonna be.
[15:03] ---
    We were the ones that killed Okubo.
[15:05] ---
    Shimada!
[15:09] ---
    There are no witnesses!
[15:10] ---
    The seven of us killed Okubo!
[15:15] ---
    Y-Yeah!
[15:18] ---
    Meiji 11, May 14th.
    The Kioizaka Incident.
[15:23] ---
    The great case of the man
    reigning at the top of Meiji
[15:26] ---
    being assassinated in broad daylight
[15:28] ---
    thus became the deed
    of a group of assassins
[15:32] ---
    with Ishiakwa samurais at the core,
[15:34] ---
    and the existence of Shishio and his group
    did not come out into the open.
[15:40] ---
    Mr. Okubo...
[15:42] ---
    It's in your best interests
    to not oppose Mr. Shishio as well.
[15:53] ---
    Makoto Shishio.
[15:57] ---
    This is how Shishio does things!
[15:59] ---
    They never come out into the open,
[16:01] ---
    and until that day
    where everyone riots at once,
[16:03] ---
    they will gradually shave off
    the power of the Meiji government!
[16:08] ---
    Sir Okubo...
[16:11] ---
    Excuse me.
[16:13] ---
    Governor of Fukushima, Sir Yamayoshi.
[16:16] ---
    He is the last person to have
    a conversation with Sir Okubo.
[16:20] ---
    After finishing
    my business meetings in Tokyo,
[16:23] ---
    I went to the Okubo mansion
    for final greetings this morning.
[16:28] ---
    It has already
    been ten years since the Revolution.
[16:31] ---
    If you ask me what I have achieved,
[16:33] ---
    it's embarrassing to say,
    but I have very few results.
[16:36] ---
    But this is where things begin.
[16:39] ---
    To solidify the foundation of a nation,
    you need 30 years' worth of time.
[16:44] ---
    The ten years until now
[16:45] ---
    have been the first phase,
    the time for establishment.
[16:48] ---
    The next ten years
    will be time for development.
[16:51] ---
    We will tidy up internal affairs
    and enrich this nation.
[16:55] ---
    These are the most important times.
[16:58] ---
    Though unworthy, I would like to carry out
    those middle ten years at any cost.
[17:05] ---
    I will leave the third and final years
    of building and maintaining
[17:08] ---
    to the younger generation
[17:09] ---
    and at the same time set up a congress
[17:11] ---
    to shift our government
    into a civil government.
[17:14] ---
    Japan will then be reborn
    as a nation-state,
[17:18] ---
    and the revolution
    will reach true completion.
[17:22] ---
    "Nation-state."
[17:24] ---
    Nation-state, you say.
[17:26] ---
    A nation where the citizens
    choose their own path,
[17:30] ---
    unlike the past,
    where authorities decided on everything.
[17:34] ---
    Way too magnificent an ideal.
[17:37] ---
    But it was an ideal worth believing in.
[17:41] ---
    Only if Sir Okubo
    was still alive and well.
[17:45] ---
    Extra! Extra!
[17:47] ---
    Lord Okubo was assassinated!
    Home Minister's assassination!
[17:49] ---
    Extra! Extra!
[17:52] ---
    Thus, the last
    of the Great Trio of the Revolution
[17:54] ---
    and biggest leader was lost,
[17:57] ---
    and the government is left with only scum
    who are unfit to serve the role.
[18:03] ---
    Japan will surely stray off its tracks
    from now on.
[18:08] ---
    And Shishio
    will never let this chance slip by.
[18:13] ---
    The times are starting to flow once again.
[18:22] ---
    Of all nights, tonight is when
    I have an emergency patient.
[18:25] ---
    I'll walk her down to the station.
[18:27] ---
    Yeah. Please be careful.
[18:34] ---
    Kenshin sure is late.
[18:39] ---
    Kenshin!
[18:47] ---
    Where's Yahiko?
[18:49] ---
    Oh, um...
[18:50] ---
    right, he got tired of waiting
    and fell asleep.
[18:53] ---
    I see.
[18:55] ---
    Kenshin?
[18:57] ---
    Sir Okubo was murdered this morning.
[19:00] ---
    Yes. I know from the extra.
[19:04] ---
    The true culprit is Shishio, that it is.
[19:08] ---
    I can't leave Shishio at large like this.
[19:12] ---
    I will be heading to Kyoto, that I will.
[19:19] ---
    Are you going to assassinate
    Makoto Shishio?
[19:22] ---
    No...
[19:24] ---
    but I don't know.
[19:27] ---
    After coming here,
    so many calming days continued...
[19:32] ---
    I felt like I could really change into an
    ordinary swordsman instead of a manslayer.
[19:39] ---
    However, I had a realization
    during my battle with Saito.
[19:43] ---
    At the bottom of my heart,
[19:46] ---
    there resides an insane hitokiri
    who will never change his ways.
[19:52] ---
    But you come back so quickly!
[19:54] ---
    No matter how close you get
    to being Battosai, Kenshin,
[19:56] ---
    you're still Kenshin!
[19:58] ---
    It was the same way
    with Jine and with Saito!
[20:01] ---
    You'll be fine!
[20:03] ---
    It was different, that it was.
[20:06] ---
    For Jine's case, I reverted to Battosai
[20:09] ---
    as I wholeheartedly wanted
    to save you, Miss Kaoru.
[20:11] ---
    I was able to return to myself
    with your voice as well.
[20:14] ---
    But in Saito's case,
    I had reverted sheerly to fight.
[20:20] ---
    And your voice did not reach me at all.
[20:24] ---
    There is a crucial difference there.
[20:28] ---
    The times have started to flow again.
[20:33] ---
    When we first met,
    you kept me from leaving
[20:35] ---
    despite knowing the fact
    that I was Hitokiri Battosai.
[20:38] ---
    You said, "I'm not particular
    about people's pasts."
[20:44] ---
    That made me really happy.
[20:50] ---
    KAMIYA KASSHIN
    SCHOOL OF KENDO
[20:50] ---
    If I stay here any longer,
[20:52] ---
    I will rope all of you into danger
    at every single opportunity,
[20:56] ---
    and each time,
    I will return to being Battosai.
[21:01] ---
    Furthermore, for government officials
    and the Shisho clan,
[21:04] ---
    and for everyone
    across this nation
[21:06] ---
    with a grudge
[21:07] ---
    against
    Hitokiri Battosai,
[21:08] ---
    which I feel
    there are many of,
[21:09] ---
    I am no person other than Battosai.
[21:13] ---
    I am not allowed
[21:15] ---
    to remain here
    any longer.
[21:22] ---
    Thank you for everything.
[21:24] ---
    And...
[21:26] ---
    farewell.
[21:28] ---
    I am a rurouni.
[21:31] ---
    I will wander once again, that I will.
[21:48] ---
    Ken... shin.
[21:56] ---
    Kenshin!
[22:00] ---
    Meiji 11, May 14th.
[22:04] ---
    On this day, Kenshin Himura
    returned to being a rurouni
[22:09] ---
    and disappeared alone
    into the pitch-black shadows.
[22:15] ---
    Where did Battosai disappear to?
[22:17] ---
    I'll take that Japanese katana
    in lieu of money!
[22:21] ---
    You decide to nonchalantly
    show up after all this time.
[22:25] ---
    What do you want with me?
[22:28] ---
    Mr. Shishio has been expecting you.
[22:30] ---
    Now, please.
[22:33] ---
    So you're... Makoto Shisho, that you are?
[22:40] ---
    You can at least add an honorific.
[22:42] ---
    What a rude predecessor.