Awesome / Harakiri

• Hanshiro defeating all three of the Ii clan's top retainers, taking their topknots, and finally producing them from his robe so he can laugh at the Ii clan's supposed honor. As awesome as the sword fights were, it was all just so he could set up this epic Breaking Speech and laugh like a maniac at his enemies' humiliation.
  • His fight with Hikokuro is even more impressive. He actually managed to slice off Hikokuro's topknot in their Single-Stroke Battle, something which Hanshiro considers harder to do than simply slicing off one's head.
• Motome has a posthumous one; selling his property and even his precious swords, forsaking bushido in the process, for the sake of his wife and son. Hanshiro defies the Ii clan's values by boldly saying he's proud of Motome.
• Hanshiro goes out in a blaze of glory by holding out against dozens of Ii retainers, killing four and seriously wounding eight before trashing Naomasa's red yoroi, the clan's heirloom, and committing seppuku as he's shot by muskets.
• Hikokuro is shown to be no slouch either. Unlike the other two retainers who went down easily, he puts up more of a fight against Hanshiro, even managing to nick his robes. Hanshiro himself admitted that he had the most difficulty in dealing with Hikokuro.
  • Not only that, but after losing his topknot, Hikokuro chooses to commit seppuku rather than live with the shame of losing his topknot and lying about it. Out of all the members of the Ii clan, he is probably the only one who actually tries to live by the code of honor he claims to uphold.