Lop, a rabbit-like alien girl forced into slavery, is rescued and adopted into a human family during a time when the Empire starts to exert its influence over her homeworld. Now a young woman, she is named the successor of her family, tasked with saving her foster sister, Ochō, from siding with the Empire.
Tropes:
- Ancestral Weapon: The lightsaber, given to Yasaburo's ancestors by a Jedi in antiquity, is a symbol of the family, passed from parent to child over the generations.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: As the opening narration explains, the people of Tao were originally happy the mighty Galactic Empire had taken an interest in their planet, believing their promises to bring modern industry and prosperity to the land. Instead, the Empire did what it always does to poor Outer Rim planets: strip mine the place, pollute the environment and exploit the locals for cheap labor.
- Beast Man: According to
Word of God, Lop is from a subspecies of Lepi, a race that is leporid in appearance, with brown fur covering her body, long rabbit-like ears, and a small, bushy tail. - Bittersweet Ending: The Empire is driven off Tao and Lop becomes heir to the Yasaburo family. Sadly, Ochō leaves with the Empire, and Yasaburo is badly injured at the hands of his own daughter.
- Cain and Abel: The titular characters become this over time, cemented by their lightsaber/vibroblade duel at the climax. After Ochō's defeat and escape, Lop vows to redeem her and reunite their family.
- Cool Sword: The lightsaber passed down through Yasaburo's family has a handle designed like a katana, and its bright green blade has kanji-esque characters.
- Evil Makeover: When Ochō sides with the Empire, she uses her blood to paint her eyes red and cuts her braid. As an Imperial officer, she also starts to wear black lipstick.
- Eye Scream: Yasaburo has one eye, with a scar running down his face through the closed socket. During their fight, Ochō slashes out his good eye and blinds him completely.
- Face–Heel Turn: Ochō abandons her family to join the Empire.
- Family of Choice: Lop was adopted into Yasaburo's family on the whim of his daughter, Ochō. When Ochō is led astray by the Empire, Yasaburo, who came to love Lop as though she were his own flesh and blood, entrusts her as his clan's successor. Even after Ochō betrays the family for the Empire, Lop still considers Ochō her sister and fights to save her from herself.
- Fantasy Counterpart Culture: Planet Tao as a whole is reminiscent of the Meiji Restoration era Japan, where the country underwent rapid modernization as a result of getting into contact with western nations, represented by the Galactic Empire in the story. The conflict between Ochō and her father and sister symbolizes the conflict of identity between those who wish to embrace modernization and see it as the only way their home can survive in the changing times and those who are wary of the changes brought by foreigners which will affect their traditional way of life.
- Good Wears White: Inverted, both Ochō and the Imperial officer who recruits her wear white uniforms (implying they belong to the Imperial Security Bureau).
- Happily Adopted: A major theme of the episode. Lop is adopted by Yasaburo, and lives happily with him and her new sister Ochō for seven years. Yasaburo eventually even names her his successor and gives her the family heirloom.
- Hourglass Plot: At the beginning, Ochō is friendly towards Lop and wants to be her sister while Yasaburo is reluctant to trust a random stranger he just met on the street. By the end, Yasaburo considers Lop to be just as much his daughter as Ochō while Ochō has renounced her family, especially Lop.
- Kick the Dog: In a fit of spite, Ochō angrily tells Lop she isn't even her sister. What makes this sting even worse is, not 7 years ago, Ochō open-mindedly suggested her father adopt Lop as a new member of their family. To tell Lop she's no sister of hers is to rescind that suggestion from all those years ago.
- Meaningful Name: Planet Tao. The word "Tao"
in the context of East Asian philosophy means "balance" or the natural order of the universe, and is often represented by the yin-and-yang symbol, a concept that became a major inspiration for the Force and the conflict between the light side and the dark side in Star Wars. - Mythology Gag:
- There are a few shout-outs to Rogue One:
- During the final battle at the Imperial factory, Ochō wears a uniform identical to the one Orson Krennic wore in the opening scene of the film.
- Yasaburo's men are seen fighting against KX-series security droids.
- Many establishing shots of Tao show an Imperial Star Destroyer hovering menacingly over the city, just like the destroyer above Jedha City.
- Lop's species, the Lepi, was first introduced in the original Marvel Star Wars comics, back in 1977.
- Yasaburo uses the swear "Dank farrik!".
- During his duel with Ochō, Yasaburo yells out "I am your father!". A callback to the most iconic scene in all of Star Wars, albeit with the roles reversed; a rebel father fighting his imperial child.
- There are a few shout-outs to Rogue One:
- Old Retainer: After the disastrous attack on the Imperials, most of Yasaburo's men desert him. Only a few soldiers and an elderly servant remain loyal.
- Ominous Floating Spaceship: An Imperial Star Destroyer is shown hovering over the city on Tao.
- Rags to Riches: Lop starts out as an imperial slave, but is adopted by one of Tao's wealthy families.
- Rebel Leader: Yasaburo works to rally his clan to resist the Imperial occupation.
- Shout-Out: It might be a coincidence, but the family mon of three circles echoes another famous rabbit samurai.
- Slave Collar: Poor Lop was forced to wear one until she was adopted by Yasaburo, whose droid cut it off her.
- Time Skip: The episode skips forward 7 years, from the day Lop is adopted by the Yasaburo clan to the day Boss Yasaburo begins his revolt against the Empire.
- Thicker Than Water: Averted. With Ochō siding with the Empire, Yasaburo names Lop, an alien girl that he adopted, as his family's true heir.
- The Unfavorite: During the ceremony, Boss Yasaburo apologizes for making Lop think she was less important than his biological daughter Ochō as they grew up, promising he loves her as if she were his own blood.
- Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Ochō was a very bright and sunny girl in her youth, such that she managed to convince her father to adopt Lop. This is a far cry from her personality as an adult: rebellious, rude, and resentful — of her father for not seeing what she believes to be reasonable in siding with the Empire, and of Lop for taking her place as head of the family.
