The path to martial excellence is not always a happy one, as Musashi and company learn on their travels.
- Hozoin Inshun was orphaned when a ronin slew his parents after attempting to rape his mother. The resulting trauma led to him repressing his memories. Although he was taken in by In'ei, and displayed such a great talent for spearmanship that he was anointed the second master of Hozoin Temple, Inshun remained distant from his peers, trying to bury his suffering through martial arts.Inshun: I wanted to become strong. I thought I was striving to become stronger. But I was only covering things up with sand. My guilt...my weakness... I wanted to become invincible so that I could cover them up and bury them... I've never even stepped one foot away from this place. I covered myself up... with nothing to offer anyone.
- Seijuro's death devastates his younger brother. Despite his disdain for his older brother's hedonism, Denshichiro still loved him and respected his strength and skill. The members of the Yoshioka Dojo note just how shattered Denshichiro is even as he tries to maintain composure.Denshichiro: (Practicing his swings.) I can't rely on my power, just because my body is so big. Don't grip the haft too tightly. And then...and then... (His bokken falls to the ground.)And then what... (Tears stream down his face.) Then what, my brother...?
- To twist the knife even further, Denshichiro had only just realized that everything he needed to grow as a warrior had been right by his side all along—he didn't need to travel in search of Yagyu Sekishusai or Ito Ittosai for help, when all he had to do was ask his own brother.
Denshichiro: There was no need for me to go to the Yagyu. I should have asked my own brother for instruction. Even if he refused, I should have begged him. I might only have ten days left, but... Seijuro... I know I can grow stronger by training with you!- Filled with newfound resolve, Denshichiro plants himself in the dojo, determined to await Seijuro's return. Although annoyed by his brother's absence when he awakes the next morning, he commits himself to seeking Seijuro's guidance, a sign that he has turned a new leaf. Then, Yoichi arrives with news about the young master...
- The fate of the Yoshioka School overall. Their two masters and greatest fighters are killed one after the other by Musashi, crippling their reputation. In a desperate bid to avenge the Yoshioka brothers, all seventy members of the school set out to slay Musashi... and all seventy members are slaughtered, including their greatest still-living member and last hope, Ueda Ryohei. Seijuro notes however, that even before Musashi crossed paths with them, that their era, and the era of those living by the sword in general, was waning. Ryohei, as Musashi cuts through his comrades one after the other, wonders whether Musashi was in fact a harbinger from Yoshioka Kenpo, to let the school die with glory in combat rather than wither away in a time of peace unsuited for them.
- Neither Seijuro, nor Denshichiro, nor the rest of the school are "evil" in any sense. Seijuro ambushed Musashi unfairly, but only to protect his brother, and while Denshichiro challenged Musashi to a duel, Musashi was the one who first barged into the school and killed five disciples. Their only fault was being in the way of Musashi's journey to become invincible. During their New Years Eve duel, Seijuro admitted that he felt the desire to converse and learn more about Musashi, and Musashi is implied to have wanted to reciprocate. One can only wonder what could have been if Musashi had not been so focused on the idea of cutting down others to become invincible—they may very well have become friends.
- As infuriating as Matahachi can be at times, one can't help but pity him. Having left the comfort of his village to earn a name for himself, his cowardice and failure to conquer his vices leads to a downward spiral of drinking and thievery, all the while burning with envy and self-hatred at how Musashi was able to achieve his goals and win the fame that Matahachi so desired. His actions indirectly lead to the deaths of his Uncle Gon and mother, the only people in the world besides Musashi and Otsu that even remotely cared for him. Even when given multiple chances to escape his decadence, he just isn't strong enough to take them.
