Female Characters and Subverted Expectations in Katanagatari

Given that Katanagatari is a story in the style of chanbara, samurai films which focus largely on “manly” men, it’s great to see it play with gender roles (and subvert our expectations with regard to them) as much as it does. Despite the fact that the central character, who is set to become the strongest in Japan, is male, many of the show’s most powerful characters are women and the plot is very much driven by female characters. Warning: this post and one of the images within it contain major spoilers for Katanagatari episodes one through seven. Events in episode eight are mentioned, but there are no spoilers for the episode.

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The first female opponent Shichika fights is Meisai Tsuruga, in episode three. She heads a shrine which protects young girls who have been abused by men, and she has been training them in self-defence. She seems remarkably kind, so it’s a surprise when we learn of her past – she was the member, and then the head, of a notorious and powerful group of bandits, and would kill without hesitation. She is now trying to repent for her past. Meisai is the not only the first female Deviant Blade wielder we meet, but also the first who is not ‘poisoned’ by their sword. She fights Shichika not for the sake of keeping her blade but to be able to continue to help the girls she looks after. This is a woman who is physically and mentally strong, and one who has held leadership positions with considerable courage (in the past) and selflessness (in the present). Her dying request to Togame is the continued protection of the girls at the shrine.

[詩音＠ついった]

One of the biggest surprises in the series to date comes in episode four. From the preview, we expect a fight between Shichika and Hakuhei Sabi, who holds the title of “Japan’s strongest”. Instead the focus turns to Shichika’s sickly sister Nanami, who has remained alone on the island, and the three Maniwa Corps ninja who are closing in on her. It’s now that even more subversions of expectations take place. We expect Nanami to be no match for any of the ninja, but then one of them doesn’t return to his team members. Later, the second appears in front of Nanami, and the stage is set for their fight. We expect her to attempt to use Kyotoryuu, but she then admits that she was never taught it by her father. Was it because of gender; did he believe her to be, as a woman, unworthy of the style? No. It was because he was afraid of what Nanami would become. This girl, who has been presented as weak and frail up until now, is actually something of a monster. Not only is she able to learn skills upon seeing them once, and master them upon seeing them twice (and is, as such, a phenomenal fighter), she also displays little emotion aside from the pleasure she takes from inflicting pain. After brutally torturing and killing the first ninja, she defeats the other two with frightening ease.

She reappears in episode seven possessing a Deviant Blade of her own. She has left the island, and rumours of her strength and cruelty have begun to spread. She has utterly destroyed two entire villages and wants to face Shichika next. By the end of the episode, she has been defeated and killed, not because Shichika is stronger than her but because her greatest wish is death. Katanagatari presents this all in such a way that we know that, despite her defeat at his hand, Nanami is stronger than Shichika and – without trying to jump the gun here – also the strongest character in the series. It’s fitting that her appearance in episode four takes the place of Shichika’s battle with Sabi, who was supposedly the strongest in Japan; before her death, she fits this role much better than he does.

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The last female Deviant Blade holder we’ve been introduced to so far is Konayuki Itezora, whose small frame and eleven years of age belie the fact that she is physically the strongest character in the series – aside from Nanami, who memorised the technique giving her such strength when destroying Konayuki’s village. Konayuki is another who is immune to the ‘poison’ of their blade and also the first character to defeat Shichika on his journey. Indeed, the two smallest characters in the series – Nanami and Konayuki – have been the only ones to defeat Shichika as of yet. Both seem disarmingly harmless at first glance.

Finally, the two other notable women in the series, Togame and Princess Hitei, are perhaps the most important characters of all. Female lead Togame is fiercely intelligent, a capable sword fighter, and her self-proclaimed “schemes” are what drive Katanagatari‘s plot; Hitei, a princess living in Owari, is responsible for the vast majority of twists and turns the story takes. Both women are in positions of power, and both control a male “sword”. The tremendously strong Shichika and Emonzaemon serve Togame and Hitei, respectively, with what at this stage seems like unquestioning loyalty. It also looks like the rivalry between them will drive the remainder of the series, as both race to collect the remaining Deviant Blades.

[水玉子]

Katanagatari takes great pleasure in subverting our expectations with regard to the roles women play in stories such as these. In a genre where men have traditionally held the spotlight, it’s fantastic to see a series set olden day Japan driven so much by its female characters. The 50 minute per episode format really allows for character development, and all the people we’ve met so far have been fascinating. If the series continues on like this, we’re in for a treat.

Links and Notes:

• In the style of the great mefloraine, all images in this post were sourced from Pixiv.
• Ghostlightning has been covering the series brilliantly, and his posts are definitely worth a read.
• Nisioisin really seems to love his female characters. Zaregoto‘s first book was set on an island populated almost entirely by an exiled heiress and female geniuses, and Bakemonogatari featured a number of strong, smart girls, though I feel they were portrayed as more sexualised than the female characters were here or in Zaregoto.
• Nanami is such a fascinating character, and there was so much I wanted to say about her that didn’t really fit in the context of this post. Suffice to say, I can see myself writing more about her soon.