Kurogane
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Kurogane (黒鋼?) is one of the companions of Syaoran in Tsubasa: Reservoir Chronicle. A ninja from feudal Japan (Nihon), he sports a black outfit (which is part of the reason why Fay D. Flourite calls him "The Black One", additionally the first character of his name means 'black') and he carries around a katana named Ginryū (銀竜 kana:ギンリュウ Ginryū?, meaning Silver Dragon).
In the anime adaptation, adult Kurogane is voiced by Tetsu Inada and young Kurogane is voiced by Yumiko Kobayashi. He is voiced by Chris Sabat in English.
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[edit] Story
Kurogane is a ninja directly under the service of Princess Tomoyo (a crossover character from Cardcaptor Sakura's Tomoyo Daidouji) of Shirasagi Castle. While he is undoubtedly the most powerful warrior in Nihon (the Kingdom of Japan), he shows no mercy to any assassins who try to invade the castle, killing them on the spot, even though Tomoyo has asked him numerous times not to kill them. Short-tempered and overly familiar with Tomoyo, the princess eventually decides that he needs to be sent to Dimension Witch Yūko Ichihara in order to discover true strength. Before she sends him off, Tomoyo curses him such that whenever he kills someone needlessly, he will grow weaker.
Kurogane, upon his arrival in the shop of the Dimension Witch, is the least informed as to who she is, but the most certain about what his wish is: he wants to return to his own world. Like his soon-to-be travelling companions, he must pay with what he values most to gain the ability to traverse dimensions. For Kurogane, it was his sword Ginryuu. He reluctantly agrees to give up the sword, but asserts that he will come back for it someday.
In the 2nd season of the anime it is mentioned that before his parents' deaths he was called Haganemaru. This name is exclusive to the anime.
[edit] Character
Kurogane is serious and extremely perceptive, being able to quickly discern Syaoran's fighting ability (along with Syaoran's blind right eye) as well as Fay D. Flourite's true nature and fighting capabilities. While he seems rather irreverent, he is also very loyal, especially to Tomoyo. He is likely the most experienced fighter in the group and wiser than he appears. He becomes Syaoran's sword fighting teacher, presenting the boy with the same philosophy he believes in: a sword is used to cut only when needed and not used to cut anything if it is not necessary. While serious, Kurogane is very easily irked by others, especially by Mokona Modoki and Fay, who keep calling him ridiculously cutesy nicknames such as "Kuro-pon", "Kuro-wan-wan" or "Kuro-rin". However abrasive and ruthless Kurogane may seem, he has a compassionate nature and a desire to protect. An example of this would be how Kurogane continually questions Fay on his actions and character, and lets the wizard know that he should stop hanging onto his past and embrace the future with his new companions. Or, Kurogane's own statement that "If someone wants to take away the ones I want to protect, I'll kill them too".
His compassion and protective nature is especially clear when his actions early in the series are compared to his actions later on. He had straight out told Syaoran in their first world, the Hanshin Republic, that the quest has nothing at all to do with him. In the next world they visit (Koryo Country) however, Kurogane offers his services to help raid the castle of an evil lord, and stays behind in battle to let Syaoran go on ahead. Eventually, he risks a loss in strength to avenge his comrades' "death" (they were of course still alive) by defeating their killer in battle. It is noted that after he finds out Fay and Syaoran are still alive, that he has lost his passion for the battle.
He obtained a new sword in Ōto called the Souhi (Blue Water) and taught Syaoran the skills of sword fighting and sensing attacks from the left.
In chapter 125 and 126 of the manga, when Fay nearly dies after his eye was ripped out by the Syaoran clone, Kurogane demands from Yuuko a method to save Fay's life without asking how heavy a price he must pay in order to do so. In the end, he mixes up his blood with Kamui's (a vampire and another Clamp crossover, this time from the series X) as part of a payment to save Fay's life. Only his blood can be drunk by Fay (since drinking a vampire's blood will turn Fay into a vampire who will need to feed on many others) and if Kurogane ever dies, Fay will die as well. It is one of the greatest sacrifices Kurogane has shown so far.
[edit] Early life
Kurogane grew up in the province of Suwa in Nihon. His father was the lord of the province and a great warrior whose job was to protect Suwa and its people. His mother was a miko (translated as "shrine priestess") who also protected the land with a magical barrier or protective ward (called a kekkai) that prevented demons from entering.
Kurogane was an energetic and outgoing child who never wanted to disappoint his mother and who wanted to be just like his father. Under his supervision, Kurogane was trained in the use of the katana and also learned his father's special technique, Hama Ryuu-ou Jin, which later on became his trademark. His ambition was to become stronger, not for the sake of being strong, but so he could use his strength to protect the people of Suwa and his parents.
When Kurogane became a teenager, trouble began. His mother had tuberculosis and would often collapse, coughing up blood, and Kurogane would strain himself to make sure she felt comfortable. His father was also away most of the time to fight against the demons. Finally, one day, Kurogane came home to find his father seriously injured and his katana in shards. Seeing that he needed more power, Kurogane's father decided to take the katana Ginryuu (silver dragon), their family heirloom, to fight the demons. With the blessing of Kurogane's mother, his father left to fight, leaving Kurogane to protect his mother at home and told him that he should always use his strength to protect the ones he loves.
Right after he left, Kurogane's mother collapsed again. Even though she was in a critical condition, she insisted that she be taken to the Inoriba (meaning Place of Prayer) to pray for success against the demons. Moments later, Kurogane found his mother in the Inoriba, impaled by a large sword with a peculiar bat-like carving for its hilt that had suddenly appeared out of a void and disappeared before Kurogane could react. Despite his efforts, he could not stem the blood flow and she died. At the moment of her death, the kekkai broke and the demons swarmed through the province. One of the demons approached Kurogane carrying his father's severed arm, the hand still carrying Ginryuu in its death-grip. As the demon devoured the arm, the katana fell to the ground. Kurogane's resolve broke and, in fierce rage, he took up his father's sword and charged towards the demons.
Hours later, the Empress of Japan, Amaterasu (Kendappa-ou of RG Veda), arrived with her army and deduced that both the lord and the lady of Suwa had died and demons swarmed the province as predicted in the dreams of her younger sister, the miko-princess Tsukuyomi. They found that all the demons were killed with Kurogane still in the ruins of his home. As Amaterasu approached Kurogane, who was too shocked to fully comprehend all that had happened to him and still carrying his mother's body, he attempted to attack her. The empress ordered her ninjas to attack, but soon realized that Kurogane had lost his sanity and would do more harm than good when he killed all her warriors with ease. Amaterasu decided to personally subdue him, but was interrupted by Tsukuyomi.
Rather than let her sister subdue Kurogane, Tsukuyomi (who is actually Princess Tomoyo) suggested that she do so. Using her magic, she stopped Kurogane from attacking her, knelt beside him and whispered, "Let's let your mother sleep, shall we?" as she closed the dead miko's eyes. At those simple words, he managed to snap out of his madness. Realization swept over him and he broke down in tears, and finally, exhausted, he fell asleep.
When he woke up, he found himself cleaned and his hand in bandages. Beside him, little Tsukuyomi, carrying Ginryuu in her lap, explained that he was in Shirasagi Castle. She introduced herself as Tomoyo; Tsukuyomi is a hereditary title given to the miko princess of Shirasagi Castle. Kurogane asked that Ginryuu be buried with his mother's body since his father had no remains. Tomoyo agreed to grant his request and also informed him that she would commission another katana exactly like Ginryuu for him so that he may continue to fulfill his father's wishes. When asked his name, he called himself Kurogane instead of his childhood name of Haganemaru. This is in the samurai tradition, in which when a man reaches a certain age or point in his life he discards his childhood name in favor of an adult name.
Later, Kurogane was accepted as a ninja of Shirasagi Castle, yet he still continued to search for the carrier of the sword that killed his mother. He never found another sword like it and only recently discovered (from Syaoran accidentally viewing Kurogane's memories in the Book of Memories in Rekord) that the one responsible for his mother's death was the same person (Fei Wong Reed) who attacked Sakura when her wings appeared in the Kingdom of Clow.
[edit] Trivia
- 'Kurogane' means black steel in Japanese.
- During the group's stay in the Hanshin Republic, the Kudan which was attached to Kurogane is an alternate version of Selece, one of the Three Mashin (Rune Gods) from Magic Knight Rayearth.
- An omake in the manga explains that Kurogane is hooked on reading ninja manga he finds in different worlds.
- Another omake explains that Kurogane doesn't move when he sleeps, Yuko remarks that it would be funny for a ninja to have strange sleeping patterns.
- And yet another omake reveals that milk doesn't agree with his digestive system.
- In the anime his childhood name is Haganemaru. This name is not an official Clamp name.
- Kurogane is the name of a manga written by Kei Toume. Haganemaru, Kurogane's actual name (according to the anime), is also the name of the talking sword Jintetsu carries.
- Throughout season one of Tsubasa Chronicle, Kurogane has been called the following names (usually as jokes by Fay D. Flourite and Mokona Modoki)
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