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Sagara Sanosuke (相楽佐之助 Sagara Sanosuke), known in Western order (Sanosuke Sagara) in the English anime, is a fictional character in the anime and manga series Rurouni Kenshin/Samurai X. The character model for Sagara Sanosuke is the 10th unit captain of the Shinsengumi, Harada Sanosuke.
Biography Sanosuke left home at an early age to join the Sekihoutai, leaving behind his father (Kamishimoemon), his mother (Naname), and his younger sister (Uki) who adored him. He would return home years later to discover that his mother was dead, having died a couple of years after the birth of his younger brother, Outa, who immediately began to admire Sanosuke for his bravery and boldness. Sanosuke would also find out that his family name was now Higashidani, although he would never use it himself. His sister, after Sanosuke's disappearence and then her mother's death, became overprotective of her younger brother and father, who worked as a local merchant and farmer with the infamy of being a local fighter. Outa, after Sanosuke leaves his family again, would eventually follow his brother's advice and train at the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu style dojo to become strong. The Sekihoutai fought the imperial alliance at the end of the Tokugawa regime and Sanosuke admired his captain, Sagara Sōzō and took the surname Sagara from him. However, the Meiji government accused the Sekihoutai of impersonating the imperial army and spreading false allegations about low rice prices. This setup was engineered by Shindō Tatewaki, a former officer in the imperial alliance. The Sekihoutai were designated scapegoats and to be executed; Sanosuke was the only survivor, other than his friend Tsukioka Katsuhiro. The exact circumstances of Sōzō's death differ between the animated version and the manga; in the manga Sanosuke realized he had been killed after seeing his decapitated head on display as a warning, while in the anime a wounded Sozo pushed Sanosuke to safety off a cliff in order to save him before dying himself. Full of anger and bitterness, Sanosuke made a living as a fighter-for-hire who bore the nickname "Zanza" derived from his weapon, the zanbatō. Eventually, he was hired to kill Himura Kenshin, but after being defeated by the former assassin and learning of Kenshin's no-kill approach, Sanosuke becomes a valuable ally. He later adopts a boxing-like fighting skill, known for the strength of his right fist. Because the zanbato was broken during the fight, Sanosuke no longer wields it on a regular basis, using only one more time in the manga to defend the Kamiya dojo during the Jinchu arc. At the end of the manga series, Sanosuke leaves Japan to avoid becoming wrongfully arrested and travels the world. He is not heard from until five years later during a reunion of the Kenshin-gumi, in which he tells them via a letter that he is in Mongolia and will stay there for a while before heading back to Japan. Kyoto and Futae no Kiwami During the Shishio crisis, Sanosuke learns 'Futae no Kiwami' (Mastery of the Two Layers) from a fallen monk named Yukyuzan Anji. Futae no Kiwami is a special art, whereby the assailant uses two strikes with different parts of the same hand in quick succession; the first punch with the proximal interphalangeal joint neutralizes the hardness of the target, then the second blow strikes with the phalanx (or knuckle) and breaks the target before it recovers from the force of the first blow. Later, in a fight against Anji, Sanosuke's desperation leads to the innovation of a third level, in which he strikes a third time after the first two blows by exploding his hand, in the process hitting with all of his digits. Anji had never reached this step, although he had a greater mastery as he could not only perform it with his other hand, but also his elbows, knees, feet, head and through his sword. It also does not harm him, unlike Sanosuke, who cripples his hand in doing it constantly. Progressing power Sagara Sanosuke begins in the series as a moderately weak character, only capable of defeating the lower ranked foes such as Beshimi, Hyottoko, and Shikijo of the Oniwabanshu. He never really contributes in fights to the major foes such as Aoshi and Udo Jin-E. During the Kyoto arc, however, he learns Anji's 'Futae no Kiwami' and is taken more seriously as a threat. Shishio Makoto, after seeing Sanosuke perform the Futae no Kiwami, discards his earlier impression that Sanosuke is not as much of a threat as Kenshin or Saito, saying "This man...He's no mere tagalong!" Even Saito begins to acknowledge his skills (though he still considers Sanosuke an idiot). During the Kyoto arc, Sanosuke tried to use the Futae no Kiwami on Shishio, but had his fist crushed and apparently permanently damaged. This becomes a major hindrance to Sanosuke's fighting ability during the Jinchuu arc and his battle with Inui Banjin, who is wearing (self titled) "Invulnerable Gauntlets". Takani Megumi, as his physician, is constantly annoyed when he continues to use his damaged hand despite the fact it has not healed enough. Even with his broken fist, Sanosuke manages to crush Banjin's gauntlets, even when they are restored and improved upon as "Neo Invulnerable Gauntlets" during their final fight. He finally overcomes this disability by his discovery, during a return to his home village, that the Futae no Kiwami can be performed using both hands in rapid sequence, lessening the impact to his damaged fist. He effectively uses this technique against Su-shin Byakko. Evil The symbol on the back of Sanosuke's jacket is the Japanese kanji 惡 (Aku), which means "evil". He bears this symbol as a mark of his loyalty towards his past in the Sekihōtai, but also serves as a reminder to defend innocent people who have been wronged. This kanji can also be interpreted to Bad Hearted. Sanosuke's influence on others can be seen as others place the character on their backs as well. His younger brother Higashidani Outa, after seeing his brother fight to save their father, asks their sister to sew a patch with character on the back of his shirt. Myojin Yahiko, who grows to see things in similar perspectives as Sanosuke, also chooses to wear a smaller version of the kanji by the time he comes of age (15 years old) at the end of the manga. Romance While a popular pairing among Rurouni Kenshin fans was Sanosuke and Takani Megumi and there was definitely friendship between the characters, no romance ever materialized. (In the anime, Sanosuke shows feelings for Shogo's sister, Sayo.) Voice actor | ||||||||
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