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Batman: The Animated Series episode

"Day of the Samurai"
Airdate:	February 23, 1993
Production Number:	44
Airdate Order:	55
Animation Services by:	Blue Pencil, S.I.
Written by:	Steve Perry
Directed by:	Bruce Timm
Episode images (6)

"Day of the Samurai" is the fifty-fifth episode of Batman: The Animated Series. It originally aired on February 23, 1993. It depicts the return of Kyodai Ken, who last appeared in "Night of the Ninja".

Plot Edit

In Tokyo, at the dojo of Yoru Sensei, his star pupil, a young woman named Kairi, is practicing late at night. Her practice is interrupted by a ninja, who knocks her unconscious and carries her away, leaving behind a message for Yoru.

Yoru telephones Bruce Wayne in Gotham City, saying he needs Bruce's help. After he and Alfred arrive in Japan, Bruce goes to meet Yoru, wondering innocently how he can be of service. Yoru says that hopes he can pass along Yoru's request to Batman, whom he "must know".

Bruce explains to Alfred the peculiar nature of Kyodai's ransom demand: Yoru is the last living descendant of an ancient master who developed a new fighting art, Kiba no Hoko ("The Way of the Fang"). It was such a deadly art that the master never taught it to anyone, and hid the only copy of the art's manual in a secret place known only to his family, keeping it a family secret for five-hundred years. Since Yoru has no children, when he dies, the secret dies with him. Kyodai wants the scroll's location, believing the knowledge will enable him to defeat Batman, whom he now knows is Bruce Wayne, having fought both of them.

At the ransom drop, Batman brings a map to the scroll's location. Batman tries to rescue Kairi without giving it up, but Kyodai kicks her off the building's roof, forcing Batman to save her while Kyodai grabs the map.

The map guides Kyodai to a cave in the side of Mt. Kijiki, where he finds the scroll hidden in an ancient box. As soon as he unrolls it, however, it crumbles to fragments in his hands. Initially distraught, he looks closer and pulls out one intact fragment.

Later, Batman investigates the cave, and returns (as Bruce) with the fragments to Yoru. Yoru examines them, and finds that the missing piece gives instructions for the o-nemo-ri attack – a death touch. Unfortunately, Yoru never read the scroll, so he cannot tell Wayne where the fatal point is, and so it could be anywhere.

For the next phase of his plan, Kyodai kidnaps Alfred, and calls Wayne, ordering him to appear for their final match. Wayne traces the call to Kyodai's hideout, finding it empty, and that Kyodai has destroyed the scroll fragment.

They meet on the slope of an active volcano, Kyodai apparently not knowing that the local authorities have noticed it becoming active and evacuated the surrounding area. Before they duel, Kyodai compliments Batman on his mastery of stealth, saying he would have made a fine ninja. Kyodai then removes his mask, and Batman returns the favor.

They spar, Bruce trying to avoid contact, even as the volcano begins to erupt and lava flows down the side of the mountain. Then Kyodai lunges and jabs his fingers into a spot on Bruce's chest. Bruce groans and falls, apparently dead.

But as Kyodai turns away, Bruce rises, saying the ancient technique doesn't work. The fight continues, but is interrupted when a lava flow splits the ground between them. Kyodai is left trapped on a little islet of rock. Bruce throws a line on a Batarang to Kyodai, telling him to use it to spring over the gap. Silent, Kyodai kicks the batarang into the lava, then bows to Bruce with utmost respect. Another surge of lava hits the rock, throwing up a cloud of smoke between them. When it clears, Kyodai and the little islet are gone.

Bruce and Alfred make their way to safety. When Alfred asks how he survived the death touch, Bruce pulls a small armor plate from under his tunic and explains that he examined the practice dummy in Kyodai's hideout and found a soft spot that Kyodai had jabbed with his fingers many times.

Bruce bids goodbye to Yoru Sensei. Yoru asks Bruce to be sure to pass his respects along to Batman. In a moment of self-doubt, Bruce says that Batman is as much a ninja as Kyodai. Yoru responds, not so: Batman showed mercy to his enemy, and resisted the temptation to use the knowledge of the death touch. He is a true samurai. Bruce thanks his old teacher and departs.

Continuity Edit

Kyodai reappears after the events of "Night of the Ninja".
Kairi appears, as a much older woman, in the Batman Beyond episode "Curse of the Kobra".

Background information Edit

Home video releases Edit

Production inconsistencies Edit

When Bruce is tracing Kyodai's phone number, the number reads as an American number (555-0311), though the episode takes place in Japan and should read as a Japanese number (03-9999-9999).
Bruce's mouth doesn't move he says, "It was not good news".

Trivia Edit

Last appearance of Kyodai Ken, who was likely killed in the explosion.
Goh Misawa replaces Chao-Li Chi as the voice of Yoru Sensei.
After the phone number trace, the machine displays "563 TEZUKA", a reference to Osamu Tezuka, the "Godfather of Anime". His name was also seen in "Moon of the Wolf"

Cast Edit

Actor	Role
Kevin Conroy	Batman
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.	Alfred
Robert Ito	Kyodai Ken
Julia Kato	Kairi
Goh Misawa	Sensei Yoru

Quotes Edit

Kairi: (in wonder) Komori no kami.
(English, "Spirit of the Bat")

Kyodai Ken: Once again, you approach unseen, dark one. You would have made a good ninja.
Batman: I would prefer to be a samurai.
Kyodai Ken: But you are like me. A warrior of the night.

Previously produced episode: "Moon of the Wolf"	Episodes of Batman: The Animated Series	Next produced episode: "Terror in the Sky"
Previously aired episode: "Blind as a Bat"	Episodes of Batman: The Animated Series	Next aired episode: "See No Evil"

Wikia

Day of the Samurai

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