Read on Twitter
(thread) how Inoue introduced the most perfect imperfect character, Honiden Matahachi, and created the ultimate dynamic between two friends.
From the start of Vagabond, what appeared to be two meat-headed friends soon spiralled into a complex and emotional relationship.
From the start of Vagabond, what appeared to be two meat-headed friends soon spiralled into a complex and emotional relationship.
Already at ch6 we gain insight into Matahachi’s inferiority complex. It’s a simple question but immediately he assumes that between him and Takezo, one is more desired. After taking his friends identity, he cheats on Otsu and at this point it’s pretty clear he’s an immoral guy.
As time passes and Takezo becomes the ‘successful’ swordsman Musashi, Matahachi steals the identity of the deaf swordsman Kojiro. It was an easy way to gain fame, but in reality it was a way to cover his insecurities. By choosing to be Kojiro, he was finally able to become a
renowned swordsman, just like Musashi. Under the name Sasaki Kojiro, he could finally catch up with his ‘rival’ and closest friend. The most pitiful thing about this is that Musashi has never seen Matahachi as his rival and arguably, never as a fighter. Instead, Matahachi has
created his own version of Musashi, the man so strong he has everything in his palms. This ‘Musashi’, is ultimately Matahachi’s idealised self image. Instead of having a true rival to fight against, he’s battling with himself and projecting his insecurities onto this
nonexistent Musashi. While this Musashi is ‘unrivalled under the heavens’ to the eyes of ordinary people such as Matahachi, the real Musashi is far from complete. After taking the lives of every other rival he’s continued to stray further from the life he could’ve lived.
The life that both men could’ve lived is symbolised through the gentle Otsu, who’s physical distance from them represents just how far they’ve strayed from a simple life of love and happiness. This time, Honiden Matahachi with no fame attached to him is the most free. These men
are joined by their loneliness and sense of incompleteness, both holding something the other needs. Musashi’s sheer power, and Matahachi’s ordinariness. Inoue takes the phrase ‘nobody is perfect’ to another level with such powerful character dynamics. In the end, Matahachi was
the result of a naive young boy becoming entangled with a friend who was already living another life. He believed he could catch up with Musashi and continued to chase his dreams without ever believing in himself. His own confidence continued to diminish until becoming like
Musashi was the only thing he had left of himself. By then, he had abandoned his family and future. Inoue gave us a boy who had gone too far from home to return, yet too far from his goal to ever reach it. Matahachi was lost and lonely, an ordinary boy in the wrong world.
(End)
(End)
