Character Profile: Soujirou Seta
Fields | USA Info | Japanese Info | Image |
---|---|---|---|
Name | Soujirou Seta | Soujirou Seta | ![]() |
Alias | Soujirou the Tenken ("Soujirou the Heavenly Sword") | Tenken Soujirou ("Soujirou the Heavenly Sword") | |
Race | Human | Human | |
Gender | Male | Male | |
Age | 18 years (born September 1861) | 18 years (born September 1861) | |
Hair | Black | Black | |
Eyes | Blue | Blue | |
Height | 5'4" | 163 cm | |
Weight | 112.4 lbs | 51 kg | |
Blood | Type AB | Type AB | |
Status | Strongest of the Juppongatana | Strongest of the Juppongatana | |
Quote | "If you're strong, you live. If you're weak, you die." | ||
Voice | Tara Jayne, Lynn Fisher | Noriko Hidaka | |
Debut | |||
Anime | Rurouni Kenshin | Rurouni Kenshin |
Character Description: Soujirou Seta
Soujirou had been orphaned and left with distant relatives who practically used him like a slave. He was abused, mistreated. He grew so used to it that his anger and sorrow were trampled into the deepest pits of his mind. Joy was all he had left. Thus, even under the worst of situations, he was always smiling. It kind of worked for him. His perperual smile seemed to stave off the worst of the abuse.
His natural-born sword talents emerged while he was sheltering Makoto Shishio, who had at the time just barely survived an assassination attempt. Soujirou offered the burnt man food and bandages, and in return Shishio taught him his first real-life lesson, words he believed until very recently: "If you're strong, you live. If you're weak, you die." Using a sword provided by Shishio, Soujirou confronted his family as they tried to kill him and Shishio and slew the lot of them...all with a smile on his face. From then, Soujirou traveled with Shishio like an apprentice, learning Shishio's philosophy and ways.
Despite his age, Soujirou is considered the most dangerous and most powerful of the Juppongatana. He moves with a technique called Shukuchi. Using his well-trained legs, he can close distance with amazing speed, faster then the eye can see, and strike a fatal blow practically before you even know he's approaching. This was how he managed to strike even a man in the seeming safety of a carriage. Even more dangerous, because he lacks anger and sorrow, he smiles all the time. You can't read his face, so it's virtually impossible to anticipate his actions. This makes most Hiten Mitsurugi techniques useless.
To his shock, Kenshin learns that Shukuchi is one of the few techniques that can surpass the god-like speed of the Hiten Mitsurigi style. Soujirou is able to dodge the Kuzu Ryu Sen because of his speed. But Kenshin's steadfast resolve begins to rattle him. It's only the second time that he's seen a man hold onto his belief so strongly (the other time was when he met Shishio), and for the first time in about eight years...he begins to get angry. He tries to calm down and then try to kill Kenshin with his best Shukuchi technique, Shuntensatsu ("Swift Heavenly Murder"). Kenshin counters with his best: the recently-acquired Amakakeru Ryu no Hirameki. Their swords clash together (they were of equal speed), but Kenshin's stroke had more force. He overpowered the deadlock and defeated Soujirou with his stroke.
Shaken from his defeat, he reaches a crossroads in life. After Shishio's death and the collapse of the Juppongatana, he easily escapes the law, and he decides that if ten years of wandering did Kenshin a world of good, perhaps he could do the same to resolve the new conflict in his heart between Shishio's harsh view of life and Kenshin's more benevolent one. So he hits the road, searching for the truth.