| Sword Master | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
| Anime name | Sword Master | ||
| Alternate names | The Number Two | ||
| Debut | Episode 2: The Dream Reader (Anime) Chapter 6 (Manga) | ||
| Appears in | Afro Samurai (Manga) Afro Samurai (Anime) | ||
| Race | Human | ||
| Gender | Male | ||
| Occupation | Samurai, mentor | ||
| Family | Afro (Disciple) Jinno (Disciple) Sasuke (Disciple) Jiro (Disciple) Kekichi (Disciple) | ||
The Sword Master was Afro's childhood mentor who ran a Dojo where he took in orphaned children and trained them to be warriors. He is a one-eyed samurai with a scar over his right eye and appears to be middle aged and has black hair and usually wears his kimono open. The Sword Master was once a good friend of Afro's father and was in fact from the same clan of swordsmen as Rokutaro and Justice.
History[]
The Sword Master first finds a badly wounded Afro when out with Jinnosuke and Otsuru.. The Sword Master and Jinno take Afro back to the Dojo where he spends his childhood and teenage years, with the dojo providing Afro friends and surrogate family, a structured and safe place to grow up and develop his skills. Despite his kindness, the Sword Master gives Afro a beating when he first asks about the headbands and revenge. He claims they are legend, and reprimands Afro for his desire to kill for revenge. Years later, Afro hears a rumor that someone in the area has the Number Two headband, and suspects the Sword Master to be the owner.
During Afro's graduation along with the rest of the students, Afro asks the Sword Master if he is the Number Two, and he tells Afro to meet him at the Bodhi tree just after midnight. At the Bodhi tree the Sword Master reveals he had meant to take the secret of the Number Two Headband to the grave but Afro's question made him reveal himself as the Number Two, he then gives Afro a choice: give up revenge and lead a normal life or fight him to the death and choose to walk the path of the Number Two. He warns that there is no joy or satisfaction in being the Number Two. Before Afro decides the dojo's students arrive and see the Sword Master with his sword drawn and standing with Afro. Just after the students arrive a very large group of assassins and thugs arrive seeking the Number Two headband, the Sword Master orders Jinno to take everyone and run to safety and tells Afro to watch and see what it means to be the Number Two and walk that path and then runs towards the thugs.
The Sword Master fights brilliantly against the superior numbers, but he is wounded repeatedly during the battle. Afro hesitates and watches, but Jinno leads the students to aid their Master against his own wishes. The bandits are slain but the dojo's students are almost all killed, despite the efforts of Jinno and, eventually, Afro in the battle; Jinno himself is mortally wounded. The Sword Master calls out to Afro telling him he has made his choice. Jinno pleads with Afro not to kill the Sword Master but Afro rushes forward and Sword Master raises his sword--but doesn't strike and closes his eye before being killed by Afro.
Video Game[]
Sword Master is fought in the Afro Samurai videogame where alongside Afro he fights off the waves of thugs and assassins before Afro himself fights him, also in the game he hides the Number Two headband in Afro's father's grave since it was the only place Afro respected enough not to search. During the fight, he tried to convince Afro to let go of his anger, but Afro didn't listen. In the game the Sword Master also has a brother called the Daimyo who has a son and an large number of henchmen for protection, The Daimyo is the one who tells Afro that Sword Master is the Number Two.
Abilities[]
Sword Master was a highly skilled swordsman who taught his students how to wield blades and become great warriors. He has great wisdom of the world and the pain the life of a headband holder must bear.
We only see him fight once but he is shown to be strong enough to slice through a large group of warriors that surrounded him with one strike.
He sought to protect his students and encourage them to live and tries to save them but is unable to due to the large number of warriors surrounding him and was beloved by the students like a father.
He may have allowed Afro to kill him to show Afro that he's alone.