#20. Koji

Lore

The Wanderer, Honor's Blade

"For years we knew him in every back alley and gambling house across the empire. Disarmingly humble, good gambler, only a few of us could see the fierce purpose in his eyes."

– Katsu the Blind


"Well, I killed her demon husband. So...it's complicated."

– Koji, when asked about the ninja Hattori

As the story goes...

As the second son Koji knew he would never take over his father’s school or inherit the coveted family sword. He spent his days determined to make his own technique, one without a silly made up name.

One day that changed. Fearful of the “School of the Demon Slaying Sword” a corrupt Shogun ordered Koji’s father and all his students slain. To save their legacy, Koji was ordered to take ancestral katana and flee, keeping it safe at all costs.

After many patient and careful years he was ready. Seeking an audience with the Shogun he revealed his name and petitioned to reinstate his family’s place. The twisted Shogun only laughed. Knowing his fate was sealed, Koji leapt across the hall and cut him down. The stunned chamber guards fell next.

As Koji caught his breath, the palace alarm sounded. A slight man with red eyes walked out of the shadows. Introducing himself as a fellow second son, the younger Kagima offered Koji a way out. Power untold and a guaranteed escape, and all he needed to do was part with the family blade. Koji examined the sword, remembering the stories his father told him as a child. He smiled.

When the 3,000 guards entered the chamber they found the demon’s head lying on the floor and Koji rushing toward them, cutting his path to Valhalla.

Connections

• Koji spoke with Hattori after a beatdown from a newcomer (Yumiko); apparently neither of them "remember the tale of the wise fox spirit and her giant magical hammer"
• Koji probably also had an awkward conversation or two with Hattori about the fact that he killed her demon husband

Context

Koji is modeled after the samurai archetype. Like Hattori, his lore clearly states Japanese origin. The name Koji appears in several places, as a male name, a fungus, and even the name of two different eras in Japanese history (Heian period, Muromachi period). The Koji era in the Muromachi period (Oct. 1555 to Feb. 1558) is rather close to the time in which ninjas like Hattori would have lived, so that could possibly narrow down the time Koji was alive.

If ninja were/are covert, special ops soldiers and spies, samurai were at first warriors hired by nobles, and later the ruling military class. A samurai warrior was also called "bushi," or "warrior." Samurai remained at the top of the caste system from the end of the 12th century well into the late 19th century until Japan's feudal era ended in 1868. Most samurai were bound by a code of honor (bushido), kind of like the knights of medieval Europe. Even then, things got chaotic at times, especially when a samurai would be disloyal to their lord to instead favor Japan's emperor.

In popular culture, an interesting parallel is often drawn between samurai and westerns. Seven Samurai was rewritten into The Magnificent Seven, Yojimbo into A Fistful of Dollars. These and many other films and other media have popularized the idea of the samurai throughout the world, especially into western culture.

[Note for further research: Did samurai gamble?]

Bow and sword fit the samurai archetype perfectly. Originally, way back in the 12th to 16th century, the way of the warrior was the way of the horse and the bow. As for the sword, samurai actually carried two swords: a katana and a wakizashi, and the two of them together were called the daisho. The daisho was unique to samurai, as it represented their social power and personal honor. If he had his way, Koji would likely have preferred to use his daisho together as well as a bow. But, it seems the rules of the Grand Tournament ask all legends to choose two weapons (look at Sidra's quote in her lore), so Koji kept his katana and his bow.

Koji wears his katana at his left, which is a sign that he intends to use his blade. It if were on his right side, it would be a sign of respect and peace, like if you were at someone's house for dinner, not expecting to fight. Brawlhalla did get something wrong, though (as far as I'm aware). Koji is shown with his sheathed katana's blade facing the ground. Real samurai would have the blade up. Aesthetically, especially to western eyes, it would look upside-down, but the practical reason behind it is that a sheathed sword blade down (in a scabbard, especially), would get dull faster, due to gravity pulling the sword down.