Lessons You Need to Learn — Therapist Analysis of Blue Eye Samurai!

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I really liked Sword-Father. It’s rarely that I see a character that can live up to Uncle Iroh’s legacy of the old and wise surrogate father figure. They’re both teaching valuable lessons a damaged and angry young warrior who isn’t quite ready to listen to these lessons. And we the audience end up learning a lot by default. Love them both!

I think you're right. He definitely intentionally almost stepped of that cliff to prove a point. I love words of wisdom, and how he teaches them with questions and actions. My favorite quote from him is "...an impurity in the right place is a quality." It really sums up the core of Mizu's character.

I've always thought that Sword Father is like a more serious version of Uncle Iroh from ATLA. He has a very similar relationship with Mizu that Iroh had with Zuko when he was trying to get him to stop trying to please his father and live for himself for a change 😊 loves and accepts you as you are and tries to make you see the better part of who you can be.

As a blind person working to become an educator, I love this character relationship.

You’re absolutely right Georgia. I understood it that Sword Father did that little fall on purpose to remind Mizu that her knee-jerk reaction is to care, and therefore she is more than the monster she has been convinced that she is- both by society, and herself, as a defense mechanism. And she must be more, or else her art will suffer.

Remember, in Shinto everything is considered to have a soul. A hunk of metal has a soul, a fire has a soul, even tea has a soul. A smith talking about what metal wants isn't unlike a priest in that specific context.

I'm curious, how alone sword father must feel himself. He's an amazing sword maker who didn't just master his craft but knows so much about life and people. He's not unaware of his own shortcomings either. So when Mizu misses the mark and doesn't understand what she's doing, there's nothing sword father can do other than let her go and make her own choices. As with all mentors, we can't force someone to understand. Painful in a way.

When my wife and I became parents we began to use the line from in flight safety "put on your own oxygen mask first." and swordfather's "mind our own soul" is very similar. You cannot help anyone if you aren't in a safe place yourself, and you may cause more harm than good.

Sword Father was a beacon of morality and wisdom. Great character.

I also think it was on purpose. Not just to point out we all make mistakes, but also to remind her that at her core is kindness, not a monster. She calls herself a demon and he forces her to reconsider because her instant reaction is to save an old blind man. 😭💖

“…then the demon takes two chairs.” That line hit me like a brick in so many ways. That episode, Nothing Unbroken, is the pinnacle of the show. Mizu’s process of bringing her whole self to make the sword is the most moving bit of storytelling I’ve witnessed in many years.

Fun fact: the voice actor for the swordsmith is none other than Cary Hiroyuki-Tagawa! It's Shang Tsung himself! When I heard his voice I assumed he would be a sinister, snake-in-the-grass kind of character, especially when he tries to kick Mizu out on the first day, but no, he pulled it off perfectly!

Swordfather has my favorite scenes in the entire show but he's also just so well written and acted. His calm wisdom and understanding. Everyone else judges Mizu by her appearance calling her a demon or a half breed but Swordfather doesn't. Even when Mizu tells him why everyone hates her. He turns her insecurities into a lesson on why what she and everyone else sees as a flaw, is really a strength and he's right. Because she's had to live her entire life with others treating her a certain way she's stronger because it. Her flaw has created strength. It's really cleaver writing that isn't super in your face 100% time holding your hand and explaining all the "subtle" messages to you like your a child. This show brings up the idea and let's you notice all the tiny details for yourself.

Great video, and I love Eiji as a character, and all the interactions he has with Mizu! @2:59 I think Master Eiji says he "knows [Mizu] is ugly" because Eiji scrutinizes all the customers who come to buy his swords and must have noticed some of their reactions to Mizu, even without seeing Mizu's face himself. I think he knows how OTHER people see/treat Mizu. Also, "What is ugly to me?" is SUCH a good diffusion of that stressful/traumatic idea. Creating a place of acceptance without denying the existence of the hurt. "...all evil dreams and angry words...may they all be drained of power"

I do love that quote: An artist gives all they have to the art, the whole. Your strengths and deficiencies. Your loves and shames. If you do not invite the whole, the demon takes 2 chairs and your art will suffer."

"There may be a demon in you, but there is more. If you do not invite the whole, the demon takes two chairs..." - my favorite quote by Sword-father. Reminds me "Strange case of Dr.Jekyll and Mr.Hyde". P.S. wrote BEFORE watching to the 12:56😅

AH this video is SO GOOD. I usually miss a ton of things, like quotes and lessons even, when I watch a series which is why im so grateful for these analysis videos. "Is it funny?" "Samurai needs hands." "Do they? As a swordmaker needs eyes?" and "I only know how to make swords. Each morning, I start a fire and begin again" Almost everything he says is great but man these got me

“We can only mind our own souls” is my favorite quote from swordfather and my favorite song on the soundtrack.

I didn't catch it at the time, but you're right! I do think Swordfather "slipped" on purpose. Such a beautiful character