| 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 eye Samurai with a scar over his right eye and appears to be middle aged and has black hair and usually wears his kimono open. Sword Master was once a good friend of Afro's Father and was in fact from the same clan of Swordsman as Rokutaro and Justice.
History
Sword Master first finds Afro when out with Jinnosuke and Otsuru when Jinno see's Afro wounded from an ambush by some thugs earlier. Initially Sword Master believes the young Afro to be dead till Afro moves, then Sword Master and Jinno take Afro back to the Dojo where he will spend his childhood. Sword Master gives Afro a beating when he first ask's him about the Headbands claiming they are legend and don't exist stating that as Men we are put on this Earth to live not to kill. Years later when Afro is older he learns that a Sword Master has the Number 2 Headband when he and Jinno are told the rumor by a street vendor after the Sword Master was attacked by someone seeking the Number 2.
During Afro's graduation along with the rest of the students,Afro ask Sword Master if he is the Number 2 he tells Afro to meet him at The Bodhi Tree just after Midnight. At the Bodhi tree Sword Master reveals he had meant to take the secret of the Number 2 Headband to the Grave but is now forced to reveal himself as the Number 2, he then gives Afro a choice give up revenge and lead a normal life or fight him to the death & choose to walk the path of the Number 2 but warns that if Afro does walk the path of the Number 2 he would know only pain and suffering and know no friend, no love and no Joy only the murderous violence and pain that the Number 2 incites in every man who seeks the Number 1 but before Afro decides the Dojo's student's arrive and see Sword Master with his Sword drawn and standing with Afro. Just after the Students arrive a very large group of assassin's and thugs arrive wielding various weapons and Seeking the Number 2 Headband, Sword Master order's Jinno to take everyone and run and tells Afro to watch and see what it mean's to be the Number 2 and walk that path and then runs towards the thugs.
Sword Master begins killing the thugs with his superior Sword skills but their numbers prove too much and he is wounded repeatedly while fighting Afro Watches as he told him but Jinno seeing his Master being Attacked leads several of the students to aid their Master Sword Master who angrily tells them not to interfere. As Sword Master kills a large number of warriors with an attack that cleanly slices through them in various poses he see's his students being attacked but before he can help him he is surrounded again. Afro watches on but when one of the students is killed he rushes forward to aid the rest of the students and when Jinno is run through by two swords and slashed across the chest Afro attempts to save him but fails and see's Jinno wounded and dying. Sword Master call's out to Afro telling him he has made his choice Jinno pleads with Afro not to kill Sword Master but Afro rushes forward and Sword Master raises his Sword and closes his eye before being killed by Afro.
Since Sword Master was a member of the same clan of Swordsmen as Justice and Afro's Father plus being one of Afro's Father's Friends it is safe to assume he knew his wishes and also explains his views on the world and his hatred of the Headbands that cost him his friend Rokutaro he may also have been a friend of Justice since Justice was once a friend to Afro's Father which may have also contributed to his hatred towards the Headbands since Justice killed Rokutaro because he desired the Number 1 Headband.
Video Game
Sword Master is fought in the Afro Samurai videogame where alongside Afro he Fights off the wave's of thugs and assassin's before Afro himself fights him, also in the game he hides the Number 2 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 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 2 not a street vendor.
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 warrior's surrounding him and was beloved by the students like a father.
He may had allow Afro to kill him to show Afro that he's alone.