[Gigglepud]

Hiii~

So I've been playing Saito Hajime of Hakuouki's route recently, and i came upon him saying this in chapter 8 (the rest is in spoiler tag due to the plot-related spoilers)

Spoiler  Hidden:

"If I was forced to choose between being a sword that's lost its master, and a warrior without a sword, and if both choices were right... Then I would choose to be a warrior without his sword. I would like to remain in Aizu"

He said this just before he parted ways with Hijikata, where Hijikata went North(?orwasiteastsouthorwest?) and Saito stayed at Aizu.
So I got really confused with this.

I thought he would have said a sword that's lost its master? In the sense that he would leave the Shinsegumi, but then I guess if he choose to not be a sword that's lost its master, then Aizu would be his master? But then there's all that talk about his sword being his soul, so he would rather be a warrior without his soul? And in that sense, does it mean he would rather be a warrior without Shinsengumi and Hijikata(in that case, meaning they're his soul) or just literally I'm going to use a gun to fight?

I'm just really curious as to what people think, as the relationships and bonds between the brother in arms of the Shinsengumi is so bittersweet and heartbreaking, yet one of my favourite.

Linkback: https://kokoro-cafe.net/index.php?topic=816.0

[Lilwyn]

Have you looked into Saito Past? Like how he joined the Shinsengumi and the reason he is the way he is? Better understanding is from watching Hakuoki Reimeiroko.

That being said, You have to understand that Saito is a strong willed person who has over come so many hardships in life. One of the few with a warriors spirit which is why he chose to fight beside Hijikata.

To fight for honor means everything to a samurai. To die an honorable death is the greatest thing one can achieve.

Spoiler  Hidden:

At this point in the story, the Shinsengumi have come to the understanding that they are no longer fighting for what is right. They have lost what it meant to fight for what is honorable. So instead of fighting this meaningless battle thats lost its honor long ago, Saito came to the decision  to stay in Aizu to maintain his honor as a warrior.

I believe his "sword" means hes lost his meaning to fight and all that he has left is his will as a warrior. So instead of tainting his warrior spirit, he chose to stay in Aizu as his last battle. For that would be a decision he made himself as a warrior and where he planned to die an honorable death before he continued to fight in something he no longer believed in.

When i say he no longer believes in i mean he no longer believes in the Shogunate  and i like to believe his warrior spirit is his will to fight for the Shinsengumi, the people he considered honorable.

I hope this made sense D: Im the worse when it come to putting my explanations into words for others.