Ep. 9: Young Heizou faces identity crisis and moral compromise with Samanosuke

9

During his youth, Heizou was known as Tetsusaburo when Jyubei Matsuoka visited the Takasugi Dojo for training. Later, Heizou returns home to find his father’s legal wife, Hatsu, insulting him by calling him an illegitimate child. Feeling dispirited by this rejection, Heizou agrees to participate in a robbery alongside his best friend, Samanosuke. This sequence of events highlights the conflict between his past identity and current family dynamics, leading him to make questionable choices under emotional distress. The narrative connects his earlier training experiences with his present struggles, illustrating how personal rejection influences his decision to engage in criminal activity with a close companion.