Saito Shimaru's request for all viewerz: Please watch this program in a bright room and at a safe distance from your TVz.
Special Police Shinsengumi
It's the Third Squad! The Afro Squad is back!
In the Kabuki District,
they rounded up thirty-six men suspected of being radical Joi Rebels!
Captain Afuro's done it again!
The Shinsengumi's ace makes his triumphant return, huh?
Jeez...
Spare a thought for us, will you?
We'll lose all face if a newcomer does this well.
Chief.
This is the least that's expected of you.
Don't let it get to your head, Hashira.
Vice Chief...
Always the critic, Hijikata-san.
Hashira-san's exploits are a great wakeup call, you know?
Okita-dono.
All of our men want to be him.
Some of mine even want to transfer to the Third Squad.
No.
This is all thanks to the chief's leadership,
for giving a newcomer like me such a great opportunity.
It is because I have reliable comrades like yourself
that I can put myself in harm's way.
Hashira-san!
Let us keep working together, hand in hand.
We may have been born on different days,
but we will put our lives on the line and die on the same day.
We are comrades-in-arms, bound by loyalty and honor!
Yeah!
What a guy...
Hashira! Hashira!
Looks like we'd better be careful, too, Hijikata-san.
Edo is peaceful again today.
Are you kidding me?!
Afuro and Wolfro
What are you doing?! I thought you'd have given up on your infiltration long ago!
No, my wig!
Here's your "zura."
I'm not Zura. I'm Katsura!
You're behind enemy lines! Why are you fitting in and performing splendidly?!
Why does everyone in the Shinsengumi have an afro now?!
In order to unify the organization,
we unified our hairstyles, as well.
Why are you sorting out your enemy's organization?
You're no longer a Joi Rebel, are you?!
A great leader is a great leader, no matter which side he's on.
Sometimes, I get the sneaking feeling that this might've suited me better.
I'm not surprised, given you're selling out your comrades!
I only attacked heinous criminals who pretend to be Joi Rebels.
As if I would ever lose sight of my cause!
In order to destroy the Shinsengumi,
my plan initially was to take control of the Third Squad,
but Saito Shimaru proved to be a tough nut to crack.
He left no openings whatsoever.
And so, I changed plans.
I switched the Third Squad to a dual-leader system
to gain trust, as well as influence, by showing off my leadership skills.
And using that power, I'll get rid of that man,
Third Squad
and officially become the captain.
You've got your means and ends all mixed up.
What happened to destroying the Shinsengumi?
Rather than such trifling matters, dealing with that man comes first.
Now he's calling it trifling!
I've already prepared everything over the past month.
I took advantage of his unwavering reticence
to spread baseless rumors about his negligence and abuse of authority to indict him.
Tomorrow, Wolfro will be punished in adherence with the Shinsengumi Code.
How could this be?
In just one month, Saito-san's been driven into a corner.
Hey, Wolfro.
If you stay silent, you'll get executed.
The guy you were trying to be friends with was just that kind of man.
He used your inability to speak to frame you.
Get it now?
He cared about Zura that much?
I understand how you feel,
but this is no time to be talking about making friends.
The time has come to break your years of silence.
Only you can prove your innocence.
Speak up, Wolfro!
You can do it, right?
Zzz...
Can't wait for the execution tomorrow.
Gin-san?!
I never dreamed this day would come.
To think Shimaru would break the code...
Shimaru-niisan is easy to misunderstand because he doesn't speak.
Are you sure you're not overthinking this, Hashira-san?
I do wish I could trust him.
But I cannot distort the truth.
And while he's a long-serving comrade, does anyone truly know him?
Has anyone ever spoken to him?
We may have never conversed, but I believe I know his nature well.
This is a good opportunity. Let him speak up clearly for himself.
Were you listening to me, Hijikata-san?
Shimaru-niisan can't—
Um...
Not that I really care, but are you done yet?
You've been mumbling to one another this entire time.
Why don't we discuss this loud and clear?
He talked!
Captain Saito talked!
Wh-What's the meaning of this, Shimaru?
What do you mean?
Did you really think I'd keep silent with my life on the line?
Are you serious?
I'm on trial here. The mysterious, silent personality can go to hell.
I'm not that fixated on my character.
Seriously, Chief. Are you serious?
Hey!
The dam broke! Words are flooding out of his mouth!
Wait, am I not allowed to speak?
Can I leave, then?
My perm's giving out, so I'd like to go get it touched up.
That's how he talks?
I'm kinda shocked.
Impossible!
He opened his mouth now, of all times?
Did he pathetically cast his character aside in a bid to cling to his life?
Listen up.
I'll talk in your stead through a mic and speaker.
If you don't want to die,
match what I'm saying and wave your hands around as if you're the one talking.
Gin-san...
Will this really get him through the trial?
I wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he died here.
Fortunately, his mouth is hidden,
and there's hardly anyone who's ever heard his voice.
If Conan can get away with it, so can we.
Gin-san, you're talking into the mic.
Saito-dono, what was that you just said?!
As I thought, you are hiding something bad!
N-Non, non!
I was talking about the culprits in Conan, 'kay?
They're pretty obvious each episode, 'kay?
There's a characteristic Conan villain face, 'kay?
What's with the "kay"?!
Why'd your speech suddenly get so stilted?!
Hey, Saito!
You are hiding something, aren't you?
Oh, wrong!
I keeping it secret, but I actually foreigner.
Sushi, geisha, sumo,
Japanimation awesome!
Conan awesome!
R-Really?!
Is that why you never talked? You didn't understand the language?
Uh, wasn't he speaking perfect Japanese earlier?
We managed to cover it up!
But now we'll have to play a foreigner character.
What have you done, Kagura-chan?
So which country are you from, exactly?
H-Hey! Which nationality do we go with?
If it's too clichéd, they'll find out.
But something obscure could cause problems down the line!
What nationality is that?!
His upper and lower halves are in completely different states!
Nobody asked you to do that, Saito-san!
O-One more, please.
I don't understand.
His hearing suddenly got worse.
I'm asking you what your motherland is.
I don't understand.
Your birthplace, damn it!
I don't understand.
If you don't answer this time, you'll be executed.
Where are you from?!
I Don't Understand Republic.
That was the country name?!
I've never heard of the Republic of I Don't Understand!
Well, even if we say our country name, people don't understand,
so it's only natural that you don't know.
What does that mean?
Is it a name that I wouldn't understand, or is the name "I Don't Understand"?
Give it a rest already.
I don't understand you, rotten vice chief.
You meant that one, didn't you?!
Apologies.
In my country, "rotten vice chief" is just how we end sentences.
I wasn't implying anything, rotten vice chief.
I'm sensing nothing but implications!
Then we should follow suit, rotten vice chief.
You guys don't have to join in!
I guess we have no choice,
rotten vice chief.
You totally directed that at the "rotten vice chief," didn't you?!
Don't play dumb, Saito-dono.
You're no foreigner, rotten vice chief!
You don't have to add "rotten vice chief" if he's not a foreigner!
This man abused his investigative authority
to purge and get rid of anyone who could harm him,
rotten vice chief!
I get it. You all want to be executed, right?
And I'm no exception.
Didn't you see him try to kill me, back when I joined?
He did pick a fight all of a sudden.
Is it true, Shimaru?
That's right.
My job is to purge traitors,
so I can't let a rat that sneaked in run free.
Isn't that right, Katsura-san?
K-Katsura?!
We're all wearing "katsura." Who do you mean?
Not those!
That man is Katsura Kotaro, and he's infiltrated the Shinsengumi to destroy it!
K-Katsura?!
Shimaru-niisan.
Hashira Katsura
This is Katsura,
and this is Hashira.
Understand?
Let's write them down ten times each.
Oh, f**k you!
Hey!
Due to the foreigner shtick, they wrote it off as a simple misreading!
You don't have to write it down, Saito-san!
Quit making light of me.
Ogura Katsura
I can differentiate between the two myself.
Shimaru-niisan, those are both katsuras.
What the hell are you writing down?!
Wait, wait. Calm down, you two.
Your arguments are too abstract for me to make a judgment.
Don't you have any evidence that proves your innocence?
I have proof that I was actually conducting investigations.
Investigation Diary
This Investigation Diary.
It contains records of my daily work.
For instance, on this day...
MM/DD.
I heard noises coming from the mess late at night, so I went to see with my own eyez.
What's with the Z?
In the end, which is your actual speech pattern?
Your character's all over the place!
Lately, food has been going missing from the fridge again and again.
I must purge the culprit behind thiz.
I saw nothing, yez.
What happened?!
You totally saw something! What did you see?
Who was breaking the rules?!
Th-That's enough.
It's clear that you were doing your job well.
He wasn't!
He let the culprit go!
And on this day...
I'm telling you, that's enough.
MM/DD.
I hear noises from the mezz.
Lately, the vice chief has suffered from diarrhea multiple timez.
Hey, why was Toshi suffering from diarrhea?
The mayonnaise yesterday might've been spoiled, is my guezz.
What do you mean, the mayonnaise yesterday?
Toshi, don't tell me you...
Should've replaced it with fresh mayonnaize.
I saw nothing, yez.
Seriously, what happened?!
Shimaru-niisan,
you're innocent.
You're not innocent, are you?!
And on this day...
MM/DD.
I hear noises from the mezz.
Er...
I just have to make a slit here, right?
It's not working.
The chief was standing there naked, cooking thingz.
The next day at lunch, the mess served konjac with some weird slitz.
But everyone relished it—
I shall hereby hand down the verdict.
Saito Shimaru is judged not guilty.
The court is now adjourned!
Are you kidding?!
What the hell did you do with the konjac, Chief?!
Don't tell me the konjac that day was...
Damn Wolfro.
I never thought he'd use the dirt he'd uncovered in his investigations
to get more people on his side.
I never imagined he was such a scheming man!
Listen up, men!
What just happened proves Saito's wrongdoings beyond a shadow of a doubt!
Under the pretext of internal investigation, he uncovered dirt on our troops,
and as you just saw, he even controlled the top brass!
Chief,
please order the purge of this traitor!
C-Calm down, Hashira-san.
I cannot!
We don't know for sure that Shimaru's a traitor.
Then order him
to purge the traitor, too.
Toshi?
I'm sick of listening to all this prattle.
Everyone here is prepared to live and die by the sword.
If you've got something to say, say it with your sword.
Isn't that what the Shinsengumi is all about?
Interesting.
Let's settle our unfinished fight right here and now.
W-Wait!
This is bad, Gin-san.
Saito-san's stuck on the defensive!
What's he doing?
The one who would be my friend was Hashira Afuro, no one elz.
Is he...
What are you doing, Gin-chan? Gimme that!
We need to hurry up and give him some lines.
He's still keeping the promise to match his actions to what we say.
That's why he's not fighting back?
He's waiting for our lines? Is he stupid?
Just gimme that already!
Mwahaha, Hashira, is that all your sword's capable of?
It's so slow, a fly could land on it, 'kay?
You won't cut me or a fly with skill like that, kay?!
He finally moved.
Just watch. It's my turn now.
Not your turn to cut flies!
He completely misinterpreted the lines!
Oh, apologies.
I mistook you for a large fly.
In my eyes, you're not much different from a fly.
You dare insult me to that extent?!
Get ready. It's your turn next.
Not your turn to cut flies!
Why are you participating in the game, too?
I win. I cut down three flies.
What the hell are you guys competing over?!
Now that the annoying flies have been dealt with,
it's time to get serious.
Time to put you away.
Let's bury it here.
What are you guys putting away?!
It wouldn't do for either of us to step on poop while fighting.
Or so I say to mislead him, and then...
You left a gaping hole at your back, Saito!
Oh, no! It was a trap!
Saito-san!
Too bad.
You're the one who left a gaping hole!
This does seem to be a wider and easier hole to bury the poop in.
Your brain is what's a gaping hole!
Or so I say, and then...
You're the one getting buried, Saito!
Now's his chance!
You fell for my trap, Hashira!
Eat this...
Afro-style Ultimate technique, Z Slash!
Afro-style Ultimate technique Z Slash
Uh, he's looking this way.
Looks like he doesn't know how to use the Z Slash.
Eat this... Z Slash!
Nope, not working.
And what's a Z Slash?
Did you talk to him about this beforehand?
A Z Slash is just a Z Slash.
You need to explain it to him in simpler terms!
The Z Slash is a technique where I hit my opponent with a Z-shaped slash.
Can you dodge it? Z Slash!
There's no way he can use it!
The enemy will know what's coming before he even uses it!
Then eat this... Z Wave!
Wait, what's a Z Wave?
Then eat this... Z Kai!
Z Kai
Pick one! What the hell is Z Kai?!
The Z Kai is a Z state of mind where one is freed from all worldly desires!
Zzz...
He's already using it!
The ultimate move nonsense took so long, he's entered Z Kai already!
This is bad! He's wide open!
Th-This is Z Kai?!
He looks like he's sleeping,
but he's actually in a blank stance that can swallow up any attack?!
He's reading too much into it!
Come at me from wherever.
Even with my eyes closed,
I can see your next move.
It really does look like it!
I can't! He seems full of openings, but there actually aren't any!
There's nothing but openings!
In that case,
this is my only option!
Why?!
Why are you entering Z Kai?!
So that's a battle between masters?
They're so quiet, it's almost like they're sleeping.
No, they really are in dreamland!
What's with this battle? How are they gonna determine the victor?!
No good. I can't sleep.
Well, duh! This is a battlefield!
I guess I'll have to Z Kai, too.
Z Kai
Your Z Kai is taking off your wig?!
Z (Zura) Kai
Excellent. Now I can reach the Z state of mind.
Looks like I can have some sweet Zs.
Is that so? Glad to hear it.
Then why don't you stay in Z Kai forever...
Zura.
Saito!
How dare you expose me when I was this close to taking over the Shinsengumi?
Didn't you just dig your own grave?!
But I had a Plan B prepared for this moment!
As if Elizabeth could ever be tamed by the likes of you!
Katsura-san, everything's ready.
While you were distracted by me,
I had bombs placed all over the station!
The moment I press this detonation switch,
all your hard work will be laid to waste, along with this station!
Saito-san moved on his own, without any lines!
Looks like our words aren't needed anymore.
Did you find the words to say to him, Wolfro?
Let's go, Elizabeth.
Shimaru, leave the bombs to us!
Go after him!
Go after the traitor!
You are the Third Squad Captain!
"To Odd Jobs.
Thank you for helping me face up to the problem I'd been carrying for yearz.
While I tried everything I could,
it really does look like it's impossible for me to converse freely with otherz.
But unlike before, I no longer consider it a source of sadnezz.
There have been very few times that I've spoken to anyone,
but there are plenty of people with whom I've crossed swordz.
At times comrades, at times enemies...
I've fought them with my raw feelings poured into my sword,
free from the shackles of wordz.
Looking back on it now, that very battlefield
might've been the perfect locale for conversation in my eyez.
So I've decided to never again run from battlefieldz.
Even if I have to use my sword to cut down comrades who break the code...
Even if I have to use my sword to cut down the first person
Hashira Afuro Z Boop Beep Bam Boom Chaka Boom Beep Boop Bow Boom Shakalaka - Prince of Cannock's Theme
I ever thought would be my friend,
the sounds of our swords clashing are the only words I can offer them.
The only words the Captain of the Shinsengumi Third Squad, the 'Silent Squad,'
Saito Shimaru, can offer them."
You can't chase after me with that leg.
But now my plan's a bust, too.
Another draw, huh?
Hey, Shimaru.
It looks like you prevented Katsura from detonating the bombs,
but an extra-large time bomb is still functioning.
There's a whole bunch of wires, and we don't know which to cut.
Catch him and make him spill the beans.
Cut all the wires except Z.
Cutting Z down is my job.
I swear to kill you with my own hands, Z!
Until then, do your best to keep your afro prim and proper!
Farewell!
Hey, Shimaru!
Hurry up, there's no time.
There's A to Z. Which should we cut?
Hey, Shimaru, you listening to me?!
Zzz...
All right! Cut Z!
In the end, we're still afros!
Saito Shimaru can offer them. Hashira Afuro Z Odd Jobz
Take the Initial Premise Lightly, and It'll Cost You
Next Episode: "Take the Initial Premise Lightly, and It'll Cost You."
Fall's hitting its stride now.
Mornings and nights are getting a lot chillier.
Come to think of it, this summer was pretty hot.
Even though they predicted it'd be a cool summer.