Primis Takeo Masaki: This realm may have been corrupted and consumed by evil, but we possess the power to change things. A better tomorrow is only possible if we blow away the ashes of the past. [offers his Ultimis counterpart a katana]
Ultimis Takeo Masaki: None of us choose the means by which mercy will find us. [takes the katana] ...But I am at peace. I understand what must be done. ...Will you be my kaishakunin?
Primis Takeo Masaki: ...It is my honor.
Ultimis Takeo Masaki: None of us choose the means by which mercy will find us. [takes the katana] ...But I am at peace. I understand what must be done. ...Will you be my kaishakunin?
Primis Takeo Masaki: ...It is my honor.
— Call of Duty: Zombies, "Zetsubou no Shima"
"The downside to any code of honor is what happens when you step out of bounds, even if it was unintentional. Samurai had to invent the practice of seppuku (ritual suicide via cutting your own guts out) to account for fuck ups in the day to day life of being an aristocratic, ass kicking machine.
Warriors could not be shamed by falling into enemy hands, so any time a battle went awry and a warrior was going to be taken captive, the answer was to spill his own intestines. If the warrior had the time to perform the full ritual, he would bathe, dress in white robes, eat a meal then pull out a knife and slice his guts open from left to right. If he was in a hurry, like on the battlefield, he'd have to settle for a Snickers or whatever was handy, then gut himself on the spot.
Seppuku wasn't just a means of escaping capture, it was also a punishment for pretty much any major infraction committed by a samurai, and was used to redeem lost honor. In the 1860s, French sailors entered a Japanese town unannounced and caused a ruckus as Frenchmen are wont to do. Samurai warriors came to escort them out, but a fight broke out and the sailors were all killed. This pissed off the French who demanded something be done about it. Then, in a move they totally didn't expect, the men responsible committed seppuku, which freaked the French representative out so badly he requested the ritual be stopped and the remaining men spared."
Warriors could not be shamed by falling into enemy hands, so any time a battle went awry and a warrior was going to be taken captive, the answer was to spill his own intestines. If the warrior had the time to perform the full ritual, he would bathe, dress in white robes, eat a meal then pull out a knife and slice his guts open from left to right. If he was in a hurry, like on the battlefield, he'd have to settle for a Snickers or whatever was handy, then gut himself on the spot.
Seppuku wasn't just a means of escaping capture, it was also a punishment for pretty much any major infraction committed by a samurai, and was used to redeem lost honor. In the 1860s, French sailors entered a Japanese town unannounced and caused a ruckus as Frenchmen are wont to do. Samurai warriors came to escort them out, but a fight broke out and the sailors were all killed. This pissed off the French who demanded something be done about it. Then, in a move they totally didn't expect, the men responsible committed seppuku, which freaked the French representative out so badly he requested the ritual be stopped and the remaining men spared."
— Cracked
"I cannot fall into the hands of an enemy, so I— (stabs himself) — fulfill a samurai's... final duty!"
— Ryoma, Fire Emblem Fates (Conquest)
Jack's subconscious: Who cares anymore?! There's no way home! There's nothing to fight for! There's no more honor! Come to think of it, the only honorable thing to do is—
Jack: Quiet!
Jack's subconscious: NO! I WON'T SPEND ETERNITY IN THIS FORSAKEN TIME!
Jack: Quiet!
Jack's subconscious: NO! I WON'T SPEND ETERNITY IN THIS FORSAKEN TIME!
— Samurai Jack, "Episode XCIII"
"For the disgrace of failure, he will rip his abdomen... kill himself. So will I. We call it hari-kari."
— Japanese Ambassador, Red Sun
"To lose to a mere apprentice... I have been disgraced! Only death can remove this stain upon my honor."
— Sir Gawain, Sonic and the Black Knight
