Basara Vol 24
Interesting role reversal here: Shuri, the alpha male hero, is cast in the role of the weak damsel, while Sarasa, the tiny shoujo heroine, leaves him behind to save the day, telling him to stay safe, and in battle, it’s Shuri who has to be protected by the sidekick. There have been elements of that before, with Sarasa leaving Shuri behind to go off and do the hero thing, but never something so distinct. Shuri is also given the standard heroine role of throwing oneself between the hero and an ally who are about to fight to the death. Of course, the only reason Shuri isn’t the one doing the fighting is because he can’t, but it does a good job of reminding us that the book is Sarasa’s story, not his.
Meanwhile, Kiku, who has always been the one to invent things and plan, but not to fight, is put in the position of defeating two superior warriors, using her brains and average fighting skill, with her own alpha male, O-Ichi, respecting her request (grudgingly) to sit things out while she takes care of things…the typical scenario for your average fight in manga, but with the gender roles reversed.
Asagi, the untrustworthy plotter, finally reveals his (unsurprising) true colors by showing that he realizes what Shuri never has…that for Tatara’s dream to succeed, the royal family has to be destroyed. Not, as Shuri wants, to simply overthrow King Ukon and put Tatara in power, but to make it clear that Tatara is the best, and only, choice by completely destroying the family’s name. Even when Ginko (Note: true villain behind it all? Woman in the wheelchair) calls his own identity and everything he’s ever taken for granted into question, he doesn’t waver from that. Pity, though, that now he’ll never know if he really is the Blue King, or just an abandoned baby. (Note: I am still saddened that Yumi Tamura never followed up on the possibility she raised early on the Asagi and Ageha could be brothers.)
And finally, Ageha, who has always claimed to avoid involvement and that nothing is worth giving his life up for, is fighting even harder for Tatara from underneath the castle, with no one around to appreciate it, having come to a realization that sums up his entire life:
Having something worth dying for is never the same as willingness to die.