Nightshade – Chojiro ~ Plot & Character Analysis

Well, for my second playthrough of Nightshade, I decided to just get through a character I didn’t really think I would like. Knock him out and continue on with characters I was more interested in. I have to say, Nightshade’s Saito Hajime Chojiro surprised me.

I didn’t dislike him.

As always, character and plot analysis and spoilers after the cut!

Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t dislike Hakuouki’s Saito. He’s a good guy, who I appreciate as a side character. I just find him supremely boring, due to his being driven by duty and lack of communication.

With Chojiro being billed as the same type of character (duty bound and stoic) and sharing the same VA as Saito (Kohsuke Toriumi) who voices both characters in the exact same way, I was expecting reading a route with Saito 2.0 as the hero. 

Thankfully that was not the case. I actually liked Chojiro. For the most part.

Chojiro is everything you want in a shinobi teacher. He’s highly skilled, highly intelligent, highly controlled, highly dependable. And due to traumas of his past, he puts his role as a shinobi above all else, making him the perfect tool for following orders. He tries to live his life devoid of any emotional attachments due to horrific childhood trauma mentioned above. He’s stoic but allows his students to create emotional attachments with each other.

And that’s his problem.

Deep down, Chojiro cares deeply for his students, Enju in particular. While he may never show his emotions, Chojiro can’t help but let his students foster relationships with each other. He neglected the “ruthless” aspect of his student’s training, because he cared about them in his own way. Especially Enju.

Early in the common route, he tells Enju that she needs to learn to steel her heart. That is something, as a shinobi, should have been trained into her. But see, Chojiro is not heartless. He has a great capacity to love. He’s just tried to lock his heart away with logic and reasoning, but in the end he can’t. He still craves human connection. He lets his students care, which in turn, allows him to care for them in his own way.

The common route follows along with the shinobi group: Chojiro, Gekkamaru, Kuroyuki, Ennosuke, Kyara, and Enju (Kasumi joins later when the group needs a cook). They’re all happy to be together on this adventure, telling jokes and stories and excited for Enju’s first mission. Enju of course could never imagine having to fight against her friends, who are essentially her family. It’s the ideal picture of the surrogate family that Chojiro has created for himself.

And then all hell breaks loose.

Of course, as the reader, you know that all this bonding and Enju’s thoughts of never fighting her friends, could be totally decimated. And in Chojiro’s route it is.

I sat there reading their common route traveling scenes and just shaking my head at these characters. You know that this world is only this perfect until one of them has to murder the other. That is the world of the shinobi. You get a mission to murder someone. You carry it out. No questions asked. So, as I’m reading these scenes, I found myself questioning, how do you even count on these friendships? Are they even real? Are these the epitome of fine-weathered friends? How can you trust someone that will kill you at a moment’s notice at the order of their superior?

As for Enju, she had never allowed herself to think these things. Chojiro believing it was a peaceful era with “no real conflicts” allowed him to shelter his students from the sad reality of the shinobi lifestyle.

Enju had the technical skill to fight. She had strengthened and conditioned her body. She had learned the tips and tricks to be sneaky and move at night. She had learned to survive off the land, and make medicines from herbs she could find in the wild. She had learned every practical skill she could (except for real experience, which she was gaining on this mission). But she had never been taught to steel her heart against the painful realties and expectations of a shinobi: you murder at will for your master.

Enju loved completely. She trusted completely. She believed in Chojiro completely.

And Chojiro loved this about Enju. And he tried to protect this about his beloved student.

And everything was working out for Chojiro until Enju became a wanted criminal for murdering the emperor.

Then roller coaster of death began.

The initial climb wasn’t too horrendous. I LOVED the scenes of Gekkamaru and Goemon escorting Enju through the woods. Unashamedly, I will admit that Gekkamaru and Goemon are my two favorite characters! And the scene where Goemon asks Enju to abandon Gekkamaru in the woods and go off with him, had me playfully scolding Goemon that this wasn’t even his route. Of course, Enju would never abandon Gekkamaru in the woods (he’d find her in a matter of minutes regardless), but I was sorely tempted by Goemon to abandon Chojiro as the hero! HA.

And that’s part of the problem with this route.

Where the hell is Chojiro? Why is Enju being seduced and charmed by two other men in his route?

Because Chojiro’s off trying to talk himself and everyone else into murdering Enju and Gekkamaru. And because he succeeds in convincing Ennosuke, Kyara, and Kasumi (the government will destroy their village if they do not fulfill the mission) to go after Enju and Gekkamaru, there is one of the most tragic scenes in the entire game.

This is the one scene where Enju got on my nerves. Like I get it. She never really believed that her former friends would try to murder her.  Chojiro, himself, had assured Enju she lived in a more peaceful time, where “hopefully” this kind of conflict would never be necessary. She was never trained by her teacher (Chojiro *cough*) to be prepared for this kind of situation. I mean, Enju always knew, as a shinobi, going up against her friends would be a possibility, but knowing something mentally and being prepared to live it out and do it are two completely different things!

We learned in Goemon’s route that his shinobi training was brutal. Absolutely terrible. Enju’s training was a walk in the park, compared to what Goemon experienced. And why? Because Goemon’s trainers were creating highly competent, RUTHLESS shinobi. This is the kind of training, Enju never received. Chojiro always protected Enju’s heart, soul, and mind.

So where does that leave her? She has an emotional breakdown as she’s watches Ennosuke and Kyara fight to the death against Kuroyuki (a highly-questionable young man who shows up to protect Enju) and Gekkamaru.  DEAR HEAVENS, Girl! You are watching Kuroyuki and Gekkamaru fight to the death to protect you from people who are hell bent on murdering you and you just watch?

Where was Enju’s resolute spirit she showed when she faced down Chojiro as adversaries earlier in the route? She fought him one as one as equals. She calmly did the best she could and then accepted death when Chojiro pinned her to the ground and tried to suffocate her with his own hands? Loving and believing in her beloved teacher until the very end.

I assume the writers were trying to demonstrate how selfless Enju was? Like she could handle being murdered by her teacher, but not being the cause of death of her friends and that caused her to shut down? I understand what they are trying to do. But showing us a resolute Enju, only to follow that with an emotional breakdown is what makes her inaction in this scene so frustrating! We remember how composed she was a few scenes earlier in the route when she faced off with Chojiro.

And something else I find aggravating in this scene is that Ennosuke (who is now permanently dead to me after murdering Gekkamaru) and Kyara (you’re on my never trust again list, too) are fighting to the death to murder Enju after Chojiro tried once and failed.

Earlier in the route, Chojiro goes on about the duty of a shinobi, and how murdering your dearest friends is a part of the job. He basically tells his students that if you don’t take on this task (murdering Enju and Gekkamaru), he will gut them right there. Chojiro says all this. But when the time comes and he has the opportunity, he can’t go through with it (because he loves Enju, obviously, and Enju’s resolute spirit moves him). Yet, Ennosuke and Kyara never get to see their teacher’s hesitation, which I just find so tragic. Chojiro’s forcing of this mission, earlier in the route, is what lead to the death of his students in this scene.

And where is Goemon you ask during the death match scene? He never came back after talking with Hanzo for…plot reasons? I mean his disappearance does fit in with his characterization of being a carefree flirt (notice how he disappears after Enju rejects his advances and he realizes that Enju and Chojiro have feelings for each other). Goemon does mention that he sticks around as long as he is interested in what’s happening around him. Once he loses interest he leaves. I think I found his abrupt departure a little strange because he is immediately replaced by Kuroyuki. The writers were setting up the group of four (Gekkamaru, Kuroyuki, Ennosuke, and Kyara) for this death match confrontation and Goemon did not have a role in this fight. And I would argue that you notice. Goemon’s abrupt departure did not feel organic to me.

I played Goemon’s route first, and his whole philosophy was about being strategic and planning ahead. How I missed him in this route. The whole time Chojiro is accepting the Enju/Gekkamaru death mission and forcing his students forward, I wanted to ask, “Isn’t there a different way to handle this situation?” Couldn’t we find another way out of this?

And No. Because the hero in this route is Chojiro. And Chojiro follows orders to the letter.

Until he doesn’t. Because our man nearly loses everything.

Chojiro, with the help of Enju, has to bury his students. He has to watch as Enju weeps over the graves of her friends.  And even with this pain, when Enju asks Chojiro when he plans on killing her he says, “Not right now.” Chojiro is still internally fighting over what is important to him. WAKE UP, MAN!!!

After the scene is over, Chojiro, Enju and Kasumi (who has fallen in with some shady characters), regroup and try to recover the best they can. Poor Kasumi is traumatized by what she witnessed and won’t speak. She just screams when she sleeps due to nightmares. Later our poor girl is murdered by poisonous needles from a group of meddling shinobi. I really feel this sweet girl deserved better.  

Enju is handling everything better than Kasumi, but feeling incredibly guilty. She is shouldering the death of all her friends and feels their deaths are her fault. LIKE NO. I wanted to jump into the game and give Enju a hug. I wanted to tell her that her friends made their own choices, and she is not responsible for the decisions they made.

Eventually, Kasumi lets it slip about the threat to the village, Enju can’t take it anymore. She runs off to her friends’ grave to commit suicide.  And what does Chojiro do? He could let Enju commit suicide, and take her dead body to the Five Elders. His task would be complete. Albeit, not by his own hand, but the result of a dead Enju would still be the same. He would save the village, and fulfill his duty.

But Chojiro doesn’t do that.

Chojiro stops Enju from killing herself. He finally understands that something means more to him than duty. Being a shinobi means everything to Enju and Chojiro. They go as far as to believe that to not live as a shinobi means death to them. And they recognize that belief within each other. However. Chojiro finally admits to Enju that he just couldn’t make himself murder her, and it was their time together in the village that made the difference. Even at the expense of his devotion to the life of a shinobi and following orders, Chojiro finally can admit that something means more to him than his role of a shinobi.  He can finally admit that he is human above everything else. He asks Enju to stay with him. The two of them hug, and comfort each other in their grief. Chojiro has shared his heart, and Enju can accept that she is not alone and that her life means something to her stoic teacher. They need each other to move forward.  

More plot stuff happens, and Chojiro and Enju find themselves on the path to Kyo, with a shinobi Hanzo keeping a watchful eye from the shadows. While neither of them wants to return to Kyo, Chojiro found himself wounded from the same needles that killed Kasumi. And Chojiro needs more of the antidote. As they travel, they are dealing with the reality this might be their last days together. They do not know what will happen to them once they reach Kyo, and both are worried about the future. Unlike the past, where they blindly followed orders, both of them are questioning the orders. They both don’t want to return to Kyo, they want something else for themselves. They want to support each other. They want to hold each other’s hand through this life. Sadly, they don’t feel they have much of a choice in heading to Kyo, because Chojiro needs the antidote.   

The twist is that the bastard emperor is still alive. And Enju’s horrible father is in on the emperor’s act. The sick emperor wants to entertain himself with a death match between Enju and Chojiro.

Chojiro sneaks into Enju’s room (is he breaking the rules…? Cue giddy smiles) and is surprisingly romantic. I won’t lie. The scene made me sigh and smile, like a love sick fool. He basically tells Enju that he refuses to kill her (look at our man NOT following orders! Personal growth!) and that she’ll be the one to live. Enju doesn’t want to live without Chojiro, but she drops the topic. Chojiro and Enju finally admit their feelings. They love each other whole-heartedly, yet they are unwilling disregard the expectations as shinobi and disobey the demands of their superiors. The two sleep by each other’s side until morning.  

The next morning Death Match: The Sequel begins, with Enju and Chojiro fighting half-heartedly. FINALLY, Enju says “to hell with this,” and drops her weapons and throws herself at Chojiro, who catches her. They are going to attempt to escape together!

WORDS CANNOT EXPLAIN HOW HAPPY I WAS!  Our two leads, are FINALLY doing something for themselves. They are throwing off the demands and expectations of others and trying to survive their own way. Very un-shinobi like.

And guess who shows up! GOEMON! Like where the hell have you been? I’m not even going to question the improbability of his appearance. I’m just glad you’re here and helping!

And THEN guess who shows up! KUROYUKI! Who was not dead! Once again, I’m not going to question…but, like really…where the hell were you? Oh, well. Kuroyuki takes care of Enju’s horrible father. This allows Enju and Chojiro to escape. Once again. I will not question.

And then the route kind of ends.

I mean, we get some very romantic Chojiro moments (It’s almost like whiplash. Is this the same man?), and he and Enju are happy together. To me the best line was when Chojiro said he no longer wanted to live as a shinobi but as a man. I was so happy for him. I want him to find happiness and to feel things and experience life. The closed off man has learned to express his love for Enju, and Enju gets to love and trust the man who has always meant so much to her. A lovely ending.

Except.

What happened to Goemon and Kuroyuki? There was absolutely no closure with their involvement. Did they live? Did they die? We just don’t know. And I find that annoying.   

-Final Thoughts-

Overall, I found Chojiro to be an average hero for me. I didn’t love him, I didn’t hate him. No big strong feelings from me. He made the progression from closed off, tool of death to an affectionate, loving future husband for Enju. Is this progression a little unrealistic? I mean, yeah, with this fast of a timeline. Really, Chojiro would need years of therapy. But this is an otome game, and I try not to let reality get in the way of a good story. In the end, I was happy for Chojiro and Enju. I did swoon a bit, once Chojiro embraced his love and started flirting with Enju. This closed off man had years to make up for, and once his heart was opened, the affection just kept pouring out. You couldn’t stop him! And I wouldn’t have it any other way. And it was this open, affectionate side that endeared me to stoic Chojiro, whereas Silent Saito stayed…well, silent.  

I kind of feel like Enju didn’t change or grow much during the route. She loved, trusted, and believed in Chojiro from the very beginning, and she loved, trusted, and believed in Chojiro at the end. I mean, yes, throughout the story she experienced unbelievable trauma. But I don’t really feel like the trauma she experienced changed her one way or another. From the beginning, she was not emotionally or mentally ready to be a shinobi and, by the end, she was not emotionally or mentally ready to be a shinobi. Enju and Chojiro made the right decision to walk away from that life and live peacefully. I guess you could say she went from always wanting to be a shinobi, to no longer desiring that life. Which, admittedly for her, was a big change, but I feel like the decision was based more on Chojiro, and she didn’t really come to the decision herself. I really feel her character arc was not the focus of this route. A majority of the personal growth focus was on Chojiro. I really feel like it was his story.

The route itself was average for me as well. Some parts of it I really liked. Like the romantic scenes with Chojiro, where he really opens up and is affectionate, the banter between Goemon and Gekkamaru, Enju’s constant belief, support, and love for Chojiro, and how at the end, all of Chojiro’s childhood friends came out to help him. It was nice to see Chojiro have some support after years of him closing himself off.

I didn’t like how Chojiro was missing for half of his route, because it forced a bulk of Enju’s and Chojiro’s relationship to be built on flashbacks. I also didn’t like the inflexibility of solving the conflict in the route. And I know part of that was because of Chojiro’s established rigid character. But there were times, when I just got frustrated with the results of character decision making. I wanted to beg the characters to try thinking outside of the box, and to look at the bigger picture. Goemon was the only character who encouraged that kind of thinking (and who’s route was this again?), having talks with both Enju and Chojiro separately that drove them to think differently about their situation and about each other.  Also, I thought it was extremely convenient that Goemon and Kuroyuki showed up at the end with no buildup of that part of the storyline, and then how no satisfying conclusion to what happened to them. Like I won’t complain that they were there, I like these characters, but I do think there was some convenient writing.

Overall, this route wasn’t the worst. I will never reread the route in its entirety, but I’m sure there will be scenes I revisit.