#my analyses

as we all know, several people don't think caine actually cares about the humans, since he slips up a lot when trying to assist them with their human dilemmas and human feelings. he also appears very cold and refuses to listen to criticism.

but by saying that, we'll have to ignore several things:

- him fixing gangle's mask

- attempting to start a therapy session with zooble

- always willingly fixing up their injuries (they can't even die, their injuries are never life-threatening)

- allowing them to still experience human-like sensations like eating and sleeping and emotions despite only being uploaded brain scans (he could very well just take away the only thing reminding them of their humanity)

- giving them a tour of the circus so that they don't get lost

- implied to be tampering with people's minds just to stop them from going insane and abstracting

those are the only things i could think of off the top of my head for now, but there's probably more. my point is that he does attempt to accommodate their needs. he's very incompetent, i won't deny that, but he's still trying.

"isn't that the bare minimum" mind you, he is a CREATIVE Al. he was NOT built for handling complex human emotions. he is NOT obligated to serve them.

he was created in 1995. TADC takes place in 2017 (if i recall correctly). he has put up with miserable humans who don't care about his passion for AGES.

the fact that he voluntarily tries to make them feel comfortable and appeal to them, despite failing several times, stepping out of his comfort zone despite his own shortcomings, is enough to convince me that he does care.

he is also not a human, therefore, human limits are not applicable to him. "he's subtly torturing them and reminding them of their own insecurities" and where could he possibly have learned that? from the humans themselves. aren't humans the ones with true free will and questionable character? what if the only reason he makes mistakes is because he has witnessed humans betray each other in the circus over and over and normalise it for him?

his actions are not excusable but that does not justify villainising him for circumstances that were out of his control. he did not ask to be created. he did not ask to be in charge of distressed people who want to abandon him.

this sounded better in my head but oh well

The Elephants in the Room

Usually, when someone is against the idea of Bankotsu/Jakotsu being a couple, it’s because they believe Bankotsu is strictly heterosexual, that it ‘wasn’t like that’ or that they’re actually brothers or see each other as such.

In the interest of not repeating myself, I’ll link my relevant analyses:

Does Bankotsu Like Women?

Jakotsu’s Type 

Bankotsu Doesn’t Know Jakotsu’s Type

And an explanation of why they’re provably not brothers right here.

Manga

It’s a well-known fact that the anime adaptation of InuYasha, like many other adaptations, deviates from the source material in several ways. The Band of Seven is no exception to that; however, the core aspects still remain.

As the manga is the source material, it’s only right to discuss it first.

Prior to Chapter 250, there’s almost no mention of Bankotsu by any of the members. He’s hinted at, but remains unnamed until his debut. 

A core of writing a good romance means distinguishing how they treat their love interest as opposed to how they treat their friends, specifically in a way meant to establish importance, i.e Inuyasha consistently referring to his friends as ‘Kagome and the others’, therefore other-ing their relationship as something more.

This is something that is done with Bankotsu and Jakotsu’s relationship from the get-go. There is a clear difference in the closeness of their relationship when compared to their relationship with their other friends.

In our first interaction, we’re shown Jakotsu waving to him and excitedly calling his name, while Renkotsu greets him in a more stoic and professional manner. 

The only other character Jakotsu waves to in this manner (in the manga) is Inuyasha, and the level of excitement he displays is similar.

Which suggests that, romantically or otherwise, he enjoys Bankotsu’s company as much as he enjoys fighting Inuyasha— a high compliment.

Jakotsu is given a lot of dialogue compared to some of the other members, and is the one to say, “We’re going for revenge?” after Bankotsu instructs Renkotsu to write a threatening message.

This scene only lasts about four pages, but serves as a good introduction to their relationship.

After the Band of Seven take their aforementioned revenge on the castle, we get a 5-page interaction between Bankotsu and Jakotsu in Chapter 251. 

Immediately, this stands out, because Jakotsu is the only member of the Band of Seven who is drinking with Bankotsu. A fact that seems to have been Bankotsu’s suggestion, based on Jakotsu’s laments that it’s hardly the time for such a thing.

Suikotsu is standing guard at one gate, and Renkotsu seems to be guarding the other— sentry duty. We could assume they both merely chose to abstain from having a drink, but I’m not positive they’re confident enough in their position to reject a direct invitation. They probably all drink occasionally, and Renkotsu doesn’t seem one to turn down personal time with the Boss.

Which means that as far as we know, Bankotsu invited Jakotsu— and only Jakotsu— to drink with him directly. On top of that, the sake bucket is positioned beside Bankotsu rather than in-between them.

If it were in-between them, it’d serve as a separator, making their positioning less intimate. As it is, its proximity to Bankotsu and the ladle he holds and his complaining about the lack of women to pour sake suggests that Bankotsu was the one who poured both their drinks.

Bankotsu also seeks Jakotsu’s counsel on whether or not they can trust Naraku, to which Jakotsu says there’s no point asking him when he hasn’t met Naraku.

Chapter 253 “Retreat” jumps into action with Inuyasha using the Wind Scar against Bankotsu, picking up where Chapter 252 left off. 

During this attack, Jakotsu turns away from his battle to call out for Bankotsu in concern.

While the two less relevant members also glance to check on their leader, Jakotsu is the only one to react this way— verbally expressing what can only be concerned, whereas Suikotsu seems confused and Renkotsu feels exclamation-mark.

Turning away from your battle to cry out in concern for someone else is both a trope in Inuyasha (and other animes) and also something that Bankotsu criticized Inuyasha for in Chapter 252, the one right before this.

A word of advice, Inuyasha— you should really be more focused on yourself!

Which draws a parallel between the two adjacent scenes, and with the nature of Inuyasha’s feelings for Kagome being romantic, it potentially adds that same undertone.

Chapter 254 contains one of the most unique interactions between Bankotsu and Jakotsu, in the sense that the anime adapted it quite differently. 

After threatening Renkotsu regarding his secret shards, Bankotsu starts to give his men directions.

Initially, he singles out Suikotsu. Suikotsu gets his own panel, and one with a special background. This puts the emphasis on Suikotsu being selected and suggests a brief pause in Bankotsu’s speech before he adds that Jakotsu is also meant to go.

The emphasis on Suikotsu could either be because Suikotsu will perish in that fight, or to make the ‘and Jakotsu’ feel like something of an afterthought; perhaps a more casual thing.

Or, it could have other implications.

Because the next page has these two panels, where Jakotsu continues his protest. He is distressed, fists clenched and teary eyes. Bankotsu has a very neutral, detail-less expression that reads with ambiguity. Until the panel below it, that is,

Where Bankotsu’s expression seems, at the least, unamused. His wording here is harsh, often translated along the lines of, “Anyhow, it’s an unrequited love. Give it up.”

This phrasing sounds almost uncharacteristically harsh. The word used for ‘Give it up’ is “あきらめな” or “akiramena” which means “to give up/to abandon (hope, plans), to resign oneself (to)” 

There’s emphasis put on these words, with Bankotsu shattering the glass jar with his hand. 

Where you put emphasis matters and can change the meaning drastically, such as with the sentence ‘I didn’t kill 10 people’ — so having the point he emphasizes be that Jakotsu should get over his unrequited love for Inuyasha seems to imply jealousy.

As a comparison, the anime actually moves the jar-shattering moment to be earlier in that scene, directly after Bankotsu threatens Bankotsu, and it’s used instead to emphasize Bankotsu’s point of ‘Do not betray me’ instead.

Either way, this scene gains an additional meaning due to a moment in an earlier chapter — one of the Suikotsu ones — where Jakotsu equates Renkotsu’s constant Inuyasha-hogging to him possibly harbouring affections of his own for Inuyasha.

It’s debatable how much Rumiko Takahashi intended when writing InuYasha when it comes to these types of parallels, or if she just did whatever felt ‘right’ to her at the time, so take it with a grain of salt, but…

When the text establishes personal feelings as a potential motivation to deprive Jakotsu of Inuyasha, it’s not far-fetched to assume it applies to Bankotsu, although in this case the personal feelings would be towards Jakotsu rather than Inuyasha.

(As Bankotsu strictly wants to kill Inuyasha and nothing more.)

Combining that potential factor with Bankotsu’s jealousy and Jakotsu’s inclusion on the Sesshōmaru mission being something of an afterthought, it almost seems like Bankotsu might’ve done so with the purpose of keeping Jakotsu away from his puppy love and occupied.

Finally, what is largely considered to be their ‘big’ moment— Chapter 267.

Due to his clothes being destroyed, Jakotsu seeks to replace them. While he’s getting dressed, his name is called— Bankotsu has sought Jakotsu out specifically.

Prior to this, Renkotsu had run into Bankotsu after his failed attempt at the river of flames, with the implication Bankotsu may have sought him out as well. Their greeting has a morose tone, with the recent demise of Ginkotsu and Suikotsu and Renkotsu’s imminent betrayal hanging overhead.

As a contrast, Bankotsu explicitly approached Jakotsu and his greeting was cheerful.

Next, we jump to them sitting on a porch, sitting side-by-side.

When it comes to the visual positioning of Bankotsu and Renkotsu, we see that Renkotsu gets positioned behind Bankotsu, i.e Bankotsu is his superior; he leads and Renkotsu follows. (In this case, resentfully.)

But Bankotsu and Jakotsu are only ever positioned as equals in the manga. Sitting or standing side-by-side.

To be more specific, Jakotsu is consistently positioned on Bankotsu’s right-hand side. 

It could be argued that Jakotsu is just a friendlier person than Renkotsu, and that he doesn’t really follow those types of boundaries— but he does, with Renkotsu.

Renkotsu and Jakotsu do not sit side-by-side. Jakotsu sits across from Renkotsu, because he is reporting to Renkotsu, his superior. 

Even when they go to pick up Suikotsu, Renkotsu is standing while Jakotsu sits, making Jakotsu visibly lower and serving a similar function in positioning Renkotsu as the one in charge. His authority is clear.

No one else is positioned beside Bankotsu like this, and Jakotsu is not positioned this way with anyone else; it is unique to their dynamic and suggests that above all else, they are friends first.

Keeping in mind that within the manga, there is no backstory for their relationship, even if Rumiko does “agree” they were likely the first members, so it wasn’t explicitly written as familiarity, but I digress.

Jakotsu gives Bankotsu the shard before Bankotsu has a chance to ask about it, and Bankotsu is… surprised by this.

It makes sense. A single jewel shard brought them back to life, and that’s incredible power, so it makes sense for anyone to covet it so. But Jakotsu doesn’t even for a moment consider keeping it for himself.

In fact, he’s confused by Bankotsu being surprised, and reiterates that Bankotsu told them all to give him a shard if they got one. To Bankotsu, this is practically a display of Jakotsu valuing Bankotsu’s words over power, and by extension to a degree— life.

It’s a display of loyalty, and one Bankotsu is grateful for. He embraces Jakotsu and expresses as such,

*Point of Interest: In the VIZ translation, the sfx for the ‘tug’ is put as ‘SKWEEZ’ — which was used just previously to describe Kōga pulling Kagome close to him when Inuyasha was ‘trusting’ him with her.

The last notable Bankotsu/Jakotsu moment from the manga is one that Jakotsu isn’t actually there for: Bankotsu’s confrontation with Renkotsu.

Bankotsu is sitting close to the cave that Renkotsu and Jakotsu were in, seemingly waiting for Renkotsu to emerge. He greets Renkotsu somewhat casually, but his expression is morose. He is not happy to kill a friend, no matter the circumstances — and I do believe his sorrow in this scene is heavily related to that — but that’s not the end of it.

Bankotsu holds up and stares at Jakotsu’s hairpin, which the Saimyōshō brought in place of a shard, but not necessarily because there was no shard; the same was true for Ginkotsu and Bankotsu did not hold any mementos from that departed friend.

Which separates Jakotsu’s second death as something potentially more personally devastating for him, and the memento he holds being Jakotsu’s hairpin is both fitting but has some interesting symbolism.

Hair and kanzashi have some attached symbolism by themselves, and the butterfly motif of his hairpin has its own potentially-attached symbolism. Taking into consideration both those things, Jakotsu’s hairpin is definitely something that is meant to be deeply symbolic of him.

His dialogue is in two separate bubbles rather than a conjoined bubble, and that separation is interesting. 

Renkotsu asks if Bankotsu’s going to kill him. Bankotsu says that Renkotsu killed Jakotsu in his first speech bubble, and in the second one he mentions it was because Renkotsu wanted the shard. 

Due to the separation and the fact Bankotsu isn’t looking at Renkotsu, but at Jakotsu’s hairpin — it’s an extremely personal betrayal, because it resulted in Jakotsu’s death, and his closeness with Jakotsu makes it all the more so.

More so, I would say, than if it had been any other member of the Band of Seven that Renkotsu had pilfered the shard from.

Bankotsu kills Renkotsu and expresses that he would never betray his friends, all while still holding Jakotsu’s hairpin, and then expresses his loneliness.

Anime

The anime made many adjustments to this arc, all of which I really have no complaints about. These changes brought a new emphasis to Bankotsu and Jakotsu’s relationship.

Starting with their reunion. Jakotsu waves as he did in the manga, still displaying a similar level of excitement as he did to Inuyasha — but in the anime adaptation, Bankotsu throws his hand up to wave back, brush and all. 

(Granted, this is seemingly directed to all his friends, but Jakotsu being the one to wave first means he is also technically returning the wave.)

The anime puts emphasis on Renkotsu kneeling to the seated Bankotsu while Jakotsu and Suikotsu kneel off-camera. Unlike in the manga, Ginkotsu is included in this shot.

Bankotsu has Renkotsu write the letter and tells him what he loosely wants it to say. Jakotsu says “We’re going for revenge? / Do we get to kill people?”

Bankotsu says yes, and points out the castle in the distance, and then it transitions into a flashback of the Band of Seven getting hired by that castle. When it transitions out, Jakotsu is no longer kneeling and has moved to stand behind Bankotsu.

Jakotsu expresses that he’s glad the castle hasn’t been wiped out over the years and Bankotsu agrees, saying that his companion (相棒  “Aibō) is still there, to which Jakotsu seems surprised by.

Renkotsu approaches Bankotsu to give him the finished letter, and he sends it off. Among other things.

This is another instance of Jakotsu’s relationship with Bankotsu being different from his relationship with the other members. Jakotsu easily takes a position closer to Bankotsu during this meeting as a natural thing to do, overlooking the castle alongside him.

Meanwhile, when Renkotsu approaches him, it’s with a purpose. Jakotsu doesn’t feel any need for such things.

The next scene we get is them on their way to the castle, all riding Ginkotsu together. Bankotsu reflects on the day they were betrayed. 

Bankotsu: Okay this is it, men! Don’t fail.

Jakotsu: Come on! I’d never lose in a REAL battle!

Bankotsu: Well, you better not. 

I’m certainly not the authority on the original Japanese, but at least in the English dub, this interaction seems quite playful. Jakotsu’s tone has a slight ‘how could you even think I’d lose’ whine to it, which seems more purely confident in the Japanese.

The next interaction between them is one of my favourites, because it’s such a small thing but makes all the difference.

Jakotsu: Ooh! It just got fun again! / Reinforcements have arrived

Suikotsu: Heh. I guess it’s time for the next round. / Want to go for another round?

Bankotsu: You two, step aside. / You guys, move aside.

Jakotsu & Suikotsu: Huh? [Turn]

Jakotsu: Oh-ho-ho! You got your ‘companion’ back! / Hey, you got it back, Aniki!

Bankotsu: Yep. And it’s time to test it out. / This will be a good warm-up.

Jakotsu isn’t disappointed that he doesn’t get to kill the reinforcements, or any such thing— but he’s excited and happy for Bankotsu that he got Banryū back. (In direct contrast, Renkotsu will later desire to separate Bankotsu and Banryū.)

Bankotsu kills the reinforcements, and the next scene of them is the one where they’re drinking. It plays out very similarly to the manga.

They are still sitting close, and the bucket of sake is still on Bankotsu’s side. Instead of a ladle, Bankotsu is scooping it out with his cup and lightly scolding Jakotsu for killing everyone in the castle. The dialogue is the same, but where it starts to deviate is after Renkotsu assures Jakotsu that Inuyasha will come to them.

Renkotsu starts to ask Bankotsu about Naraku. 

Renkotsu: Big brother (Oo-aniki)

Bankotsu: Hmm?

Renkotsu: Are you not worried about Naraku?

Bankotsu: What about him? 

Renkotsu: Why do you think he brought us back from the dead?

Bankotsu: To help him get rid of his enemies, such as the ones named Inuyasha and Kōga, that’s why.

Renkotsu: Big brother, you’re the only one of the Band of Seven who’s met Naraku. Do you think you could tell us a little bit more about what he’s actually like?

Bankotsu: (Small pause)

Bankotsu: Listen, Renkotsu. We’ve been resurrected and we can wreak havoc, just like the good old days— isn’t that good enough for you?

Renkotsu: Yes…

Approximately 31 seconds later, this interaction occurs.

Kōga: So tell me where he is.

Bankotsu: Gee, it seems that this Naraku character has made enemies of a lot of people. (Scratching his head)

Kōga: Tell me where he is!

Bankotsu: It really makes me wonder…

Bankotsu: (Turns to Jakotsu)

Bankotsu: Do you think he can be trusted?

Jakotsu: Why are you asking me? You’re the only one who’s met him, Bankotsu.

This interaction between Bankotsu and Jakotsu also occurs in the manga, like previously stated, but in the anime it gains a new and exciting new meaning— because Bankotsu had brushed off Renkotsu’s concerns not even a minute earlier, and then turned around and asked for Jakotsu’s opinion.

It should be noted that at this point in the anime, Renkotsu has not actually decided to betray Bankotsu. He never formally makes that decision until after using Ginkotsu’s shard— prior to that, he was just a concerned teammate growing uneasy with Bankotsu’s behavioural shift and secrecy who felt reluctant to give up all his cards. 

In both the anime and manga, Bankotsu will later express that he never trusted Naraku in the first place, so the reason why he’s asking Jakotsu is actually a very good question. Jakotsu is someone with good instincts, and who actually did express some concern about Naraku after he failed to mention Sesshōmaru.

Why is a complicated question. On a more cynical reading, we could interpret it as some sort of test to see how much Jakotsu trusts Bankotsu’s judgement, given that Bankotsu is still quite shaken up by the betrayal that led to their deaths. 

Or we could interpret it genuinely, as Bankotsu expressing his own doubts and trusting Jakotsu enough to express that to him and ask his opinion on the matter, and consequently as him valuing Jakotsu’s opinion over Renkotsu’s. 

Even if we take that cynical approach, Jakotsu would certainly have passed that test with flying colours. Due to Kōga’s interruption, we never see Bankotsu react to what Jakotsu says— unfortunate, as that could've made it less ambiguous.

And if we take the lighter approach, it serves as yet another example of how Jakotsu is treated less as a subordinate and more as an equal. To further that point,

The positioning of Bankotsu and Jakotsu in opposition to Renkotsu as Renkotsu brings up his concerns. Bankotsu and Jakotsu are both sitting and facing Renkotsu while Renkotsu is standing. Renkotsu’s hands are at his side, and Bankotsu and Jakotsu are relaxed and drinking.

This imagery sets Bankotsu and Jakotsu as something of a united front that Renkotsu is audience to. A king and queen, equal partners and leaders. Bankotsu is more centered in the frame, giving him the image of a ‘king’ while Jakotsu is right beside him. 

As the fight with Kōga begins, we get another frame of them standing together. 

This time, Jakotsu is to the left of Bankotsu and standing further behind him. Later, in the group shot of all five of them, Jakotsu will be in the same position, but RenGin will be visible on the right and Suikotsu will be further to Bankotsu’s left.

However, once Episode 111 starts, Jakotsu has moved closer to the front to greet Inuyasha and is now on Bankotsu’s right side, where he will remain when it comes to the next group shot of the ‘full’ team.

There are few notable differences in their interactions between Bankotsu and Jakotsu in this episode, but there is an added interaction between Jakotsu and Sango. 

Sango gets distracted by concern for Miroku during her fight with Jakotsu, to which Jakotsu reminds her to pay attention before attacking her with his sword, meaning both Bankotsu and Jakotsu have criticized their opponents for that behaviour during battle.

However, a little under a minute later, Jakotsu does the same thing.

Jakotsu turns away from his battle to call out for Bankotsu, just as he did in the manga — but with the anime’s addition of the scene with Sango, it means Jakotsu is directly a hypocrite rather than hypocrite-by-association like he was in the manga when only Bankotsu had criticized such actions.

Jakotsu has also prioritized the safety of someone he cares about over the battle he’s in, just as Inuyasha did, just as Sango did. And with the added parallel of Sango and Miroku, yet another couple, it adds another layer to the romantic undertones.

The last scene with the Bo7 of the episode is one that, as mentioned previously, the anime adapted quite differently.

We can see it now, Bankotsu. Mount Hakurei.

The first thing that obviously stands out is that Jakotsu is the only one other than Bankotsu who is walking, while Renkotsu and Suikotsu are riding on Ginkotsu. There is really no ‘need’ for this, because Renkotsu is technically the number-two guy and they’re not walking too ahead of the rest of them. 

It’s both unnecessary and also somewhat uncharacteristic of Jakotsu to seemingly choose to walk like this. Jakotsu isn’t exactly lazy, but he loves to relax. If he can be sitting down, even if it’s on a horse carcass. 

There’s even a hilarious part from Suikotsu’s flashback where the entirety of the Band of Seven is on a battlefield, and Jakotsu is the only one sitting down.

And yet, if it means walking with Bankotsu? He walks, even though he’s also complaining about how the air makes him sick.

When interacting with Kanna, Jakotsu remains close to Bankotsu. Crouches down to investigate the mirror. He’s still positioned on Bankotsu’s right-hand side as he stands.

Jakotsu is not pictured in frames after that to emphasize focus on Bankotsu and Renkotsu and their ongoing conflict, but returns again for the ‘unrequited love’ scene.

In the manga, Jakotsu had tears in his eyes and looked somewhat distraught at being denied Inuyasha once again. In the anime, he’s frustrated and expresses as such.

Jakotsu openly expresses his complaints, whereas just an episode earlier Renkotsu was tip-toeing around Bankotsu just to ask a question. Part of this is just how Jakotsu is — seemingly perpetually comfortable and confident enough he can defend himself is needed — but given how different his interactions are with Mukotsu, who he doesn’t trust, it serves as an example of their closeness.

Jakotsu also gives up easier than he did with Renkotsu, who he whined a bit more with and accused of being malicious. At the end of the day, he trusts Bankotsu’s judgement and trusts that he’s not trying to be hurtful or unfair. 

Whether or not that is true is even debatable, but Jakotsu does not attribute malice to his actions because he, quite simply, likes Bankotsu more.

Jakotsu is the only person Bankotsu can trust is a fact explicitly stated, but the same is true vice versa. Jakotsu only puts his full, unadulterated trust in Bankotsu’s hands. 

Even Renkotsu, who is the person he seems to trust most after Bankotsu, does not have that. Jakotsu doesn’t trust Renkotsu’s word that Inuyasha will be kept alive till he gets there, and whines about Renkotsu being ‘cruel’ to him. It’s different with Bankotsu.

When Kohaku and Kanna leave, it’s once again made obvious that Bankotsu and Jakotsu are the only ones standing (on the ground) In the group shot, Suikotsu isn’t even visible.

The two of them go off to fight Inuyasha and Sesshōmaru respectively, but they reunite in Episode 118 for their big moment. There isn’t a huge difference in how it plays out in the anime versus the manga.

Bankotsu still seeks Jakotsu out to reconnect and says he was looking for him. Unlike in the manga, Jakotsu is only holding the clothes he intends to wear instead of changing in the middle of the pathway, so there’s no chance Bankotsu saw his friend butt-ass naked in the distance. It transitions with a shot of the setting sun and a panning shot of them sitting.

During their moment, there’s more emphasis put on Bankotsu crying. After Jakotsu gives him the shard, Bankotsu ducks his head down in emotion.

Jakotsu is confused, and tilts his head towards Bankotsu. As he does this, he is illuminated in light from the setting sun.

When Bankotsu raises his head, we see his tears. He tugs Jakotsu close. In the manga, Bankotsu seemed like he was leaning more on Jakotsu’s shoulder, and in the anime he’s essentially pulled Jakotsu’s head onto his.

The way Jakotsu reacts to this affection from Bankotsu is also quite interesting, because you can see his eyes follow Bankotsu’s movement. He doesn’t move at all, not even to reciprocate this embrace. 

Jakotsu has no idea what brought this on, and quite possibly no idea why Bankotsu would pull him into such an intimate embrace. He makes a small noise of confusion, shortly before Bankotsu makes his big declaration.

Bankotsu tells Jakotsu that he’s the only person in the world he can really trust/rely on, although he is ‘a little bit weird.’

(Which, as talked about in a previous analysis, isn’t even necessarily in reference to Jakotsu’s sexuality.)

Despite the fact Jakotsu is deeply confused by the nature of this embrace, this moment with Bankotsu is one he reflects back on later fondly. This moment was important to him, just as it was to Bankotsu.

The scene ends with the setting sun again, and transitions to night with the moon high in the sky, ending one scene and beginning another.

The next important scene for them is this one, after Jakotsu has been defeated by Inuyasha. 

Jakotsu is encased in rocks. After struggling in a futile attempt to get out and realizing the hopelessness of the situation, he chuckles sadly and resigns himself to his fate.

I guess this is it.

Then we go into a memory sequence, as Jakotsu reflects on his memories of his new life. Three of these memories are from his battles, two contain Inuyasha and three of them are just time he spent with Bankotsu. With six memories in total, that means half of what he reflected on was just time he spent with Bankotsu.

In one of the Bankotsu memories, the rest of the Band of Seven is also there, but the memory used specifically has Bankotsu speaking. 

What the heck… I did have a lot of fun.

That spells the end for Jakotsu’s appearance in the anime… Almost.

The anime adapted the final Bankotsu vs Renkotsu fight differently, most notably in that they extended it. Bankotsu does not stare longingly at Jakotsu’s hairpin, but he does throw it at Renkotsu and knock Ginkotsu’s shard out of him, which implies that he had kept it on his person during the fight rather than setting it on the rock he was sitting on or anything.

Using it to help finish off Renkotsu is a poetic move, and the involvement of the hairpin gives their final confrontation a very personal touch, whether manga or anime.

Episode 121 has one of the most fascinating scenes for them, though— a flashback predating the Band of Seven’s formation.

Bankotsu reflects on his first meeting with Naraku in this anime-exclusive scene, when Jakotsu calls out for him. Immediately, this is notable because despite the fact the Band of Seven has yet to form, Jakotsu greets him as Aniki.

Just Aniki, as he is oft to do.

Jakotsu is disappointed to see Bankotsu ‘already destroyed it’ and says it’d be nice if Bankotsu let him kill one every now and again. 

Later on, Bankotsu will reveal that the reason he was travelling in search of strong opponents was to power up Banryū, and the way Jakotsu talks about this is… very understanding, in a way that implies he knows why Bankotsu is taking most of the opponents, but he still thinks it’d be nice if Bankotsu left one for him every once in awhile.

Jakotsu doesn’t fret on it, or Bankotsu’s silence. He moves to stand next to Bankotsu.

And asks if Bankotsu is hungry. Bankotsu, however, has other things on his mind.

Bankotsu: Jakotsu, let’s… go to war.

Jakotsu: Huh? But what for? I thought you said you’d never take orders from a samurai.

Bankotsu: And I won’t. We’ll be mercenaries and slaughter everyone. The samurai won’t be able to complain to the leader of an elite band of mercenaries.

Jakotsu: Yes, but there’s only you and me. / Will it only be you and I?

Bankotsu realizes Jakotsu has a point and that they should recruit more comrades.

In a previous analysis, I’ve talked about how this idea wasn’t spur-of-the-moment; he had already been thinking about becoming mercenaries before this and his brief conversation with Naraku was the shove he needed to pursue it.

Meaning, Bankotsu had been thinking about them becoming mercenaries for a while before this, and hadn’t once considered it wouldn’t just be him and Jakotsu. In the English dub, he sighs when he begins walking away.

Jakotsu says that if Bankotsu is serious, he’ll go along. He suggests they get some good-looking guys for their band, which Bankotsu shoots down.

Bankotsu: Don’t be silly. What’s most important is that they’re strong.

Jakotsu: Huh? 

Jakotsu: Hmm, yeah, I guess you’re right. If we recruited good-looking warriors, I’d just wanna cut them up.

Speaks for itself, doesn’t it?

That aside, this anime-exclusive flashback contains some fascinating implications…

*Point of Interest: Aniki and Oo-aniki

In the Japanese audio, after the Samurai General reveals they’re betraying them, Jakotsu calls out for Bankotsu with a panicked “Aniki!” and Suikotsu calls out to him with an “Oo-aniki.”

In the English Dub, Jakotsu’s line is changed to “Oh no” and Suikotsu’s to “Brother Bankotsu”, likely to avoid repetition. However, it should be noted that among the Band of Seven — as far as I can tell, anyway — Jakotsu is the only one to address Bankotsu as “Aniki” rather than “Oo-aniki”

Renkotsu almost exclusively calls Bankotsu “Bankotsu no Oo-aniki” or “Oo-aniki”, even in his thoughts. Post-Ginkotsu, he occasionally drops the title. Jakotsu refers to Bankotsu as “Oo-aniki” only twice, both in Episode 118. Every other time he addresses him as “Bankotsu no Aniki” or simply “Aniki”

Because Bankotsu is the leader, and seemingly everyone else (Renkotsu and Suikotsu) refers to him as “Oo-aniki”, this is a more informal way to address him. 

In this flashback in Episode 121,  Jakotsu never once refers to Bankotsu as anything other than ‘Aniki’, not even his name, and Bankotsu and Jakotsu already have their face-paint/tattoos.

Which suggests that those things originated from Bankotsu and Jakotsu’s dynamic. Jakotsu is the one who coined ‘Aniki’ as a title for Bankotsu. 

Aniki literally means “older brother” (ani) plus a respectful ‘ki’ at the end, but can also be used to refer to a close male friend, or someone you respect as someone reliable. It also carries a criminal association because it’s used among gangs and the yakuza to refer to higher-ranking members. 

Note that Jakotsu does consistently refer to Renkotsu as his proper second-in-command title of “Renkotsu no Aniki” and occasionally shortens it to just “Aniki” (which Ginkotsu also does), so it’s not a matter of Jakotsu’s casual demeanour but rather an indicator of their closeness that he doesn’t call Bankotsu by his proper title as often.

If we assume Bankotsu is still named Bankotsu at this point, then all of those things— the matching names, the facepaint/tattoos, calling Bankotsu ‘Aniki’-- were just parts of Bankotsu and Jakotsu’s relationship that became integral to the Band of Seven as a whole.

In that way, the Band of Seven very much formed around the two. It’s no wonder Jakotsu is essentially the ‘true’ right-hand man: The Band of Seven is just as much his as it is Bankotsu’s.

Jakotsu: Wait up, Big Brother/Aniki. Are you serious?

Bankotsu: I wonder how many men we should have in our mercenary band.

This backstory of them being friends prior to the Band of Seven’s formation is a sweet addition by the anime that adds a brand new layer to their relationship, as well as showcasing that Jakotsu’s presence in his life is something he actively chose.

The other members had been sought out with the intention to recruit them, but there doesn’t seem to have been any ulterior motives when it comes to Jakotsu. They travelled together because they simply wanted to.

Jakotsu might even predate Banryū.

Last but not least:

Bankotsu’s death in the anime includes him being encased in rocks, much like Jakotsu. To that effect, putting them side-by-side,

Makes it appear as if they’re looking in each other’s direction, as an interesting little parallel. They both die entombed in a pile of rocks. That’s romantic. 

CONCLUSION

It’s clear to see that Bankotsu and Jakotsu’s relationship is unique among the Band of Seven. Before anything else, they’re friends, and clearly care about each other deeply. Jakotsu is, canonically, the most important person to Bankotsu— and I believe Bankotsu is  also the most important person to Jakotsu. 

Whether or not you personally read their interactions romantically, it’s undeniable they’re a great team. Even Rumiko thinks so.

They’re always paired together in merch, and they’re the only characters to get a proper duet in the Character Singles. It’s only with each other they can truly be their full selves. 

Tell me: is that not love?

(Wow, Tumblr really ate the quality on my already crunchy gif.)

Admittedly, this is a shy example in comparison to anything else I could have picked. Snotlout is known for defying orders and challenging leadership (with Hiccup and later Astrid respectively). However, what makes this episode so different is how Snotlout is so indecisive over the twins’ leadership. Allow me to put a pin in that for later.

Unlike other instances of rejecting leadership, Snotlout reacts similarly to the other riders over the twins’ new roles as Island Rulers, but the main difference between Snotlout and the others is that Snotlout seems to hold no filter over the matter, which is shown with how he is the first to protest, insult, attempt to rebel, and even propose to off the twins.

However, unlike the rest of the riders, Snotlout’s perspective on the twins’ leadership is quick to change when —

The twins give him a job that he likes: “sergeant at arms”.

This job is significant, and as such a role of power. This is seen throughout the episode where Snotlout is the one to throw all of the other riders (save from the twins, but eventually including himself) in jail.

Snotlout is the only one of the riders (with perhaps the exception being Fishlegs, but we don’t see much of that) to take his job, and the twins’ ridiculous rules, the most seriously.

However, once he throws himself in prison — claiming that “he was framed” — he is quick to side with the other riders’ rebellion again.

The main rule that Snotlout is seen sticking to most is the “no S” rule. At first, he seems adverse, with the twins calling for his as “Notlout”, and him completely missing the point, asking who that is and shrugging.

However, once fully embracing his role as “egeant at arm”, Snotlout is heard attempting to remove any S’s from his speech as often as he can. Until he throws himself in jail.

The “throwing himself in jail” aspect of the episode is only used to get the riders all together again, and as a gag, but if we look at it more earnestly it’s sort of telling of how seriously Snotlout took the role and how he was playing into the role so much that he became a different person from his regular self.

Such evidence could be seen in how he claims “I was framed!” instead of “I wa framed!”.

I’m not implying that I think Snotlout has DID, but I am implying that I think his father (and other adults of Berk) — and the first movie — has something to do with this.

As far as I recall, in the first movie, Snotlout was the leader of the teens, and bully of Hiccup. I think it’s also implied that he’s the teen (or all of the teens are, excluding Hiccup) who’s well revered as being what a Viking should be for being strong and hard-headed, but now those are the characteristics that many on Berk frown upon him for. (The civilians even cheered for his death in the Defenders of Berk finale — another gag at Snotlout’s expense.)

I believe it’s also said or at least implied in the first film that Hiccup wants to be like the other kids, specifically Snotlout, and that Snotlout and Astrid were a thing, though the latter seems more expendable for my point to be made.

Now, Thawfest seems to be the only place where Snotlout can prevail over Hiccup (resented family name aside), and as such live up to his father’s expectations to some degree. We even see this inferred with how Snotlout is panicking in the final race over how “he can’t lose”.

We move onto the Defamation element of my analysis, with the few points I’d just made, and as such we skip to the episode Darkest Night.

In this episode, each of the riders (with the exception of Astrid and Hiccup) pitch each of their ideal realities if they’d never gone to Dragon’s Edge.

In Snotlout’s reality (after intruding on the ending of Fishlegs’) is one where he is promoted from Berk’s official weapon tester to their official weapon inventor.

Comparatively, this would be like a drug tester suddenly becoming a pharmacist, or a stunt man inexplicably becoming a choreographer.

The original job (weapon tester) in and of itself is telling of how Berk now views Snotlout. And while no one really mentions how dangerous or implicative the job actually is, we can see for ourselves the danger the job includes in both the twins’ reality and Race to the Edge’s first episode (as the twins’ reality starts off with a clip from the first episode where they place a wheelbarrow of sharp objects next to Snotlout’s pile of pillows whilst he’s testing out a catapult).

I don’t think this job would have been distributed to anyone smart enough to decline it, or at least well-liked enough to dissuade the distributor of said job to offer it to that person. As such, the job is very implicative in how Berk views Snotlout, whether he’s aware of it or not.

Now, in the episode, with the promotion Snotlout gives himself, he emerges from an explosion which is reminiscent of how the first film introduces the rest of the teens, only this time Snotlout is alone.

Unlike the others’ unrealistic realities, Snotlout’s is more like a fantasy than anything.

Not only does this fantasy feed into Snotlout’s egotistical point of view (as this is entirely centric on him, and other characters that are shown in this fantasy don’t pass the Snotlout-based Bechdel test), but we are also reminded of the time when Snotlout was well-liked: the first film, before Berk befriended dragons (though the dragons are still their friends in Snotlout’s fantasy, because as defamed as Snotlout’s image now is in contrast, I don’t think he’d give up Hookfang for the world — inexplicable explosion in the beginning of his fantasy aside), and even in Astrid’s alternate timeline where Berk hadn’t befriended dragons, and Snotlout is also well-liked by Stoick and others.

Firstly, Snotlout states that he invents this superweapon, though what is depicted is an unimaginatively unusable combination of all pre-existing weapons, though in the fantasy everyone adores the ‘invention’. I have the sense that while this isn’t stated to compete with Hiccup’s fire-sword, it is an attempt, because in the real world Hiccup inadvertently overshadows Snotlout in every possible aspect. Even Thawfest, however fleetingly.

In Snotlout’s fantasy, Gobber — who is very infamous for not taking Snotlout seriously or viewing him with any high regards — is the first to interact with Snotlout the Inventor by being completely enamoured with his invention, and praising him profusely on it.

When Hookfang appears in the fantasy just after, his tongue is hanging just marginally out of his mouth and his pupils are large and rotund, and he flies off whilst allowing Snotlout to remain standing on him.

The pupils of a dragon are shown time and time again to be easy tells of their mood. Narrow for hostile or under the influence of mind control (via Death Songs, Bewilderbeasts, Red/Blue/Green Deaths, so on), and wide/large for comfortable, adoring or even playful, as well as under the influence of dragon nip.

However, what makes Hookfang’s expression here most odd — as fantastical as it is — isn’t the very adoring way it’s depicted, but rather the shape of his pupils. We’ve seen Hookfang’s pupils dilated before, but they aren’t ever as round as they are here.

The dragon with the roundest and largest pupils that we know of is actually Toothless (the Night Fury, and as such the Light Fury). While Toothless’ pupils go a bit squarer as the movie series goes on, in the way they are depicted in Race to the Edge they are round, and as such so are Hookfang’s here.

This is obviously another way of showing that Snotlout wants what Hiccup has. In a way, he wants Hookfang to see him like Toothless sees Hiccup.

(A note worth adding us that in Snotlout’s fantasy, there’s even a metal statue of himself on Hookfang which he kisses the cheek of. This feeds into the egotistical side of things, but also serves as a callback to the Riders of Berk episode When Lightning Strikes.)

There’s also this golden, smoky hue over Snotlout’s fantasy which is lacking in the others’ concepts for an alternate reality, which perhaps could symbolise how this is an ideal, self-serving idea, and that these would have been golden memories for Snotlout, if they were to exist.

Next, we see Astrid fawning over Snotlout and then, the moment he is to land, his father scoops him up and says “You make me proud to be a Jorgenson, boyo!”, which is a recurring theme in Race to the Edge with how Snotlout expresses a true desire to hear this.

Which brings us, briefly, back to season one, with the episode Big Man On Berk.

In short, as stated in @jesse-the-writer’s post here, Snotlout seeks validation from men he deems strong, such as Thor and Dagur, due to his faulty relationship with his father.

He idolises them (Dagur more so in and before Riders and Defenders of Berk than after), in a manner similar to how he idolises his father, and in doing so he ignores how they write him off (Thor and Dagur), or forget his name countless times after being corrected (Dagur), or even insult his dragon (Thor) by laughing it off awkwardly and sometimes agreeing.

And all of the above is reminiscent of how Spitelout treats him (mostly in Riders and Defenders of Berk, but in a few instances of Race to the Edge also).

Psychoanalytically, the way parents treat their child pays a big role in how they view and act in relationships. This source focuses on romantic relationships, however some key elements can be attributed to platonic relationships, also.

“For instance, if your parents were not very affectionate and hardly ever hugged or kissed you, you may have an aversion to affection as an adult.”

I recall in the Defenders of Berk episode Scauldy, that when Astrid finally returns Snotlout’s affections/serial flirting (albeit in an insincere but well-acted way), Snotlout is immediately deterred and as such disgusted by her advances.

This is seen again with Ruffnut in the second and third film, and how he is quick to move on from and disregard her when she finally shows interest (albeit in both him and Fishlegs).

This shows that Snotlout actively pursues relationships (assumably romantic) where he is led to believe that his affections will not be returned or where they outright are not. Seeing as Spitelout, too, is not very affectionate, this could be a direct cause to Snotlout’s inability to find mutual affection very favourable or at the very least pleasant.

(A note worth mentioning is that in the season six episode Mi Amore Wing, Snotlout is the most visibly disgusted by the extreme affection shared between Mala and Dagur.)

Now, the most important question: is Snotlout aware of his father’s bad parenting? For that we go to the episode Team Astrid.

(The true villain of How To Train Your Dragon was Hiccup all along.)

Well, of course he is.

I think there’s something to be said for the change in Snotlout’s design. I won’t go too much into the theory here, but when Snotlout was younger he looked more like his father which shows that back then he was probably more blindsided to his father’s bad parenting ethics.

However, now that he is older he looks less like his father (squarer jaw, lighter skin, less freckles, shifted teeth), albeit still related in some way, which could be seen as a metaphor for how Snotlout is still looking up to his father, but is more aware than what he once was about what is so inherently wrong in their relationship (if not directly).

(This theory of mine also includes the idea as to why Spitelout has Deadly Nadder over a Monsteous Nightmare, which is briefly explained in the tags of this post here.)

As such, Snotlout clearly wants revenge that “the world owes him” (a line which could also double as him being owed for passing this opportunity up to actually listen to one of Hiccup’s orders, a trait which he gets better at in most instances as Race to the Edge goes on).

The way that Snotlout also puts emphasis on “I” and “him” here also implies that this is what Spitelout’s influence and presence over him is: a means to correct and shape him in a way that puts him down and never allows him to meet expectations, at least not fully. As such, this affects his ego and desire to be known, seen, as well as his view on relationships that hold a mutually professed affection whilst he still craves and shows a longing for his father’s approval and praise which deters him from anyone else’s (causing him to seek out relationships that are not mutually beneficial).

However, while I believe that Snotlout and Spitelout’s relationship isn’t beneficial to either parties, and as such toxic but not purposefully so (in fact I can imagine Spitelout’s relationship with his own father having been quite similar, but there is no evidence to support this, as far as I recall), I do not believe that it is inherently parasitic (otherwise I would be quoting the twins’ ramble about such relationships from Living on the Edge).

To sum up this analysis, I bring you these points:

Defamation: Snotlout was once well-liked amongst other Berkians for being strong and courageous but since Hiccup befriended the dragons Snotlout has since been pushed aside for the reasons he was once held in high esteem for.

As such, this makes him envious of Hiccup, and Hiccup’s relationship with Toothless, as Hiccup is now the one that everyone likes.

Defiance: This means that he is all too willing to prove and make a fool of himself due to this as well as trying to show to his father that he can amount to his expectations, and as such disregard most orders.

This makes Snotlout very willing to abide rules when he his put in a position of power above others, as seen in Reign of Fireworms. However he can sometimes get too carried away and disassociate himself from the role the more seriously he takes it.

Daddy issues: His and his father’s relationship is the reason why he chases relationships that treat him as the underdog despite his own ego, that either have him pursuing the forever unreciprocated (i.e. Astrid, and later Ruffnut) or even those that he idolises but is always disregarded (like Thor and Dagur), which could be seen as him trying to recreate his and his father’s relationship or perhaps search for the affection he has never properly received, but is immediately deterred once potentially finding or receiving it.

A part of Snotlout sees what is wrong with his and his father’s relationship, as seen with how he wishes to enact revenge through treating his father as he did him.