haganemaru

Haganemaru is the other main character in the manga, serving as Jintetsu's only true companion and his voice. He was once a human, the eldest son of Kanemasa Fujinami, and an accomplished swordsman. When his father was killed by a ronin over a trivial disagreement, Haganemaru sought revenge. Though he succeeded in avenging his father, he later died from his own wounds. He left behind a fiancée named Oto, a childhood friend whom he saw more as a sister than a lover. Somehow, his brain managed to survive and regained consciousness when his corpse was taken in by Genkichi. By this time, only his brain and one eye were intact, so Haganemaru asked the inventor to transform him into a sword. Genkichi obliged, and Haganemaru became Jintetsu's weapon, with his single eye embedded into the hilt of the sword. It is later revealed that Haganemaru cannot actually speak unless Jintetsu is nearby, as his mind is stored within the boy. Thus, both need each other to carry out a meaningful existence. Haganemaru often acts as a source of advice to the younger man and serves as an extra eye to compensate for the one Jintetsu lost. One chapter is dedicated to Haganemaru's past, where he tries to resolve his past with Oto. Upon hearing of her husband's death, Oto attempted to kill herself but failed. She was later taken in by a traveling show to act as a "living doll" in their performance. It was later revealed that she had become a serial killer, intent on murdering girls to reclaim the life she could no longer have. Haganemaru asks Jintetsu to end her life, as she had lost her sanity. However, fate intervened, and she died by another's blade. With this, Haganemaru resolves his past, and past conflicts no longer resurface.