Mie is no different from Irako and Fujiki inasmuch as she, like them and, indeed, like Iku, needs to escape the horrors of the world around her. The author is fairly open and explicit with her thoughts, and it is clear she has feelings for both men, which change over time. I don’t think there is any reason to consider her emotions to be so black and white. Some even go so far as to say that she never loved Fujiki and only uses him for vengeance. There is much debate over whom Mie loves. Their decisions lead them both to commit terrible atrocities and become little more than instruments for death, Irako for himself and Fujiki for those around him. Meanwhile, the world continues to corrupt both men. He endeavours to rise up in the world through duty and loyalty to the clan that adopted him. The difference is that, while Irako fights against the system, murdering his way up through the ranks to prove that there is no truth in the hierarchy, Fujiki buys into the samurai ideology. Both are horribly bullied by the samurai classes and both derive their motivation from this abuse. Both are poor and of a lowly social class. Irako and Fujiki come from the same background. The world is a cruel and corrupt place and the heroes (a rather oblique use of the term, I admit) are set on escaping from it in one way or another. If not, they are soon corrupted by those around them. And, as the story continues, we see many peripheral characters who are simply sadistic or evil for the sake of it. He, like Kogan, is cruel, abusive and depraved. But already, we have been introduced to Lord Tadanaga at Sunpu Castle, the insane and selfish lord who sets in motion the final duel. When the manga starts you could be forgiven for thinking the source of all evil is Kogan and that his disciples, once set on his path, are trapped in a destructive cycle. The story’s theme from the outset is the effect of a cruel world on the people within it. I completely disagree, and the key to understanding the end is there throughout the manga and is even made explicit in the final scene. The ending of Shigurui is derided by many reviewers as being far too abrupt and dissatisfying.
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