Takezo Kensei - Bad Guy?

Could it be? Could Hiro's hero be evil? It is clear from the beginning, that Kensei does not quite live up to the legend. Instead of the noble and brave warrior that Hiro grew up hearing about, he is a self-serving coward with no honor. He was hired by Yaeko and her father to take care of the bandits, but he instead hires someone else to do the dirty work.

Further, take a look at this picture, seen in the beginning montage of the season.



In this shot, you see a fallen Hiro. In the background, you see several of Whitebeard's men, Yaeko, and another unarmed man (who is in all likelihood the swordsman). But where is Kensei? Look at the person stepping over Hiro. Look at the armor he wears. It is Kensei's Armor.

This differs from any armor of Whitebeard's men, who wear very noticeable red armor.

Clearly there is something going on here. Why would Kensei, in front of Whitebeard's men, be walking over the body of a fallen Hiro? Also, something Takezo said to Hiro really stuck out in my mind. At the end of Kindred, Kensei says to Hiro, "But what if I can't do this without you. Only you can keep me from returning to my heathen ways. You are like my conscience."

Perhaps, Hiro's love for Yaeko is discovered by Takezo. This "betrayal" by Hiro coupled with the fact that Kensei is already on the precipice between good and evil, pushes Kensei over the edge. This could also explain the reference to Kensei tearing out his own heart for the love of the princess. With Kensei, this could happen both metaphorically, he has lost the love of Yaeko, or it could even happen figuratively, as Kensei could have his heart ripped out,and live to tell about it.

All myths have some truth in them. What could very well happen is that Hiro falls in love with Yaeko. In order to defend her, he must master the sword (which explains Future Hiro's bad ass sword skills). In the end, he must leave Yaeko, and return to his proper time, thus leaving his heart. Of course, he could battle the actual Kensei, ripping out his heart. Over time, the story might have gotten mixed into one, thus creating the story of the Dragon of Kiso Mountain.

Theories also abound, that Kensei is in fact the bad guy who pushes Kaito off the ledge. It would explain the ability to walk away from the accident. As Detective Fuller ironically states during the investigation, "Either the killer fell twenty stories, got up and walked away, or flew away. You know somebody who can do that?" Clearly Kensei could. However, I'm not so sure. Kaito recognizes his killer, and it is implied that he is part of the original twelve. Kensei does not appear in the picture of the twelve. It is possible that his appearance has changed over the course of centuries, and he is one of the yet to be identified members. It is also possible that he has lived for many centuries, with his healing factor working much like Wolverine's, enabling him to resist the ravages of father time.