Fena: Pirate Princess – The Samurai Seven’s Loyalty Is Thrown Into Question

WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Fena: Pirate Princess Episode 6, "Mutiny on the Blue Giant," now streaming on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim.

Losing Fena in Episode 5 of Fena: Pirate Princess was a huge blow to her friends from the Samurai Seven, especially Yukimaru. His concern for Fena puts him at odds with one of his most trusted friends and discord is sown within the Samurai Seven when their true purpose is revealed at last.

Now that Fena is in Abel's hands, he doesn't waste any time in revealing who the Samurai Seven really are. After so many months traveling together, will Fena's trust in her friends waver?

fena pirate princess abel tells fena about samurai seven

O'Malley's crew bring Fena to Abel who, upon seeing her bruised wrists and injured neck, is furious: he was explicit in his orders to not harm her. Abel tells Fena he's been looking for her for ten years, much to her shock. Fena is invited to tea with him but remains suspicious. However, when he mentions "La Pucelle" and claims he knows her mother, Fena yearns to know more.

However, Abel plants a seed of doubt in her mind when he mentions the Goblin Knights -- a group of five samurai soldiers who killed women and children, leaving "nothing but poppies" in their wake. The flower imagery in this flashback is quite interesting, and connects to Episode 1 of Fena: Pirate Princess when Yukimaru saves Fena. The blood from these flowers spatters, in sharp contrast to Fena's white flowers which usually symbolize purity. Although the Samurai Seven have made it clear that they would never kill women or children, they clearly have a bloody legacy.

Meanwhile, the Samurai Seven make quick work of busting out of the cave via explosives. Yukimaru is immediately strategizing how he can rescue Fena, but Shitan stops him. The orders from Yukihisa were clear: once they get the coordinates, they're to return to the island. The rest of the Samurai Seven are shocked. Wasn't their mission to protect Fena?

Their ancestors, the Goblin Knights, were given the mission by the Imperial Court to search for one of Japan's greatest treasures: the legendary sword Kusanagi, rumored to be capable of founding a nation. Kusanagi and many other valuables, lie in Eden. The reason the Goblin Knights and their descendants have been serving the Houtmans isn't out of gratitude, but because they need them to get to Eden.

If the Samurai Seven choose Fena over their duties, they'll be labeled as fugitives and hunted down by a crew led by Shitan's brother, Kei. Everyone's faces are conflicted, torn between self-preservation and the desire to save their friend -- all except Yukimaru, whose decision was made ten years ago when he lost Fena. Shitan tries to stop him, telling him Fena is a witch who has siren-like abilities to lure people to their doom. But Yukimaru doesn't care and even goes so far as to threaten Shitan: he will not hesitate to kill anyone who gets in his way of rescuing Fena. To Yukimaru, Fena is Fena -- regardless of whether she's a princess or a witch.

According to Kei, Shitan's weakness is his loyalty to his friends. Although Shitan's insistence that they forget Fena is framed as being focused on their mission, it's most likely he's worried about their safety. He doesn't want to sacrifice his friends' lives for the sake of a girl they've only known for a few months. Shitan might look like he's a traitor but his loyalty to his friends is far greater than to Yukihisa and his brother. And now that Yukimaru is gone, we'll most likely see Shitan join him and the rest of the crew to rescue the princess as Fena: Pirate Princess heats up.

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