WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 3 of Golden Kamuy Season 3, “Igogusa,” now streaming on Crunchyroll.
Tsukishima’s tragic past is revealed in a sentimental third episode of Golden Kamuy Season 3, where viewers learn of his childhood love, Egogusa. Behind that stoic face, he’s actually a man of passion -- who knew? However, his happiness wasn’t destined to succeed. This episode dives into why, after all he’s been through, he still sticks around.
Tsukishima’s Past
There wasn’t much happiness in Tsukishima’s childhood. The son of an abusive village outcast, he spent his days being beat up and looked down on by everyone else. However, there was one person who lit up his world: a girl nicknamed Egogusa. Together, they spent time by the shore, growing closer as they grew into adulthood.
Egogusa’s name comes from the stringy seaweed from Sado, Tsukishima’s hometown. It’s used to make egoneri, a local delicacy. (It’s known as igoneri on the mainland, though.) She was given this nickname because of her curly natural hair. Although Tsukishima thought she was beautiful, she was often bullied in the village because of her unusual hair. He would beat up anyone who bullied her, not caring about making enemies if it meant he could protect her.
Egogusa’s Death
Tsukishima had to leave to fight in the war. While he was away, the letters from Egogusa mysteriously stopped just before he was about to come home. She had gone missing, and the villagers had thought even Tsukishima had died in the war. All that was left the girl was her sandals on the shore, a sign that often meant suicide. As he searched for her body, the egoneri seaweed that used to remind him of her hair sent shivers down his spine.
Part of the truth came out when Tsukishima discovered that his father had spread the rumor that he had died in the war. That was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Anger over years of abuse boiled over as he beat his father bloody in a blind rage. The injuries were fatal, and Tsukishima was sentenced to death for killing his own father. Sitting in prison, Tsukishima was ready to die after avenging Egogusa.
Tsurumi’s Lies
Not wanting to lose one of his best soldiers, Lt. Tsurumi concocted a crafty plan to convince him to want to live again. He lied to him, telling him that Egogusa was not only alive, but her death was actually faked by her family. He confided that she was actually married off to a rich tycoon in Tokyo. To seal the deal, he handed him a bundle of her hair, which was, in fact, just some seaweed from the shore. Tsukishima was deceived for years until he met a soldier who claimed to be from his hometown, Sado.
He said that Egogusa’s bones were found under the father’s house, and that it caused a huge uproar in the village. But the snake-tongued Tsurumi had an answer to this one, too: he claimed to be behind it all, and used the drama over the faked bones to get Tsukishima out of jail. Satisfied, Tsukishima swears allegiance to the end of his life as Tsurumi shares a knowing smirk with the soldier purportedly from Sado. Viewers are left to wonder if all of this was some clever talking, or completely staged, to prevent Tsurumi’s lies from ever being exposed.
New episodes of Golden Kamuy premiere Mondays at 8:00 AM PST on Crunchyroll.
