WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Episode 16 of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, "Double-Edged Moroha," now streaming on Crunchyroll, Funimation, Animelab and Hulu.
Moroha might be the breakout star of Yashahime: Princess Half-Demon, but despite her popularity, not much is known about her. Episode 16 changes this, giving viewers some more information about her past and also putting her in a better position for the future. While this episode winds up being a bit overstuffed, it's still nice to see Moroha getting a bit of attention for once, and we learn a lot about her character.
At the end of Episode 15, it was revealed Moroha had been left with the Wolf Demon Tribe after her parents were trapped in the Black Rainbow Pearl. This episode reveals more about her upbringing -- specifically her mentor, Yawaragi. Initially, Yawaragi doesn't exactly come off well. She throws Moroha into the trial of Kodoku, a king of the hill, last demon standing type fight, and promptly goes off to gamble with corpse dealer Jyubei. She seems completely uninterested in Moroha's survival, and when she does survive, she sells her to Jyubei to cover her debts. It turns out Moroha's debt is actually Yawaragi's.
Moroha has a brash, vibrant personality; no one would say she's known for her self-control. Her learning a little bit of control is the central thrust of the episode, and it's where Yawaragi comes in. Throughout "Double-Edged Moroha," Yawaragi chastises Moroha for over-relying on her Beni rouge. When Moroha uses the rouge, she becomes Beniyasha -- a full blown demon, as opposed to her usual quarter-demon self. While she is undoubtedly powerful, she basically loses all control and sense of self and becomes a vicious beast. Yawaragi isn't a fan of this.
"Moroha" translates as "Double-Edged Sword." She has good qualities, but bad ones come with them. It's a good metaphor for her transformation into Beniyasha, particularly after seeing what happened with her and Yawaragi. In a flashback, Moroha promptly turns into Beniyasha while being harassed by some demons. She completely loses control and attacks Yawaragi when she comes to save her, leaving Yawaragi with distinctive scars. To protect herself and Moroha, Yawaragi winds up being tricked into putting on the Armor of the Iron Rat, which turns out to be cursed. It will gradually constrict over the years until it crushes her to death.
Episode 16 of Yashahime concludes with Yawaragi and Moroha fighting to the death. Yawaragi is forced by Konton to kill Moroha, in order to get the key to her armor and save her life. Moroha, meanwhile, decides not to use her rouge for once-- she wants to obtain a victory by her own skills, not by transforming into something else entirely. She uses the Kurikaramaru to defeat Yawaragi, a symbol of the training and discipline that Yawaragi herself tried to instill in Moroha.
Moroha is a double-edged sword -- she can be useful, but if you're not careful, she'll hurt you. In this episode, however, Moroha learns to temper her sharp edges just a bit. She's still the same wild, dangerous Moroha we know and love, but she's a bit more controlled and calculated. This will be a good thing for her and her friends going forward.
