Chapter Text
So now that I have finished Sekiro and I was completely blown away by it, I have been incessantly reworking the plot in my mind. The Heritage, the Waters, the motivations of everyone involved, the pile of sad feels.
And then, while I was looking into Lord Takeru and Lady Tomoe, a lightbulb went off in my head that made me form an even more intricate theory. It may be a stretch, and very poor in evidence, but I think it could explain Kuro’s actions in a way that makes even more sense. Spoilers under the cut!
I present to you the oath-bound theory, or, in other words:
what if Kuro doesn’t just refuse to humour Genichiro, but… he also can’t?
A quick recap of the hyphotheses I am going to make:
- The Divine Heir can only have one oath-bound at the time
- The oath-bound is forever
- The oath-bound shares the Heir’s fate and remains immortal forever unless they achieve severance/die
- Kuro knows all of this and is lying about it to protect Wolf from Ashina
Here we go!
- What got me thinking were Lady Tomoe and Lord Takeru, and their failed attempts to sever his immortality due to Senpou snatching the Mortal Blade. The documents left behind, as well as their and Emma’s wording, made me think of a distinct possibility: the Divine Heir may be only able to bestow the Heritage upon a single person, aka, as they called him, their oath-bound.
- If this is indeed true, a lot of things start making more sense. The Rejuvenating Waters and the Infested may be a Heritage-inspired attempt to reproduce immortality on a large scale, which wouldn’t otherwise be accessible.
- Further speculation: the Heritage may be a “purer” version of whatever blood the Waters are tied to, and the difference between them could be “no-little consequence for the oath-bound bearer and the Heir” (at the expense of others, thru Dragonrot) versus “corruption of the body/mind caused by the Waters” (see Genichiro).
- Since the Heritage may very well be an illness or a parasitic event of some kind, in Fromsoft fashion, the side effects, centipedes and Dragonrot give the last point even more credibility.
- If both were true and Genichiro only were aware of the latter, this may be the reason he seeks the Heritage after relying on the Waters for years, not knowing that he cannot have it anyway. It may also be the reason why, in the cutscene before his boss fight, he says “I understand; as long as he lives, I can’t have (the Heritage)”.
If all of this is true, this raises a lot of questions about Kuro’s actions and his way of relating to Genichiro and anyone else. It could be pointed out that, in this light, none of his behavior makes sense. If he knows all this and no one else does, why would Kuro not straight up say it and consequently succeed in being left alone?
I have some more speculation that may answer this question, as well as shed light on how he feels about the Heritage.
- Kuro is one of the most humane, wise and loving characters in the Fromsoft universe. He knows that his blessing is a curse, and doubtlessly equals immortality to non-humanity. However, the memory in Hirata estate gives us a few hints on the fact he may not always have felt this way, or always known all he does about his power.
- I wholeheartedly believe that bestowing the Heritage upon Wolf was nothing more complex than an act of love. It may have been a tough decision, but the motive was simple: his beloved shinobi had been killed in front of his eyes, and Kuro was not going to have it. To lose him would have meant even more loneliness and abandonment in a world that was already closing in on him and trying to prey on his Dragon’s blood. So he did.
- At some point after this decision, Kuro began to regret it and probably feel extremely guilty and selfish over it. The first thing he speaks to Wolf about, once they are reunited, is his death toll, and the desire to sever immortality – specifically because he wants Wolf to be human/mortal again.
- Kuro seems to be very well-read and cultured in general, but I can’t help wondering if his constant reading, even before he asks for Wolf’s help, is tied to research on how to get rid of the Dragon’s Heritage for both his and Wolf’s benefit. He may have found out the inner workings of the Heritage after he bestowed it upon Wolf, and therefore started to investigate about it.
- It is this whole situation that made me hypothesize Kuro couldn’t change his mind about his choice: he tried to free himself and Wolf of it, but he has no control over it with his mere willpower. Therefore, the oath-bound a Heir chooses remains their oath-bound forever, unless they get rid of the Heritage itself together.
All of these premises beg the question: if, for any reason, he is the only one to know that the oath is irreversible and limited to one soul, what is the deal of him not telling Genichiro?
- I believe Kuro fears the exact same conclusion Genichiro came to before his boss fight: as long as he lives, the Heritage cannot be mine… if that is the power of the Heritage, I will kill you as many times as it takes. Kuro is afraid that Genichiro and Ashina soldiers, desperate for more resources, will find a way to permanently kill Wolf, so that he finally gets out of the way. They would kill two birds with one stone: dead Wolf means defenseless Kuro, as nobody has both enough devotion and strength to protect him, and free scot on the Dragon’s Heritage.
- I fully believe this is Genichiro’s extreme plan at the end: to hurt Kuro enough to bait Wolf into a fight, destroy him with the Mortal Blade, then force Kuro to do what he wants. Because, in more than one sense, the noble shinobi is standing in his way. And the last thing Kuro wants is for that to happen.
- If all this is true, Kuro feels doubly responsible for Wolf’s life: because he effectively cursed him, and made him a target. Therefore, it is natural that he would let Genichiro, or Owl, know about the Heritage or its possible exclusive nature at any cost. He would sooner die than be responsible of Wolf’s death again, or leave him at the mercy of an entire army of enemies.
- If Kuro indeed holds all this dangerous knowledge about the Heritage, it also makes sense that his reaction would be running from his bloodline, and going into hiding with Wolf while looking for a solution.
One last thing: among its many other meanings about life, death and fate, Sekiro is fundamentally a story of love and care being stronger than lust for power. It is the tale of two characters who value each other above glory, honor codes or obligations, and in the end – combining their efforts – get what they wanted to achieve.
It makes even more sense to me, on a symbolic level, that the Heritage would only be possibly shared between the two of them, like a bitter red string of fate.