One against three
Zatoichi On the Road: Fighting Journey (1963)
Image source: Criterion Collection
[T]he Rule of Three would seem to have something to do specially with Buddhism. Monks, who have a lot of free time to think up theories, have come up with ideas to support the Rule of Three. A common one that you hear is the “Three Liberations”… The three things to be liberated from are “Greed,” “Hatred,” and “Foolishness.”
- Alex Kerr
First Trio: Greed
My husband
Why did these samurai want to kill me?
They were paid.
By whom?
I didn't bother to ask his name. He's long gone.
Were you with these men?
One of the men you just killed was my husband.
That makes me your enemy.
I suppose so. But don't worry. You just killed three grown men, three full-fledged samurai, in an instant. What threat could a woman like me pose to you?
O-Mitsu
You are Mitsu, aren't you? This man lying on the ground asked me to look after you.
Second Trio: Foolishness
I don't want to hunt down the girl to kill her.
Are you afraid of that man? Why? He's just a blind man.
But he killed Kudo and Okazaki single-handedly!
It's not that. I just don't understand why we have to kill the girl.
It's an order from our lord.
I know it's an order. A stupid order!
Stop it. It's too late to argue about that now.
Third Trio: Hatred