I’m Going To Be So Fucking Depressed If It’s Not Bi-Han In MK1.

Work Bitch (2013)  |  The Witch (2015)

They just confirmed Kuai is Scorpion

Title: Pygmalion and Galatea

Artist: Louis-Jean-François Lagrenée

Date: 1778

Genre: Mythological Painting

when the character that is full of rage and grief is also full of kindness

Winding wool in a Pompeian garden, 1894 John William Godward

🗡️🩸 Reiko 🩸🗡️

A rant about my mixed feelings about Harumi in this timeline.

Mk1 story and endings spoilers, brief mention of possible leaks

On one hand, I am really glad that they are giving her depth rather than being the murdered wife of Hanzo. To give her the opportunity to be a character rather than a plot device. But it gets thrown out the window the moment they insta married her to Kuai because he's Scorpion now.

Yes, it's true we probably get to know more about her in mk1. That she was running a clan in Japan before Kuai got there. She is an effective fighter as well. She is just as passionate and angry if the roles were versed and she lost Hanzo and Satoshi. These sound like good things and they are.

So, what's the problem? Well, her relationship with Kuai and the lack of context. To me, it seems like all NRS sees her as "SCORPION WIFE." and her destiny is always to be wed to one even if Scorpion is a man to whom she has never interacted with in previous canon. A relationship that hasn't been shown to us but rather told to us repeatedly in intros and endings. We are TOLD that her and Kuai were childhood friends. We are told that Kuai goes there after that Mk1 and basically crashes her clan and rebuilds and names her after. We were told that they plan to wed after a short time of reuniting.

The only thing they are going to show allegedly (according to story2 leaks) is their wedding. We won't ever get to see them bond? Why did they decide to marry? What do they even like in each other? We are told they are marrying before we can actually see Harumi as a character. I feel like if you are gonna pair Harumi up with Kuai, add context or develop it? At the very least? Don't just tell us and think everyone will accept it? So many fans would have loved to see Hanzo and Harumi fall in love. To see why they were passionate about each other to begin with? Why they would go down a path of revenge and anger when the other and their son dies To see them work together without Harumi instantly dying? After like 30 somewhat years of only seeing small snips before tragedy hits them.

Everything would have made sense if it was Hanzo in Kuai's place in the story. It would be more easily believable to be told these things because we do not have to extend our imaginations to figure out how that worked? We know in every other timeline, Hanzo and Harumi are married and in love. We can conclude they will do without it seeing random and swallow. Then all NRS had to do was focus on her character because we already know they can love each other. Instead, they're going to make an unsatisfied romance between two characters that have no chemistry or context to be together. Other than the fact, Kuai is Scorpion so therefore Harumi should marry him.

Like you're telling me we have an invasion ending where Harumi is shown that if she was in Hanzo's shoes, she would make similar decisions to him? Only for her to never interact with Hanzo outside invasions? It feels like a money paw, we finally get to see Harumi do something other than die but we don't get to see her and Hanzo be together? That we won't ever actually get to see what they were like before they were married? Like NRS could simply have written that her and Hanzo were both Kuai's childhood friends? Or that her and Kuai remained friends and worked together on the Shirai-Ryu? Give her a timeline where she doesn't have to wed "Scorpion"?

Studio Ghibli <3

The last.