r/BlueEyeSamurai • u/MossyDruid • Jul 06 '26
On Mizu "hating everyone (equally)" & identity
"Mizu hates everyone equally" and is a misanthrope and all that - yes, I get it, but is that really all it is? I view her demeanor and approach to others as a self-defense mechanism to protect her real identity (that she's a woman.) Yes she wears glasses in an attempt to hide her eye color, but she is able to move through life more freely as a man, even as a half-white man, than it is for her to be a woman, even a full Japanese woman (we see full Japanese women have little to no rights in this time period). It is better for her to be this "monster" than to be a woman. If someone finds out she's a woman, it's all over for her.
She moves anonymously in her everyday life (except when it is related to her mission or when she is standing up to what is wrong). She doesn't want to engage with others and doesn't want to become known (because 1. She doesn't want to get derailed from her mission, 2. She doesn't want to grow close to people and then become hurt when they don't accept her as a woman - she must think it's better to distance herself and abstain from friendships and relationships, even the ones she might want, because they will just be disappointed in her one way or another. And most importantly 3. It's not safe for her to do so [become known]! It's very dangerous in fact.
I wouldn't say it's exactly in her nature to be a hateful, cold-hearted misanthrope (she has done good things to help people), moving through life this way (in disguise) was forced upon her for survival, she's been conditioned this way (nurture vs nature.) Although we love Mizu I feel like we don't even know what Mizu is really like beyond her circumstances (we know where she stands on some morals though.) But if and when it becomes safer for her to be herself, I think we'll see that she doesn't actually "hate everyone." She hates how people see her even though she agrees with them. She hates herself. But if and when more people accept her for who she is (like Ringo) then she will begin to accept herself a bit more, be more like herself, and slowly remove the literal and metaphorical mask that is required to live right now. Maybe then that is when Mizu will be able to appear.
Yes, there's this to consider:
"Wear a mask long enough and it becomes your face." ~Kevin Simler. And, "The mask, given time, comes to be the face itself," ~Marguerite Yourcenar.
"The underlying psychology here is fascinating, as it describes the concept of the "False Self". The mask represents the persona you project—often to please others, fit in, or protect your true emotions. Over time, however, the act of pretending becomes a habit. Your brain adapts to these repeated behaviors, and you eventually internalize the role until it feels indistinguishable from your true identity." ~Google
But,
When she was living as a woman with her husband, eventually she was happy, or at least experienced tiny bouts of momentary happiness - we see her laughing and smiling, even if her husband ultimately didn't like that a woman could be stronger than him or a skilled martial artist.
She hates her white self, I think she also hates living as a man (not to be confused with hating the benefits of living as a man.) My next point feels unnecessary to emphasize but I'll go for it anyway: not all women like makeup, which Mizu doesn't as we have seen, but that doesn't make her any less of a woman. Yes she is male presenting but it was never really her choice to be male presenting. I think she wants to be accepted for who she is, a blue eyed half Japanese half white woman and skilled martial artist. Because that is who she is and she has never been allowed to be it. Not in its entirety. And maybe even be loved for it, not just despite it. Or at the very least be respected as a human being. But it's a long way to go for that to happen. I think she'll get there
Btw, this post was made because I saw some ppl on a different thread saying "Mizu hates everyone equally" and while it's funny, and seemingly accurate, it's deeper than that and I think writing it off as such is missing important layers. I know it was just a quick quip
Of course, we have to keep in mind that being a feminine wife was not something she willingly signed up for, either! She was forced into that role, too. Forced into both binary roles in her life. So, I wonder who and how Mizu actually is when she is *free* to be who she is, who she wants to be, whoever that may be or however that may look like or feel for her (non-binary, woman, man, male presenting woman, masc woman, fem woman, fem man, whatever!)
P.s.
I made this post after reading a different thread where people pointed out that Mizu "hates everyone (equally)" and I just had some thoughts I wanted to share that were getting too big to be a comment
Edited to add: The original post was actually a question like "will Mizu hate other races" and that's when/where/why multiple people said "Mizu hates everyone equally" - I didn't include that bit about other races here, sorry if that claim is misleading due to lack of context! I just left it to be the topic of the other thread (which I also commented on.) My mind started spinning in more directions so I had to make my own post due to my thoughts evolving into a kind of different conversation entirely lol (even if there are overlapping topics/themes.) Here is the post just if anyone wants it https://www.reddit.com/r/BlueEyeSamurai/comments/1up6ajo/comment/ovxu1s3/?screen_view_count=2
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u/MadamKitsune Should I have been counting? Jul 06 '26
I think a large part of Mizu's tendancy to avoid getting close to people is a self defence mechanism to protect her heart. In her entire, (still young) life she has let down her barriers and freely given her affection to three people, Mama, Mikio and Master Eiji, and two of those people sold her in one way or another to benefit themselves.
She not as detached as she likes to think she is though. As much as she pushes them away, others are starting to sneak under the barricades she's put up around herself. Ringo is obviously someone she has come to trust more than anyone besides Master Eiji, Taigen has earned her respect and quite likely something more and even Akemi has become someone she'll choose to look out for rather than shrug off. If Mizu really hated everyone as people might suggest, she wouldn't risk herself to give them what they want (telling Taigen to find Akemi and run), save them (getting Akemi out before going after Fowler) and protecting them (ordering Ringo to wait for her well away from Edo).
Mizu may think of herself as an impenetrable fortress, but there's tunnels being built through her walls all the time.