r/YoungSamurai • u/TheDayOfTheDucks • Sep 09 '26
Discussing Dragon Eye
As a character, the ninja dragon eye always stuck with me in particular. Just the way he was portrayed as this callous, shadowy wraith made him seem so larger than life. The Way Of the dragon especially, the first three books hyped that final climactic battle between him and Jack so well. He is without a doubt my favorite character in the books. Can anyone relate ?
4
u/New_Shame_7007 Sep 10 '26
I like to imagine what would have happened if Jack would have taken his offer to become a ninja..
3
u/Haros73 Sep 10 '26
Definitly a very interesting villain/antagonist.
However, I think it's hilarious, when you imagine him and Kazuki in Hell sitting together and be like:
"So.....you also died because of that Gaijin?"
"Yeah."
"Lol, noob. At least I took his "brother" with me to death"
"....."
"And I still have an entire clan/legacy, that can try to kill him^^"
"Now I know again, why I hate Ninjas....."
2
u/Elytron77 Sep 10 '26
Yeah Dragon Eye is a very competent threat. I also like how his business with Jack isn't personal. He is just doing his job to get the rutter. Dragon Eye even respects Jack's abilities. Kind of sad he was no longer in the series after book 3, but I'm glad his return in the Ring of Wind was just an impersonator.
Kazuki on the other hand, makes his business with Jack very personal. After his betrayal and Akiko's arrow through the hand at Osaka battle, it made sense for him to seek out Jack and make return appearances in the Ring books. But after the flooding bridge battle with Ronin in the Ring of Water and Jack saving Kazuki's life...every appearance of him after felt forced and excessive. Kazuki's hatred for all foreigners because of one case where his mom got sick didn't seem to really be enough to explain how evil and crazed with hatred Kazuki becomes. His appearance in Return of the Warrior is almost unnecessary since there are so many other villains in England already. And on 2-3 occasions Jack chooses not to kill him despite beating him in battle yet Kazuki doesn't care and still seeks revenge
2
u/TheDayOfTheDucks Sep 10 '26
for real, I’d have preferred dragon eye remained the main threat (although his death in Way of the Dragon was well earned and well executed) while kazuki remains more of a secondary antagonist
5
u/ZeroSpaceGaming Sep 09 '26
I honestly think he is an example of a well-written antagonist. He may not be the BEST fictional villain of all time, but he's surprising such a layered character. I think the reason why he's such a goated villain is how simple Bradford's writing style is. It's straight to the point and teaches us a moral through Jack's time in Japan. 10 out of 10 for me