Magnificent Seven Male Archetypes: A Character Study Of Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai

With all the buzz around the recent trailer for The Magnificent Seven 2016 remake, I thought it might be suitable to revisit the original film. Not the 1960 western of the same name, but Akira Kurosawa's 1954 Japanese epic Seven Samurai. In fact, you might be surprised to know how many westerns (and Clint Eastwood characters) are old west style remakes - sometimes with almost identical lines - of Japanese films with cowboys instead of samurai (A Fistful of Dollars, The Outrage...).

Although Kurosawa's films are cinematographic masterpieces, this review will focus on the characters and relationships portrayed in this movie (to be honest, everything to be said about Kurosawa's cinematography have already been said in words much more eloquent than mine).

In contrast to the standard portrayal of the samurai as a lone heroic worrier dedicated to a strict code of conduct and motivated by noble ideals, Seven Samurai takes place at the end of the samurai era, and follows a group of seven overwhelmed protagonists. Considering the fact that the samurai became universally idealized as a model of manliness, Kurosawa's film provides an alternative narrative not only of the samurai era but also manliness itself. With this in mind, it is possible to interpret the seven protagonists as seven archetypes of masculinity, and their struggles as the ones of masculinity facing social and political adversity.

Before looking into the characters, lets consider the setting. The Sengoku period was a time of civil war and turmoil; The peasants suffer from bandits (often disgraced samurai themselves) taking advantage of the lawlessness and raiding their villages, and while the samurai are still considered a distinct and prestigious class, they are being undermined by the introduction of gun powder and modern weaponry.

Against this backdrop Kurosawa portrays seven men; Samurai hired by a poor village as a last resort against an imminent bandit attack.

1. Shimada Kambei - The Old Man: The leader, a war-weary soldier and the most experienced of the seven. It is hinted that he became disgraced after he led and lost a battle against the forces of a rival warlord, resulting in the death of his master. Moved by the farmers suffering, he decides to assist them despite having nothing to gain. In contrast to the lonewolf hero trope, Kambei repeatedly emphasises the importance of teamwork "We can't risk 20 [houses] to save three. And if this village is destroyed, those three cannot survive on their own. That is the nature of war. By protecting others, you save yourself. If you only think of yourself, you'll only destroy yourself. Such selfishness will not be tolerated. You're all in one boat." and he is the one that establishes seven as the minimum number of samurai required to defend the village. Pondering the future, Kambei comments that their victory is a pyrrhic one from which they gained nothing, the farmers being the sole winners.
2. Kyzuo - The Master: An extremely talented samurai, the character is first introduced fighting a duel. No formal explanation is given as to why he decides to join the group, but it is hinted that he simply fancied the challenge. Despite Kurosawa building the character as the most skilled fighter of all the characters, Kyzou is shot and killed by the bandit chief near the end. This can be seen as metaphor for the changing times and the diminishing status of the samurai in the era of gunpowder.
3. Okamoto Katsushiro - The Boy: Young and inexperienced, Katsushiro is the son of a wealthy retired samurai who became a wondering swordsman against his families wishes. His ideals and desire to learn from Kambei and Kyzou are what moves him to join the group. After experiencing both war and love his immature notions of heroism are replaced with a more realistic and pragmatic outlook.
   

   
4. Hayashida Heihachi - The Existentialist: Cheerful and upbeat, in contrast to most Samurai that are too proud to accept the peasants offer of food in exchange for protection, in his first appearance Heihachy is seen chopping wood for a bowl of rice. Despite admitting to being a mediocre swordsman, he is recruited for his charm and wit. He jokes that he is from the "Wood Chop School of Swordsmanship" and - quite morbidly - compares cutting down enemies to chopping wood. True to this self contradicting nature until the end, he dies sacrificing himself to rescue a farmer despite previously advocating to kill the peasants as punishment for deceiving the group.
   
5. Katayama Gorobei- The Strategist: Jokes that despite having a "strong name" he is not really that tough. He is a skilled archer and acts as the second in command to Kambei, organizing the defences of the village. He is killed when a mistake by Kikuchiyo foils his defensive strategy.
6. Kikuchiyo - The Fool: Portrayed by Toshiro Mifune, arguably the most famous actor in Japan at the time, Kikuchiyo is an abrasive and loud buffoon who claims to be a samurai despite being born as a Farmer. Despite coming across as a comic relief, he is surprisingly insightful about the dynamics between the social classes and is the only one that seems to be aware of the complexities faced by both groups "They [Farmers] pose as saints but are full of lies! If they smell a battle, they hunt the defeated! They're nothing but stingy, greedy, blubbering, foxy, and mean! But then who made them such beasts? You did! You samurai did it! You burn their villages! Destroy their farms! Steal their food! Force them to labour! Take their women! And kill them if they resist! So what should farmers do?". He is the fourth and last of the seven to fall, killing the chief of the bandits in his last breath.
7. Shichiroji - The Soldier: The former lieutenant of Kambei, he resumes his role as his right hand man. When asked to join the mission that "will bring neither money nor fame" he does not hesitate. Although yearning for a glorious death in battle alongside his former brother in arms, Shichiroji survives, this prompts the now famous line  "Mata iki-nokotta na" (So, once again we have survived), Kambei, aware of the changing era and the facts of war replies that they have lost again, and it is the farmers that have won.¹
   

Considering the rapid changes in Japanese society following the second world war it can be argued that Kurosawa was making a point regarding the fate of social rules, structures, and concepts - especially the ones used to define masculinity. One could argue that we live in a similar time of uncertainty, as such, Seven Samurai is as relevant as ever.

Finally one can only hope that The Magnificent Seven remake will try and maintain some of the social commentary of the original, instead of delivering seven more of the same would be Client Eastwood man's man action heroes for us to be entertained by.  

^{1. Actually, having both "The Boy" and "The Old Man" survive could be interpreted as Kurosawa hinting that neither the future nor the past will be lost, and that the samurai - or at least some of what it represents - will always remain a part of Japanese culture.↩}