Wildfire's Fight Against Fate

"Wildfire's Fight Against Fate"
Season	1
Episode	19
Original Airdate	July 20, 1995
Running Time	No information
Directed by	No information
Translated by	No information
previous	Talpa's Triumph
next	Ronin vs. Saranbo

"Wildfire's Fight Against Fate" is the nineteenth episode of Ronin Warriors. It was originally broadcasted on syndicated television during the summer of 1995, and was eventually aired through reruns on the SciFi channel, as well as part of Cartoon Network's Toonami programming block.

Summary

Ryo is absorbed into Talpa and the Dynasty Emperor's armor is complete. Is there any hope for the Mortal Realm, now that it's greatest heroes have been defeated?

Plot

With Ryo subdued and about to be absorbed into him, Talpa gloats over his success.  Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze watch from below, horrified by this turn of events. Yuli begs him to keep fighting, but Ryo knows that he no longer has the strength to continue resisting the Dynasty. Total darkness falls over him as he thinks about his failure. Cherry blossom petals begin to float around him, followed by a golden light and a familiar clanging sound. Ryo calls out to the Ancient One, sensing him nearby. He apologizes to the monk for allowing himself to be defeated. A bright light shines from his vision of the Ancient, casting out the darkness.

The demon of the Dynasty

When the light fades, Ryo finds himself overlooking a vast countryside. All over, the ground is littered with the bodies of fallen warriors. Wildfire wonders what's going on, and the voice of the Ancient One responds. He explains that everything the Ronin's have been through started with a similar battle a long time ago. Evil invaded the Mortal Realm, driving fear into the hearts of the people and leading an army against them. Ryo watches as ancient warriors fire arrows at a figure riding on horseback, standing atop a Dynasty gate. Lightning flashes behind this figure, showing his face - Talpa.

Despite the warrior's best efforts, their arrows are no match for the dark power of the Dynasty Emperor. Talpa reminds them who they face and offers to give them a demonstration of his power. With that, Talpa urges his steed into battle. In a few swift slashes of his sword, he kills all the soldiers who tried to stand against him. Rain begins to fall over the battlefield as his blade reflects the image of another warrior approaching him, this one accompanied by a white tiger. The ornamented hilt of his sword clangs as he walks closer.

The Ancient and Talpa clash

Talpa demands to know who the warrior is. The Ancient unsheathes his gold sword, telling the Dynasty Emperor that he will protect the Mortal World. Talpa sneers at him but accepts his challenge anyway. The Ancient swiftly avoids his charge. White Blaze attacks and knocks Talpa off his horse. The demon commends them on their skill but refuses to give up. The Ancient says that the time of Talpa's race living on Earth has long come to an end, and he is sworn to stop him from spreading his evil. Talpa is confident, however, that he will take over the Mortal Realm, due to the power coursing through his armor.  The two charge each other and their weapons clash, surrounding them with colorful auras. Talpa shouts in murderous contempt. The Ancient pulls away and slashes his sword one more time, slicing through the back of the demon's armor.

Talpa's armor remains

All is quiet, except for the rain. Talpa turns to the Ancient and again requests his name. The Ancient One simply states that he is the guardian of the world. The Dynasty Emperor then vows to return one day to take the Mortal Realm. He collapses with those final words, and the Ancient promises to be there when that day comes. He stabs his sword into Talpa, banishing his spirit back to the Nether Realm. The Dynasty gate closes and disappears. However, the demon's armor has been left behind, much to the Ancient's surprise. He realizes that Talpa will be able to return to it at any time as long as it remains intact. The surrounding countryside fades away, leaving only the Ancient One and the empty armor. The Ancient One focuses and changes from his armor into his robes, his sword becoming his staff.

At a deserted forge deep within a forested area, the armor of Talpa sits on a stool before a blazing fire. The Ancient One stands before it, chanting. At the end of the chant, the armor melts away. Some time later, the monk sits in deep meditation. He names the virtues of the nine armors: Virtue, Justice, Trust, Life, Wisdom, Loyalty, Piety, Obedience, and Serenity. Four sets of double doors fly open to reveal each of the The Nine Armors.

The origin of the Nine Mystical Armors

Ryo is shocked to see them, and the Ancient finally explains the truth. He had defeated Talpa, but his armor remained and so, to prevent his return, the Ancient One split the one armor into nine. But while the nine armors are connected to each other, they are no longer a part of the evil that fills Talpa. The Ronin Armors take power from the purest parts of the human soul, which is why they're so powerful and while this power also exists within the Warlord armors, due to the corruption that surrounded them and their bearers, it was easy for Talpa to sway them back to his side. Therefore, it is the will of the bearer that dominates how the armor's tremendous power will be used.

Wildfire absorbed

By the end of this speech, the vision has faded, and Ryo once more finds himself about to be absorbed by Talpa. The demon reiterates how The Armor of Wildfire is all he needs to regain his full power. A blast of lightning strikes out from Talpa's chest plate, pulling Ryo in. Wildfire again apologizes to the Ancient for letting him down and asks that the other Ronin Warriors forgive him. Talpa cackles wildly as he absorbs the Wildfire Armor, with Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze as witnesses.

Talpa's power has been fully restored, and he demonstrates this by attacking the city, bringing down several buildings with a single bolt of lightning. He's delighted that he can finally claim the Mortal Realm, which is what he's wanted for the past thousand years. Meanwhile, Mia laments the loss of Ryo. Yuli refuses to believe that his friend would surrender himself so easily and calls out Ryo's name.

Within Talpa's armor, nothing exists but a bleak void. Ryo drifts down slowly towards a small forest of cherry blossom trees. He comments on the beauty of his surroundings. Further below them lie the four Ronin Warriors, each seemingly in a deep slumber. Ryo's happy to see them and takes comfort in the knowledge that they'll be together. He settles among them, content to remain in peace.

The Ancient One and Ryo

A familiar clanging fills the air as cherry blossom petals fall around the five. Ryo acknowledges the Ancient but doesn't want to fight. The Ancient praises the Ronin's for their actions before going on to say that the battle with Talpa was his duty, and he was wrong to involve them. They were each chosen because of their bravery and their skill. The fight was unavoidable, but he didn't mean for it to end this way. Ryo opens his eyes and looks in the direction of the monk. The Ancient One appears next to him, stating that good will never win as long as negativity fills the hearts of humans. Ryo refutes this and begs the Ancient to continue the fight. The monk appears next to each of the other Ronin's in turn, asking for their forgiveness in forfeiting their lives for this cause. He goes on that they're part in this battle has ended. Ryo denies it, but then notices something strange. The image of the monk seems to be transparent over an image of Talpa.

The Ancient One continues, his voice slowly merging with Talpa's. Together, they speak of the fact that the Nether Realm will always exist as long as the humans give into their fears and fight their wars, therefore the battle with the Dynasty will never end and innocent lives will be lost. It would seem as though the Ronin's never stood a chance. As the image of the Ancient One completely fades away, Ryo prepares to defend himself against Talpa.

The emperor mocks Wildfire's efforts, how he willingly gave up everything that mattered to him, and yet it was all for nothing. He holds up an orb containing the other four Ronin Warriors. Ryo stands in shock as Talpa tells him that the four are dying and that they apparently resent him for his actions, which only strengthens the demon more. Ryo can't believe they would lose faith in him, as everything he did was to protect them. Talpa laughs at his mistake and states that Ryo's own negative feelings will be a welcome addition to the power flowing into him, now that he's about to join his friends inside the orb.

Ryo remembers the encouragement his friends gave him during his fight with Talpa, both before and after they were absorbed into the demon's armor. Knowing that his friends would never betray him, he refuses to surrender to Talpa and his evil. The Wildfire Armor begins to glow as Ryo asks the Ancient One to aid him once more. Talpa tells him that the monk has lost hope, too, so there's nothing left to do but surrender. Wildfire knows what will happen if he does that, though, and he refuses to do that to his friends a second time.

Ryo's virtue blazes on his forehead as he prepares to fight again. He's been returned to the circle below the cherry blossom forest, his four friends still surrounding him. He calls out to them mentally, asking them for their help. Their virtues also shine as they grant Ryo the power he needs. His virtue, which usually flashes red, turns white. Fully recharged, Ryo blasts upward and bursts out of the Dynasty Emperor's chest, freeing himself from Talpa's armor and reappearing on top of a spire.

The White Armor

Talpa is actually pleased to see that Ryo's still alive, as he's looking forward to another fight. Mia and Yuli are also happy to see he's found his way out. As Wildfire stands ready to fight, the virtues of the other four Ronin Warriors appear on Talpa's chest, confusing the demon. He suddenly yells as the power of the Ronin Armors blasts out of him, four colorful beams of energy aiming straight for Ryo. Wildfire accepts the power as the four virtues being to glow on various parts of his anatomy - Cye's on his left arm, Sage's on his right hand, Kento's on his left knee, and Rowen's on his right knee. In a blaze of light, Ryo's armor is transformed, the Armor of the Wildfire replaced by a mysterious white armor.

Talpa is furious at this sudden turn of events. Yuli is amazed by what he sees, and Mia explains that the five armors have become one. Ryo stands strong, telling Talpa that the spirit of humans cannot be overcome. Talpa, however, is adamant about his victory. Their battle begins anew, but Ryo's heart is finally in this fight. He dodges every blast the emperor throws at him until he's closer, then manages to parry a direct hit from the giant blade. He fuses his Swords of Wildfire together, calling upon his signature move. Talpa takes a direct hit and is ultimately defeated, his castle blowing up along with him.  The ground splits beneath Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze. Mia suggests that they get away from the castle, and Yuli agrees. They ride on White Blaze's back as he takes them back down to the city below.

The Ronin Warriors return triumphant

As Ryo continue to blast the remains of the castle, four colorful orbs float down from the clouds. The orbs surround him as the attack finally dies out. Safely back down on the ground, Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze hurry to see what's going on.

Up in the sky, a protective orb surrounds the five Ronin Warriors, guiding them back down to the ground. The two civilians and the tiger are overjoyed by the sight. Rowen, Sage, Cye, and Kento regain consciousness and look at each other in amazement. Ryo, back in the Armor of Wildfire, slowly opens his eyes to find all his friends smiling down at him. Thrilled to see they all survive, he relaxes and closes his eyes again. The three below rush over to meet them.

A rainbow appears in the blue sky over the healing city of Toyama. From on top of one of the destroyed buildings, the Ronin Warriors, Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze gaze upon the wondrous sight.

Continuity

• The Ronin's entered Talpa's castle and started fighting their way to Talpa in "Raid on Talpa's Castle."
• Talpa captured Ryo at the end of the previous episode, after having gained power over the other eight armors in "The Legend of the Armor."
• The full origin story of the armors belonging to the Ronin Warriors and the Dark Warlords is revealed.
• Talpa claims that the other four Ronin Warriors have come to hate Ryo, to which he argues that he was thinking of them the entire time he fought the demon.  They are both referring to the last episode, where Ryo refused to kill Talpa, despite his friends taking over his body to force him to due so, because he would kill the four Ronin's in the process.
• The moments that appeared in Talpa's flashback all happened in the episode "Raid on Talpa's Castle."
• This marks the first appearance of the White Inferno Armor.
• The Ronin Warriors have defeated Talpa, securing their first major victory against the Dynasty.

Title

Even though Talpa's regained full power, Ryo refuses to give up. He encourages his friends to fight by his side, awakening to a new power that will help him defeat the Dynasty Emperor.

Cast

Ryo of the Wildfire — Matt Hill
Cye of the Torrent / Sage of the Halo — Michael Donovan
Rowen of the Strata — Ward Perry
Kento of Hardrock — Jason Gray-Stanford
Mia — Lalainia Lindbjerg
Yuli — Christopher Turner
Talpa — Mina E. Mina
Narrator / The Ancient One — David Kaye

Quotes

"What happens now? I've surrendered my armor's power to Talpa. I tried. I couldn't stop 'im. I saw all my friends trying to help me, and I still couldn't do it."

— Ryo tries to understand what's going on.

"This cycle of evil began before you joined the battle. Long ago, it descended upon the Earth, and in its wake, everything decayed. It incinerated all hope in humanity, this most monstrous of all beings that entered the Mortal World, leading an army of darkness as the same one that threatens today."

— The Ancient One begins to tell Ryo the story of the first war with Talpa.

The Ancient One: "There were darker days when your kind roamed the Earth, but you were banished to another realm long ago. An age of enlightenment has begun, and you have no place in it. I was the one chosen to protect this order from the chaos you spawn."
Talpa: "(laughs) Then you are a fool.  I wield the forces of darkness. By the might of this armor, the Dynasty was formed, and I used its power to open the gates again into this realm. I will conquer!"

— The Ancient One and Talpa face each other for the first time.

"Someday... by the power of the armor, I will return to it again, if it takes a thousand years."

— Talpa pledges to return to take the Mortal Realm.

"Before you accept this fate, you must understand this past. Although I defeated Talpa, I could not destroy his most destructive weapon.  Instead, I diffused its power and created nine mystical armors."

— The Ancient One finally reveals the whole truth about the nine armors to Ryo.

Mia: "Ryo's gone, and he was our last hope."
Yuli: "He can't be! Ryo would never give up like that!"

— Mia and Yuli, after watching Ryo being absorbed.

"Ronin Warriors, you have done well. The battle between Talpa and I is destiny, but I was mistaken to involve you in it. The armors sought you out because of your strength and courage. This battle was inevitable, but not this end."

— The Ancient One apologizes to the Ronin's.

Talpa: "Look! Your four friends are here. They are wasting away —"
Ryo: "No!"
Talpa: "— because the hope they had for you was lost.  Only their hatred remains for you, surging into me, becoming part of my world."
Ryo: "Oh, no! It can't be! I was thinking of them, I swear it! I was!"
Talpa: "Then you made a grave error, didn't you, Ryo of Wildfire?"

— Talpa attempts to break Ryo.

Sage: "Ryo, fight Talpa!"
Cye: "Don't give up!"
Rowen: "Don't worry about us!"
Kento: "Yeah, destroy that maggot, Ryo!"

— Ryo's memory of his friends.

"If I give into him, I'll just be betraying my friends all over again. I won't do that!"

— Ryo's resolve grows firmer.

"To win, we must have Trust and Wisdom, and Justice merged with Life Force. Then I will have the power!"

— Ryo gains strength from the other Ronin Armors.

"This sure beats taking the bus!"

— Yuli, on riding White Blaze.

"The world's greatest threat has been abated because these heroes, the Ronin Warriors, would not give up. And we can all breath a much-needed sigh of relief.  For now..."

— The Narrator sets up the second season of the series.

See Also

• Decisive Battle! Raging Fire Versus Arago