(spoilers for Nagakura’s route in Hakuoki)
So I recently finished Shinpachi Nagakura’s route in Hakuoki (which has destroyed me btw)
And I just found out that Nagakura was never meant to be a route in the first place. He was originally a supporting character who only became romanceable in the 2017 release of the game.
And there is something SO tragic about that.
Let’s put aside the fact that they kill him even though the real life Nagakura survived the Boshin War.
AND let’s put aside the fact that he is forced to become a fury despite the fact that he is the ONE warrior who explicitly stated that he hates these experiments and would rather die than become one.
AND let’s put aside the fact that his ending doesn’t even confront his feelings on having been forcefully turned into a fury and just glosses over it (apparently the sequel fixes this. I haven’t played it yet).
All of these things are really tragic (and blindsided me tbh and my heart is still aching)
But it is particularly tragic that Nagakura was originally relegated to a mere comic relief side character despite the fact that he is arguably the reason this game can exist.
Almost all of what we know about the Shinsengumi is from what Nagakura wrote down post-war. This game owes him everything and gave him so little. And what little they did eventually give him was poorly written and punishingly cruel.
And on a personal note, it just really hurts to find out that my heart is bleeding for a man that I was never meant to love.
