🎍 Episode 3: The Bamboo that Bends

After Mazekane, the road takes Kabu and Kabocha into a dense bamboo forest that seems to swallow light itself. At the heart of it they find a village clamped shut by fear and tradition. The elder, Takeo, rules with a grip as rigid as the stalks surrounding them. He’s convinced that keeping outsiders away is the only way to survive. And that pride has given the cursed seed exactly what it needs.

🏯 Journey Journal: Himeji

We pulled this one from Himeji — a city best known for its castle, one of the few originals still standing. The lord who held it was never attacked, but he spent his whole life preparing for a siege that never came. That mix of strength and paranoia shaped Takeo. He’s not a bad man, just one who thinks caution is protection, even when it chokes his people. It’s the perfect soil for a bamboo demon to grow.

🌲 Meet Matsu

Here we also meet Matsu, a teenage warrior with armour that clinks heavier than he can carry. He’s the son of a missing samurai and carries that weight quietly. At first, he’s barely heard — his words get brushed aside by the heroes, his warnings ignored. But it’s his steady perspective that will end up saving everyone.

🎶 Songs of Pride and Unity

The episode kicks off with “First One Down” — Kabu and Kabocha celebrating their early wins and thinking they’re invincible. By the end, it’s Matsu who brings the village together with the lesson that no one fights alone. “Stand Up, Stand Tall” closes it out, a rallying cry for unity that finally cuts through the fear.

🌾 The Forest Fights Back

When the bamboo spirit comes, it’s not just a monster — it’s the forest itself. Stalks twist and tighten, trapping the villagers. Every swing just makes the grip stronger. The fight shows how dangerous pride can be when it grows unchecked, how it becomes a cage.

Kabu and Kabocha try to rally the town, but they frame it all around themselves. The villagers don’t follow. It’s only when Matsu speaks — reminding everyone of the men lost to the forest, including his father — that the people find their courage. Old, young, women, children — everyone takes up bamboo poles and joins the fight.

🎁 A Flute and a New Friend

The demon is revealed as Takeo himself, twisted by his pride. When he finally admits his mistake, the forest clears, and the men trapped within return. Matsu’s father isn’t among them. The elder gifts the group a bamboo flute, said to summon the forest’s protection. As Kabu and Kabocha prepare to leave, Matsu hurries to join them, armour rattling with every step.

🌱 Why it Matters

Episode 3 is about pride and community. Takeo believed protecting his people meant standing alone, but it was that very pride that made him the monster. Matsu learns that silence won’t change anything — your voice matters, even if it shakes. And for Kabu and Kabocha, it’s a crack in their leadership, a reminder that being a hero isn’t about taking the spotlight, it’s about sharing it.