Hakuoki: Heisuke's Story

So I finished by 3rd playthrough of Hakuoki! Can you tell how much I love this game? I decided to go after Heisuke for my 3rd playthrough. When I first looked at the art, I didn't like Heisuke at all. He looked too much like Goku from Saiyuki (mostly because of the eyes). However, after playing through Hakuoki the first time, I really liked Heisuke's personality, and I couldn't wait to play through his story after I finished Okita's.

When you arrive at your first option, choose "attempt to explain my situation". Conversation happens, and Heisuke is all like "a man should just admit to his fate" or something like that. Then choose "tell them that I wasn't a boy", and that really shuts up Heisuke for saying what he did. Strangely enough, you get a love animation. He's also the only one that makes you call him by his first name, since he prefers being called by his first name, and Chizuru is close in age with him anyway.

***BEWARE: SPOILERS AHEAD!***

At the Battle of Ikeda Inn, you follow the same situation as in Okita's playthrough, but you go find Heisuke instead. You find that his head is bleeding because Amagiri punched Heisuke's head guard into 2 clean pieces. Heisuke is unable to defeat Amagiri, just like Okita was unable to defeat Kazama. Heisuke definitely wants payback if he ever sees Amagiri again. Because of Heisuke's injury, he also has to stay at headquarters, like Okita, until they get better. 

Heisuke bleeding from the foreheaad at Ikeda Inn. 

Heisuke's playthrough has Sanan appearing a lot more. For example, when Chizuru sees Sanan take the Water of Life, usually she's saved by someone (at least from my 2 previous playthroughs). However, in this one, she's all by herself to deal with Sanan, and she even tries to persuade him to not take it. In the end though, he does take it, but ends up passing out after his fit (vs the other times when he had to be injured to be put down).

This is the CG you get from this situation.

Heisuke's playthrough is also very politically charged. I kind of get lost in the politics of this game, but it definitely matters in this playthrough. When Heisuke decides to leave the Shinsengumi to become part of the Guards with Itou, it's because he didn't share the same political view as Kondou, but he still liked goofing around with everybody in the Shinsengumi. He also says that Itou is from the same school as him, so he kind of has an obligation to go with him. Heisuke always thinks hard before he makes a decision, but it just happens that the decisions he makes are not the right ones. Chizuru tries to convince Heisuke to stay, but since he put so much thought into this decision, he's sticking to it until the end.

Heisuke explaining to Chizuru why he's going with Itou, and how he'll miss the Shinsengumi.

However, you find out that the Shinsengumi plan on killing Itou because it seems like he's spreading rumours that Harada killed a particular person, when it was really the Guard that did it. The Shinsengumi kill Itou and leave his body in an alley as bait for the rest of the Guard. Of course, Heisuke is with them, so it's a battle of whether they should fight Heisuke or not, since he's currently with the "enemy", but is also a very good friend to the Shinsengumi captains. Chizuru jumps in the middle of the battle between the Shinsengumi and the Guard to convince Heisuke to come back. Heisuke is conflicted, but then realizes that his place is to protect Chizuru. During his fight with Amagiri, he notices that 2 of the Guards are about to attack Chizuru, and he ends up throwing both of his swords, one into each solider. Amagiri gives Heisuke a fatal blow for being so foolish for throwing away his weapons to protect Chizuru. Heisuke is pretty much near death, which is why he has to take the Water of Life, and then becomes part of the Fury Corps with Sanan.

Sanan begins to act strange, so Heisuke always has to keep an eye on him. However, Sanan does give Chizuru medicine for Heisuke should he not want to drink blood to calm himself down. After one of the battles, Heisuke and Chizuru end up getting separated from the rest of the Shinsengumi, but do their best to get back to them. During that time, they are ambushed by Kazama and Amagiri who are trying to kidnap Chizuru. Heisuke does his best to protect Chizuru, but Kazama and Amagiri are unimpressed by Heisuke's skills. Princess Sen (the demon trying to protect Chizuru) and Kimigiku appear, and interrupt Heisuke and Kazama's battle. Basically, Sen offers herself to bear Kazama's children, as she has the bloodline of the prestigious Suzuka Gozen, but she will not become his wife. Kazama accepts the offer, and will come pick up Sen when his duties to the Satsuma is over. So Sen saved Chizuru from being kidnapped, and also will now be able to continue her bloodline with another pure-blooded demon. A win-win situation. I'm pretty sure that Heisuke is grateful that Sen saved them, but he must feel kind of bad for not being able to protect Chizuru better.

Since the Shinsengumi is in Edo, Sanan asks Chizuru to bring him to her home to look at Kodo's research. Chizuru says yes only after Heisuke comes along because he says that he's been to Chizuru's place before and that they'll be able to find her house much quicker since he's been there a lot more recently than Chizuru has. After looking through Kodo's research, Sen appears and explains what Kimigiku has found out about the furies, which is that the Water of Life is actually blood from demons in France, which happen to be weak in the sunlight, so the furies created by the Water of Life will have the exact same symptoms. (So vampires are French?) She also explains that the power gained from this demon blood is too much for a human, so they will use up their lifespan every time they become a fury, and once that is all used up, they will turn into ash. Sanan leaves to collect his thoughts on all this new information that he's learned.

Hijikata talks privately with Heisuke and Chizuru about a serial killer cutting people up into pieces. Heisuke and Chizuru don't understand what this has to do with anything until they realize that it must be Sanan behind all of this. They run to Fury Corps headquarters to find no one there. They then search the city to be attacked by 2 furies, which are handled by Heisuke, and Kazama. Kazama tells Heisuke to tell the Shinsengumi to stop sending out furies into the streets, but Heisuke explains that he's not the one in charge, and so they work together to find Sanan, but found nothing even after carefully combing the streets.

They then head to Fury Corps to find Sen "kissing" Sanan, but in actuality, Sanan is forcing his own blood into Sen's mouth. Sanan explains that he's the chosen fury as he has been constantly drinking blood, but he has not gone "crazy". Kazama is super pissed that Sanan forced fury blood into Sen, causing her to be tainted with fake demon blood. Sen appears between Sanan, and Heisuke and Kazama, and places herself in a defensive stance. It seems anyone that has drunk Sanan's blood can be controlled by him, even Sen. As Kazama was trying to reach Sanan in order to kill him, a flood of furies interfere, and Sanan and Sen disappear with Sanan saying that he will be building a kingdom up north.

Later on, you find out that Sanan was able to become the retainer of the Sendai domain, which is probably the kingdom up north he was talking about earlier. Hijikata sends Heisuke to kill Sanan, since Heisuke is "dead", and it takes a dead man to kill another dead man. @.@ After drinking Chizuru's blood after a bloodlust fit, Heisuke ends up talking negatively about how he's going to die soon anyway, and he might as well die fighting. Chizuru is so upset that she slaps him across the face, telling him that he's clearly still alive.

Chizuru slapping Heisuke across the face for talking about how he's pretty much dead, and that he'll turn to ash soon enough. On the other hand, he looks really good with his haircut, and wearing Western clothes.

Heisuke still says a string of negative comments like what would happen if parts of his body turned into ash, but Chizuru would say that she'll carry him or help him reach whatever it is together. 

After setting out to go after Sanan, Heisuke and Chizuru bump into Kazama, who is also planning to infiltrate the castle. Kimigiku appears later on, explaining the situation that Sanan has won the favour of the lord of Sendai, and is increasing the number of furies, who are crazy loyal to him due to the blood control.While Kazama and Kimigiku leave, Heisuke thinks that they should go through the front because Sanan likes to heavily guard back entrances, and Sanan finds them because he knew Heisuke would think that way. Sanan doesn't understand why Heisuke can't see the "light" that Sanan is in, and how come Heisuke has changed, but Heisuke knows that the only person who has changed is Sanan himself. Heisuke and Sanan fight for a bit, until a soldier finds Sanan to tell him that Princess Sen is being uncooperative. Sanan leaves immediately, leaving Heisuke and Chizuru worried about Sen, but also hopeful that she must be alright, and doing her best to fight off Sanan's blood control. 

Right when Heisuke was about to enter through the front door, Kimigiku stops him and shows him a secret passage through a well that leads them inside the castle. Once in the castle, they notice a sea of dead fury bodies, and Kazama slaying away at them. Kazama and Heisuke bicker a bit, and they follow Kimigiku to where Sen is. Sanan is also there, waiting for their arrival. He fights with Heisuke, and tells Heisuke that he still fights like a human, and Sanan lodges Heisuke's sword into shoulder, saying that this is how a fury fights, not caring about his injuries. This causes Heisuke's sword to be stuck. Kazama takes the opportunity to save Sen. Sanan says how he admires Heisuke and Kazama's teamwork, but Chizuru has a bad feeling about why Sanan doesn't look very nervous that Sen is being taken away. Sen opens her eyes and turns demonic, and stabs Kazama in the stomach. It looks like Sanan's blood control is stronger than demon blood. Sen hears Chizuru's and Kimigiku's voices and tells them to stay away because she can't control herself, and is having difficulty fighting off the blood control. Sanan tells Sen to kill Chizuru, but Kimigiku steps in and gets stabbed by Sen instead. Sen starts to gain control of herself as she was licking the blood off of her hands before that belonged to Kazama's, causing the demon blood to overpower the fury blood in Sen. 

Heisuke fights Sanan once again, and uses the move that Sanan did on him before, and lodges Sanan's sword into one of his bones, causing Sanan to be unable to move his sword. Heisuke then pierces Sanan in the heart, killing him once and for all. With Sanan's last breaths, he says how he doesn't understand how Heisuke could use such a technique despite denying his fury self. Heisuke simply says that he'll be whatever if it's to protect Chizuru. Heisuke asks Sanan why he didn't block Heisuke's final attack, and Sanan answered that he remembered that he was human, and his left arm wouldn't move. The reason that made Sanan drink the Water of Life is also what caused him to be killed in the end. (An unexpected full circle.)

After leaving the castle, Chizuru is still worried that they still haven't found a cure for the bloodlust. Heisuke tries to reassure her saying that they'll find a way. Kazama notices their situation, and explains that Kodo used the waters around Chizuru's old hometown to make the Water of Life, so that same water may help with the side effects. Heisuke tells Kazama that he didn't have to tell them that information, and says thanks. Kazama pretends he didn't hear what Heisuke just said, and asks him to say it one more time. This causes everyone to laugh, despite Heisuke and Kazama glaring at one another. These two bicker quite a lot, but end up working together a lot as well. Sen explains that Kazama is not honest enough to say that he's letting Heisuke off the hook, even though Heisuke's a fury. In the end though, Chizuru never sees her father.

Heisuke and Chizuru's relationship is very interesting. Chizuru doesn't think that she helps Heisuke at all, but Heisuke knows that she does help by keeping him sane for instance during his time as a fury, and even before that. They have a really nice balance of supporting each other, which may be due to them being close in age. It's a nice, and straightforward kind of relationship. They are just so honest with one another.

Good Ending (always give Heisuke medicine or blood)

When you give Heisuke medicine, it seems to work at first, but Chizuru loses faith in the medicine working after the 2nd time, but Heisuke takes it anyway.

When you give Heisuke blood, he is very resistant to take it the first time, and the second time, he unconsciously laps it up, and only realizes what he has done after the fact. Even though Chizuru tells him that her cut will heal quickly enough, he's still worried about the fact that it must have hurt to cut herself for him. The third time, Heisuke just says that Chizuru saved his life again. 

This is the CG you get when you give Heisuke blood.

So in the end, Heisuke and Chizuru live in the countryside. Chizuru has a dream, and she tells Heisuke all about it, but can't remember if he was in her dream or not. Heisuke grabs her hand, and says that he'll always be by her side. *blush* He'll love her forever and always, even after they die. (Aww...)

Bad Ending (due to making Heisuke endure)

To get this ending, you have to give medicine to Heisuke, and then make him endure. During the part where you find Sen being kissed by Sanan, what follows differs from the path for the good ending. Sanan provokes Kazama by saying that he'll have to kill Sen if he wants to get to him. Kazama doesn't care about killing Sen because she has been corrupted, and no pure-blooded demon should have to go through being less than what they should be. Heisuke tries to convince Kazama that he doesn't have the right to kill Sen, but Kazama says that a demon's pride is more important than any human could imagine. Chizuru runs up to Sen to try and get her to snap out of Sanan's blood control. Even though Sen recognizes Chizuru, Sen ends up killing Chizuru, leaving Sanan laughing like a maniac, and Heisuke extremely angry and upset. Game over.