Friend or Foe

"Friend or Foe"

Season	1
Episode	8
Original Airdate	July 5, 1995
Running Time	No information
Directed by	No information
Translated by	No information
previous	Splitting the Stone
next	Wildfire in the Sky

"Friend or Foe" is the eighth 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[]

All of the Ronin Warriors have been found, save for Rowen. Dais claims to have captured him, but is the Dark Warlord of Illusion to be trusted?

Plot[]

5e82re2 — Dais plots to ensnare the Ronins

Talpa is not at all pleased by the progress the Ronin Warriors have been making. Dais places the blame on Anubis, Sekhmet, and Kale. Anubis points out that Dais hasn't faced them yet. Sekhmet is confident that he knows how to take the Ronin's out now, but Dais has a plan of his own, one that will destroy the four Ronin's before they can find Rowen. Talpa approves.

Mia, Sage, and Kento are driving to meet up with Ryo, Cye, and Yuli. She is once again explaining how they were able to use the poem left by Professor Koji to find where Talpa had scattered them to. Unfortunately, she can't figure out what the clue about Rowen could be referring to. Sage suggests that they sit down to strategize once they're all back together. Kento would rather take on Talpa right away, and Sage and Mia advise him to be patient. They are unaware that they are being followed.

Ryo, Cye, and Yuli have stopped at a temple hidden away in the forest, a place Yuli recommended for the two groups to meet up and think about their next move. Ryo commends him on his selection. Cye comments about how hard it's going to be to find Rowen and asks if they can just leave him behind, but Ryo reminds him that Rowen is the only one left. As they explore the temple, Cye asks Yuli about the candles. Yuli says that they're meant to be eternal offerings to the gods. The two Ronin's continue to contemplate the riddle from the poem. Ryo mentions that he can sense Rowen near them, so Cye suggests that he might be hidden away inside the temple walls.

Suddenly, Yuli notices the eternal candles are all going out one by one. The Warlord of Illusion appears before him. He screams out in fear, catching the attention of Ryo, Cye, and White Blaze. Dais breaks through the roof of the temple, holding Yuli tightly under one arm. He throws his nunchucks at the Ronin's, which they quickly dodge. The two demand that Dais release Yuli as they fight back. The Warlord drops the young boy, and Yuli falls off the roof. White Blaze catches him before he can hit the ground too hard.

6a3ere2 — Dais weaves his web of deception

With Yuli safely out of harm's way, Ryo and Cye focus on the battle with Dais. Unfortunately, they are no match for his speed and are swiftly beaten down. Ryo improvises, using the roof tiles as projectiles to block the blows of Dais' scythes, but even this tactic doesn't last long before he and Cye are blasted off the roof. The Warlord fires his special attack, capturing the Ronin's in a spider's web. With the two subdued, Dais decides to inform them that he has already found and captured Rowen. To save him, they will have to go to Sendai. He releases Ryo and Cye from his webs and disappears.

Ryo and Cye immediately head to Sendai to rescue Rowen, but there doesn't seem to be anybody around. Meanwhile, the others have arrived at the temple, where Yuli fills them in on the latest development. As they hurry to catch up to the Warriors of Fire and Water, Sage notices the damage done to the trees in the area.

Ryo and Cye explore the area and finally find Rowen, chained by the Dynasty soldiers. They rush to his rescue, calling on their armors to take out the Dynasty soldiers. Cye is unnerved by how easy the fight goes, and while Ryo initially doesn't notice a thing, he can't help but agree by the end of the fight. Cye wonders how Rowen could have been taken down by the weak soldiers. No longer needing to keep up the ruse, Rowen lets lose a dark cackle, transforming into his true form - Dais.

As the jeep continues down the highway, Sage poses the theory that they might be walking right into Dais' trap. Kento doesn't seem to care, as long as they get there fast. Sage cautions him about his cocky attitude. Hardrock dismisses it.

Dais splits himself in two in order to throw off Ryo and Cye, and it works. Cye goes on the defensive while Ryo goes offensive and attacks, but Dais dodges out of his way. The Ronin's use their special attacks at the exact same moment, only to realize too late that they just attacked each other. Dais reveals his illusion as both Ryo and Cye pass out. The Warlord goes in for the kill, but the others arrive on the scene, so he quickly hides to set up another trap.

Kento is annoyed about missing the fight. After observing how badly hurt Ryo and Cye actually are, Mia tells Sage that she believes he was right to be suspicious. Sage tries to figure out what happened, and Kento is quick to blame Dais for attacking them. The two remaining Ronin's run off to track down the Warlord of Illusion. As they enter a fog bank, Sage stops short and calls to Kento. Instead, he finds Dais. Kento is also surprised to see Dais suddenly standing in front of him. Sage cautions the Warrior of Earth not to let the Warlord out of his sight, but it appears to fall on deaf ears. The two Ronin's summon their armors.

As he faces off against Dais, Sage thinks about Ryo and Cye's injuries. He realizes that from the state of their armor, it's very possible that they attacked each other. He raises his blade and calls upon the light of the Halo armor to help him see through Dais' illusion. And sure enough, while he still physically sees Dais, it's Kento that he's fighting. Sage tries to get through to Kento and drops his sword, refusing to fight his friend, but the Warrior of Earth is too absorbed in the fight and proceeds to beat Sage into the ground.

Kento is horrified when he realizes what he did, then quickly angered by Dais' explanation of his diabolical plot. The Warlord unleashes his special attack, spinning his web around Kento. Hardrock returns the favor, using his own special attack to defeat Dais and win the battle. Predictably, Talpa is not pleased with the results. Kento, on the other hand, has learned his lesson and carries the unconscious Sage back to where the others are.

Later that night, Sage awakens as Mia tends to Kento's injuries. Cye comments on how the Dynasty came close to victory this time around. Kento asks why Sage didn't tell him about the trap sooner. Sage responds that Kento wouldn't have believed it as long as he thought it was coming from Dais. Ryo, who's been thinking about the clue in the poem, suddenly figures out where Rowen is - literally floating through the atmosphere in outer space.

Continuity[]

Ryo, Sage, Cye, Kento, Mia, Yuli, and White Blaze continue to search for the remaining Ronin Warrior, who was separated from them by Talpa in "Glory for Anubis."
Ryo, Cye, and Yuli split up with Sage, Kento, and Mia in "The Counter Attack."
This is Dais' first time facing off against the Ronin Warriors solo. Out of the four Warlords, he comes the closest to defeating them.
Dais and Kento use their special abilities for the first time: Web of Deception and Iron Rock Crusher respectively.

Title[]

The title refers to Dais' illusions throughout the entire episode. First, he tricks Ryo and Cye into believing he is Rowen, then again into thinking the other is him, which he repeats on Kento and Sage (though Sage is able to see through the illusion eventually).

Cast[]

Ryo of the Wildfire — Matt Hill
Cye of the Torrent / Sage of the Halo — Michael Donovan
Kento of Hardrock — Jason Gray-Stanford
Mia — Lalainia Lindbjerg
Yuli — Christopher Turner
Talpa — Mina E. Mina
Anubis — Paul Dobson
Sekhmet — Ward Perry
Dais — Matt Smith
Narrator — David Kaye

Quotes[]

Dais: "Of the five, the one they call Rowen is the most clever and dangerous. It is my plan to destroy them before they can find him. With your permission, I wish to use the special weapon against them."
Talpa: "So, you plan to ensnare them in the spider's web."

— Dais explains his plan to Talpa.

"I learned the poem from my grandfather when I was a little girl. Then, I figured out that each section was a clue. 'Drinking strength from immortal fire' found Ryo, 'a darkest prison sheds light' found Sage, 'churning beneath a swirl of salt' got us Cye, 'burning within a throne of rock' was Kento. This is how you found each other. The last line is 'floating amongst the eyes of ages, unmoored in the stream of the sky.' I'm not sure, but I think these are the key words."

— Mia summarizes their journey up 'til now.

Sage: "After we meet up with Ryo and the others, we'll take some time and make a plan."
Kento: "Plan, shman! I wanna blast in and give Talpa a headache with my fist."
Sage: "Easy, Kento. You'll get your chance."
Kento: "Aww! Waiting's no fun."

— Kento doesn't get that patience is a virtue.

Kento: "Uh, can we stop? I'm starving."
Mia: "Again?!"
Kento: "There wasn't a refrigerator stocked with goodies inside that rock prison, you know."

— Kento must have a bottomless pit for a stomach.

Cye: "This is weird. I think they're going down way too easy."
Ryo: "No way! We're just showing them that we rule!"
(The battle ends.)
Ryo: "Hey... You're right. These guys aren't very tough."
Cye: "I don't get it. How did Rowen get caught by these wimps? He's a whole lot better than that."
("Rowen" laughs and turns back into Dais.)
Ryo: "Looks like we got our answer."

— Cye and Ryo find themselves facing Dais once more.

Sage: "Have you guys ever considered that we could be walking right into a trap?"
Kento: "Well, it won't matter much if we don't hurry up and get there!"
Sage: "You're way too hyper, Kento. Your enthusiasm could backfire in battle."
Kento: "I doubt it."

— Sage's warning falls on deaf ears.

Cye: "You okay? Ryo!"
Ryo: "Cye, was that you?"
Dais: "Aw, did that hurt? (cackles)"
Ryo: "Dais tricked you into smashing me..."

— Cye wasn't the only one deceived, Ryo.

"Ryo, Cye... Their armors completely mangled. Wow, it almost looks like they fought each other."

— Sage finally connects the dots.

"Wow, I think I learned my lesson. I gotta look before I leap."

— Kento, after having defeated the Warlord of Illusion.

Ryo: "Hey, could Rowen be... up there?"
Mia: "Ryo, I think you may be onto something. Go on."
Ryo: "Yeah, that's it! 'The stream of the sky' means Rowen's out there, in space!"

— Ryo figures out the final clue.

Cultural references[]

When confronted by one of Dais' illusions, Kento asks him if he can pull a rabbit out of his hat. This is a stereotypical magic trick done by magicians. Additionally, he also calls Dais "Magic Man" and "Mr. Hocus Pocus."

Errors[]

Animation Mistakes[]

Dialogue Mistakes[]

Yuli is sitting next to Sage when he regains consciousness at the end of the episode. However, Yuli says that it's Cye who has just woken up. This is NOT a dub error, as the Japanese version makes the exact same mistake.

English Dub Mistakes[]

At the end of the episode when Yuli points out Cye regaining consciousness, Kento speaks in Ryo's voice.

Trivia[]

This is the first time we see Kento is a food-aholic. During Mia's voice over about the poem and its connection to the Ronin Warriors, we see Hardrock surrounded by grocery bags in the backseat of the jeep with a hamburger in one hand and a sandwich in the other. Later in the same scene, Kento asks if they can stop to get more food, much to Mia's surprise.
In the Dub, Dais tells Ryo and Cye to follow him to Sendai. In the Japanese version of this episode, the Shrine, Ryo and Cye are visiting is in Kyoto and the place Dais wants to lead them to is Amanohashidate, a scenic area in Northern Kyoto and also the place where Rowen discovered his armor.