Fusatarou Oosawa (大沢 房太郎, Ōsawa Fusatarō), better known as Boutarou the Pirate (海賊 房太郎, Kaizoku Bōtarō), is a bandit and a former Abashiri Convict who joins forces with Sugimoto's Group to find the Ainu gold.
Appearance[]
Boutarou is a tall Japanese man of muscular build. He has long dark hair which reaches his knees[3], distinctive angular eyebrows, sideburns, and long eyelashes. Boutarou's feet are 36 cm in size and his hands are webbed between fingers.[4] He has a typical Abashiri prisoner tattoo on his chest and back.
Boutarou wears a white shirt and light grey trousers with suspenders. Occasionally, he wears a lightly colored fur trimmed coat. Since his modus operandi is swimming, Boutarou prefers to walk barefoot.
Personality[]
Generally, Boutarou displays a friendly, confident, and easygoing persona. He is charismatic and quickly gets under a person's skin with his words and disregard for personal space. He seems to be on good terms with Shiraishi, who in his stead describes him as a "tough one who always went all out". Boutarou cares about his underlings (who he calls his vassals) and avenges them if they get hurt or killed.
While outwardly charming, Boutarou is a cunning and violent person, capable of murder and betrayal. He is good at noticing how people feel about each other, as well as noticing their weak spots, which he uses to his advantage. He is selfish and ruthless when it comes to making his dream a reality; however, Shiraishi believes that the root of it lies in Boutarou's loneliness.[5]
| Spoiler warning: Significant plot details about Chapter 262 and onwards follow. |
| Despite everything, Boutarou still shields Shiraishi with his body from being shot. He sacrifices his life and entrusts what he knew to Shiraishi, asking to be remembered in return and for Shiraishi's children to know of Fusatarou Oosawa, also known as Boutarou the Pirate. |
| Significant plot details about Chapter 262 and onwards end here. |
Background[]
Boutarou was born in Hokkaido, near Asahikawa. He came from a family that was in a forestry business. Sometime early in his childhood Boutarou lost his family to smallpox. Since then he got a dream of becoming a king, so nobody would shun his family. He also decided to stop fearing getting sick with smallpox himself, believing his bright attitude and dreams would keep the disease away from him. After losing his family Boutarou realized that if he died now, all the memories of his grandmother, parents, and brothers vanish, too. That realization made him unbearably lonely, but also gave him a dream of having a big family of his own who will talk about him after he is long gone.
From his childhood Boutarou was employed as a worker who ferried lumber down the rivers. Eventually Boutarou started pulling people in the water, drowning them and then taking away their valuables. This behavior got him the name "The Pirate of The Prison" or "Boutarou The Pirate" among prison guards. He's been accused of 55 counts of robbery and murder — however, those are just registered cases, and the number of crimes Boutarou has committed could be greater.[6] The guards considered him a horrific and hardened criminal.
While in prison Boutarou once spoke to Keiji Ueji, who told him he saw his aunt while he was doing labor outside. Afterwards, every time they met Ueji would tell Boutarou about meeting his aunt and asking whether she finally visited him in prison. This lasted for years, until Boutarou got into a cell with Tatsuma Ushiyama, who'd be chained to Ueji during the outside labor. Ushiyama told Boutarou he never saw the woman Ueji was talking about, making Boutarou realize Ueji lied to disappoint him.
Some time after their escape from Abashiri, Boutarou approached Kiichirou Wakayama in order to kill and skin him. It's implied that Boutarou posed as a prostitute and planned to seduce and then kill Wakayama, but was exposed and then surrounded by Oyabun's men and Tatsuya Nakazawa. Wakayama let Boutarou go and didn't take his skin, confident that the code cannot be solved as some convicts might have already died with their tattoos forever lost. That conversation led Boutarou to give up the idea of finding the tattoos, focusing on the gold itself.
Plot[]
Boutarou the Pirate Arc[]
Boutarou is first seen with Heita Matsuda on a boat on lake Shikotsu looking for the Ainu gold. Boutarou goes underwater for 30 minutes, causing Heita to think he drowned as it's impossible to dive down to get the gold.
He is later pursued by Sugimoto's Group, who heard rumors of a Japanese man with strange tattoos coming to Utashinai. Sugimoto first assumes the man must be Boutarou, but, after hearing that the man disguised himself as a candy peddler, Shiraishi says it's not him. Meanwhile, Boutarou and his associate are seen speaking to an Ainu man in a settlement near the Toppu River. They're talking about the gold and the rivers that the gold was taken from.
| Spoiler warning: Significant plot details follow. |
| After paying the Ainu man for the information on the gold, Boutarou decides to rob a steamboat with passengers on it. Unbeknown to him, it's the same ship that Sugimoto, Shiraishi and Asirpa have taken. Boutarou threatens the steamboat crew with the gun, demanding they stop she ship, but he is attacked by Sugimoto and Shiraishi, who recognized him. He asks Shiraishi whether he heard a rumor of the code no longer being solvable. Their conversation is interrupted by the 7th Division ship passing by. Boutarou takes away wheel and rams the steamboat in the boat carrying the soldiers, busting their waterwheel.
Angry with Boutarou's careless behavior, Sugimoto confronts Boutarou and is ready to kill him. Shiraishi steps in, saying they still have one thing to ask the Pirate. Boutarou tells them about his encounter with the Yakuza boss and how the man told him that the code can't be solved. Boutarou then suggests Sugimoto's group to join forces, offering Sugimoto and Shiraishi to become vassals in his kingdom. He shares his dream of finding an island in Southeast Asia and making it his kingdom where he'd have lots of kids and a big family. Hearing Sugimoto being skeptical over his grand idea, Boutarou wonders if he has a family. Upon hearing that Sugimoto's family died of tuberculosis, Boutarou says he lost his family to smallpox and that's why he decided to become a king, so his family will never be shunned by anyone. When the ship reaches Ebetsu, Boutarou goes inside the cabins to collect the money that the postman left; however, he notices a familiar item that belonged to Heita. Realizing that Sugimoto's group were looking for him, he decides to betray and kill them. As the ship unexpectedly turns, Sugimoto and Boutarou fall in the water. Boutarou drags Sugimoto underwater and is about to drown him. Suddenly, a large school of sturgeon appears, and Sugimoto manages to stab a fish with his knife. The fish drags Sugimoto away, but Boutarou catches Sugimoto by his boot and follows him. As they swim under the ship, Boutarou gets his long hair stuck in the wheel. Sugimoto cuts Boutarou's locks off, freeing him and saving his life. Sugimoto then suggests Boutarou to join forces again, as he is the only man who could help them find the gold even if Toshizou Hijikata and Tokushirou Tsurumi get in possession of all tattoos. |
| Significant plot details end here. |
Town of Reunions Arc[]
Sugimoto's group heads to Sapporo to find another convict, Keiji Ueji. On the way there they stop in the forest, and when Asirpa and Sugimoto leave, Boutarou approaches Shiraishi to talk. He wonders why Shiraishi teamed up with Sugimoto and Asirpa, then says that Asirpa and Noppera-bou have the same blue eyes, implying he knows she is Wilk's daughter. Boutarou tries talking Shiraishi into teaming up with him, empathizing that there's no use putting your lives on the line for someone who doesn't trust you. He shows Shiraishi a coin that he found in the lake Shikotsu and says that the mark on the coin resembles their tattoos. When Sugimoto and Asirpa get trapped under the fallen trees and Shiraishi starts looking for ways to rescue them, Boutarou comments that Asirpa must be Noppera-bou's daughter. He then asks a group of lumberjacks for help.
| Spoiler warning: Significant plot details follow. |
| When Asirpa and Sugimoto are freed, Boutarou shows Asirpa the coin he found. Asirpa says the mark on it looks like an Ainu symbol which could mean "each in turn", "mutually" or "to cross over". Boutarou deduces that the coin was made to commemorate the collective efforts of the Ainu and the dream of having their own country.
Some time later Boutarou and Sugimoto's group reach Sapporo. They are having a meal in a western-style restaurant, but then are suddenly interrupted by Tatsuma Ushiyama fighting Ueji. When Sugimoto sees Ushiyama the two start fighting. Boutarou tries to intervene and kicks Ushiyama with a table, but he is slammed against the wall by Ushiyama instead. When the brawl is over and the groups have seemingly made peace with each other, Boutarou is seen drinking with Ushiyama, asking him about what he would do with the gold. The next day the group starts searching for the serial killer who they think is another convict. They disguise themselves as peddlers, and Boutarou dresses as a bubble-blower peddler. When the location of the next murder becomes known, Boutarou with the rest of the group prepares to face the killer. He is assigned the role of decoy and will be posing as a street-walker in a group with Toni Anji and Rikimatsu Ariko. Before the operation starts, Boutarou asks Sugimoto if it's wise to involve Asirpa in this, saying she could be hurt. He then asks Asirpa whether protecting the Ainu of the future is her dream and if it makes her happy. Annoyed by his questions, Asirpa notes that Boutarou always asks others about their dreams. This leads to Boutarou explaining that he is curious if there's a better dream than becoming a king and having a big family. He recalls the time when his family died and he was left alone, and that thoughts of there being nobody to remember him made him feel lonely. He then asks Asirpa if Sugimoto is going to be in the future she envisions. When the brewery is on fire, Boutarou is seen waiting outside. He is then alerted by Ueji, who has climbed to the roof of a construction nearby, but loses interest in what Ueji's saying just like the rest of the group. |
| Significant plot details end here. |
Abilities[]
- Swimming and holding breath underwater: Boutarou is an excellent swimmer who was able to hold his breath for extraordinary long amounts of time (30-35 minutes) while submerged in great depths of over 200 meters.
Trivia[]
- Boutarou's nickname is a wordplay, as the names Fusatarou and Boutarou are written with the same kanjis (房太郎), but have different reading. The kanji 房 can mean "prison cell" and in that case is pronounced as bou instead of fusa. [7]
- Boutarou likes freshwater fish and disliked rats.[8]
- Satoru Noda said that Boutarou "will have a huge impact on some of the characters by the end of the story."[9]
- According Noda, Boutarou has one of the biggest dicks in the series, only surpassed by Ushiyama and Tanigaki, in that order. Boutarou basically kicks out Kikuta of the "Four heavenly kings of having a huge dick"
References[]
- ↑ Golden Kamuy official fanbook
- ↑ Golden Kamuy Manga: Chapter 263
- ↑ As of revised Volume 24
- ↑ Golden Kamuy Manga: Chapter 224, Page 15
- ↑ Golden Kamuy Manga: Chapter 259
- ↑ Golden Kamuy Manga: Chapter 223, Page 10
- ↑ #EHScans, Golden Kamuy Chapter 224 Glossary
- ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook
- ↑ Character profiles from the Golden Kamuy fanbook
[]
| Abashiri Prison | |
|---|---|
| Warden | Shirosuke Inudou |
| Staff | Toshiyuki Kadokura ☓ • Tokishige Usami ☓ |
| Convicts | Anji Toni • Fusatarou Oosawa • Heita Matsuda • Kanjirou Kasahara • Kano Ienaga • Kazuo Henmi • Keiichirou Sakamoto • Keiji Ueji • Kiichirou Wakayama • Kiyohiro Suzukawa • Maiharu Gansoku • Michael Ostrog • Mutsuo Tsuyama • Noppera-Bou • Shiton Anehata • Soroku Funabashi • Takechiyo Gotou • Tatsuma Ushiyama • Tetsuo Takarai • Tetsuzou Nihei • Toshizou Hijikata • Waichirou Sekiya • Yoshitake Shiraishi • Youichirou |
| Sugimoto's Group | |
|---|---|
| Main Group | Asirpa • Saichi Sugimoto • Yoshitake Shiraishi |
| Former Members | Cikapasi • Fusatarou Oosawa • Genjirou Tanigaki • Inkarmat • Kiroranke • Retar • Ryu • Vasily |
| Associates | Hajime Tsukishima • Hyakunosuke Ogata • Otonoshin Koito • Tatsuma Ushiyama |