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Captain Harlock and Tochiro Oyama-Endless OrbitSSX

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Warning: Relationship Analysis/Spoilers

''Harlock...we're of one body and one soul...we're together when we fight, and together when we die, right?...''

- Tochiro to Harlock - Endless Orbit episode 12 

Tochiro Oyama is Captain Harlock's best friend. Actually the term 'best friend' does their relationship a disservice, because the world 'friend' has lost much of its former power in the modern world where 'friends' are pretty much the 1000+ people you're in contact with on Facebook. So who then is Tochiro?

Tochiro is Harlock's other self, his soul-mate, his battle-companion, his second-half, his bosom-brother. Tochiro and Harlock are perhaps, to me, the second finest example of male-comradeship at its highest (the top finest being LOTR's Frodo and Sam). Their passionate platonic love for each other and the sacrifices they make together raise the bar on what it truly means to be someone's 'best friend' and puts our modern concept of the nature of friendship to shame. Harlock would not be truly Harlock without Tochiro. Tochiro is so wonderful a character because he is the exact OPPOSITE of Harlock.
Captain Harlock is a tall, handsome Caucasian of German origin - Tochiro is a short, pudgy, ugly Japanese guy whose head barely reaches Harlock's hip. Harlock is distant and aloof - Tochiro is upbeat and wears his feelings on his sleeve. Harlock is cautious and melancholic - Tochiro is positive and impulsive. Harlock is indifferent to women - Tochiro can't get enough of them and pursues/praises them with gusto. Harlock is a deadly fighter and feared by almost everybody - Tochiro can't walk into a bar without being humiliated and having the crap beaten out of him (not that he allows this to dampen his day in any way). Captain Harlock has yet to officially die in any of his movies or anime series - Tochiro has four different death-scenes. Harlock is calm and calculating - Tochiro is a spaz and throws caution to the breeze. The only way Tochiro excels over Harlock is in the realm of engineering and ship-construction, two traits that serve to keep Harlock and his friends alive in a deadly and hostile universe. The dance they dance together is a continual and lasting delight for me to watch. It is free of envy (on Tochiro's part, since there is much one can envy about Harlock) and rivalry. Although I have just listed all the ways in which they are different, their hearts are united as one with the same loves and hates: they both desire to be free from corruption and bondage to unworthy governments; they seek to live life on their own terms and not be tied down by unjust rules and petty allegiances or even by material wealth. Though neither of them have any desire to wield power or dominate the lives of others, their mere existence is a thorn in the side of rulers and dictators who do wield power and dominate the lives of others. Tochiro and Harlock could happily spend their entire lives carousing the galaxy together as 'free space-travelers trying to realize their dreams' (with some petty thieving on the side) but cruel Fate will not permit them to be left in peace; ineffably they are drawn into conflicts and wars (and always doomed to fight for the loosing side) and are made outlaws and fugitives whose service to humanity is never truly appreciated or fully grasped.

Not that any of this bothers Tochiro very much: for him, as long as Harlock, Emeraldas and alcohol continue to exist, life - no matter how hard it gets - will be well worth living.

The images in this compilation are taken solely from the AOMY-Endless Orbit SSX anime.
I do not own any of these images - I have merely compiled them together for the enjoyment of other Harlock fans. Most of these images are from my personal collection and cannot be found easily online.
Image size
1438x4857px 10.75 MB
© 2014 - 2024 TheWolfPoet23
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