In a series about stylish break dancing swordsmanship and catchy hip-hop tunes, Mugen excels and almost epitomizes the themes conveyed. While Jin is also iconic for his role as the other protagonist, no one represents the soul of Samurai Champloo like Mugen. Of course this comes with many negative connotations. Womanizing, illiteracy, lack of intelligence; could you ask for a more perfect hip hop setup? Stereotype or not, Mugen is the personification of pre-hip hop era hip hop.
So his role works in the themes of the show, but how does he hold up as a character? Pretty damn good. His backstory is in line with the problem of Japan's closed country policy at the time and makes him more than just a "style over substance" throw away.
Let's not forget his fights. I'm not gonna lie; he has some of the most entertaining fights in the medium. Despite my apathy toward hip hop as a whole, I've always thought of break dancing as one of the most badass things you can do. Combine that with another badass thing humans can do (fighting) and you got yourself a double dose of unadulterated badassery.
While he never does settle his quarrel with Jin, he does grow as a person and doesn't die like the overall narrative would have you believe. It's nice to know history wasn't all boring.
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