MovieChat Forums > Koroshiya 1 (2001) Discussion > The Ending Seems Clear to Me

The Ending Seems Clear to Me

posted 14 years ago by metalliham
34 replies | jump to latest

Yet another explaination? Yes.

Are Ichi and Kakihara the same people? No.

Anyhow, there seems to be a lot of debate about the ending and it all seemed pretty clear to me so here goes...

Since Ichi couldn't kill Kakihara, (Ichi was too busy crying about killing Kaneko who he thought was his brother), Kakihara says out loud that there was nobody left to kill him.

Kakihara couldn't stand the fact that Ichi wasn't going to kill him. Since Kakihara hadn't been that scared or excited in years he was hoping that Ichi would give him a glorious gruesome death. Kakihara said that every time over the years that he would get so excited and scared about someone, it always resulted in a let down. He stated that he worried that Ichi would be a let down and hoped he wouldn't be.

Upon seeing Ichi crying in a pool of snot and crying uncontrollably whilst the young Takeshi kicked the tar out of him...Kakihara was CRUSHED as this was the biggest let down in the history of all letdowns that not even could have forseen.

To drown out Ichi's crying, Kakihara pokes out his own eardrums and fantasizes that Ichi beheads the boy, Takeshi, and then comes to finish off Kakihara, slicing his forehead open and causing him to fall. Kakihara is imagining all of this and is actually jumping to his death pretending to have a glorious ending.

Jijii seems happy that Kakihara is dead because he can now collect the rest of his money that Suzuki promised him, but realizes that Ichi is useless to him and must be left behind. He's not saddened by it, but he is a bit sombered by it and he drops the bag holding Ichi's belongings and leaves them behind before walking off.

Jijii knew that Ichi's mental state had been worsening and that he had been getting harder to control. By telling Ichi that Kaneko was his brother Jijii knew that Kaneko would have to kill Ichi, or Ichi would have to kill Kaneko. Either way Jijii knew that Ichi wouldn't return because if Ichi believed that he killed his brother, his mental state would make him useless for further jobs.

Later we see Jijii hanging from a tree, who is killed several years later by Kaneko's son Takeshi. We know this is Takeshi because he is wearing the same outfit as he did on the rooftop and the bird flew by him as he turned around which reflected the earlier scene where he fed the bird by hand.

Basically it explained what happened to pretty much everyone in the end, except Ichi who was left on the rooftop crying and being kicked by Takeshi.

Overall I thought it was a really good movie. The CGI was a bit hokey in spots, but the acting, story and originality really won me over.

[–] athlt1989 14 years ago

It all makes sense except are you saying that Kakihara actually committed suicide, but just imagined Ichi killing him? Because if that's the case then you've yet to explain the scene where Kakihara is by himself in a bathroom perfectly alive.

[–] GrifterZed 14 years ago

This is the part I came looking for answers on as well... Maybe it's just a flashback of some sort. Maybe it implies (god, i certainly hope not) that all of this was actually a fantasy in Kakihara's head. Or, maybe it's considered a hell state Kakihara goes to after his suicide in which he is subjected to extreme boredom without stimulus of either giving nor receiving pain (again, i hope not. flashback would be my preference)... I don't know, I'm drawing at straws. I love the movie though. In spite of some (intentional, i think) campy scenes, it is a very well done film. I say this because the rest of the movie has such an incredibly raw realism to it, with the heroin abuse, sadistic rape scenes, and rampant wanton violence of a torture/killer nature. Extremely entertaining in my opinion.

[–] MrMorals 14 years ago

Metalliham, I thought the exact same thing!!! I'm so glad there is someone else who sees it this way, I can't see it any other way.

Also, the ending shot, it's just a cool image of Kakihara, it's when he was alive, but has nothing to do with the story. It's not in chronological order, it's just one last shot of him.

One theory is it could be hell, he seems pretty alone, no one there to torture him, but I personally think it's just a cool shot

I got an appointment, with planet earth...

[–] Phantom_Rose 14 years ago

I always interpreted the final scene with Kakihara that he is basically in Hell.

[–] Meven_Stoffat 14 years ago

I was 15 when I first saw this and I always interpreted that last shot as him being in is own sort of heaven if you think about it- he's in a bathroom and there's chains everywhere, the perfect place for him to grab ahold of those chains. And of course when his mouth drops open, he basically can have all the pain he wants, since he craves it.

"Have you heard what is coming to us all?"- Iron Maiden, When the Wild Wind Blows

[–] jjpinky 7 years ago

I think its hell too. I think it's a very metaphorical ending

[–] metalliham 14 years ago

Ya I see it as Kakihara in Hell.

Nobody to satisfy him in life, nobody to even attempt to satisfy him in death.

The cool, dark place with chains is there, Kakihara is there, but he is alone and nothing is going to happen.

[–] raduz123 14 years ago

Everything he said I tottally agree with. Kakihara killed himself and the young boy grew up into a killer. Confirmation of this is the use of the crow in both scenes he is in. The scene where Kakihara is in the bathroom is indeed a flash back hence his mouth not being healed.

[–] Magnanimousto 14 years ago

I think the scene in the end with Kakihara all alone seemed to be a final explanation of his suicide. Only the Boss gave him real pleasure, only the Boss understood him, his whole obsession with Ichi was based around a hope to find someone who could give him a final pleasure. With Ichi gone, Kakihara is truly alone and hopeless, hence he kills himself. Remember, through all the blood and gore, this movie was essentially about Love after all.

[–] OutrackUSP 12 years ago

I saw that scene as a flashback intending to finally establish a motive for Jijii's actions (revenge) for something Kakihara had done to him in the past, probably while doing time together - it fits in with Jijii's change in mood when he realizes Kakihara committed suicide before Ichi had the chance to torture/murder him.

[–] sean-cowan1 11 years ago

I think that is a memory/flashback that Kakihara had in the seconds before he hit the ground and died of the only time he wasn't let down. When the Anjo boss beat him and cut his mouth in the first place and Kakihara realized he enjoyed pain.

You're a troll.

[–] Riotboy-1 14 years ago

@metalliham

That's how I saw the ending as well. Kakihara was bad-ass as the villian/hero, a very well written character. 9/10

Look at the night sky, where does it end?
http://imdb.com/mymovies/list?l=15368636

[–] nyjack 14 years ago

It could just be a shot showing how he was able to be punched in the mouth and swallow the fist. There was a reason he pulled out his mouth studs before that.

[–] KittyWooWong 10 years ago

Nah you saw in the very start of the film how he blew cigarette smoke out the cuts.

[–] djkaspar 14 years ago

Spot on: you just failed to include final and absolute proof...
WHEN Jijii takes a look at Kakihara's face, there's no mark of Ichi's blow to the forehead. CLEARLY not a fail from Miike, but his hint at the later scenes before his death where a fabrication. It's close to a Romeo and Juliet type of ending, because all things considered Kakihara killed himself because he was heartbroken. Completely agree with Takeshi killing Jijii as well... after all who better to realize the plan than him, who kickes Ichi silly and had first hand proof that Ichi was no more than an empty vessel and could have never thought all of it up.

The "feeding the crow" part also comes clear in the end, as the crow symbolizes Takeshi's journey to become a reacting, pro active, inteligent and able person, much to Ichi's contrast (he managed to kill Jijii and that just shows it... he could even have concocted things so as Ichi killed Jijii, it seems plausible to speculate).

great analysis, dear fellow!

[–] Shaomoki 14 years ago

Don't forget, Kakihara jumped off the railing himself while he was having delusions. The blow to the forehead never actually happened.

[–] brianhumby 12 years ago

Your ideas make sense to me for the most part... theres one problem though! How could Jijii have known that Kakihara would have imagined Ichi kicking him in the forehead? Also, remember that scene when Ichi tells Jijii that he has an erection, and Jijii tells him to take some pills... Ichi says no and storms out, and immediately as he leaves the room Jijii enters, even though hes supposed to have been there the whole time.

Led me to think: Could Ichi and Jijii be the same person somehow?

I dont know... The original poster helped me to understand a lot, but theres still something missing...

[–] klew1 14 years ago

metalliham, i agree completely. i recognize the crow's significance, though i suspected it might be takeshi as i didn't recognize him and he was among school kids.

about kakihara in that room, i thought it could be a mental institution, albeit with chains, and wondered whether like ichi he had a mental break at the end.

in other words, his fantasy about ichi included his fall. jijii finding his body without the forehead wound would just be symbolic of it being fantasy.

the alternative for me was that it was all fantasy. though while i didn't see it as flashback symbolizing kakihara's isolation, that's plausible too.

[–] best_bm 13 years ago

Ichi's future is left unexplained, but Takeshi may have killed him too, since he was kicking him constantly and Ichi was refusing to get up. Imagine 30 something blows to the head in full anger. Ichi may be dead by Takeshi's hand (or foot in this case).

[–] NoodleLizard 13 years ago

Surely this isn't a new theory? It seems to be the most commonly accepted one. And I tend to agree with it, although I'm not entirely sure about Jiji and Takeshi. It's clearly them, but I'm not sure if we're meant to believe that Takeshi killed him or if he killed himself. It'd be quite a feat to single-handedly hang a man, let alone in a public park during the daytime with crowds of schoolkids around!

Has anyone read the manga? Does the ending to that bear any resemblance to the film?

These bastards!

[–] best_bm 13 years ago

Actually the film has a lot better ending than the manga. In the manga Ichi kills Kakihara in a scene when Kakihara is starting to fell pain in a bad way and starts running, it totally ruined the character for me, although Ichi starts a normal life. Jiji gets away with everything and Takeshi is hinted to become a killer.

[–] LarsA81 12 years ago

I agree for the most parts, but I'm also not completely sure about Takeshi killing Jijii... It looks a bit more like a suicide to me.... hmm, not sure...
THe way I enterpretate the scene with Kakihara in his very last scene, is that he's in some sort of hell. Kakihara is often covered in warm colors throughout the movie. The location seems to be the room where Karen (tried) to beat the crap out of him, and has probably been a place of great pleasure for Kakihara. Now, it's lonely with cold colors and nothing to do - Hell.

Prepare to evacuate soul.

[–] ze_goose 9 years ago

*spoilers*

It looks a bit more like a suicide to me.... hmm, not sure...

He could have picked a more secluded area if he wanted to commit suicide, also, it would be quite laborious to pull off suicide by hanging at that height. I think it's more likely that he was strung up there by someone else in order to make a statement.

[–] VicBooth 12 years ago

I like lot of what you said metalliham but I just can't help but think there's more to those final expressions on Jiji's face when he finds Kakihara's body.

He's clearly happy when he sees that his plan has succeeded but grows sad when he doesn't find a cut on him which indicates he didn't die by Ichi's hands, in which case, Ichi is probably dead. This is suggested when they cut to the scene in which Takeshi is still viciously kicking Ichi.
I thought that this made Jiji kill himself because he'd underplayed the depth of his relationship with Ichi which, at times, seemed almost paternal.

But you that is a strong point about Takeshi being there at the end and the crow symbolism which kind of shoots a hole in my theory.

Also I think he had to tell him Taneko was his brother otherwise there was no chance Ichi would kill him because he clearly wasn't a "bully" so he had to rely on a sense of betrayal to motivate the murder. I don't think he intended Ichi's final reaction.

[–] Alkisen 12 years ago

"If god ever existed then he's DEAD now"

The ending made me depressed T.T

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] VicBooth 11 years ago

As in, did Takeshi become a hypnotised, perversely unstable, ultra violent, sword-boot wearing pawn of a Japanese gang? I don't know if that's mantle you really inherit.

[–] Rome18 11 years ago

It totally agreed with your interpretation, that's how I interpreted the movie myself, however, it makes me think that somehow Kakihara killed Ichi first before committing suicide. Remember the scene where Kakihara was violently kicking the crying Ichi? Kakihara upon killing Ichi realized there's no point living because even the most notorious killer like Ichi had disappointed him. That drove him to create a glorious death scene in his head whereas in reality he committed suicide.

"the time you enjoyed wasting is not time wasted"

[–] jasn 11 years ago

I think It's possible the kid killed Ichi from constantly kicking him because remember, his dad did the same thing to the woman accidentally.

I think Jiji killed himself because once he saw that Kakihara's head wasn't split open, he himself had been hypnotized, maybe in the same way Kakihara might have been, in the sense that they expected Ichi to slice his head so much that they thought it was real.

Also when Jiji is looking up and we see a cut of the kid kicking still kicking Ichi, he may have realized that Ichi didn't kill Kakihara, either Kakihara thought he was sliced and fell back to his death, or he was let down so he jumped on purpose and got the enjoyment he was seeking from the fall.

I'm pretty sure Jiji hung himself though, you can see it once he realized Kakihara wasn't cut and the quick cut to the kid still kicking Ichi. That part also of seeing the kid must've been fantasy as well since we see him at the end of the movie. So yeah, Jiji himself realizes he's been hypnotized (by himself?) and has failed. He lost control of Ichi and reality.

[–] denham 11 years ago

What reason would Jijii have for brushing away Kakihara's hair from his forehead? Would he, for example, have reason to believe there might be a wound there? What is Jijii supposed to be thinking?

"I beseech ye in the bowels of Christ, think that ye may be mistaken."

[–] ikilledsanta 11 years ago

There was a pool of blood behind Kakihara's head. Maybe Jijii wanted to see the wound Ichi had caused, and upon noticing that there were no wounds at all, realized that Ichi had not killed him (since Ichi's M.O. is much more bloody), which would mean that Ichi is broken. That would also explain why Jijii drops the bag of Ichi's stuff. He's not dumping Ichi because he doesn't need a killer anymore, he's dumping Ichi because he can't kill anymore.

Extrapolating even further (probably a little too far), it's possible that Jijii "adopted" Takeshi as his new killer (remember that Ichi was recruited as an orphan too) and that Takeshi eventually realized during the training/hypnosis that Jijii was really the one responsible for his father's death.

As for the scene with Kakihara in the tub...that one's a lot tougher to interpret. I think the idea that everything in the movie was just in Kakihara's imagination can be disregarded for 2 reasons: 1) there is another scene, shown after Kakihara's tub scene that doesn't involve Kakihara or Ichi at all. I think if the whole thing had been in Kakihara's mind, the tub scene would be the last thing the viewer sees. 2) It seems out of character for Kakihara to wrap up the story with a victory for a child.

So, I think it's pretty safe to narrow it down to 2 alternatives: 1) Kakihara is in Hell, surrounded by instruments of pain but with no one to deliver it to him, or 2) it was a flashback of Kakihara enjoying pain. They both seem equally unlikely given the nature of the rest of the movie, but I'm gonna go with #1.

[–] the-one-who-knocks 11 years ago

Thank you for this, I was confused by the ending.