Episode Guide to Gensomaden Saiyuki

9. Lethal Trap/Fight Party

(manga Vol. 3, chapter 17)

When the rest of Team Kougaiji arrives, it settles into three battles: Kougaiji vs Goku, Hakkai vs Yaone (round 2), and the Brothers Sha, who are too frankly happy to find each other alive and well to really fight. Kougaiji tries to understand what the SI are fighting for--what can be so important to them that they have such unstoppable power?--and finds that they are unbound by anything, and fight simply and purely for themselves. It's this total self-confidence and freedom that enables them to fight without hesitation, and the youkai prince realizes that his constant worry about his trapped mother hinders his full power. Yisou uses his Shikigami talismans to send an even larger crab-monster--to Lirin's dismay--and the two teams unite to battle it. (Lirin watches the fray from a perch on Sanzo's shoulders, to his considerable annoyance.) Goku & Kougaiji decide to work together; while Goku distracts the creature, Kou will summon "a fiend from the demonic dimension" to destroy it. As the saru occupies the behemoth, the prince performs a spell and calls up a huge fire-dragon--Engokuki-- that burns the crab creature to ashes instantly. (Watching this nifty teamwork, Sanzo asks irritably, "don't those two realize they're enemies?" and Gojyo replies not-innocently, "so who's that on your shoulder?" Sanzo subsides, fuming.)
Team Kougaiji (generally referred to as the Kougaiji-tachi, roughly "Kougaiji's people"--henceforth, the KT) promises the SI a rematch and departs. Sanzo says that he's now sure Kougaiji isn't the mastermind behind the revival of Gyuma'oh, but rather someone else with greater influence and power. (Meanwhile in Tenjiku, Gyokumen Kyoshu is informed that Kougaiji secured Lirin's safe return, and is pleased, saying Lirin has a part to play in the revival of Gyuma'oh.)
As the foursome are about to continue their journey, Hakkai finds something on the ground--part of the shikigami's remains. Picked up, the object crumbles to dust, showing a tile carved with the word "sin". Hakkai falls to his knees, choking [in the manga he literally vomits], remembering in horror the fortune-teller's words to him.

revised notes, Gensomaden ep. 9:

It's important to underscore here that Kou really takes seriously the understanding that the SI fight for themselves; that their freedom and self-confidence, their individual sense of identity, are what make them so unbeatable.
Chin Yisou's second shikigami is created by tearing his blue earring out of his ear--literally; it leaves a hole--and he says "for you with love, Cho Gonou." (eew.)
When Kou is asking Goku to hold the monster still while he works his summons he actually calls him Monkey, twice, and Goku takes it as if he were family, saying he'll believe in Kou but he'd better not miss; the sense of kinship and alliance in the scene is so strong. Really, their relationship reads nearly as important as the reunion of the Brothers Sha here.

--and speaking of that: after Gojyo has teased Sanzo about Lirin sitting on his shoulder, she frets that she wants to get into the fight, and Gojyo says in a calm, warm voice, "Leave it to your brother." Awwww... =) --big points to Hirata-san, who gets this moment exactly right.

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