The Empty Seven Clan
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THE EMPTY SEVEN
Brothers 1, 3 & 5 Voiced by: Phil LaMarr
Brother 2 Voiced by: John DiMaggio
Brother 4 Voiced by: Terrence C. Carson
Brother 6 Voiced by: Greg Eagles
The Empty Seven (無無坊主) is a group of six monks who believe that attaining both ancient headbands will lead to immortality and godhood. They employ robots and mercenaries to do their dirty work, since the monks themselves have greatly inferior fighting skills when compared to Afro and Justice possibly due to their age difference. Brothers 1 through 5 look like identical wizened old men with long beards, dressed in robes with some other accessories:
Brother 1 was the apparent leader of the Clan (although such an authority was never outright stated). His personality and mannerisms were a mixture of an Evangelical preacher and a street pimp. He was almost always seen with an almost nude beautiful woman at his side. As with most of the Clan, he was a wizened old man with a long beard, and has a prosthetic gold left arm (which can be switched out for a machine gun). In an attempt to ambush Afro from atop the elevator leading to Kuma following the Afro Droid’s destruction, Brother 1 ended up being paralyzed and held in a stretcher by Brother 3, making him the only monk to fight Afro directly and lose but survive. Brother One’s woman is seen in ‘Afro Samurai: Resurrection’ working as a stripper in Brother 3′s gambling house to which she excels at perfectly.
Brother 2 was the eyes of the Clan, often seen scoping out Afro from a distance with a pair of high-tech binoculars. Usually Brother 6 was shown assisting him. All of his observations of Afro during his reconnaissance were reported to Brother 1 via cell phone. In combat, he was shown to use an extending Buddhist staff or kunai. When Okiku turns against the clan for Afro’s sake, it was Brother 2 who stabbed and killed her. Later, when he was lying in wait to kill Afro, Afro surprises him from behind by swiftly poking his eyes out and shoving his binoculars deep into the wounds. Likely the brutal manner of his execution was out of revenge for Okiku.
Brother 3 was unusual among the group as the most laid-back of the brothers. While the other Brothers would plot Afro’s death, Brother 3 was usually content to face away off in the corner, listening to his circumaural headphones, and bobbing to the music. During the few times he actually spoke, he was shown to have a Southern US accent. He seemed to have a much more pacifistic approach than his comrades regarding decisions. When deliberating on which assassin to choose to kill Afro, rather than settle things through violence Brother 3 suggested looking at their individual credentials. Later, when Afro invaded the Empty Seven’s temple, he was waiting by the door with tea and rice crackers prepared while calmly chanting, Hachimaki o kudasai, (Japanese for “headband please.”) simply asking for the Number Two Headband, rather than attempting combat for it. Afro didn’t take the rice and tea offered to him, but Ninja Ninja did. Because of this, Brother 3 survived while the other monks were killed and injured. Brother 3 returns in “Afro Samurai: Resurrection,” offering to tell Afro the whereabouts of the Number Two Headband if he could beat him in a game of chance. But when he is exposed as a cheater, Brother 3 is forced to tell what he knew to save his life.
Brother 4 was a gruff deep-voiced monk in a green robe who usually carried a Buddhist staff and wore a wide metal hat. He was usually seen side-by-side with the arrogant, and sadistic Brother 5 who wore a plain white robe, regularly smoked a long pipe, and spoke with a high squeaky voice. In combat, Brother 4′s weapon of choice was a sansetsukon while Brother 5 fought with a jian. When determining which assassin would face Afro, Brother 4 insisted that Ivanov the Russian was the obvious choice, which led to an argument with Brother 5, who held opposing views and felt Foo from China was more capable. Brother 1 settled the issue by suggesting a battle royale, an idea which greatly appealed to both 4 & 5. Later, after Brother 6’s defeat at Afro’s hands, Brothers 4 & 5 launched out from where they were concealed in Brother 6’s backpack and attempted to gang up on Afro from both sides. This tactic failed miserably, and both monks were easily dispatched.
Brother 6 was a massive, muscled individual with cold inhuman eyes in monk regalia who wore a wide metal hat. He was the only Brother who didn’t resemble an old monk with a long beard. As mentioned in the manga, his true name is Rokutaro and he is the youngest of the Empty 7. Violent and impulsive, Brother 6 never hesitated to use excessive force in his actions. In combat, he wielded a long Buddhist staff and a backpack holding a variety of weapons, including a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and a flame thrower. Brother 6 was the man who rescued Jinnosuke and Otsuru from the brink of death, but regarding Jinnosuke felt it would have been more merciful to just let him die. He was the one to burn down Otsuru’s home, and blew up the bridge after Afro’s initial confrontation with Afro Droid (much to Brother 1’s displeasure). When that tactic failed, Brother 6 fought Afro one-on-one. He proved a difficult opponent and when defeated held Afro’s sword within his body, disarming the samurai so that Brothers 4 & 5 could have the advantage over Afro.
