In episode 1 of ‘Golden Kamuy’ season 4 titled ‘Rushin’ Outta Russia,’ Sugimoto’s group is attacked by a mysterious sniper. Meanwhile, in the Lake Akan region, Ushiyama and Hijikata are missing, so Kirawus and Kadokura decide to find them on their own. Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Golden Kamuy’ season 4 episode 1. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Recap of Golden Kamuy Season 4 Episode 1
After Kiroranke dies and Ogata manages to escape, Sugimoto rebuilds his partnership with Asirpa as they continue their journey to find the hidden treasure. Sugimoto’s group left the village of Nivkh and crossed the Russo-Japanese border to reach a village. There they sent a telegram to Lt. Tsurumi to inform him of their whereabouts.
Meanwhile, everyone realizes that Sugimoto is missing for some reason. Unbeknownst to them, he had bought miso for his comrades. While Shiraishi was looking for him, he was suddenly shot in the leg out of nowhere. His comrades immediately went into hiding as it seemed like a sniper’s job, leading them to speculate that Ogata had returned for revenge.
Seeing the wide field of view of his shots, the group realized that the sniper was hiding somewhere far from them. Even though Asirpa was eager to help his friend, he had to stay hidden because snipers usually used this psychological warfare to hunt more targets by keeping people alive. While the whole group was clueless about the best course of action, they saw Sugimoto running between the houses far away from them.
Golden Kamuy Season 4 Episode 1 Ending: Who is the Mysterious Sniper? Why Does He Join Sugimoto Group?
As the mysterious sniper continues to target his friends, Sugimoto manages to find his hiding place and fights hard against him. As he was about to stab him, he saw a sketch fall from his jacket. Furthermore, it is revealed that he is not actually Ogata but a Russian sniper who is looking for the person responsible for the emperor’s assassination. By looking at the sketch, Sugimoto realized that the sniper was actually after Ogata and Kiroranke. Because of that, he explained to the sniper that the latter was dead, while the former had managed to escape.
Before they leave, Shiraishi rebukes the sniper for making a terrible misjudgment. However, as Sugimoto’s group was about to head to their next destination, he saw that the snipers were still following the group. He thought that the sniper was most likely hoping that he would succeed in getting Ogata if he remained near them, which seems reasonable considering he has a history with the group and may be planning to seek revenge at some point in the future.
Who is Waichirou Sekiya? Does He Have a Role to Play in Ushiyama and Hijikata’s Disappearance?
Near the Lake Akan region, Kirawus and Kadokura learn from Nagakura about the mysterious disappearance of Ushiyama and Hijikata. While Kadokura was of the opinion that they were invincible and had most likely just found some girls to hang out with, Nagakura still looked very worried as they had not appeared for two days. As they head outside, Kirawsus thinks they could both be killed by prisoners suspected of hiding near Lake Akan. To his surprise, Kirawus learns that Kadokura used to be a warden and knows him really well.
Kadokura remembered that his name was Waichirou Sekiya and even though he was useless in battle, the man was very smart. The prisoner had been a veterinarian at one point in his life but killed 30 people using potassium cyanide, arsenic, and strychnine (used to exterminate Ezo wolves). He used to enjoy testing people’s luck by trying to poison them and seeing who was lucky enough to avoid their deaths. After the incident where he poisoned his cellmate’s food, killing him in the process, Kadokura was entrusted with the responsibility of keeping an eye on the dangerous prisoner.
As they continued to search for Ushiyama and Hijikata, Kadokura was told by a boy playing in the ice-covered lake that he saw the latter standing right in the area. As he contemplated the different possibilities, Kadokura found a silkworm cocoon at his feet. It turns out that some time before, Hijikata was forced by Sekiya into a dangerous game to save Ushiyama who was already paralyzed using fugu poison and was kept in a coffin with only room to breathe.
Sekiya forces Hijikta to pick and swallow one of the handful of silkworm cocoons, half of which are poisoned, while the other half are not mixed. Unfortunately, what Hijikata took ended up incapacitating him as well, but to Sekiya’s surprise, he was still alive after eating the poison. At this time, the clueless Kirwaus is approached by Sekiya, who offers him some poisonous fish to test his luck as well. Luckily, Kadokura ended up dropping the fish and they somehow managed to swim back to the lake – which, unbeknownst to the two, saved their lives.
Read More: Is Golden Kamuy Season 4 on Netflix, Crunchyroll, Hulu, or Funimation?
