Kostya

Why did Hanzo help Beatrix?

Ok, well here's my thoughts...

Obviously by the time the movie takes place (I say movie since Vol 1. and 2 ought to be considered the same film) Hanzo and Bill have a deep and permanent rift between them. In Vol 1. Hanzo's immediate knowledge of which 'student' Beatrix is referring to is indicative of how important this division between the two is. Furthermore, during his monologue as he presents the sword to Beatrix he even says that he 'sympathises with her aim', basically to Kill Bill. Hanzo himself is of course a pacifist, and though he may hate Bill, does not have it in his nature to do so himself.

Now this brings me to my next point. Hattori Hanzo swore a 'blood oath' never to make another as he terms them 'instrument of death'. One can assume, that in Tarantino's world, a blood oath by a character like Hanzo is a covenant of gargantuan (Elle would be proud) importance. However, he broke this blood oath for Beatrix, in my opinion he was probably induced to do so by her story.

Now, in Kill Bill, the role of Hanzo we see primarily is that of a swordmaker. However, as Beatrix reveals, Bill was a former student of Hanzo. Now, unless Bill wanted to make swords which is highly unlikely, we can presume that Hattori Hanzo was not only a maker of swords, but also a Master of Swordsmanship. As Beatrix also reveals, Bill tended to gravitate towards paternal figures, another reason he probably ended up under Hanzo's tutelage. It could be plausibly suggested in fact that 'Baldy' who fetches the sake, was Hanzo's last student, who swore to follow him as a disciple, but unfortunately missed out on learning anything but the sushi business, bound by the oath he swore 30 years earlier.

Now, exactly when and how Bill and Hanzo fell out is not easy to tell, but there is one clue: Bill knows that Hanzo makes bad sushi. Now, either Bill had some of his sushi while they were still on good terms, during some kind of discussion they had after they fell out, but without killing each other (highly unlikely considering the characters), or someone else told him so.

Now if scenario number one is true, which it could very well be, Hanzo must have either 1. Made some sushi for Bill that was crappy since he was always busy making swords. 2. Made some sushi for Bill that was crappy because he'd given up making swords, but was just a crap cook.

Anyhow my point is, there is evidence to suggest that in fact Hanzo gave up making swords BEFORE he had a falling out with Bill, not BECAUSE he has a falling out with Bill.

Budd mentions that Hanzo bears a grude towards Bill, one that he has held for 30 years no less. Now, one could assume that Hanzo held the grude because Bill used his sword for evil, but in my opinion, this simply doesn't cut it. I mean, Hanzo must have known his sword would have been used for killing, along with every other one he made, and it's the killing he seems to be unhappy about when he's talking to Beatrix. More likely is that Bill did something that hurt Hanzo directly, after he gave up sword making because of his repulsion at the function of his artworks. Perhaps Bill came and saw Hanzo after he retired, ate some of his bad sushi and asked him between mouthfuls to make him a sword (perhaps for Elle, who doesn't have one but seems desperate to get one), perhaps for Beatrix before the whole movie even takes place. Hanzo refuses and so Bill says or does something horrible to him, Hanzo's pacifism precludes him from any violent response, and so he simply withdraws to a back alley sushi bar.

I don't know really exactly why, but those are my thoughts.