A Friend in Need Part I

Summoned by a long-lost former student, Xena heads for Japan with Gabrielle on a daunting mission to save the city of Higuchi from destruction once again and make amends for an accidental but horrific past deed.

Summary
Xena and Gabrielle are camping. Gabrielle is contemplating about the infinity of the cosmos. Xena sits up. She asks Gabrielle what are they going to do, Keep running all over Greece. She wants to go south. She hears there's a Phoenician prince who needs a girl with a chakram.

A young Japanese monk named Kenji staggers into there campsite one night holding an exotic looking sword called a katana. Revealing he has come to deliver a message from Akemi, Kenji launches into the terrifying story of his narrow escape from a horrendous death at the hands of the evil Samurai ghost Yodoshi, a fate met by his unfortunate traveling companion Saburo.

The hair-raising events he describes unfold in a teahouse outside the city of Higuchi, inhabited by three beautiful ghosts who have been forced by Yodoshi to seduce souls into his grasp. Akemi secretly facilitates Kenji's escape, urging him to take her sword and find Xena, the only warrior powerful enough to keep Yodoshi's general Morimoto from destroying Higuchi and enslaving 20,000 more souls.

As they set sail for the Land of the Rising Sun, Xena, Gabrielle, and the Monk float along. Gabrielle and the Monk spar with staffs. The Monk says something about Akemi being forced to help bring souls to the Dark Lord.

Gabrielle asks Xena about her relationship with the mysterious Akemi and learns that the two met in Chin when Xena was still with Borias. Akemi, who had been captured by pirates and sold to a Chinese warlord named Kao, impressed Xena so much with her courage and honesty that Xena tried to buy her from Kao. When her offer was refused, she put "the pinch" on the greedy warlord.

Eager to claim both a ransom for Akemi and a foothold on the island of Japan, Xena convinced Borias they should take Akemi back to her family. As they traveled together, Xena became a mentor to Akemi in the arts of war, while Akemi began teaching Xena about the peaceful arts of Haiku. Along the way, Xena won possession of a brand new katana in a battle against Samurai warriors, and showed Akemi how to do "the pinch."

Back in the present, it's nighttime and the city of Higuchi is burning. The ship's captain informs Xena, Gabrielle and Kenji that he can't get any closer to the city, which is now surrounded by an army and navy. The three swim ashore and make their way through the burning streets as firebombs explode all around them.

When Xena and Gabrielle realize that access to the water tower has been cut off by the army, Xena asks Gabrielle to show her how she would handle the situation. Gabrielle uses an old circus act she saw and the two are able to release enough water from the tower to fight the inferno. In the past once again, Xena's history with Akemi is further revealed. What Xena could never have anticipated was that Akemi would kill her own father who turned out to be none other than Yodoshi.

Akemi explained that her father had murdered her entire family and she had barely escaped. Even so, she knew she had to die for having killed her parent and before Xena knew what was happening, she committed hari kari.

Distraught by this shocking turn of events, Xena had to summon all her strength to carry out Akemi's dying wishes, the last of which was to have her ashes taken to the family shrine in the town of Higuchi. When Xena tried to do so, she was stopped by the townspeople. Ignoring them, she tried to press on, but the urn was quickly smashed by a rock hurled from the crowd and Akemi's ashes wound up in the gutter.

Xena became so enraged that she grabbed a torch and soon the whole city was up in flames. As Xena comes to the end of her tale, Xena asks Gabrielle to listen. Gabrielle says she heard a horse. Xena asks her to really listen. Gabrielle listens and sees an army. Xena says at least three armies are gathering. Gabrielle goes to warn the others. A ghost killer who's family name is Harukata informs her that 40,000 people died trying to fight the fire, which Xena had not known before.

He reveals that she was responsible for Yodoshi becoming the Lord of the Dark Land. Possessed by the worldly passion in which he died and doomed to be a wandering spirit, Yodoshi gobbled up the 40,000 lost souls he now holds enslaved inside him. Harukata confirms that in order for the 40,000 souls to be freed, Yodoshi must be destroyed.

Inside, Xena is on her knees. She talks to Akemi. She says she knows that what is done today may not be undone. Gabrielle comes in and wants to know why Xena isn't ready for battle. Xena asks Gabrielle to come to her. She takes Gabrielle's hands. She puts them on her neck and tells her to feel the life force.

Gabrielle objects; she says she knows why Xena doesn't show her the pinch. Xena pushes Gabrielle's hands and Xena is under the pinch. "If I only have 30 seconds to live, this is how I want to live them, looking into your eyes. Always remember I love you," Xena says to a very confused and distressed Gabrielle. Xena releases the pinch. She tells Gabrielle she just wanted her to know everything she knows. Gabrielle looks really confused.

Vowing to stop Yodoshi at all costs, Xena dons Japanese armor at dawn the next day to face three huge armies that have gathered on the battlefield.

Disclaimer
Xena and Gabrielle's Flying Circus and Amateur Fire Brigade will be arriving in your town soon

Behind the Scenes

 * Shooting Dates: Early March, 2001.
 * This episode was one of seventeen that fans selected to be featured on the Xena: Warrior Princess: 10th Anniversary Collection, and is subsequently considered one of the greatest episodes in history.

Key Events
This episode marks the final appearance of the lengthly flashbacks of Xena's past.
 * This is the final episode of the series to be set in Greece, the series final does not have its regular Greece setting.
 * This episode marks the final appearance of Borias.
 * Gabrielle finally does Xena's superflip in this episode.
 * The flashback in this episode takes place between "The Debt II" and "Adventures in the Sin Trade I," as Xena is not crippled and not pregnant.
 * This episode reveals how Xena got the scar on the inside of her right breast, from a Japanese blacksmith pushing her into a spiked wall.
 * Gabrielle didn't use her Sais in either episodes.
 * This episode marks the final appearance of both Greece and Chin.

Goofs

 * Despite Gabrielle's protests, Xena did teach Gabrielle the pinch, or at least how to remove it, in "The Haunting of Amphipolis".

Trivia

 * Xena does not use her chakram in this episode.

Guest Stars

 * Marton Csokas as Borias
 * Michelle Ang as Akemi
 * Adrian Brown as Yodoshi