Episode 09: The Sword and DEAD

The Sword and DEAD is the ninth episode of the Highschool of the Dead anime series and the first to forego the chronological order of the manga. Takashi and Saeko find their way to Saya's house to rejoin the group.

Statistics

 * Original Airdate: August 30, 2010
 * Opening Song: "Highschool of the Dead"
 * Closing Song: "Jewel Spy" (宝石のスパイHōseki no Supai)
 * Manga Chapters: Act.16, Act.17
 * DVD/BD Release Date: January 26, 2011

Summary
Takashi and Saeko acquire an amphibious vehicle to help evade the zombies and set up on a sand bank in the middle of the river. Later, they ditch their vehicle in a park fountain to lure the zombies whilst Saeko attacks them. However, Saeko freezes when she comes across some zombified children, forcing Takashi to help her. They decide to camp out at a shrine, where Saeko reveals that, four years ago, she almost killed a rapist and enjoyed it, saying she hasn't changed since that day and doesn't deserve love. Takashi responds by apparently kissing her and her accepting it as the scene blacks out. The next morning, as zombies start to surround them, Saeko becomes afraid and stands idly. Takashi grabs her breast and tells her that he's always admired her and that she should live as herself even with her dark side, giving her the motivation to defeat the zombies with a real sword. Arriving safely at Saya's house, Takashi admits to himself that he accepted Saeko because he "obviously...did this in order to survive."

Characters in order of appearance

 * Kohta Hirano
 * Alice Maresato
 * Zeke
 * Shizuka Marikawa
 * Them
 * Takashi Komuro
 * Saeko Busujima
 * Saya Takagi
 * Rei Miyamoto
 * Yuriko Takagi