When Kenshin finally arrives at the Room of Reduced Space in Shishio's lair, he finds Sōjirō waiting for him and at first has the upper hand due to his superior speed. But when the confrontation forces Sōjirō to question Shishio's principles, his true emotions surface with allowing Kenshin now able to read his moves and defeat him. Despite his defeat, Sōjirō informs Yumi of the key to Kenshin's ultimate attack while asking her to give Shishio the wakizashi that kept before leaving.