The John Wick franchise could have very easily just kept naming its sequels as Chapter 1, Chapter 2 and so on in perpetuity, but the creative team appear to be making a concerted effort to settle on subtitles that force fans to either bust out a dictionary, or do some online research.
Should yesterday’s purported leak turn out to be right on the money, then it’s set to happen again, with Hagakure joining Parabellum as a word enthusiasts of action cinema will memorize the exact definition of in no time at all. The phrase is believed to be derived from the samurai warrior code bushido, which is perfectly in keeping with the theme of the saga.
As you can see below, John Wick supporters were quick to ruminate on Hagakure as a potential suffix for Chapter 4, and a lot of them seem happy to have learned a new word.
The first three installments have hardly been subtle in painting Keanu Reeves’ title hero as a ronin, a lone warrior with no master who won’t hesitate to turn his back on either his ideals or the people from his past should they wrong him. In that context, John Wick: Chapter 4 – Hagakure would make complete sense, as well as indicating that Tokyo may not be a mere pit stop for the titular assassin, but a key component of the narrative.
