I've created a theory that answers why Shenmue 1 had a bad ending. How Zhu knew to send a warning letter to Iwao. Why Lan Di only asked for the Dragon Mirror. Why in Shenmue 2 Zhu was hiding. Why Lan Di had Don Niu capture Zhu. And I debunk the "Last laugh" theory.
If you don't want to read all this I've created a video that discusses the whole theory:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txghH441B5k
For those that like to read....
Years ago it was speculated that the Shenmue saga will end back where it all began, back in Japan. There have been many theories of how the Shenmue series will have a sinister plot twist at the end where Lan Di has the last laugh on Ryo. The theory goes something like this:
After Lan Di's death, Ryo makes his return home to Japan. Where he finds that the events of "the bad ending" from Shenmue 1 really did take place. Lan Di finds out about the second mirror. He goes back to the Huzuki Dojo, sees Ine-san and Fuku-san, demands the second mirror. When they fail to produce it Lan Di kills them both. Ryo would only find this out after his victorious return back to Japan. Thus giving Lan Di "the last laugh" over Ryo. This theory can not happen for a number of reasons. One of the reasons being that Lan Di doesn't know that the second mirror exists!
Lan Di does not know that the second mirror exists. The only one that knows anything about the mirror's is Zhu. Even Master Chen when he talked about the mirrors his confessed that all he knew about the mirror's came from Zhu.
I believe that Lan Di, much like Master Chen, did not know about the mirror's. To get information on them Lan Di had Zhu kidnapped and had him spill the beans but only about one of the mirror's. Zhu did not say anything about the existence of a second mirror. Zhu then managed to escape his captors and send a letter to Iwao. That's the letter we get in Shenmue 1 warning us to watch out for "those who pursue the Mirror". Note worthy is the word "Mirror", it's singular and not in plural form. After Zhu sends the letter he goes back into hiding right up until he is captured by Don Niu and the events of Shenmue 2 occur.
That would mean that when Ryo prevented Lan Di from taking Zhu from Don Niu, Ryo also prevented Lan Di from forcing Zhu to reveal to him that a second mirror does indeed exist. This theory is farther enforced by the fact that Lan Di never asked Iwao for the second mirror. In bad ending of Shenmue 1, when Ryo does not go to Hong Kong, and does not prevent Lan Di from taking Zhu from Don Niu, Lan Di returns to the Huzuki Dojo and says "I heard there was a second mirror". The bad ending occurs on April the 15th. Depending on how you play Shenmue 2, the part where Don Niu hands Zhu off to Lan Di should occur some time at the end of March. Which would give Lan Di enough time to interrogate Zhu, find out about the existence of the second mirror, and be back to Japan on April 15th to confront, and possibly kill, Ryo.
By stopping Zhu's second kidnapping, not only did you stop Lan Di from learning about the second mirror, but without the knowledge of the second mirror Lan Di has no reason to go back to Japan, and the events of the "bad ending" from Shenmue 1 never take place. Meaning Fuku-san and Ine-san are never put in any danger. Meaning at the end of the Shenmue saga both Fuku-san and Ine-san should be alive.
What do you think?