Ninja vs. Gokudo (忍者と極道)

MEIREKI 3 (1657)

The year 1657.

Edo was engulfed in raging flames.

More than 100 thousand died.

The truth behind the biggest fire in Japanese history...

It marked the beginning of over 300 years of bloodshed

between two dark underworld forces, the ninja and the gokudo .

After his subordinate was killed by a ninja,

Chobei Banzuiin, founder of the gokudo, set Edo on fire .

Seeking revenge, he lured out Zanzo Kasai, guardian of Edo's underworld.

Chobei fell before Zanzo.

But he entrusted both the blow that ended his life and his will

to his friend and fierce rival, Jurozaemon Mizuno.

Since then, the gokudo have vowed to destroy the ninja.

Let's settle it. It's ninja and gokudo.

Which will triumph. And which will perish?

PRESENT-DAY JAPAN

Ah, Mr. Shima. Thank you again for earlier.

That joint project with your company?

We'd be delighted to work with you.

Leave it to me.

I'll take care of it.

Leave it to me.

I'll take care of it.

What was that noise?

Did a tire blow out somewhere?

That was close.

You dropped your phone.

Oh, sorry!

Thanks so much.

That's my personal phone.

Your phone case... it's a limited edition Flash Princess anime one, right?

And a super rare Heath model to boot.

It would suck if it got scratched.

Whoa, you're a Princess otaku too?!

Uh, yeah.

I love the whole series, all 17 seasons.

Wow, really?!

It's great, right?! Heath is so adorbs!

Everyone simps for the cute characters, but I'm team Heath all the way.

I'm a Heath fan, too.

A gentleman and a boy talking anime in Marunouchi's classy office district...

Sabishiina, monsters born of loneliness that prey on people.

Heath's the charismatic leader who fights the main characters to protect them.

The human protector Abu and the monster protector Heath clashing

is what makes Flash so great.

"I'll be a source of strength for all who feel alone."

It's my favorite Heath line.

Wow! You're young, but you know your stuff.

That came out 11 years ago, you know?

Hey, by the way...

What are you doing?

Sorry... So, um... I can't smile or laugh.

It may not look like it, but I'm loving this Princess talk.

Like, for real.

So, like... you were trying to smile just then?

Yeah. But my facial muscles are super stiff, so it's kinda a bust.

You're a funny kid!

I'm Kiwami Kimura. The kanji is "gokudo," but it's read as "Kiwami."

What's your name?

Shinoha Tanaka. The kanji is "ninja," but it's read as "Shinoha."

Oh, hello, Mr. Araiwa.

Yes, I'm near your office now...

Bye, Shinoha.

Shinoha, huh? What a nice kid.

I'd love to chat more about Princess with him.

Oh, this company's the one you see in Princess commercials.

Kiwami, huh? He's an interesting guy.

Frickin' crazy.

Code 334, governor abduction.

Get on it ASAP.

Gotcha.

Hey, chill.

Ain't nothing suss 'bout the piece I gave you.

The name's Tsubasa Nagashima. I pack a piece, but don't draw it lightly.

Come on, shoot.

It's a quick-draw showdown, man to man.

Come on.

Go ahead and shoot.

Shoot, dammit!!

No way...

I can't believe he pulled it and fired faster

than I pulled... the trigger...

"Master the way." That's what "gokudo" means.

Being quick on the draw is my gokudo skill.

I'll make your head bloom red before you can blink.

The bodyguards have been taken care of.

The sideshow's over. All that's left is your grandkid and you.

Madam Governor of Tokyo.

Grandma!

It's okay. It's gonna be okay.

You think you can mess with a politician?!

The police will come and arrest you all soon.

You don't seem to get it.

We're gokudo.

Vote chasers and pigs don't scare us.

We grab 'em, rough 'em up, and they're ours to command.

You're bait. You're here to lure them out.

"Them"?

H... Hey, what is this?!

Blindfolds? What are you going to do?

Hey, are you listening to me?

- What's with this loud anime music? - What the hell?! When...

Nagashima.

What the hell? What's your deal, Heikichi?

Sorry.

All of a sudden, I don't feel so good...

Sorry...

- What?! - Heikichi's dead!

What the hell's goin' on?

They're here... finally...

Finally... they show themselves!

Politicians and cops don't faze us gokudo. Only our nemesis can scare us.

Our nemesis? You don't mean...

H... Hey, you're dead.

S... So are you!

Whaaat?!

They're here! I've been waiting for them.

A living and breathing folktale in the gokudo world.

If you misbehave in the underworld...

He must be behind me!

You little shit!

If you misbehave in the underworld...

the ninja come a-calling.

Hey, don't just stand there.

Hurry up and shoot me already.

First to fire wins.

W... What the hell's with you bastards?!

Whenever we gokudo are out trying to make a living,

you guys show up and crush us with your insane force.

Ninja! Why?!

Why do you do it?!

You drag kids into your shit.

Because of you guys, I can't laugh or smile.

And it's been like that for ages.

You can't smile or laugh?

You're the ones who screwed everything--

You wouldn't understand.

Go on, shoot me.

Shoot!!

I fired! And he beat the bullet and took my head!

The ninja are seriously frickin' crazy!

But someday, the gokudo will prevail

thanks to "the man."

Shinobi Hand : Blade of Darkness.

Eradicated.

The governor and her grandchild have been safely secured.

The gokudo are all dead.

Yes... It's a Code N.

Superintendent Maru. So that means this bloodbath...

Okada.

It's a Code N. The ninja are involved.

They sniff out underworld crimes faster than the cops

and eradicate the bad guys.

All they leave behind are the corpses of the criminals

and the safely secured victims.

Modern-day ninja serve no one.

They're not bound by money, power, or the laws of the country.

They slay evil according to their own rules.

So, they're antiheroes.

Cool.

Okada.

That's not something I wanna hear from a detective.

Jeez...

Ninja... I wonder what they look like.

Hello, Grandpa Kai? I'm done.

Huh? Isn't that Tanaka?

Hey, you're right. Should we talk to him?

We're short on numbers for tonight's party.

Nah, let's not.

Huh? Why?

Come on, the guy never cracks a smile.

He's not the sorta guy you want at a party.

Hmm, I guess.

It's not like I don't wanna smile or laugh.

I wonder when it started... my not being able to smile?

The doctors said it was because of trauma, but...

I remember vaguely.

When I was a kid...

Aaahhh! I can't laugh or smile!

Not being able to smile...

So long as it's just me, then that's all that matters.