Master!
Toramaru.
Good to see you back.
Don't be so formal.
Look at me.
You look well.
You also seem well, Master Gensai.
It appears you have learned much.
Is your ascetic training complete?
I spent a year roaming
throughout the land.
My journey is ended.
Don't be so hasty, Toramaru.
Let this old man savor the tale.
Take your time.
Tell me everything.
Who was your first fight
after you left here?
Yes, sir.
I challenged the one
who best matched my skills.
Know your opponent
by what he eats.
It seems you have
followed my teachings.
Noodles and pot stickers?
Was it a set menu?
A classic combination, no?
Who taught you to put chili oil
directly onto the pot stickers?
My own idea, sir.
Well done.
You're truly my disciple.
Chinese food, you say?
Let me guess who it could be.
Obviously a proponent of kung fu.
The kung fu master, Yuen Jeng?
Correct.
A fine battle, indeed.
Making the fight equal
shows true bushido spirit.
PRECEPTS OF KUNG FU
You've done well.
The possessor of the original scroll
is a true martial artist.
One thing, though.
Did you read the scroll?
No, sir.
I brought it for you to read.
I am not worthy to do so.
Toramaru, you are indeed a noble warrior.
Continue.
Who did you then fight?
Or rather,
what did you eat next?
Cheese-stick snacks
and vegetable juice?
Cheese and vegetables?
Who could that be?
Can you give me a hint?
What?
A corn soup-flavored snack?
What does that suggest?
It's not about flavor.
I know.
It's the stick factor!
A stick and a liquid.
Liquid stick.
Liquid.
Stick fighting?
A pOOT pun!
CHALLENGE!
SURRENDER
So you fought
with Master Mokunen?
A tad too flippant for my taste.
He knows the value
of composure in a fight.
You did well to learn
and use that lesson.
I thank you, Master.
He surrendered his
stick fighting scroll to me.
PRECEPTS OF STICK FIGHTING
Well done, my boy.
And what did you eat next?
Don't tease me!
Give me a hint.
Some sort of rice bowl?
Tomato and mince over rice?
Enough! Stop eating!
Wheat noodles?
A delicious broth, too.
Definitely not ramen noodles.
Stop eating for a moment, will you?
Give me a hint, man!
I missed the most important clue.
The rice spirits cocktail!
Okinawan food, obviously.
Yes, taco salsa over rice.
And wheat noodles.
Let me guess.
Your next opponent used nunchaku.
Nunchaku Rinryu.
It's no big deal.
It's no big deal.
No big deal.
That was somewhat anti-climatic.
It seems all you did was eat well.
A classic example
of being too self-confident.
Beware of that trap.
PRECEPTS OF NUNCHAKU
The actual fight
is what's interesting.
Were there no fiercer,
more exciting battles'?
Red tuna-
the commonest cut.
Kushiro City, Hokkaido?
Muso, the blind swordsman.
Muso is a master of the sword.
It's you, is it?
Collecting scrolls, are you?
How do you know?
I may be blind,
but I can smell a rat.
Cosmic Toramaru,
the all-round martial arts master.
I've heard of you.
I wish to challenge you.
Judo, karate, boxing and Tae Kwon Do.
Is it true you wish to excel
in all the martial arts?
That's correct.
Doesn't too much variety
weaken your core?
Take up your sword and find out.
Unlike other disciplines,
the sword is unforgiving.
It's kill or be killed.
Are you ready for that?
Naturally.
Then I won't disappoint you.
Seventy.
Seventy five.
Eighty?
Your heartbeat is rising fast.
Ever faster.
A cold sweat.
Streaming down your face.
The smell of fear.
A poor attempt.
Far too clumsy.
Incredibly foolish!
Not worthy to fight me.
Downward right slash.
Left foot forward.
Leaving your sides exposed.
Wasted movements
betrayed by your garments.
Don't be so surprised.
I may be blind,
but I see everything.
Your movements, posture,
even your facial expressions.
I see you in totality.
Enough of your shallow cleverness.
I'll not soil my blade on you.
Are you insane?
As you wish.
Cold.
No other blade has
come this close to my skin.
So you beat the famous Muse'?
Wasn't a blindfold
sufficient handicap?
You sliced your eyelids
to negate any distractions.
I'm impressed by your insight
in such a short encounter.
You should be thankful
you met Muso.
The nunchaku battle
was a disappointment.
Yuen Jeng, the kung fu master.
Mokunen, the stick fighter.
Muse, the master swordsman.
All are representative warriors of Japan.
I'm proud you were able
to beat them all.
You've proved yourself
a worthy successor to me.
SWORD MASTERY
This has all set me to thinking.
Your tales of battles
have made me hungry.
Hey, Denko.
Denko, prepare something to eat.
Right away, sir.
Toramaru, will you join me?
No, thank you, sir.
Before that...
What now?
You'll only whet my appetite more.
These stories are torture for me.
Don't dare lick your lips.
Your next opponent is from Osaka.
That's enough. Say no more.
Yokohama? The outlaw city
with no gun nor sword restrictions?
Unceasing earthquakes
had destroyed the entire area.
A once thriving metropolis
turned to desert.
Aptly dubbed "Violence City. "
Blood brother, no!
My comrade in arms.
Best you leave the mask on.
Mind your own business.
Good health is everything
to martial artists and gangsters.
Doesn't matter to a man
about to end it all.
It's good to decide
one's time of death.
I have no wish to stop you.
But before you do...
will you accept my challenge?
I don't know how you found me,
but I'm not in the mood.
Do I scare you?
Me? I don't get scared.
I'm a yakuza warrior.
Our code obliges me
to accept any challenge.
I appreciate that, sir.
Lose the mask!
You'll be fine for a while.
Are you sure?
Yes, I'm certain.
No attack?
Then I'll have to attack you.
The weather's turned bad.
You're quite good, aren't you?
Which gang are you with?
I'm not a yakuza.
I'm Toramaru,
a follower of the Cosmic Way.
The Cosmic Way?
You're here to win my scroll?
That was lost years ago.
W8 gone?
Scrolls mean little to we yakuza.
Then all I can do is learn
each of your actions and techniques.
Then make them mine.
On guard!
You're too good
to throw your life away.
You think so?
You don't know anything.
If you want to fight,
then fight to the death.
Stunned, yet still standing.
Master of the dagger, Eiji Mimoto.
A worthy opponent.
Fighting a desperate foe
with nothing to lose taught me much.
My blood brother who died
was everything to me.
I am sure he would not
like you to kill yourself.
The yakuza life is a harsh one.
It was a good lesson for you, Toramaru.
When I was an actor,
I was often cast as a yakuza.
Master!
You were an actor?
When I was young.
Always an underling,
just another gang member.
Not once did I ever
survive the battles.
But I always wanted to live
till the end of a film.
Was there another reason
you went to Yokohama?
Someone else to challenge?
Pistol Billy, the meat-eating
lover of all things American.
You came without a gun?
Unbelievable.
I constantly hone my skills of dynamic
vision and instantaneous response.
Do not underestimate me.
You are strong, aren't you?
Fucking speed!
You dodged it. Well done.
But as you come closer to me...
impossible.
See, my little kitten?
It's impossible.
Jesus!
This is not a toilet.
Not a tale I wish to hear
while I'm eating.
Hey, Denko, bring more food.
Coming, sir.
Are you listening to me, Master?
I certainly am.
There are two reasons
you lost that bout.
You were too confident.
And you're too choosey.
You must finish everything
on your plate.
To know your enemy,
you must eat his food.
That's a basic principle
of our Cosmic Way martial arts.
Don't just sit and eat what's there.
Eat his food
and become your opponent.
But at least you survived
to tell the tale.
I ask you for another chance.
Why bother?
It will only end the same way.
You did it again. Excellent.
But you won't get any closer.
Since they got rid
of the gun and sword laws...
you can find any weapon
you want.
Can you give me an example?
Ever seen a gun that fires
when you punch?
Bullet-Arm.
Very funky weapon.
Bullet-Arm?
Where can I get one?
Rumor says
this woman has one.
But be careful.
She has a shotgun fitted
to her knee.
She's a real bitch.
How lucky.
Now we get the reward.
Die, bitch!
You are very good.
Have we met before?
No, this is the first time.
Are you trying to seduce me'?
What do you want?
Where can I buy
those weapons you have'?
It feels good to fire them,
but they're hard to use.
They're quite tiring.
I'll swap them for this.
No, wait!
Are you sure about this?
A very interesting weapon.
They're very good
in short-range battles.
I get very excited when I use them.
Yes, rhythm and euphoria
are very important in a fight.
Don't fire it in here.
Shall we go outside and try?
That's fantastic!
I could do this forever.
What a brilliant idea.
Master, please be careful.
I'm ever so sorry.
What are you doing, Master?
What do you mean?
Tell me something.
Why do you seek these scrolls?
You're a talented fighter.
You don't need my scroll.
Those scrolls are priceless,
worth a fortune.
It's likely your master
plans to sell them.
Such a man is not a good master.
Why do you want so many scrolls?
What will you do with them?
Denko, where have you been?
The convenience store.
Here, sir.
I don't want them anymore.
I'm already quite full.
I have eaten far too much.
But to truly know your enemies...
you have to know what they eat.
What's going on, sir?
Den ko!
Toramaru.
You're a fine martial artist.
But you lack one critical skill.
And until you master it,
you cannot be my successor.
Those scrolls you gathered...
now they're mine.
They're worth a fortune!
This is good.
What's this?
I was right.
Denko is useless.
Den ko?
Master!
Sorry to resort to trickery, Toramaru.
The master wanted you to have
this final lesson.
It's his.
In martial arts, constant training
is the key, not mere technique.
These scrolls are mere garnish,
not the meal.
Master!
Stop it. That hurts.
Listen, Toramaru.
You didn't let the scrolls distract you.
You continued to learn your art.
I thought you lacked one element.
But you just proved that to be false.
What did you think I lacked?
The mercilessness
that springs from anger.
Sometimes a martial artist
must fight beyond all reason.
After what you've done to me,
I have no reservations on that score.
My master...
My arm, too.
He only faked them
and shaved his moustache...
so he could arouse you to true anger.
But I'm pleased
I managed to fool you.
It shows I'm still a talented actor.
Don't worry.
This is my fate.
This is Bushido.
Master!