Original air date : February 25, 2024 [Adult Swim (Toonami)]
Yamaji meets up with the assassin Lil after his latest mission and the two discuss Higan’s prowess as a ninja. Elsewhere, Zai eliminates his former swordmaster who defected from the clan. Mike joins forces with Higan after the FBI and police cover up the incident at the restaurant and frames the owner on false charges. They meet up with Emma and discover a likely connection between multinational corporation AUZA and the clan, and suspect they might be conspiring together to eliminate mutual enemies. Meanwhile, Yamaji meets with AZUA’s top executive Joseph and warns him not to engage exiled ninjas without his consent as he had at the restaurant with disguised men traveling via van. Back at Higan, Mike and Emma’s discussion inside the car, they are attacked by a masked ninja slashing a sword into the roof in an attempt to kill them. During the assault, the car is side-impacted by a truck that incapacitates both Mike and Emma. After the crash, Higan engages the ninja in battle and successfully kills them as Lil watches from a mounted bodycam. Afterward, Higan receives a phone call from an unknown number.
* * *
♪♪
♪♪
[Tires screech]
Father in heaven, please stop the demons.
Stop the demon!
[Humming]
Huh?
[Gasps]
[Muffled grunting]
[Tires screech]
♪♪
♪♪
[Slurps]
What a nice piece of ass.
♪♪
♪ Rain, rain ♪
♪ Come wash away the pain ♪
♪ With demons in my head ♪
♪ Vengeance is the only way ♪
♪♪
♪♪
♪ We had love before the end ♪
♪ We had trust, belief, and friendship ♪
♪ Maybe something more, maybe something less ♪
♪ This is how I’ll make amends ♪
♪ For the light turned to darkness ♪
♪ Shedding blood, so they said ♪
♪ Rain, rain ♪
♪ Come wash away this goddamn pain ♪
♪ Pain ♪
♪ Now vengeance is the only way ♪
♪ I’ll make you pay ♪
♪ Make you pay ♪
♪ Until your heart stops, till your heart stops ♪
♪ You’ll be wishing you were dead ♪
♪ ‘Cause tonight, oh, a tooth ♪
♪ Won’t be all that you lose ♪
♪ I’ll make you pay ♪
♪ For what you did ♪
♪♪
[Chomps]
♪♪
[Door opens]
Mm.
What a dull job that was.
I can’t believe I couldn’t even get hard playing with those bastards.
My big asset here is going to waste, so just let the others handle it next time.
What do you say, Master Yamaji?
A sword is a weapon with no will of its own.
Whatever you say, boss.
But take it from me, your pickup lines are outdated as hell.
Prancing around wearing those ridiculous ninja scarves and obeying some oath or secret code is just not our style.
Unless maybe you’re still hung up on an old flame or something.
The exiles are no longer considered ninjas.
We treat them as enemies the moment they defect.
Every single one of them must be eliminated immediately.
We cannot afford our secret arts ever coming to light.
Well, I got to say, this is one tempting piece of ass.
Higan, one of the most elite ninja in the history of Japan.
He’s mastered countless fighting techniques and is merciless when it comes to eliminating his targets.
Truly a ninja among ninjas.
And he’s going to be all mine.
We killed him once already.
Even the doctors pronounced him dead.
However, he still lives.
Really?
We believe he must have used his secret art.
Secret art, huh?
One of those special techniques, right?
One that only the old ninjas could use?
How exciting.
We need to make sure we eliminate him next time.
We must find a way to uncover his technique.
Thus, preparations are being made accordingly as we speak.
There’s a quicker solution, you know.
He’ll be clinging to my leg and begging,
“Please let me suck it,” after I go give him a severe ass-kicking.
Oh, I almost forgot.
What about that other guy, the Reaper?
Brandishing your sword with no pride is just violence.
I taught you that long ago, Zai.
How many exiled ninjas, or rather, your former comrades have you killed now?
The organization is corrupt to the core.
The only reason you kill the exiled is because you fear them.
Those of us who are left maintain our pride.
Just look at the fact that you failed to kill Higan.
He proved that those of us who retain our faith in the old ways shall not fall to the likes of you.
Once the other exiled ninjas get word of that, they will surely stand against you as I have.
Let me make it painfully clear to you, the one who taught you to wield the blade.
[Wind whistling]
Young barn swallow yearning for a nest it cannot reach, wretched is the crisp fall wind for us both.
[Shing!]
[Rumbling]
It is impossible to defend against a blade of wind.
This is my secret art… Flying Swallow.
You won’t evade my technique a second time.
Where is your blade?
[Gasps]
[Grunts]
Then so be it.
Now I shall go to the pits of hell and wait for you to join me.
It’s probably the Reaper.
I bet you he’s itching to get his hands on that hot piece of meat.
I have forbidden him from engaging Higan in any sort of battle.
So what are you saying?
You’re not gonna let them fight at all?
I’m telling you, that’s bullshit.
Well, we found evidence that this place is being used by the Chinese mafia to launder money.
And the fight that broke out was just a turf war between rival gangs.
So that’s why the case was closed.
Money laundering, my stinky ass.
They couldn’t even manage to wash a greasy pan in that dump.
Just think of it this way.
You’re lucky you won’t have to eat the crappy food there anymore, right?
[Laughter]
Really, Officer?
The bigwigs feed you that line?
Mike?
Huh?
Damn.
You need to stay focused on your duties, Mike.
I won’t be able to help you if you keep sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong.
And then we’ll have to get that guy you were meeting up with last night involved, as well.
Think carefully.
You’d be giving up a nice retirement.
You could be fishing and drinking whiskey all day.
I actually prefer Japanese sake over whiskey these days.
Then I’ll send you some good stuff and a really nice fishing rod.
Yeah, thanks. That’s nice of you.
Let me guess. The rod is made by AUZA, huh?
You should take some time off.
People make bad decisions when they’re tired, you know.
Don’t come in again until your retirement day.
That’s my advice to you as your ex-partner.
[Clanging]
♪♪
You burned it. It’s all black again.
[Clanging continues]
That’s why I said you should let me handle it.
[Grunts]
I love you.
The both of you.
[Coughing]
[Breathing heavily]
[Sighs]
[Grunts]
You got some nerve.
My navigation couldn’t even find this place.
It makes it easy for me to see if anyone’s coming.
I told them I’d pay for damages, but I didn’t think it would be for the whole friggin’ restaurant.
I feel bad for the old man that framed him on some bogus charges.
We’re gonna have to try and do something about that later.
You up for some Peking duck?
[Duck quacks]
That analysis showed that these blades were made of a special alloy, and the patent on that alloy is held by AUZA, of course.
It seems pretty obvious that there’s a connection between them and the ninjas who attacked us.
I’m going to dig a little deeper and see if I can find any more clues.
AUZA.
That company is dangerous.
They have the FBI in their pocket, and now they’re wanting me to back off.
I guess I shouldn’t blame them, though, considering I almost died back then.
They killed my family.
Now I’m going to hunt down every last one of them and make them pay.
You plan on murdering them all?
Just so we’re clear, when it comes down to it,
I’m going to have to arrest you.
That being said, it looks like I’ve got a lot of other dirt bags to handcuff first.
Protecting citizens from criminals…
That’s what I signed up for, and it’s still my duty.
Besides, I never liked fishing.
Anyways, here’s to a truce.
In all my years at the bureau, I can honestly say
I’ve never had the experience of dealing with shadowy ninja freaks.
Hm?
Sharing a drink with someone, that’s how alliances are formed.
Still can’t believe I ended up working
with a sketchy weirdo like you.
But I got to get back at those bastards.
For the old man.
♪♪
Ugh, wait a sec. This ain’t alcohol.
It’s an energy drink.
Huh?
Come on, man, seriously?
I’ll never understand you ninjas.
It’s not a ninja thing.
It’s just what I like to drink.
Okay, whatever.
Onto our next subject.
Right now we have a lead with AUZA.
I’ve got someone on the way who knows a thing or two about them.
Ah, must be them.
[Duck quacks]
Why did it have to be her?
Why couldn’t it be me?
I’m sorry, Jessie.
You’re the only one for me.
Oh, baby.
Do you remember what I taught you back when you were a rookie?
Uh, never be late for a meeting.
Great, then, for your next lesson, I’m going to have to teach you the definition of being late.
Roundabout sarcasm like that is totally going to kill your popularity with the ladies.
Listen, you’re always the one who shows up late.
Okay, okay, I get it.
But what else was I supposed to do?
Not only did I need an excuse to get out of work, but I had to go fetch this baby.
I brought her all the way from home.
What’s this hunk of junk got to do with anything?
Hunk a junk?
You got to be freaking kidding me.
Your ride is what we call a hunk of junk.
That’s a great car.
It got me here on time, didn’t it?
You have no taste whatsoever.
This is an early model of a historic economy car that was built by one of the best designers of the 20th century.
You recognize it?
It has an air-cooled four-cylinder 1,500cc displacement engine.
The bodywork, along with a rear-mounted engine and rear-wheel drive, was its most characteristic feature.
[Groans]
It’s a good car.
That’s a ninja for you.
You have excellent taste.
Really?
Hey, calm down, man.
She’s on our side.
Who do you think analyzed those futuristic weapons we found?
I’ve always been fascinated by ninjas.
Hey, I’ve got a question for you.
Is it true you guys plant a bunch of cannabis to jump over as part of your tr…
That’s enough.
I didn’t come here to chitchat about cars or ninjas.
Right. We’re here to talk about AUZA.
Please hop in.
Why? We going somewhere?
Not exactly.
[Grunting]
Damn it, man, there’s no room.
Settle down now, boys.
Scoot over, would you?
You’ll stop all your whining after you see this.
Huh?
Wha?
What the…
Welcome to my pride and joy.
This is basically a giant moving computer that I built all by myself.
All the information you need from all over the world is right here at my fingertips.
I researched the company in question and found out that AUZA is a multinational enterprise company involved in the development of military weapons, telecommunications, entertainment, clean energy, pretty much every technology you can think of.
And they have a high global market share to boot.
The rate they’ve penetrated markets across the world is insane.
Their products are constantly replacing various software and hardware systems day after day.
It’s safe to say there’s no country in the world without AUZA now, but at the same time, that rapid growth has given way to a lot of dark rumors.
What kind of rumors are you talking about?
Well, several key figures from major rival organizations, along with journalists who were investigating alleged fraud and other individuals who were inconvenient to the company, have all died in mysterious ways.
Even just recently.
Huh?
The man you see here was one of the top conservative politicians well-known throughout Europe.
He refused any and all foreign companies from doing business in his country until a week ago, when he passed away in a sudden car accident.
His successor is now doing the exact opposite by actively attracting foreign companies in the name of improving domestic technology.
And one of the companies is…
AUZA.
Correct.
There have been way too many convenient deaths
during their progress.
My guess is that ninjas are the ones behind it all.
A big international corporation and ninjas.
Well, that’s just great.
If this is all true, then we got a real nightmare in our hands.
[Electricity crackling]
[Whirring]
Magnificent.
It never ceases to amaze me.
Sir, regarding the AUZA reactor, the output has increased since our last test.
It’s now capable of producing
2.2 million kilowatts of power per second, and our wireless power transfer system is also making good progress.
This is the light that will illuminate the future, my friends.
If we can make this technology commonplace, then the world will never be the same.
AUZA is the best and must become the one and only.
The magic that we produce will change people’s lives forever, and in no time at all,
AUZA will be the new standard for the entire world.
[Applause]
[Chuckles evilly]
Oh, hey.
How nice it is to see you here.
I would suggest that we chat over dinner, but seeing as how you came here directly, it must be something urgent, right?
Ah, y-yes.
Those are guys from my team.
We desperately needed to get some field dataon a weapon that we’re developing.
And a ninja is the perfect test subject
since they have superhuman abilities.
O-Of course, I made sure that they targeted an ex-ninja who has nothing to do with your organization.
Well, okay, then.
I’ll give you a proper heads-up next time.
You see, what we need is a lot more data.
It benefits all of us if the weapons…
We’re partners, remember?
We need to work together to build a better future.
Don’t you ever pull a stunt like that again.
[Door opens]
This is considered to be the center of the huge enterprise known as AUZA.
It’s the starting point if we want to really know what they’re up to and how the ninjas figure into all of this.
We know their headquarters are located in AUZA City.
It’s an experimental city that’s run entirely by their organization.
They use it to test various new technologies and energy sources.
What about here?
Huh?
[Grunts]
Huh?
[Clanging]
Let’s get out of here.
[Tires screech]
Shit.
What the hell is happening?
♪♪
I think I got him.
Damn, serious ninja s…
[All grunting]
[Groans]
♪♪
♪♪
[Grunts]
♪♪
♪♪
♪ Back and I’m ballin’, and I’m just gettin’ started ♪
♪ Got destiny calling ♪
♪ Enemies don’t wanna see me, got my team ♪
♪ We lookin’ clean, it was all a dream ♪
♪ I’ve been slashin’ ♪
♪ But that action, no one ever actin’ ♪
♪ All my power shit, gotta bounce to this ♪
♪ I’m the legend that they call and we gonna do this ♪
[Grunting]
♪ Back and I’m ballin’, and I’m just gettin’ started ♪
♪ Got destiny calling ♪
♪ Enemies don’t wanna see me, got my team ♪
♪ We lookin’ clean, it was all a dream ♪
♪ I’ve been slashin’ ♪
♪ But that action, no one ever actin’ ♪
♪ All my power shit, gotta bounce to this ♪
♪ I’m the legend that they call and we gonna do this ♪
♪ We gonna do this ♪
♪ We gonna do this ♪
[Grunts]
♪ We gonna do this ♪
♪♪
♪♪
[Grunts]
♪ Gotta go harder, gotta go stronger ♪
♪ Standing up longer to mess the rest and be the best ♪
♪ I’m the one who’s comin’ next ♪
♪ Do what we gotta, said gotta go harder, gotta go stronger ♪
♪ Standing up longer to mess the rest and be the best ♪
♪ I’m the one who’s comin’ next ♪
Huh?
♪ We gonna do this ♪
♪♪
♪ Back and I’m ballin’, and I’m just gettin’ started ♪
♪ Got destiny calling ♪
♪ Enemies don’t wanna see me, got my team ♪
♪ We lookin’ clean, it was all a dream ♪
[Chuckles]
♪ But that action, no one ever actin’ ♪
♪ All my power shit, gotta bounce to this ♪
♪ I’m the legend that they call and we gonna do this ♪
[Glass cracking]
[Humming]
[Siren wailing]
[Cellphone ringing]
[Beep]
Now we can finally talk.
Higan.
[Gasps]
♪♪
♪♪
♪ As the memories fade away ♪
♪ The lives of those who weren’t saved ♪
♪ Regret and torment has come to stay ♪
♪ Hopelessly leading us astray ♪
♪ On a journey to find some kind of reason ♪
♪ The army’s weight is slowly crumbling ♪
♪ Haunted by the look of those who we left behind ♪
♪ Close your eyes, try to leave the shame behind ♪
♪ Who will stay to lend a helping hand ♪
♪ When death is knocking at the door ♪
♪ Who will fight alone for what is right ♪
♪ For the ones who are left behind ♪
♪ Those who are left behind ♪
♪♪
