Original subtitles

The key increases your luck just by wearing it.

It stirs a person's desire and sends them mad.

The devil's key.

Since long ago, many people have died

in their scramble for all 99 keys.

Where's the key?

Thirteen years ago, my father was killed by a man who came after his key.

Dad! Dad!

I returned to Japan to investigate a series of mysterious deaths,

-and was reconnected with old friends. -Teruasa!

I had myself fooled

that you were here to take back your father's company.

The key summoned the devil, and a cruel game of death.

ACMA:GAME

The game begins!

If I lose,

you can kill me on the spot.

I'll risk my life with all I've got.

It's live or die!

Teruasa Oda, victory is yours.

Just like Maruko,

there will be others chosen by the key

who will cross your path.

I will find you, and make you pay for killing my father.

The debts of ACMA:GAME

must always be paid.

A debt to be paid...

Mitsuhide's gone.

I pulled off a narrow win.

But as a bitter price for victory,

I may have taken someone's life.

But why?

Teruasa,

what do you intend to do with the key?

Seiji's killer warned you.

There will be others chosen by the key

who will cross your path.

I'll be waiting for them.

If I can win the games

and collect the keys

-it will lead me to him. -Teruasa.

A pen is a useful tool for writing.

However,

it can also pierce a person's heart.

Both desires and the means to fulfill them

are there for the taking.

That's exactly why...

you must choose to listen

to what's in here.

I will.

I'm telling you, it was a real devil.

Will you calm down?

It was fuzzy, with horns sticking out its head, and－

And it was huge, as big as this.

You were just dreaming.

But the leader of the Maruko Family vanished.

Yeah, well, I didn't really get a good look at him.

But you saw this room disappear.

Well, yeah.

Was that a dream too?

Teruasa,

did the devil make Maruko disappear?

Yeah, Teruasa, what actually happened?

You two must not say anything to anyone about what you saw here.

And from now on

you've got to keep out of this.

-Why? -Why?

It's dangerous.

You mean the devil's key?

Devil's key?

It's the key to the game run by the devil.

If you win the game,

you can take anything you want from the loser.

What are you going to do next?

Find who killed my father.

Alone?

Are you crazy?

Leave it to the police.

You can't just go hunting down a criminal by yourself.

I've gotten this far alone.

Isn't that enough?

You're finally back home. Isn't it time to live your life?

As long as I have this key, I can't hope for a normal life.

Is that right?

Then why don't you use the key

to win back your father's company from Miyanouchi Group?

Can't you take whatever you want?

The Ui I knew...

would have told me to win it back honestly.

Get your head out of the clouds.

Ui.

Thanks for sharing the data for losing one's temper.

Anyway,

just stay out of it.

Got it.

Have it your way.

Wait. Where are you going? Ouch!

Gosh. Are you okay?

That stings.

Shirota's closing in!

Hyodo can't do anything!

He's slipped! It's a narrow escape!

A knee strike from Hyodo!

Now Hyodo's lucky punch!

Pounding him into the ground!

Pound him! We have a winner!

Tonight, the goddess of victory

is smiling on Takeru Hyodo!

Takeru Hyodo is back in the game!

Congratulations, Chairman Miyanouchi.

You've gotten hold of a devil's key.

Who are you?

You can think of me as a preacher to the devil's key.

The keys hold many secrets.

And there is a method to collecting them.

My accomplice will explain all you need to know.

Chairman!

-Cheers! -Cheers!

A five game winning streak!

Congratulations!

Another one?

You've been doing well lately...

haven't you, Hyodo?

Are you a fan? Want an autograph?

I guess you've realized this key is making you lucky?

Leave us.

Who are you?

With more keys,

you could get even richer

and even more powerful.

Oh, didn't you know?

More keys?

There are others?

Of course.

I know someone with three.

OROCHI, is this it?

There's a Hellenistic mural from the 4th century BC,

that depicts a demon and a key.

You sure this is a good idea? Teruasa told you not to get involved.

It's only a bit of research.

When was that photo taken?

Second year of junior high.

SCHOOL FESTIVAL

We took it at the school festival.

So that's called a "memory", right?

Yep. A good memory.

Sorry I'm late, OROCHI.

Yuriko! Hello.

I'm excited for my emotions class.

Yes, let's get to it.

Wait. I just remembered.

-What? -What?

Are the keys numbered?

Or do the codes mean something?

Hold on.

Yuki?

Teruasa?

Is now a good time?

Sure.

It's a bit last minute, but I thought we could go get that video today.

Video?

Don't you remember? After the school festival in second year,

the three of us made a video.

It was called, To Us When We Are 20.

Right...

The thing we buried at school?

Yeah. That's the one.

We agreed to dig it up after we all turned 20.

Our school's going to be demolished, so it'll be lost forever.

So why don't we go and dig it up?

Sorry.

I can't today.

Right.

Because Teruasa went to study abroad,

you couldn't dig it up like you agreed.

You lost contact with Teruasa

and have been searching for him ever since.

OROCHI...

Then how about tomorrow?

Or the day after?

I'm sorry.

I can't.

Oh, no.

Is this called "rejection"?

Mom! Don't tell OROCHI everything single thing.

Teruasa just thinks it's dangerous for me to spend time with him.

I see.

But

if it's so dangerous...

all the more reason to help him.

This emotion must be "love".

What? Tomorrow?

Yep.

Let's dig it up and have a screening.

Is he gonna be there too?

He has a name, you know?

But actually, Teruasa said no.

It might be a good chance for you two to make friends.

-So... -Next!

You're saying you want me to ask Teruasa?

Yes, please.

Mr. Saito, U.U. Engineering.

Yes.

I'm gonna pass.

What? Wait.

-Thanks for waiting. -No problem.

I'm looking for additional funding.

-Additional funding? -Yes.

I give up.

Do you want a ride home?

I'm okay.

I need to make a detour.

I'll see you later.

APRIL, REIWA 7

MERGER WITH HIGASHI JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL

It really will be lost forever.

Teruasa?

I－

I was in the area.

-Anyway. -Wait!

Wait a sec! No excuses!

You came all this way, so let's get it.

It won't take long.

Come on!

Over here.

We buried it somewhere here.

Can you remember?

Wasn't it next to that tire?

TIME CAPSULE JUNE 24TH, 2012

Hey, Ui. Let's bury it here.

Isn't that obvious? Someone'll find it.

Move over.

From the tire,

one, two, three steps.

How about here?

From the tire...

One.

Two.

Three steps.

Here?

Do you remember what you said in the video?

I just chatted nonsense.

Like whether I'd have a driver's license,

or if I'd get a girlfriend by the time I was 20.

-Did you? -What?

Did you get one? A girlfriend?

Well,

I've dated a few girls.

What about now?

Not at the moment.

Can I have that?

-It's here. This is it. -Yes.

Yes. You found it.

TIME CAPSULE JUNE 24TH, 2012

We found it.

MEMORIES 2012.6.24

LOAN APPLICATION

It'll take at least one month to get a loan.

You've got a message.

It's from Yuki.

Read it out.

"Change of plan. We got the video.

I'm waiting at school with Teruasa,

so you should join us after work.

Yuki."

She's with Teruasa?

SCHOOL FESTIVAL

Hey, Ui!

I told you to bring 30,000 yen.

I don't have that kind of money.

-Let me check your wallet. -Give it back.

Ui!

Teruasa.

What are you doing?

Did they take something?

It doesn't matter.

-But wait－ -Forget it.

Leave me alone.

Yuki,

do you know who put this here?

No. It was there when I got here.

Okay, class is starting. Get to your seats, please.

What happened to your face?

Fell over in soccer.

What? I just fell over.

Hey,

is the company doing okay?

It sounded like the funding fell through.

Yeah.

I'm worried about it too,

but Ui said to leave the business side to him.

He won't say much.

I see.

Maybe he didn't want to worry you.

I suspect that is because Ui is such a lovely person.

That's exactly why we've gotta keep working hard, for his sake.

OROCHI,

you should be more open with your friends.

That's more human.

Really? Got it.

Yuki!

Teruasa Oda?

You have a devil's key. Hand it over.

Stop!

Who are you?

That key...

Hurry up, hand it over!

I heard you!

Just calm down.

The key

is right here.

Amazing.

You can have anything.

Money, women, power. Whatever you want.

I was too careless. What now?

Give it here or I'll kill her!

Okay!

I'll put the key down there.

Yuki, run!

Ui! Ui!

Teruasa, escape with Yuki!

I can't let anyone else die.

You must listen to what's in here.

Come out, devil.

What's happening?

My name is Gado.

I'm the ACMA:GAME master.

I promise to judge fairly.

It was my only option to save you both.

The space chosen by Teruasa Oda,

the entire school grounds, has been totally shut off.

It is impossible to leave or enter the premises

until the game is over.

SAFETY FIRST

Communication with the outside world has been cut off.

Yuck!

Blunt weapons taste like mud.

Gado, first I want to ask you about the last game.

What?

Why did Maruko disappear because of the debt to be paid?

Exactly.

He was obliterated, in accordance with the rules.

Rules?

So the devil made him disappear.

You!

So we meet again?

Are you going to faint?

Who are the players? You and Takeru Hyodo?

Yes.

How do you know my name?

What the hell is this monster?

Then Teruasa Oda, tell me what you demand.

I want Takeru Hyodo to tell me everything he knows about the keys.

Accepted.

Takeru Hyodo,

what do you wish for from Teruasa Oda?

Wish for?

Let me explain.

In this game,

the winner will take all of the keys

in the loser's possession.

That's not all.

You may meet the opponent's bet with a wager of the same value.

You can take anything, such as fortune,

or even,

his life.

Are you serious?

I guess once the game is over,

these three will report you for threatening them with a knife.

If you want to avoid that, you could wager their lives.

Okay, if I win, I want all three dead!

Demand accepted.

What is going on?

This is the real thing.

If I lose, you can take my life!

How entertaining. It is done－

Don't you dare!

His life is mine to take.

Gado,

I want the right to take Hyodo's life freely.

A game of death. My favorite.

Accepted.

Now take your oaths.

The ritual to set ACMA:GAME in motion.

I will fight for my desires.

I will triumph for my desires.

Swear on the devil.

I will fight for my desires.

I will triumph for my desires.

-I swear on the devil. -I swear on the devil.

Oaths accepted.

Let the game begin!

"Shadow Step."

In this game, you must step on your opponent's shadow.

The sun?

We've gone back in time?

Each game takes place in a designated area.

If you step on your opponent's shadow from the neck upwards,

you score one point.

The first to get two points is the winner.

Whatever...

I played the same game as a kid.

I've stopped time.

First, the one who used the devil's key to start the game,

is given a devil's power which he may unleash.

There are many different powers. Look at your hand.

The devil's power that you can release

is called "Limited Perfect,"

also known as "One Minute Freeze."

Limited Perfect.

Any object that you touch

will be frozen still for one minute.

But it may only be used once during the game.

I will give you both a word of warning.

In the unlikely event that one of the players dies during the game,

the game cannot be terminated

and this space will remain closed for all eternity.

Be very careful.

Understood.

Hyodo, do you understand?

This whole thing's nonsense!

But I guess I have no choice!

So let's just get this game over with

and have some fun!

Then the first round begins!

This is

the sports field?

SHADOW STEP ROUND ONE

Now, fight with everything you've got!

That was a close one.

He's fast. Who is this guy?

Now,

it's my turn.

Teruasa!

That tattoo...

OROCHI, Search Takeru Hyodo.

There's no connection, so I can't get the data.

Shit.

Wait. Where are you going?

He's here! He's a fighter who was banned for rigging matches.

HYODO TAKERU BANNED FOR LIFE FOR CHEATING

I knew it.

I recognized his tattoo.

A while back,

Hyodo disappeared from the public eye

after he was caught rigging games to help pay off his gym's debts.

Now there's a rumor he's unbeatable in the underground fighting scene.

There's no way Teruasa can win against someone like that.

I'm gonna get that key!

The weak are so desperate.

Look at you thrashing around,

struggling so hard just to find an opening.

Take this!

Listen up,

there are two types of people in this world.

Those who win for themselves,

and those who lose everything to total strangers!

That's my life lesson to you.

Takeru Hyodo

has stepped on a shadow.

One point secured.

Time for round two.

Here's your next arena!

SHADOW STEP ROUND 2

Teruasa!

How'd it go?

I lost the first round.

Come on.

A pro fighter?

Yes. Seems he was banned from playing

after he played illegal matches

to help the gym where he trained pay off its debt.

Right...

You're in the lead by one point, huh?

You've got this.

You were there?

I'm your second.

I've got a great strategy.

Wanna hear it?

You really wanna win, right?

Anyway,

why did you say that?

You said you'd take Hyodo's life.

I want the right to take Hyodo's life freely.

No matter what situation we've got ourselves into,

no matter how bad that guy is,

you don't have the right to take his life.

It's all meaningless if I don't win.

What are you saying?

Ui, leave it.

If we don't work together to win the game,

all three of us will be destroyed by the devil.

Hey, look.

Our shadows are stretching towards the hallway.

So it must be more advantageous

to be on the hallway side of the building.

Don't ya think that's a little naive?

Did you call me, "ya"?

There's nowhere to hide in the hallway.

So it'll be a game of stamina.

Which isn't exactly Teruasa's strong point.

Isn't that a little rude?

I must be making progress!

Magic.

What?

The game we used to play in the hallway upstairs.

That's it.

-Ready? -Yep.

Three, two, one.

-No way! -Wow!

-Incredible. -Amazing.

Three, two, one.

-Whoa! -Wow!

Thank you.

What? How did you do that?

Well－

Here you are!

Run!

Yuki, hide somewhere.

Come out wherever you are!

Or I'm gonna break this guy's neck!

Don't be a coward!

Teruasa, I can see your shadow. Go!

Got you!

I win.

A dummy?

Teruasa Oda has stepped on a shadow.

One point secured!

I used to hide there all the time to play tricks.

Three, two, one.

-No way! -Wow!

-Three, two, one. -Was that real?

-Whoa! -Wow!

Right, Ui?

Now it's one point each.

Whoever wins round three will be the final winner.

The final game should be even more entertaining.

SHADOW STEP ROUND 3

I can't see my shadow.

The gymnasium.

The haunted house from the school festival.

Where is it? Where's your shadow?

Hey, Hyodo.

You're a pro fighter, aren't you?

So what!

What you really want

isn't money or power.

You want to be in the spotlight again.

If that's so, then you don't need the key.

You can achieve it by effort alone.

Don't give into desire!

Then you don't need the key either?

But you want it.

You hide behind a mask of innocence,

but it's you who has already given into desire!

Perhaps the need for revenge

is also a form of desire.

But

if I'm going to find who killed my father,

I'll do anything for the keys!

Shit.

Hey, I was looking for you.

Hyodo is nearby.

What are you planning to do with that?

I'm going to trap him. You two hide here.

Yuki,

I need OROCHI to do some calculations.

OROCHI isn't operating fully. What do you need to calculate?

Timing.

Oda!

Show yourself!

Hyodo's extremely agile,

so I need to stop his movements at just the right time.

I'll use the devil power "Limited Perfect"

to stop the curtain handle from moving.

LIMITED PERFECT

Then, I'll cut the rope supporting the handle.

Now.

Hyodo.

Oda!

Ten,

nine,

eight, seven...

-Give it up. -Six...

Five,

four,

three, two...

Just as planned.

Why didn't the curtain fall?

The key to this game

is simply a difference in ability.

Things don't always go to plan.

This is your graveyard.

Teruasa!

Ui!

Don't be an idiot!

The idiot is the one not stepping on his shadow!

Get it, Teruasa!

That's it!

Teruasa Oda

takes the lead with two points.

Therefore, victory goes to

Teruasa Oda.

Wait!

In accordance with the rules,

the devil's key in Takeru Hyodo's possession

goes to Teruasa Oda.

After Takeru Hyodo has told Teruasa Oda

all that he knows about the devil's keys,

he will lose his life.

I'm going to die.

After I go,

just like Maruko－

Wait.

What's this?

Gado,

now I know what happened last time.

What?

Last time,

I made my bet carefully so that Maruko wouldn't die.

I demand the right to take Maruko's life at any moment.

After the game,

I said I'd take Maruko's life in 200 years,

to save him from death.

But he disappeared anyway.

When the first demands were made,

Maruko lost his temper, and you accepted his words.

If I lose,

you can kill me on the spot.

My demand was overwritten.

That's why he disappeared?

This time, I made sure to overwrite Hyodo's words.

If I lose, you can take my life!

How entertaining. It is done－

Don't you dare!

Gado.

I want the right to take Hyodo's life freely.

Gado.

You cannot kill Hyodo against my will.

I have the right to take his life.

I will be the one to decide when to do so.

Fine.

Then the Shadow Step game is over!

You saved my life.

Was that your plan all along?

Yes.

Like I said,

it's all meaningless if I don't win.

But in the end,

I got you two mixed up in it.

I'm sorry.

At a time like this,

don't you mean "thank you"?

We're your friends.

Thank you.

Take it.

Hyodo, where did you get this key?

It just suddenly fell in front of me.

The same thing that happened to Maruko.

Then who told you about me?

Senya Uesugi.

Senya Uesugi?

That's all I know about the keys.

TO US WHEN WE ARE 20 JUNE 24TH, 2012

So, 13 years later, it's time to watch the video!

Here goes!

Very good.

First up, Teruasa.

Three, two, one, go!

TO US WHEN WE ARE 20 TERUASA ODA

Hi, 20-year-old me. Are you watching?

Have you got a driver's license?

Did you get a girlfriend?

Wow, you're acting all grown up.

Second-year Teruasa didn't have a girlfriend.

Teruasa, what's your dream for the future?

I want to go to Canada and see the northern lights.

Aren't you going to take over Oda Group?

That's kinda a long way off.

But you do wanna take over eventually?

Ui's next.

Three, two, one, go!

TO US WHEN WE ARE 20 UI SAITO

TO ME WHEN I AM 20 UI SAITO

I want to start my own IT company.

-It came true. -Shush.

I'm kinda interested in that too.

Really? You too, Yuki?

That's a bit fishy.

Is Yuki the reason you're interested in IT?

No! Get off camera!

But that's so iffy, don't ya think?

No! Stop it!

Looks like this isn't the first time you two have fallen out.

Three, two, one, go!

TO US WHEN WE ARE 20 YUKI MANABE

Last up, me.

When I'm 20...

Gonna be an AI developer?

Teruasa, get out the way.

When I'm 20, I hope I'm still friends with you two.

What?

That's all!

THE END

What a cute friendship.

It nearly made me cry.

Who are you?

Senya Uesugi?

Call me Senya.

And you are?

That's right.

Can I call you Terurin?

How do you know who I am? Who are you?

Who?

Let's see...

Does this answer your question?

Are you an accomplice of my father's killer?

Do you mean

Hoshin?

Hoshin?

You're kidding?

You don't know?

You don't know about his organization?

What do you mean, "organization"?

I'll tell you once the game is over.

Oh, yes.

I forgot you've got all this baggage with you.

Who are you calling baggage?

Why don't you and I discuss this elsewhere?

Teruasa.

I'm going to give you

the greatest thrill of your life.

NEXT EPISODE

Play the game with me.

TERUASA VS A GENIUS GAMBLER

You're the best.

He's not just after the keys.

Guess the card symbol.

This is "Five One."

A master of his craft,

he's got me in the palm of his hand.