Original subtitles

KANTO ORWA YAKU SAK NO

ARANKEP SINEP KA ISAM

"NOTHING COMES FROM HEAVEN WITHOUT PURPOSE"

1904, MEIJI 37

During the Russo-Japanese War,

the battle at 203 Meter Hill became the bloodiest battlefield of them all.

A total of 130,000 Japanese soldiers were deployed to the frontline

with the purpose of capturing the Russian naval base, Port Arthur.

Of the wounded or dead, 60,000 were Japanese,

and 46,000 were Russian.

Hardly anyone left this hellish battleground alive.

Sour.

I'm starving.

I'll eat a dead Russian if I have to, but I'm not dying here.

Right, Toraji?

Right.

Fire!

Fire!

Fire!

Fire!

Fire!

Charge!

Advance!

It's open!

No!

Saichi!

I'm...

Immortal Sugimoto!

TWO YEARS LATER, HOKKAIDO

How's it going?

Nothing.

I came all the way out here to Hokkaido

in the middle of nowhere to make a quick fortune.

But there ain't a speck of gold here.

Heard from the guys who came home.

They call you "Immortal Sugimoto," don't they?

Even with a mortal wound, you're up and running the next day.

You can't be killed by a bayonet thrust or a machine gun round.

Is the legend true?

Yeah, I can't seem to die.

Where's your medal, then?

If I hadn't nearly killed an officer that was pissing me off,

I'd have been awarded the Order of the Golden Kite

and be enjoying a cushy retirement by now.

Oh, yeah?

Anyway, who cares.

Say, do you want to hear an interesting story?

It involves gold.

Gold?

Back in the day in Hokkaido,

you could find a ton of bean-sized gold pieces all over in the rivers.

You know, a real "gold rush."

To stand up to the Japanese persecution and the stealing of their land,

a group of Ainu were secretly gathering funds to build an army.

Gold full to the gunwales.

Then one guy stole it all

by murdering every single Ainu.

The stolen gold came out to 200 Kan.

That's 800,000 yen worth of gold.

After hiding the gold somewhere in Hokkaido, the guy got arrested

and thrown into prison.

To hell at the ends of the earth, Abashiri Prison.

Give it up!

Where'd you hide it?

No matter what they did to him, he never let slip about the gold.

In the end,

they cut a tendon in one of his legs to prevent him from ever escaping.

The guy had friends outside, but he never wrote any letters

because the guards would steal them.

He couldn't secretly pass on a note to someone about to be freed either.

The guards would check even their asses.

Hey, what would you do in that situation?

How would you communicate the location of the treasure to someone on the outside?

Cut to the chase. How'd he do it?

With tattoos.

He got some charcoal during penal labor, mixed it with saliva,

and used a hidden needle to inject it bit by bit,

tattooing a code of the buried treasure's location

onto his fellow convicts' bodies.

Apparently, the tattoos of all the convicts together made one code.

Then he told the convicts,

"Break out of here."

"I'll give half the gold to the one who succeeds."

Ex-legionary misfits heard rumors about the tattoos,

so they forced the convicts out of prison, saying that they had to transfer them.

The army was after the gold too.

But this was the moment the convicts were waiting for.

They killed every last soldier...

and disappeared into the woods.

So what happened to the escaped convicts and the gold?

No one knows.

Another tall tale, then.

It's freezing.

Toraji!

I said too much.

You wanna see... if I'm really immortal?

I guess that wasn't just crazy talk, after all.

Hey.

A brown bear?

So you're one of the convicts in the story.

ABASHIRI PRISON ESCAPEE TAKECHIYO GOTO

Ainu...

Move away.

A brown bear can still take ten strides even with strong poison.

Is it dead?

Her fur isn't bristled anymore. She's dead.

What are you doing?

I'm removing the meat around the poisoned arrow.

Otherwise, the meat and fur will go bad.

Is that man dead?

Yeah.

I found him buried with his guts all eaten.

Must have been that bear.

It came from that hole.

That's odd.

A bear out of hibernation can't eat right away as its stomach is shrunk.

Here, look.

Her stomach is empty.

So,

another bear... ate this guy?

Only matakarip eat meat this time of year.

Matakarip?

"Those that move in winter," in Ainu.

Bears that miss hibernation. They're aggressive and dangerous.

If their prey is taken away, they won't give up on getting it back.

Leave him behind.

Can't do that.

I can't leave this body behind.

Is he family? A friend?

No... not exactly.

Then... you'll have to kill the matakarip.

If you're not ready for that, then let him go.

The weak get eaten.

Truth is...

There's an interesting story.

If it's true, I'm not gonna let some brown bear eat him.

You're used to hunting brown bears. Help me out.

But... I guess the story is hard to believe.

I believe it.

My aca was one of the Ainus killed there.

"Aca"?

It means "father."

Hurry, gather firewood.

We'll use the bonfire light to shoot the brown bear.

We'll use the corpse as bait and set up an ambush.

Wait a minute.

What is it?

His tattoo is sectioned off at the median lines of his body.

That's exactly how we mark bears and deer before we skin them.

What's the reason for that?

The body was intended to be skinned.

He never planned to split the gold.

Wait. If we skin him before the bear gets here...

There's no time.

Gather firewood. Get some sitat too.

Get what now?

Sitat. Birch bark.

It's rich in oil and burns long. Works well as a torch.

Don't shoot!

Hey, don't shoot! You'll hit me!

I'm Immortal Sugimoto!

Are you alive?

I survived again.

My aca also pierced through

the heart of a brown bear that landed on him.

It's a risky tactic among Ainu hunters which risks life and limb.

I'm surprised you knew it.

I didn't. It was pure instinct.

Not bad for a Japanese.

I'm Saichi Sugimoto.

I'm Asirpa.

Five years ago now.

When my father and the other Ainu men were found,

their bodies had been hacked to bits and scattered.

I didn't know the man who killed my father was in Abashiri Prison.

Here, this is yours, Sugimoto.

Put it in your mess kit.

What is this?

The brown bear's gallbladder.

Once it's dried, it will sell for a lot as medicine.

No part of a bear goes to waste.

Its meat can be eaten, and the fur can be sold.

You brought it down. It's your right to claim.

Asirpa, it's your right too.

I'm fine with that one.

Ainus don't eat the meat of a bear that has killed a human.

A bear that did something bad becomes an evil spirit, a wen kamuy,

and is sent to a hell called teine pokna mosir.

I don't want to kill people either.

So you go to hell when you kill people?

I guess I'll have the best seat in the house.

The culprit is still alive in prison.

He won't have been executed yet.

But once that gold is found, his life is over.

Finding the gold means getting revenge for your father.

Aca...

I'll do all the dirty work.

All you need to do is share your knowledge.

Work with me to find the gold.

If we work together,

we'll be unstoppable.

All I need is a small cut.

Why do you need money?

I just do.

Fine, I'll help you. Just...

promise me one thing.

Don't kill anyone.

What are you doing?

When you place a pole against a tree where squirrels come to feed,

they'll choose this easier way to come down.

I'm going to set a snare trap on it.

When the squirrel's head passes through,

it strangles its neck.

Oh... I like squirrels though.

I like them too.

Squirrels only eat nuts, so their meat is delicious.

Their fur sells too.

Let's set more traps.

It's healing already.

Right.

It seems I heal faster than most.

If the escaped convicts were searching for that gold,

they wouldn't flee for the mainland.

They're still somewhere here in Hokkaido.

Hokkaido is vast.

You won't survive hiding in the mountains.

An outsider will stand out in a small community.

They'll seek a big town to blend in.

The big towns in Hokkaido are Sapporo, Hakodate, Asahikawa,

and here... Otaru.

OTARU

Otaru developed as a coastal city.

It was also a financial district known as the ' "Wall Street of the North."

How do we find them?

They've got those tattoos...

Hey, Pops! Are you a regular here?

Yeah, I come every day.

Have you seen anybody with strange-looking tattoos lately?

Like what?

Intersecting straight and curved lines.

Nope, I haven't.

Why are you asking?

Oh... no reason.

Hey!

I certainly haven't seen a body like yours before.

It's amazing that you're still alive.

What is it, little girl? Need something?

Have you seen a tattoo like this before?

No, I haven't.

Hey! What's an Ainu girl doing nosing around here?

Stop it. Don't pick on the poor child.

How old are you?

I see your face isn't tattooed yet.

Maybe I should sell you off right now?

Hey.

Have you had a customer with a tattoo like that?

A guy came earlier and asked that same question.

Seems someone else had the same idea.

- Don't kill him. - I know.

Shit!

ABASHIRI PRISON ESCAPEE KANJIRO KASAHARA

ABASHIRI PRISON ESCAPEE YOSHITAKE SHIRAISHI

Where are the other convicts?

How the hell would I know?

Are you hunting for convicts too?

The one who masterminded this jailbreak is an absolute monster.

You'd be better off rabbit hunting...

If the code only works when you're all together,

why did you scatter?

It was a bloodbath.

All the convicts just started killing one another.

We ran off in confusion and have been in hiding ever since.

Some of you must have realized

that you'd need to be skinned.

What?

Skinned?

You didn't know?

You were tattooed

with the assumption you'd be skinned.

If you're dead,

it won't hurt when you're skinned.

Stop, Sugimoto!

You promised.

I won't help you if you kill them.

Asirpa, you need to play along here.

I was going to scare them into talking.

What?

That's not half bad, Asirpa. You're a deft hand.

My father was good with his hands too.

He carved this menokomakiri for me.

Catching two of them right off the bat is a good start.

Hey, is that Ainu girl your little pet?

Want me to cut out your tongue?

Don't Sugimoto.

I'm not bothered. I'm used to it.

You shouldn't have to get used to it.

This man who tattooed you. What's he like?

"Noppera-Bo."

That's what we called him.

He has no face.

Hey! Oh no!

Hey! Save me!

Hurry! Hey! Save me!

I'll create a smoke screen!

Got it. I'll cover you.

Type 26 revolver.

That won't reach me.

SEVENTH DIVISION HYAKUNOSUKE OGATA

The Seventh Division.

What unit are you from?

Stay here.

The Seventh Division. The strongest unit in the army.

I was in the First Division but discharged after completing my term.

I see.

Then we might have met at 203 Meter Hill.

It's better you hand over that corpse.

You have no idea what kind of risky game

you're getting involved in.

Sugimoto! Don't kill him!

Sugimoto from the First Division...

Immortal Sugimoto.

If we had let him go, his unit would have come after us.

This was for the best.

"Immortal Sugimoto."

Why are you called that?

Even with a serious injury, I just wouldn't die.

There was an important rule for staying alive during a battle.

Kill or be killed.

The weak perish.

You said the same thing.

Bang!

Crap!

This is crazy cold now!

My head! My head is about to split!

It's no use. The matches won't light.

Gun.

Damn it! It's over there.

Bullets.

Crap, I dropped them.

Damn it! I'm immortal!

I'm Immortal Sugimoto!

Hey!

What are you doing?

If you don't want to die, then find the bullets in the river!

Hey! Let's make a deal!

I'll help you as long as you'll let me go!

Screw making deals right now!

Shut up! Do we have a deal or not?

Fine! Just look for a bullet!

In case I needed to bust open a prison lock.

It's so cold that I completely forgot!

Hand it over!

Here goes.

I heard there are 24 of us with the tattoos.

All of us total wackos.

Especially

the boss who ordered our jailbreak.

What's he like?

He's an old geezer.

When he was in Abashiri, he was a model inmate.

But he was a wolf in sheep's clothing.

During the breakout,

he took a saber off one of the soldiers and cut them all down in no time.

I learned he was an ex-samurai who had fought

in the Battle of Hakodate for the old Shogunate.

The merciless vice-commander of Shinsengumi himself, Toshizo Hijikata.

Toshizo Hijikata?

He died in Hakodate.

Ask him yourself if you don't believe me.

I'll tell you one thing.

Noppera-Bo told us...

"Go to Otaru."

Go to Otaru.

ABASHIRI PRISON ESCAPEE TOSHIZO HIJIKATA

Ushiyama.

ABASHIRI PRISON ESCAPEE TATSUMA USHIYAMA

Did you sell me out?

Did you really think you could split a head this hard?

Of course I did.

Look at this.

We won't have to kill each other if we copy the tattoo.

Let's join forces, Ushiyama.

What we need is a common interest.

What are you planning by gathering people?

We're going to fight the Seventh Division.

You plan to fight the Imperial Army with an outdated sword like that?

No matter what their age...

men will jump at the chance to wield a sword.

Shiraishi, right?

Forget the gold and leave Hokkaido immediately.

It's not just the other convicts after your tattoo.

Yeah. You mean the mighty Army's Seventh Division, right?

They will skin all the captured convicts.

You can't run anymore

once you've been skinned.

I'm Yoshitake Shiraishi, the Escape King.

I've broken out of any prison they've put me in.

Even if I'm caught,

I'll vanish in a puff of smoke.

See ya, Immortal Sugimoto!

Bye, Asirpa!

I've never eaten a squirrel before.

THE KUCA (HUNTER'S HUT)

Squirrels are small, so I'll pound it whole and make citatap.

In a citatap, nothing goes to waste.

Citatap?

Citatap means "something we mince."

You take over now, Sugimoto. I'm tired.

It's "we" because we take turns pounding.

Say citatap while pounding it.

Is that the Ainu tradition?

No, just our family tradition.

My aca said my mother, who passed away, started it.

Citatap.

Citatap.

Citatap.

Citatap.

Citatap is usually eaten raw.

But for your refined taste,

I'll put it in ohaw.

Ohaw?

It's a soup.

This citatap is made with all the blood and bones

to give it saltiness and depth of flavor.

Asirpa, you know about everything.

I learned it all from my aca.

Here. Eat.

Thank you.

It's good!

The meat has a slightly nutty flavor.

Are the crunchy things in the meatballs bones?

I like the texture.

Hinna.

What does that mean?

Words of gratitude.

You know what, Asirpa?

This is great as it is,

but don't you think miso would go well with it?

What's "miso"?

Don't you know?

It's this.

Sugimoto!

That's... osoma!

- Osoma? - Poop!

It's not poop. It's miso.

That's poop!

No, it's not poop.

It's good. Try it.

You're trying to make me eat poop? Never!

It's perfect.

I gotta say, if you're Japanese, you can't go without miso.

This man is eating poop and enjoying it.

Hinna.

Be quiet!

SEVENTH DIVISION FIRST LIEUTENANT TOKUSHIRO TSURUMI

He'd be dead if we'd found him any later.

It's a wonder he crawled up here with those injuries.

Who did this to you, Superior Private Ogata?

Im... mor... tal...

If icicles are hanging at the entrance or if there's a pungent odor,

then it's likely a brown bear's den.

It might be there.

- Shall we capture it? - How?

My aca was brave.

He once crawled into a den clutching a poisoned arrow

and killed a brown bear by himself.

I'm surprised he wasn't killed.

There's an Ainu saying that goes,

"A brown bear won't kill a human that enters its den."

No way I'm going in.

Sugimoto, what's that?

Something's flashing.

Shit! They're binoculars!

They saw us and ran off.

One is an Ainu child, and the other is wearing an army cap.

That's suspicious.

THE SEVENTH DIVISION GENJIRO TANIGAKI

Four of them! They're coming down with incredible speed!

We'll cut through the bamboo!

It'll hide our footprints and slow their pursuit.

Asirpa!

Let's split up. They'll only follow my tracks.

If they catch you, don't fight. Just hand it to them.

Act like you know nothing. Got it?

Sugimoto!

Don't fight them!

Found them! Here is their trail leading out of the bamboo thicket!

It splits into two. The Ainu child went this way.

Tanigaki, you take care of the child. Noma and Okada, follow me!

- Sir! - Sir!

Their footprints stop here.

She must have walked back on her own footprints.

Animals do it, too, to evade being caught.

Smart.

Come down. I promise I won't harm you.

Little girl, do you understand Japanese?

The man I was with puts poop in his soup and eats it.

Oh man. I don't understand a word.

I won't bite. Now, come down.

Why do you have these?

Drop the bow!

So you did understand me.

Your quiver, your hatchet, and your knife.

Drop everything.

Stop right there!

Drop the gun!

The bayonet on your waist too!

Why did you run?

You're here to catch poachers, right?

I was hunting deer illegally.

I had an Ainu who knew the area show me around.

One of our men was attacked near here.

Have you seen anyone suspicious?

Nah, I haven't seen a soul.

That face.

I saw you at the field hospital in Port Arthur.

You were in the First Division.

Sugimoto. You're Immortal Sugimoto!

Immortal?

Were you the one who attacked Superior Private Ogata?

Lay down and place both hands behind you!

I told you to lay down.

Huh? He jumped into the hole.

How unsightly. Fine, just shoot him.

I can't believe that pitiful man is Immortal Sugimoto.

- We won't get any info if we kill him. - If it's him, he won't die, right?

Let's put the legend to the test.

Calm down. Right?

Calm down.

My grandpa taught me in the mountains.

When you see a bear, stay...

I can't just leave you, so you can come with me.

But I can't promise Asirpa won't turn you into citatap and eat you.

Retar, stop!

You're the last of the horkew kamuy, the Wolf God.

We can't let you become a wen kamuy.

Asirpa!

It's Sugimoto.

He's safe.

Listen to me. Stay hidden.

Otherwise, Sugimoto will kill you.

Listen, stay quiet. Otherwise, Asirpa will eat you.

Good. You're safe.

Yes, I managed to get away. What happened with those men?

I dived into that den from earlier, and well, it's fine now.

You went into that den?

A brown bear won't kill a human that enters its den.

What you said was the truth.

I've never met anyone else who's done that apart from my aca.

Anyway, let's get out of here.

By the way, Sugimoto, what's that you've got there?

Sugimoto.

Sugimoto!

Let me have another look.

It's nothing. It's not important.

What do you plan to do with that cub?

You eat it yourself then, Asirpa. I can't do it.

What? I'm not going to eat it.

Whenever we find a cub, we raise it in the kotan.

Kotan?

The village.

Ainu kotan were settlements by a large river or estuary

of anywhere from a few to a few dozen houses called cise.

Led by their village chief,

the residents lived in a well-ordered society.

Asirpa is back!

Asirpa, how are you?

I'm doing well.

Who is this?

Look, Asirpa bought a sisam back with her!

They're not scared of me.

We Ainu people are very curious people. We like new things.

Huci!

Sugimoto, that's my huci on my mother's side.

- "Huci"? - Grandma.

This is my friend.

You're the first guest Asirpa has ever bought here.

We would like to extend our hospitality.

That's my cousin. She can speak Japanese as well.

I'm Sugimoto.

- What's your name? - I'm Osoma.

That's poop.

Are you teasing me?

It's true. Everyone calls her Osoma.

As a little child, we are all given dirty names

like siontak and teynesi to keep diseases away.

We are given a proper name later.

But Osoma was weak, so her given name is Osoma too.

Now, thanks to that, she's fit and healthy.

Asirpa, did people call you sion something when you were little?

It's siontak.

And that means?

A lump of rotten poop.

It's all about the poop.

Asirpa spends all her time in the mountains

and can't do a woman's work.

Mr. Sugimoto.

Please take

this girl

as your wife.

What did your grandma say?

She said you shouldn't eat poop.

It's otter ohaw.

We call otters esaman.

Esaman is a very forgetful kamuy.

It's said you should be ready to leave the house before you eat it.

Boiling it with pukusa gets rid of the strong smell of meat.

Hinna.

What's she doing?

She's making an offering to her guardian spirit on her neck.

It's thought all humans get a guardian spirit, turenpe,

the moment they are born.

I've never seen you do that though.

Only the elders do it in this village.

Young people these days.

Looks delicious.

I'll start, then.

It's quite distinct, but the fat melts in the mouth and has a refined taste.

There's another part that's tastier.

Stewed otter head. You can eat it, Sugimoto, since you're our guest.

You know, I think this would work better with miso too.

Don't mess around, Sugimoto! Put that poop away!

Grandma.

This is miso.

You let her offer poop to the guardian spirit!

It's not poop... Wait. What?

What's this stick?

A sutu.

A punishment rod.

We use it to punish those who commit evil deeds like theft and murder.

So you'll continue with your travels?

You heard from Asirpa?

I'm Asirpa's great-uncle.

Asirpa is attached to you,

so you can't be a bad guy.

But... I'm against searching for that gold.

Our ancestors are the ones who gathered that gold.

It hadn't been touched for decades.

That gold has been possessed by demons. It's cursed.

You shouldn't be going after it.

That's the howl of a wolf.

I saw a white wolf protecting Asirpa.

Asirpa and her father saved that wolf from being attacked by a brown bear.

They named it Retar, which means "white."

Asirpa continued to go into the mountains with Retar even after her aca was killed.

But they belonged to different worlds.

It's a howl.

No! Don't listen to it!

Wait! Stop! Go back to the pen!

Retar!

Retar! Don't go!

Are you leaving me behind too?

Don't go.

Retar.

Aca.

Sugimoto, when Asirpa is with you, she smiles.

That's your doing.

Sugimoto nisipa.

Asirpa anakne kueyam pe ne.

Ney ta pakno

turano an wa unkoraye yan.

I understand.

I can see how much Asirpa is loved by her grandma.

And all the villagers too.

First Lieutenant Tsurumi,

it'll be difficult to continue the search in this snow.

None of those four are new to the mountains.

Tanigaki is of Ani matagi birth.

It's unlikely he's lost.

First Lieutenant Tsurumi!

You! How dare you drag my men to Otaru without my permission!

Hello, Captain Wada.

One is critically injured! Four are missing!

What the hell are you doing in Otaru?

You'll pay for this, Tsurumi!

You must excuse me.

Ever since part of my skull was blown off by a shell fragment in Mukden,

this weird gunk leaks out now and again.

How are you still serving as a first lieutenant with that injury?

There's no place for you in the army anymore!

My frontal lobe took a little blow.

I'm prone to lose my temper a bit now.

Other than that, I'm as fit as a fiddle.

You're out of your mind.

Sergeant Tsukishima, shoot him!

Sir.

THE SEVENTH DIVISION HAJIME TSUKISHIMA

Tsukishima, strip and bury him.

Sir.

We'll get some lovely flowers blooming in spring.

Our comrades still lie

under the cold and barren stones in Manchuria.

What's this?

Damn it!

- Man! - We've got some nice girls.

This is it!

Hello, sir. Looking to have some fun?

Ushiyama.

Long time no see, Yoshitake Shiraishi.

Why are you running away, Shiraishi?

What's the rush?

There's something fishy about you.

Hey, this guy...

Help me!

They were trying to mess with me at the public bathhouse!

A creepy guy who's got this weird tattoo is after me!

Tattoo?

Oh, that's him!

Stop!

Move!

Shiraishi!

A hand grenade.

An ambush?

What? What now?

That's the guy!

Whoa! No! Oh no!

Oh shit!

There have been reports of a man with tattoos.

- Gather the soldiers. - Sir!

Ushiyama! You started all this!

It's because Shiraishi pitched up.

Nice bit of excitement though, right?

That was a gunshot.

I saw officials running way over there.

How did it go?

It was a success!

One was shot to death. The other two are being pursued now.

First Lieutenant Tsurumi, that explosion we heard just now

came from the second floor of a brothel on Sakaimachi Street.

The financial district.

I see.

So this commotion was a diversion.

It's the bank they're after.

Open it.

Yes, sir.

This was scrupulously planned. What were they after?

We had cash here, of course, but also bonds and jewels.

There were works of art the bank owned, like paintings and a sword...

A sword?

The Izumi no Kami Kanesada.

Cross the barrier of time

and come back to me!

Toshizo Hijikata!

Move back!

Damn Bakumatsu ghost!

THE SEVENTH DIVISION YOHEI NIKAIDO - KOHEI NIKAIDO

Which guy was inquiring about a tattoo?

That lad in the army cap.

Don't move!

We'll kill him.

Let's kill him.

I can snuff out your candle

and finish you anytime I want.

This is Otaru Hanazono Park's specialty. Skewered sweet dumplings.

Thank you nicely.

"Immortal."

"Immortal."

"Im... mor... tal."

You killed Superior Private Ogata, didn't you, Sugimoto?

You got the wrong guy. My name's not Sugimoto.

I saw Immortal Sugimoto

once in Port Arthur.

I was transfixed as I watched him fight like a demon-god.

That person I saw back then was you.

I was in the Second Division. I didn't go to Port Arthur.

I heard you were looking for a man with a strange tattoo.

Oh yeah, a yakuza guy. He's got this tattoo of a bear.

Why did Superior Private Ogata

make contact with Immortal Sugimoto?

Isn't it because you have the code for the tattoos?

The code?

Where did you hide the tattooed human skins?

Is your boss insane or what?

A bit of my brain was blown off by a shell.

Impressive, Immortal Sugimoto.

You didn't even blink.

There's only one way for you to survive.

Work for me.

What are you lot planning?

First, we'll fund our army.

Then we'll take over the Seventh Division and gain total control of Hokkaido.

We'll accelerate the exploitation of natural resources.

Do you know about opium?

It'll make you rich.

We're going to clear the forests to plant opium poppies.

For the children who lost their fathers in the war,

the parents who lost their sons, the wives who lost their husbands...

We'll provide stable work.

That's the least we can do for our dead comrades as a parting gift.

Eventually, we will form a military government.

The incompetency of the Imperial HQ forced us to break through the front line

with our comrades as shields as we were rained upon by Maxim guns.

It was the same for you.

We risked our lives on the battlefield

but returned home to life as vagabonds.

Were we rewarded in any way?

Our war is not over yet.

Look at these gold coins.

I found them where those Ainu were murdered.

The Ainu must have made them by melting down gold nuggets.

The gold really does exist.

How about it, Sugimoto?

Why don't you fight with us?

I can't join you.

So you want me to snuff you out?

This is a sock Sugimoto left behind.

This is his smell.

Yeah!

Hey, don't die on us yet,

you skewered dumpling!

I heard that any injury Immortal Sugimoto had, healed in a day.

If we take out all of his guts, do you think that'll heal, Kohei?

If we kill him, we won't know where the tattoos are, Yohei.

We can slice off his fingers one by one

until he gives up their whereabouts.

Is he in there?

Ouch!

Huh?

Oh, what?

You're that Ainu girl from the other day!

Is Sugimoto here?

As if he would be here. It's just me!

That's odd. I had him remember the smell of Sugimoto's sock.

Sock?

Oh, we must have mixed up socks when we were together.

Gross.

I bet Sugimoto betrayed you, didn't he?

He ran off with the tattoos, right?

Quiet!

Ow! That hurts!

Don't eat him.

I saw Sugimoto get caught by the Seventh Division

and taken to their base.

Take me there.

Forget it!

It's probably too late now anyway.

There's enough poison on this arrow to kill you in an instant.

That's the Seventh Division base.

Hey, you know it's a suicide mission going up against that lot.

Can you mark yourself so I can tell you two apart?

Be careful what you say, you piece of shit.

Yohei!

Sugimoto!

You bastard!

Even Immortal Sugimoto must have run out of luck by now.

No.

He's alive.

His heart is not swayed by the fear of dying. That's his strength.

Whatever the situation,

he'll never give up.

He'll find a way to survive no matter what.

That's why he's Immortal Sugimoto.

I'm

Immortal Sugimoto!

Hey, stop! We were told not to kill him!

Sugimoto!

I'm going to chop you up into pieces and turn you into pig feed!

You're lucky you're alive.

You would've made a good pair of matching corpses!

That guy just doesn't give up.

The son of a bitch is still alive.

He really is immortal.

I can slip through those iron bars if I dislocate my joints.

So you're going to help?

What?

Well...

Okay.

I do like a good gamble. I'm putting my bet on both of you.

In return,

give me a share of the gold when I get Sugimoto out.

I promise.

Hey, by the way, got any soap? I need to rub it on my body.

I don't.

What?

But I have brown bear oil for cooking.

Ouch...

Sorry to intrude.

- A goblin? - It's Shiraishi the Escape King.

What are you doing here?

An Ainu girl threatened me with a poisoned arrow.

Asirpa.

Okay!

I'll get you out of here.

Kohei, stand watch outside. Make sure no one comes in.

Yohei.

Don't use your gun.

Everyone will come. Use your bayonet.

Yohei!

- Hey! Stop! - Yohei!

Let me kill him!

- What's the commotion? - Sugimoto!

It's Nikaido.

No.

Yohei! Let me kill him!

No!

Sugimoto!

You're a candle in the wind, Sugimoto.

Help me.

I'll give you the tattooed skins. Anything you want.

Get to the best hospital in town.

- Slap the doctor out of bed if you must. - Sir.

I'll follow on my horse.

Find out where the tattoos are before he dies.

Sir.

Strange...

His right hand is injured.

His left is untouched.

Why didn't he switch hands?

That guy stole his guts!

Sugimoto!

Sugimoto!

Fire!

Fire! Get everything out of there!

- Let's go! - Hurry!

Forget the second floor!

I'll just go ahead and nab the Seventh Division tattoos!

Tattoos!

Slow down!

Don't shoot Sugimoto! Shoot the horse!

Sugimoto!

We'll leave it for today.

First Lieutenant, someone set a fire.

Sugimoto.

No.

It works better having Sugimoto's gang collect the tattoos.

They seem to have the advantage.

I apologize. The fire spread quickly. We couldn't get the tattooed skins out.

They're fine.

Now I'm hot.

Nice and hot.

No wonder I couldn't find them.

Creepy as hell.

So that's where you were hiding it.

I tried to act cool and left, but I ended up needing to be saved.

It's pathetic. I know.

Ouch!

I've already had... my father ruthlessly killed.

I knew it would be dangerous.

Even so, I thought if I was with you, we might be able to achieve this goal.

I made my own decision to help you.

But you treat me like a child.

You don't trust me as your partner and act recklessly.

We need to be careful, but...

why are you in such a rush?

I had a childhood friend

called Toraji.

Me, Toraji, and Ume, another childhood friend.

We were always together.

It's Sugimoto's house. Hold your breath.

Three people have already died there of a lung disease.

Might as well burn down the whole house.

- Should we burn it down tonight? - No, you do it.

No way. I'll get lung disease too.

Umeko! I told you not to get close!

Come on! Quickly!

Forget about Saichi!

Saichi!

I'm so glad you're all right.

Ume.

This fire...

I did it.

What?

No one will come home here now.

I'm leaving this village.

Saichi, take me with you.

Don't come close to me! I might have the disease too!

Stay away!

If I show no symptoms for a year, I promise I'll come back for you.

Saichi! Is that you, Saichi?

Toraji.

Why did you come back?

Umeko is my wife now! I won't let you have her!

I'm gonna work hard and make her happier than you ever could!

Say something!

Damn it!

Congratulations, Toraji.

Toraji!

Toraji, everything will be okay.

I'll make sure you get to the medics.

Umeko.

Do you think she'll believe me

if I told her I threw you out of the way?

I'll be your witness.

You can gloat all you want.

Once the war is over,

let's go to Hokkaido.

They... still have... gold there.

Umeko's eyes...

I want to find a good doctor.

A good... doctor...

to take a look.

Saichi.

Take care of... Umeko.

Toraji.

Wait!

Don't go!

Toraji!

Toraji!

Toraji!

Don't die on me, Toraji!

Toraji!

Toraji!

Chickweed.

This one is cottonweed.

Here.

Is this a lotus flower?

How can you tell?

Mommy has a good nose to make up for her bad eyes.

Pardon me, but can I help you?

This... is Toraji.

I see.

How can we thank you?

Is someone here?

Could it be that you're... Mr. Saichi Sugimoto?

Saichi?

Is it really Saichi?

I can't really see much now.

Saichi, did you come back?

Who... are you?

Maybe she smelled blood on me.

Maybe something changed since I went off to war.

I killed all those people.

My place in hell is guaranteed.

But before that happens,

I want to fulfill my promise to Toraji.

I want Ume's eyes to heal.

That's why I need money.

"Kanto orwa

yaku sak no arankep

sinep ka isam."

That was my aca's favorite Ainu phrase.

It means,

"Nothing comes from heaven without purpose."

The tragedy of war...

is beyond my comprehension.

But you survived.

You have a purpose as long as you are alive.

I'll

find out why my aca had to be killed.

I'll find the truth.

Fulfill your promise

with the money you find.

That is your purpose.

Sugimoto.

We will find the gold.

Yes.

GOLDEN KAMUY

Here is some money for the time being

and a few foreign guns from a Russian merchant.

Thank you, Nagakura.

FORMER SHINSENGUMI, 2ND DIVISION CAPTAIN SHINPACHI NAGAKURA

Nagakura? The one from Shinsengumi?

You old fools.

Are you going to try to create a Republic of Ezo in Hokkaido again?

Aren't you dreaming too big for just 200 Kan of gold bullion?

It's not 200 Kan.

It's 20,000 Kan.

Noppera-Bo... told me in secret, knowing my goal was the same as his.

20,000 Kan of gold bullion.

The dream doesn't seem so big now, right?

First Lieutenant Tsurumi is an intelligence officer.

I'm sure he's got the amount of gold bullion correct.

That soldier's face...

I could see that he meant business.

Now, Hokkaido

will become a battlefield.

Hey! There you are!

Why is he here?

Let's outsmart the Seventh Division and Hijikata's group

and split the gold between the three of us!

Jeez, it's cold!

What is it, Asirpa?

Is this your first sakura-nabe hot pot?

Watch. You dip the meat in the beaten egg like this.

Like this?

Yes.

Coat it with the egg and...

So good! This is absolutely delicious.

Light horsemeat goes well with the rich flavor of miso.

Sugimoto.

Is there osoma in this?

Asirpa,

the truth is, you have to put miso in a sakura-nabe hot pot.

Okay. Let's make another one without miso.

What?

Asirpa?

Osoma is delicious!

It's not poop.

I'm not sure what's going on, but it seems she likes it.

Hinna. More osoma, please.

Yeah, that's hinna.

A... sir... pa...