The dark ages.
Black times.
With the deterioration of the aristocracy and the rise of the warrior class , began a brutal era. Long wars between the Heike and Genji ended with the Heike ruling the land. The people hoped for a lasting peace but found only pestilence and disaster.
And when began the nightly slaughter of Heike warriors at Kyoto's Gojoe Bridge, there rose the fear that the capital's festering misfortune had awoken a demon.
What is this?
An ominous star approaches...
...and it is not alone.
No!
What incalculable misfortune!
Oh revered spirits of power, come to me and speak.
The demon grows, we must act now before it is too late!
Who goes there? This is Gojoe, Hell's Bridge...
...and no mortal shall pass!
There he goes!
Get him!
He's going into the ravine!
Cut him off!
Don't let him escape!
Out of the way!
We've got you now, Musashibo Benkei!
Betraying our brethren and stealing the precious Demon Slayer...
...you shameless wretch!
Who said "steal"? I've only borrowed it...
...I'll give it back when I am finished.
What do you take us for?
What is this?
Order! Order!
This instant!
Show some respect!
Fools!
Sheath your weapons now!
Think of where you are!
You've come.
Ajari...
I knew that you would...
...it's been so long.
Spirits of the field and wood, show me your humility and grace...
It seems like only yesterday that you saved me...
...just as you have saved so many others before and since...
...revered as our last hope in these terrible times.
I am but a simple monk...
...who loves the harmony of nature.
Seven years...
...time goes so quickly.
Your brute nature seems somewhat tempered by these vows of devotion...
...but you haven't returned to engage me in nostalgia.
With so many mortal enemies in Kyoto...
And that sword you carry...
Yours must be grave business indeed.
Ajari...
I had a vision while meditating on sacred Mt. Hiko
Our protector, Acalanatha, the God of Fire and Fury, rose above me.
He revealed to me my destiny.
I am to seek enlightenment by slaying the demon with two faces.
At first I didn't understand.
When I heard of the Demon of Gojoe Bridge, who seeks to slay one thousand souls...
...I knew that this must be the accursed one of Acalanatha's revelation.
No...
Benkei...
...don't tell me that you have come to seek enlightenment by the sword?
Would you call Acalanatha's revelation a mere delusion?
Witness the mark that rose on my flesh since that day!
It is the will of Acalanatha!
Ajari, I came to you to share the joy of my deliverance.
I am not the butcher of former days.
Seven years have I spent in devotion...
...and now finally I have received my calling.
I will slay the Demon of Gojoe Bridge...
...and the God of Fire and Fury will rise to deliver me.
Please await the joyous news.
Who goes there? This is Gojoe Bridge...
...and no mortal shall pass!
It's me, blind man.
You keep playing with fire and you're going to get burned.
Damned demons always get all the good stuff.
Oh, a monk.
What are you doing here?
What does it look like?
It looks like you're a damned scavenger.
You wouldn't be here...
...if you weren't damned yourself.
Yet another monk fighting demons for the Heike?
Give it up holy man...
...your eyes will melt if you even look at one.
They come across Gojoe?
Not in the daylight.
Demons only come out at night.
Then I'll wait for nightfall.
Please heal this gentle soul...
Scraps of paper won't help anyone.
Give that back!
This is a blessing from holy Ajari!
Isn't that Benkei?
Benkei?
There, behind Tetsukichi.
Where?
It is, it's Benkei.
Couldn't be...
Where?
You're right, it's Benkei.
And he's coming towards us!
Keep him out!
The infamous Benkei.
That's him alright.
Hey!
Where are you going?
To wait for nightfall.
An urgent message for the boss.
Benkei?...In Kyoto?
Yes sir.
He's still alive...
...and within our turf.
Well then...
...after all of these years...
...time to finish what we started.
Spirits of the wood, I thank you for this life I am about to receive.
No doubt, this is the night for a change in fortune.
And for the demon?
For him tonight is a turning point.
So we can finally clean up this mess.
The honor of the Heike Clan is in your hands, special forces.
This is your hour to shine.
Who goes there? This is Gojoe Bridge...
...and no mortal shall pass!
There he is!
Benkei, we meet again.
Tankai.
Look at you, hiding in beggar's rags.
You haven't changed a bit.
We have unfinished business.
Now!
I don't have time to play games with you.
Defend yourself.
I will not rest as boss of the Shirakawa gang...
...until you and I have done battle.
Your world doesn't concern me...
...I have taken vows.
Don't make me laugh.
A monk bearing a sword?
You're a joke!
And you are ignorant...
...but I don't have time to enlighten you!
Draw your sword Benkei!
After him!
Projectiles!
Out of the way!
Stop!
Enough, he's escaped!
Damn him!
Slippery bastard!
Damned demon.
I Tadanori, Chief of the Heike Security Forces vow to kill you or die trying.
It's the demon!
Who are you?
Out of my way!
Where is the demon? He's mine!
Out of my way!
This doesn't concern you!
I am the archer Kudokumaru...
...and the demon is mine!
Who is this...Demon of Gojoe?
He even felled the archer Kudokumaru.
It's all because you were mistaken about his fate.
But his fate has changed.
Have we no longer have any means left...
...to fight him with?
There is one...
The monk who joined last night's battle.
The demon remains in the capital for him.
So we still have a chance?
If we want to understand the demon, we need to first find the monk.
Prince Shanao.
Your mastery of the sword knows no equal.
You have reached manhood, and your time here is finished.
We must retire from Kyoto...
...join our forces in the East and plan or assault on the capital.
It is time to take on your new name.
One befitting the rightful heir of the Genji clan.
I therefore humbly present...
...your name in manhood...
...Yoshitsune of the noble Genji line.
A name fit for the King who regained his family's honor.
Trusted priest Shoshinbo...
...mightn't we delay our departure?
But time is of the essence!
Take young Keshimaru here if you like.
It is a fitting job for a decoy.
What are you saying?
Our primary duty is to the restoration of the Genji clan.
The intruder at the bridge was the infamous Musashibo Benkei.
They say that he was born fully formed, with hair and teeth intact...
...feared even by his own mother as a demon.
Born a demon!
Any relation to the Heike?
He is without ally or affiliation.
Why should such a being seek then to slay me.
I do not know.
...in any event he is not a formally trained warrior...
...and is certainly no match for your Highness.
Goujin...
...did you not sense his primal energy?
Keshimaru...
...how about you?
The honor of the Genji clan will be restored...
...Musashibo Benkei...
...but first I must engage the power of a natural born demon.
Preparing for a war?
I'll teach you to follow me!
Tetsukichi...
...it is said that you were once a great sword smith.
Magnificent sword.
How'd a monk like that get a blade like this?
With my skills this thing probably could even slay a demon.
Not so fast.
My services don't come cheap.
Tell me about the demon's lair.
How should I know?
But you do.
Like you know that the Gojoe Demon is actually a man.
Yeah...
...you can tell by the incision.
He's quite a swordsman...
...and just like me, he's collecting arms.
How do you know?
There's a guy who saw them...
...nearly a thousand swords already.
And did this guy say where they were?
If I knew that I wouldn't be sitting here chatting with you.
Then I'll have to go look for him myself...
...kill him, and then take the thousand swords for myself.
Hold it! As payment for my services...
...you owe me his swords.
It would have to be somewhere in here.
Across the river, and beyond the Toribe Cemetery...
...lies the land of the Devil's Wood...
...where there are countless secret caves.
Taboo to the people of Kyoto...
...it is the perfect place for a hideaway.
The problem is the Devil's Wood...
...enter without a clear conscience and the spirits will posses you.
The guy who told me about the swords vanished there.
Where do you think you are going?
To the Devil's Wood.
But it's the middle of the night.
I can see in the dark.
Alone? I thought we had an agreement.
I don't remember any agreement.
...even in death our souls may not rest until Kyoto is free of this pestilence...
What's the matter?
As I suspected, this woman is possessed by evil spirits.
The child she bears will be a demon!
Kill them! Quickly! Kill them now!
Before it's born, kill it now, before it's too late!
Kill them! Kill them! You must kill them!
Kill them!
Benkei!
They are possessed!
...foul spirit! Release this woman's soul, and come out of her now!...
What is it?
Boil some water.
What?
I said boil some water!
Hurry up and have him already!
Once more, push!
Keep pushing, again!
You're wasting your time...
...even if it lives, the evil will posses and corrupt it.
Don't succumb.
...protect this child...
Do not heed the voices of evil spirits.
If you hear them, chant this prayer...
Very good.
Tetsukichi...
...you used to make swords for warrior monks didn't you?
Yet you abandoned forging for a life of scavenging other's swords.
I couldn't stand seeing my work go to "holy" men...
...hypocrites like you...
...devout in word, yet murderous in deed.
I don't kill men, just demons.
What's that, monk logic?
I hear that seven years ago...
...you killed not only men, but women and children too.
Damn you.
Yes.
Remember, you slay the demon, and I get the swords...
...that was the agreement.
This is the Toribe Cemetery, where the unclean are discarded.
Nothing.
Damned scavenger.
From here on is the Devil's Wood.
What's the matter?
I feel the presence of evil spirits.
Rub this on your body.
Someone is approaching.
Sit still.
I've felt this presence before.
It is powerful.
...spirits of the wood I banish you!...
Follow me.
Hey!...Hey!!
Monk, help!
What do you think you are doing?
Offering your blood to Dahl.
Dahl?
A spirit of the forest.
...spirits of the wood I banish you!...
Uh...abracadabra...
...mumbo jumbo...abracadabra...uhh...
Strange.
We should be protected.
What could be stopping us?
Dahl?
No...
What's wrong Benkei?
Has the Devil's Wood revealed your indecision?
We must slay them all or they will become demons.
Prince Shanao! I beg of you!
Never match your energy with another's!
Prince Shanao! You must stop!
Must we kill them all?
But King Kiyomon, we must cut the Genji bloodline.
I beg of you, spare these little ones.
Slay them all or they will become demons...
...with a terrible power to rise against the Heike Clan.
Hey!
Hey!!
What's the matter?
Musashibo Benkei, I place you under arrest...
...for obstructing justice at Gojoe Bridge!
Seize them!
Benkei! Do something!
Musashibo Benkei...
...so easily taken for one with such a monstrous reputation.
What do you know Shanao?
That he is the son of Yoshitomo, leader of the vanquished Genji Clan?
That he attacks though we spared him from death as an infant?
That he is in fact the Gojoe Demon?
Not at all an unstoppable demon warrior...
...just a punk, not even come of age...
...making a contest for the souls of 1,000 Heike warriors?
Yes this punk threatens the very future of the Heike clan.
Of course you are correct.
But if word of this gets out, our authority will be broken...
...and rouge Genji warriors from the East will descend upon Kyoto...
...then all will be buried in darkness.
What do you expect of me?
We want your primal energy to help fight the demon.
Join us, restore order to Kyoto under our protection...
...together let us defeat Shanao.
Impossible.
I am a monk now.
Such dedication is not without sacrifice.
Your duty is to put demons in their places.
Use your powers, put this demon to rest.
I am no man's servant.
Who do you think you are fooling Benkei?
You bear the Demon Slayer yet will not kill a demon.
I can read your heart.
I know of your demon blood and can sense your destiny.
I am not a demon, I am a man!
A man who claims devotion while claiming ignorance of his own fate.
Enough!
It's settled then...
Let us put your demon calling power to the test.
How's the baby?
Tetsukichi, here.
Quiet kid, sure he isn't dead?
Idiot!
Ignore him.
Hear the latest?
Benkei's been arrested.
Everybody knows that.
At last the terrible monk's head will roll.
But that's just it, no beheading.
So what are you so happy about?
They're going to bind and leave him in the Devil's Wood.
What...no?
In the Devil's Wood? I'd rather be beheaded.
And we the Shirakawa Gang have been entrusted with the task...
...by Tadanori, Chief of the Heike Security Forces himself!
The Shirakawa Gang are about to join the Heike's inner circle...
...so you won't be seeing me around this junk heap anymore.
Cheers.
Well then, I've got places to go.
Even the weather is having a sudden change in fortune.
Tankai's not gonna just hand Benkei over...
No way!
It's a fight to the finish.
Yeah.
What are you doing?
Well? Where do you stand?
If you put it that way...
I'll take Tankai.
Well...I'll take Benkei.
What kind of bet is that?
I'll take Benkei...
...and I want to see this for myself.
Hey, what's with you?
Musashibo Benkei.
Let go!
Who put you up to this?
No-one!
Then why do you attack me?
To avenge my mother...
...whom you raped as she was making her pilgrimage.
And she bore me...
...to come and show you the face of damnation.
You mean...you're...
Consider yourself dead.
Bad dreams?
We've done our job.
Benkei's been delivered to the Devil's Wood...
...just as Security Chief Tadanori requested.
Now it's time...
...to settle scores.
Choose your weapon.
I will fight with no man.
Get up and fight!
Tankai...
...do you still fail to notice?
We are all hostages here, completely surrounded...
...and a terrible darkness approaches.
Flee while you still can!
Spare me your cheap ruses...
...and defend your honor.
What's this? The moon invades the sun?
Celestial rape?
An apparition of once every 100 years.
No!
Turn not to the darkness!
Nor the demon's will!
Where are they?
They come like phantoms!
Don't panic!
Mind your aim!
Don't Panic!
Launch projectiles.
The fate of the entire Heike clan...
...turns on the fates of two demons?
They've come.
They're just punks!
Hold your ground!
Violated...
...torn asunder...
All is for naught, we are undone...
We've been betrayed!
Attack!
Who in the hell are you?
Tankai, stop! It's the Gojoe Demon!
Leave him to me!
Gojoe Demon!
Prepare to die!
The Demon's killed the boss!
Shanao...
Why...one thousand souls?
Come for me!
Why do you flee?
To quiet your demon spirit?
No.
It is you whose spirit is unquiet.
Why should a demon be so indecisive?
Reveal to me your true demon self.
Time for you to die on the Demon Slayer!
Alas...
Acalanatha's revelation was a delusion.
Begin with your training, all over again.
What are you doing?
Have you lost your royal mind?
I will now begin nine days of fasting...
...and prepare to test the power of Ajari.
What?
I want to test the limits of enlightenment.
Prince Shanao!
Have you forgotten the shame of your father's execution?
You are the symbol of the Genji family...
...body of the Genji vengeance.
This is not the time for self-abnegation!
I have passed the stage of killing for revenge.
I sense something new...
...but something is lacking... still lacking.
Running away?
What about the Demon?
Holy men!
May I help you?
I have news for you.
And what might that be?
I have attained enlightenment and seen...that all of your gods are false.
And?
You can not hope to save these desperate times.
Hope?
Don't be evasive.
Admit your powerlessness.
I admit it.
I am but a simple monk that loves the harmony of nature.
Shall I enlighten you?
The gods of today are but fictions in form.
Only a true god can save these desperate times.
A true god with true power.
And I am the only true power.
I alone am capable of unifying this land.
There are no more gods for me to revere.
Is that so?
The only god that I worship is power itself.
Gods large and small, of mountain and wood...
...I Shanao have assumed the power of these deities.
And tonight I have come to assume yours.
But my power can not become yours.
Taking my soul is useless.
Are you begging for your life?
You really don't understand do you?
If you want to kill me I won't stop you...
...but I will tell you that it is meaningless.
Shanao!
I can tell that you are a man of great spiritual dimension.
I am but an undeserving soul who has come to this place of deliverance...
...in the desire to follow in the footsteps of the godhead.
Yet my devotion has wavered.
I have lost my resolve.
I can not bring myself to execute my final act of devotion...
...I can not...and yet I must... die in pious immolation.
I sit here before you in wretched misery.
You are a blessing, sent to set me ablaze.
Please help this lost and helpless servant.
I am prepared...annoited with oils...
...please help deliver me.
I am ready to receive the flames.
I can not.
Please find another way.
No! This is the only solution.
It is my last request.
Release me from my hesitation! Offer me your strength!
Let go...
...I have no such power to release another from their misery.
Help me! Deliver me!
I beg of you!
Benkei, why do you flee?
I am not an illusion...
...though the path that you pretend to is.
Enlightenment will never come that way.
Shanao.
Return to me, Benkei.
Return to Kyoto, challenge me...
...there is nothing left in this world to confuse your demon spirit...
Ajari, who distracted you, is no more.
Now, come for me now, Benkei.
Ajari...
It's the end, It's the end, It's the end...Yeah! Why not? Why not!...
The end is here and who cares?
Who ares about the Heike, Genji, monks, and temples?
Whatever happened to Benkei?
Damned monk is long gone.
And that talk about slaying the demon?
Benkei just stirred him up and dropped him in our laps.
That's about the size of it.
I guess I'll have to steal those 1,000 swords myself after all.
It's the end, and WHO CARES?
When even a monk that virtuous is slain...
Their really is no help.
Told you didn't I? Paper won't save anyone.
Let's be done with it all!
We're outta here! So long Kyoto!
Who cares!
Burn, burn, let it all burn!
Burn! Yeah! Burn!
Well if it ain't the police!
Something the matter?
It's the end of the world, and WE DON'T CARE!
You gotta problem with that?
What are you doing?
Fire!
What are you doing here?
Everyone's dead...
...and you're the last person I want to see.
Perfect place for a damned scavenger, huh?
Hope you like it...'cause this hell is all your doing.
Amazing stuff...
...you monks and your magic powers.
Give it up.
I said it's useless.
What's so special about being alive anyway?
Hey...
...I don't care whether you are after monks or demons...
...but cut this in between crap.
This is the end.
What?
This will be my last deed as a monk.
Tough little brat!
Tetsukichi...
Where is the Demon Slayer?
Prince Shanao.
Benkei is preparing to fight.
I know.
He's finally realized his true nature.
Tonight your escorts come to take you to our stronghold.
I would gladly lay down my life to save yours.
Shoshinbo, do not fret so.
After my duel we will join our forces in the East...
...and I will assume my appointed name, Yoshitsune Genji.
You honor me with your acceptance.
And the duel, where will it be?
Where else...
...but Gojoe?
Just stay down and watch the kid!
That's my sword!
Doesn't he see...
...that the wrath of the Heavens are upon him?
Now I'll show the fury of a real demon!
Old man!
Where are you?
Old man!
Not you too!
It's just the two of us now... you tough little brat!
Comrade Shoshinbo!
What is the meaning of this? Gojoe bridge is burning!
There was an incident with the Heike....
...but now everything has been made clear.
Gentlemen...
The lost son of Yoshitomo... Prince Shanao!
Your majesty.
Yes.
Hereafter I shall rule as Yoshitsune Genji.
And here with His Highness...
...the most famous warrior monk in Kyoto...
now aligned to the Genji clan...Musashibo Benkei.
Benkei!
Where are you?
Can you hear me?