I never would have expected you to bring friends.
Now there's a rare sight.
I figured you were still running around on your own.
Honestly, you've got a real knack for making enemies.
Hey, guys.
This fella isn't as bad as people say.
He's just a bit more awkward than most.
Bah, mouthy old hag.
Hey, let's get going.
Huh? Wait, what...
Haven't you had enough to eat?
You're already leaving?
I see that you're as unfriendly as ever.
How many years will pass before I see you again?
Be careful.
Don't get your balls taken.
If they catch you, you'll never be able to return to this town.
You there.
Look after him for me.
["Freedom means to live true to yourself, not without law!"]
Sorry about the lack of manners around this place.
Seriously, every one of them looks ready to bite your head off.
Dogs make much better pets than cats.
Dogs are loyal to their masters and those eyes just make you want to pet them,
but these freaks don't give a damn about their masters.
They'll follow anyone if they get food out of it.
Nobody can tell what they're scheming.
Scary creatures, for real.
Mr. Katsuo...
Am I to interpret your words as slander against us?
Whoops, sorry about that. No ill intentions.
I was talking about how my Mel-chan is the cutest in the world.
It appears that the cats in this town have more spirit than your average stray.
Excellent specimens.
I'm willing to pay double your price.
Man, you for real?
If this is what you want, I can run out and catch you a buttload.
They're just strays.
The people will rejoice if they're gone. Nobody will complain.
Well, I doubt that they realize we're cutting deals behind closed doors.
In some places, black cats are considered to be bad luck,
yet in other places, they are considered to be good luck.
Cats are creatures with two sides.
You people may consider them nuisances,
but we consider them messiahs who will save our planet.
We cannot take action which will draw attention to us.
Can we count on your cooperation in assisting our planet?
Bro, how did negotiations go?
Messiahs, my ass.
Cats are scary creatures, for real.
Hey, you hear about the ball removal mess?
Originally, I heard you'd be released after they took your balls,
but nobody's come back.
There's a rumor going around that they even take your soul.
Oh, yeah. I haven't seen Hoichi around lately...
He couldn't have...
Of course not.
Hoichi's out with that guy again.
The newbie?
Fool! Conceal your presence!
Hey, isn't this bad?
That Gin fella was pretty strong.
If he joins up with Hoichi, we'll be nothing.
If only he would get caught.
Once he's gone, we'll be free, right?
Guess that's it. We'll call it a day.
Man, you still can't learn to hunt after all these tries.
You're not gonna be able to survive in this place.
I-I don't want to learn how to hunt!
How am I supposed to eat a cute little sparrow?!
I wasn't raised the way you were!
I'm human!
How many times do I have to tell you this, dimwit?!
Hey! You guys should pitch in!
Master Hoichi, do you prefer salt? Or sauce?
Gintoki, what about you?
Oh, I'll have salt...
Wait! You guys adapt too fast!
It appears that they have what it takes to be strays.
What kind of stray cat would build a fire?!
Hey, Odd Jobs! Come join us!
We can sit around the campfire!
You people can burn into ashes!
Ah, I'm so hungry I can't sleep.
How long am I going to have to live like this?
When will I turn back to normal?
Shinpachi... Kagura...
Wonder how they're doing?
Man, you don't know when to give up.
Gin, you can no longer go back to being human.
Hah, I figured you weren't listening to my babbling.
You believe my ridiculous story?
Why would I waste my time on you if I didn't believe you?
Huh?
I wanted to give you advice as someone who's been down this path,
but I didn't expect you to be so slow in the head.
D-Don't tell me...
You finally noticed?
No way...
You're Doraemo-
[Note: Doreamon, the robotic cat from the future.]
No!
Not even close!
How could you get Doraemon from what I just said?!
Well, I figured you meant that you're a cat from the future.
And perhaps your ears had been bitten off by mice.
When did I ever say that I had been bitten by mice?!
When did I ever say that I had a four-dimensional pocket?!
Huh? So if you aren't Doraemon, then what?
Could it be that you're Pa-Pa-
Pa-meow?!
It's Pa-man!
[Note: Pa-man, boy superhero manga by the creator of Doraemon.]
Don't change it slightly!
Not even close!
Okay, maybe the chimpanzee, Pa-man 2!
H-Hey, you've gotta be kidding.
Then you...
Why?
Why is Lord Frieza here?!
[Note: Frieza is a famous villain from the manga Dragon Ball.]
My forehead's the only thing that's even close!
Can't you tell...?
I used to be a human, same as you guys.
Huh? Huh?!
Y-You aren't the final form of Lord Frieza?!
That's what you're surprised about?!
Hold on!
You've been the boss cat around here for many years, right?
How many years?
How many years have you been a cat?
I turned into a cat thirteen years ago.
So like I said, you can no longer go back.
Well, your curse is probably different from mine.
You've already given up on turning back into a human?
This is my penance.
I can't run away.
It is my burden to bear.
I was a lousy bastard even before I became a cat.
No different from what I am now.
A despicable man who twisted arms and used force to get what he wanted.
The only difference was that I was a mere yakuza at the bottom of the chain.
I killed anyone and everyone if ordered.
I took more human lives than I could possibly count.
It wasn't my fault.
I was a hired gun, so I didn't have a choice.
I had to make a living.
I shifted all the blame to my employer.
Emptied my mind of thought and focused on working obediently.
But one day...
I spotted a stray, brilliantly free, so unlike how I was bound to my employer.
The next thing I knew, I was feeding him every day.
My only freedom during those brutal days came when I was playing with him.
After that, I could no longer kill people.
After cutting down so many people without feeling a thing,
my encounter with this small creature was what taught me the value of life.
I would no longer kill.
That was the promise I made him.
But my employer was still giving me orders.
A suicide mission for all intents and purposes.
He must have noticed that I had outlived my usefulness.
I was prepared to die.
I would rather die than take another life.
That's how I felt.
The next thing I knew, I was surrounded by a sea of blood.
I could see a human that resembled me within that sea of blood.
I broke my promise and ended up in this form.
Yet he gave me his body to help me survive.
So I made up my mind.
Until that point, I had taken away many things that could never be replaced.
But I would use this body,
the precious body he gave me,
to protect those things that can never be replaced.
My ears may end up tattered, I may be universally hated, I may end alone,
but I will protect those things until this body dies.
As I thought.
Your practice of harassing newbies was to protect those cats.
You attacked them so you could personally test to see if
they have what it takes to survive in this brutal Kabukicho.
To avoid needless loss of life...
You ruled through might and fear to prevent any foolish action,
by the strays, that would agitate humans.
Fear was the only way to control the foul-tempered cats in this town.
If you're able to understand that much, you'll be fine.
I have nothing more to teach you.
I leave the rest to you.
From now on, you lot are the bosses of Kabukicho.
Huh?!
Don't decide that on your own!
We can't possibly do that!
Yeah! I can't be a boss cat!
Please change that to a boss gorilla!
That isn't the issue here!
You guys should be fine.
I'm too old to hold those ruffians back.
Our relationship with humans deteriorated to the point where neutering came into practice
because I wasn't able to control them.
What are you saying?!
I'm sure that the cats will have a change of heart when they learn
how you've sacrificed yourself to protect them!
You are the only one who can serve as boss cat in this town!
I was never boss cat material.
But there's still something this old body can do.
Don't tell me...
You're going to save the ones who've been caught?!
Hoichi, you seem to be having fun with your new friends.
Let us join in on the fun.
Bastards, what's the meaning of this?
Hoichi, you've done a fine job of running roughshod all over us.
But that ends today!
We'll beat you up and turn you into the neighborhood association.
This town doesn't need a boss.
We're gonna live free!
An uprising?
Enough!
Do you fools have any idea how Master Hoichi has...
Zip it!
Beat the crap out of them all!
Don't let a single potential boss cat get away!
Run for it.
I'm leaving the rest to you.
Hoichi!
Saves me the trouble.
I was on my way to see the dumb faces on the cats who've been caught.
Now, show me the way.
What?! He's completely ignoring us!
Wh-Why doesn't he fight back?!
D-Don't be scared! Flatten him!
Wait, Gintoki!
A fine haul!
Not sure what's going on, but we're in luck!
Got them all in one go!
Shoot!
We made too much noise and the humans noticed us!
What are you doing?! Get the heck out of here!
Hoichi!
The Gutter Rat Gang is apparently behind the project to capture Kabukicho strays.
They told the townspeople that they were neutering the cats to prevent an infestation,
when they were actually selling them off to Planet Catnip's embassy.
And none of the cats they've captured have returned.
Thought so.
I knew that something was up.
I heard that they were on the hunt again last night.
A large number of strays were caught.
This town's looking pretty clean now.
Otose-san, we assisted with the project to reduce the number of bad cats
so humans and cats would have an easier time living in this town.
But this is...
A town without a single stray cat...
I wouldn't call this clean.
Let's crash 'em!
Crash the embassy and save the strays!
And Gin-chan might have been caught up in their conspiracy!
Forget it.
We're dealing with an embassy here.
One wrong move and you won't be getting off lightly.
But!
There's no need to worry.
You think this is enough to get rid of the strays
who've managed to survive in this town?
Don't do anything foolish.
This is their territory.
Cats have their own sense of honor.
We can still turn back.
This won't help us return to our original bodies.
We might die.
As cats.
Didn't you hear Hoichi?
I'm leaving the rest to you.
If we're all taken out, who's going to replace Hoichi?
I'm a gorilla, as you can see.
I could never be a boss cat.
So I have no obligation to keep that promise.
My apologies to Master Hoichi,
but I have no intention of living as a cat or dying as a cat.
I will live as a samurai, and die as a samurai.
It doesn't matter if we're cat or gorilla.
We fight for our friends.
That is the samurai way.
Is that so?
Hoichi, as of today, we'll take over your title as the king of Kabukicho strays.
We'll stake everything we have to protect the things
you've staked everything to protect.
The Kabukicho Boss Cat Alliance!
On the scene!
They were caught in a pitfall.
I wonder how they escaped.
And why is there a gorilla?
Did we ever catch a gorilla?
A-All according to plan.
Right...
We've successfully infiltrated the enemy base...
Y-Yeah... Just as planned...
So what do we do now?
Help!
I'm a gorilla! Not a cat!
This has nothing to do with me!
No!
I don't want to die with these fools!
Keep it down!
After all that big talk, you breakdown eight scenes later?!
Aren't you ashamed of yourself, gorilla?!
We should all be ashamed after talking big and walking into that pitfall!
Why's that? I'm not ashamed at all!
It was all according to plan!
I'm not worried at all!
This isn't the time to fight amongst ourselves.
We must escape at once,
or we're done for, let alone save Master Hoichi.
Look at his belt.
We must grab those keys.
Listen up.
Once a cat squeezes his head through the bars, he's free.
Zura, you should have a chance with that tiny brain of yours.
Fortunately, nobody will care if you crack anything.
I will!
Just get going. We have no time.
Hey! I'm saying that it's impossible!
I said to get going!
He's out! His body's out!
Hey! What am I supposed to do now?!
My neck is stuck tight!
I'll suffocate if my legs fall behind!
Keep it down! They'll notice!
You just need to get your head out!
Push harder! Come on!
Easy for you to say!
Huh? Is something stuck?
My tail! My tail is caught in the automatic door!
That's weird. It won't move.
Dying!
My head's gonna come off!
Out! Get out!
You have to get that head out if you want to survive! There's no other way!
I'm dying!
You're going to kill me before my head ever pops out!
Pretend like you're the Tom in Tom and Jerry!
You can do it!
You can match Tom!
Flatten yourself and slip on through!
H-He's free!
Well done, Zura!
Grab the key and open us up!
You okay? Still got your tail?
Yeah, my tail is fine.
Why is my tail out?!
Why mine instead of yours?!
Sorry, I grabbed it when I was in pain.
Sorry, my ass!
Why did you have to pull my tail out?!
What?! When did you...
Hey! Don't use my tail like that!
Now's our chance. Get out.
Why are you using it like a beam saber?!
What's going on with that thing?!
And we didn't even need the key!
Give that back!
I'll use it!
Our materials are escaping! Catch them!
There's also a gorilla! What's going on?!
Bah, more of them.
Gintoki, you go on ahead!
I'll hold them here!
Don't pull out your tail like it's completely normal!
Bah, I have no choice.
Odd Jobs, you owe me one.
Bring it on, scum!
I'll show you the power of the Force!
What the hell are you using?!
That's got nothing to do with the Force!
That's just your dirty hose!
What are you doing?! Hurry up!
We're leaving the rest to you, Odd Jobs!
Grant the stray cats of Kabukicho!
And their proud king!
True freedom!
[To Be Continued]
[Preview]
Hoichi, you're just like him.
I once picked up another stray who was just like you.
The next episode...
"Kabukicho Stray Cat Blues."
[Why is the king of Planet Catnip gathering the balls of strays...?]
["The Kabukicho Stray Cat Arc" concludes next episode.]
[See you next time.]