Introduction[]
Through confusion and suffering, everything falls apart when Kouka grows ill and the ramifications of her constitution becomes apparent. In the present, Utsuro and Umibouzu's plus the siblings' fights end.
Plot[]
Kamui reveals to Kagura the truth about their mother, Kouka, a mutant born from Kouan’s altana. She would have remained immortal as long as she stayed on the planet, and she had lived there alone for years. But Kamui believed that the moment their father took her away, he had killed her. In the past, in a Rakuyou alleyway, a young Kamui taking care of a baby Kagura beats up a group Amanto, who were going to bully the two for having an ill mother whom they believed was infectious. They flee when Umibouzu arrives; the older man punishes Kamui for both giving in to their taunts and getting Kagura involved. As they walk back home, Kamui asks about Kouka’s illness and his feelings of uselessness; Umibouzu reassures his son that the boy was helping his mother by being at her side and that the father will take care of things. Present Kamui believed Umibouzu wasn’t taking him seriously and as Kouka’s illness didn’t go away and the hunter begin to leave home more frequently, Kamui resolved himself to grow stronger, abiding by his father’s words.
In the next few years, he ignored the bullies and let himself get beaten by them. Every time he returns home with bruises, Kouka chastises him for fighting, inheriting his father’s stubbornness. While bandaging him, she apologizes for putting too much of a burden on Kamui’s shoulders but insists that she did not regret her choice as she wanted to stay by her children’s side. Present Kamui admits that his younger self grew more confused on what it means to be strong, as days later, he and a young Kagura accidentally encountered the same bullies. He was about to leave until Kagura stood up to them and demanded that they stop hurting Kamui for their mother’s sake. They kick her aside, injuring the little girl. A young Abuto who was passing by beat up the bullites. He tells Kamui to take care of his sister before returning to his Harusame 7th division group, who was walking through the streets at the time. While Kagura recovers at home in Kouka’s arms, Kamui sits outside in the rain and Umibouzu walks up to him. He tells his father his confusion on what it means to be strong and as the hunter looks at his wife and daughter, he admits he did not know either. He turns to leave but is interrupted by Kouka asking if he was leaving again. He confirms, declaring that just as she risked her life to be with them, he would risk his right to be called a father to keep her alive, as he blamed himself for her deteriorating health. Even if he had to be constantly away from the family, he would do so to protect the family. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to the two adults, Kamui overheard their conversation.
In the present, Utsuro is surprised to hear the existence of another immortal like him, along with the fact that she managed to die. He wonders if she felt relief that that her empty existence was coming to an end or hatred at her loved ones for being responsible for her death. Umibouzu attacks Utsuro in a rage. Back in the past, Kamui confronts Umbouzu on what he overheard and asked him why he had to fall in love with his Kouka. The hunter admitted that he was the one who caused her suffering. He wanted to protect the lonely woman, but realized that she was the one who had protected him. As he was unable to survive on the unihabitable planet, Kouka made the choice to leave the planet without revealing to Umibouzu the truth; instead of choosing a lonely eternity, she chose to have a family even if it would result in her early death. Umibouzu adds he would have made the same choices even if he had known who she was, as it brought Kamui and Kagura into their lives. Kamui, though, concluded through the talk that the three of them were making Kouka suffer. The next day, Abuto finds himself stalked by the bullies that he beaten up days ago but they were quickly defeated by Kamui, who then decides to fight him while the rest of the division watches in amusement. Abuto is surprised by the child’s strength but another Yato comes between them, the 7th division leader Hosen. He chastises Abuto for holding back against Kamui before moving to strike the kid; Abuto takes the hit to protect the child but both are thrown into a building. Hosen leaves, seeing how Kamui was similar to his rival, Umibouzu.
As Kamui constantly confronts Hosen to fight (and continues to lose), he wanted to find a strength different to his father’s but also realized his weakness and concluded that his family could not save Kouka. He was finally able to land a hit on Hosen, who asked for his wish, which was to take Kouka and him out of Rakuyou. He asks his mother to come with him back to Kouan so she will be able to survive. She refused his offer, as she wanted to remain by her family's side; Kamui did not care about staying as a family and just hoped that his mother could live. Kouka started to cough, just as Kagura and Umibouzu returned home. Umibouzu wondered what he was doing and the boy responded that to grow strong and save his mother, he will cast aside his family ties and defeat his father. He attacks Umibouzu, who desperately tries to tell his son that he found a way to save her. But Kamui severs his arm that contained this hope, a crystal, declaring that he had grown strong to protect his family, just as Umibouzu wanted him to and he will take Kouka away at the cost of his family. After Umibouzu nearly killed Kamui, the injured son flees, abandoning his family and failing to protect his mother with only one goal left: to grow strong enough to surpass his father. Back in the present, Kamui attacks Kagura, reiterating that their bonds no longer exist and brutally pummels her, telling her to not get in his way as he did not want to be reminded of Kouka due to their similarities.
Further up the cliffs, Abuto watches Umibouzu and Utsuro’s fight. The hunter admits that this was the first time he fought to the brink with a creature as powerful as Utsuro. As he watches the immortal rush towards him to strike, he thinks about his wife and calls himself an idiot for making an immortal like her die but there were things only idiots like him could do. He drops his umbrella before getting something from his shirt and allows Utsuro to stab him in the chest. The Tendoushuu member wonders what the hunter was doing and he responds that he was ready cast off everything to defeat the immortal before shoving his hand into Utsuro’s chest. He reveals that Altana beings could not stay alive if they’re taken away from their home planet; to keep Kouka alive, he had traveled to Kouan to find any Altana crystals, which was what he was holding when shoved his hand into Utsuro. He wonders what will happen to Utsuro’s Earth Altana when he releases the Kouan Altana into the immortal’s body before crushing Utsuro’s heart and the crystal. Utsuro collapses as the hunter lectures that two incompatible Altana will destroy his body.
The hunter also collapses, thanking Kouka for finally helping him to deliver his final present to her. Abuto rushes towards the injured hunter, but turns just to see a half regenerated Utsuro behind him. The immortal states with that even this was not enough to kill him and was disappointed that even the most powerful Yato could not do so. He rips out his sword from the Yato’s chest, tearing a hole through the right side and cutting off his other arm. Abuto wonders why two Utsuros existed when he sees a dead Utsuro on the ground, and then realizes that he regenerated from his severed arm. Utsuro admits that they both had a trump card that they chose to use, but the difference was that Umibouzu had one life to give to use it. However, Utsuro used up a lot of his Altana to pull it off. He easily defeats Abuto before leaving, thanking the dying Yato for allowing him to experience death and regeneration for the first time in centuries though remarks that it was still a small part of his plan. As Utsuro walks away, Abuto crawls towards the hunter to check on him. Umibouzu remarks that he won the fight since he had redeemed himself by sacrificing his right arm to protect his family, after losing his left arm discarding it. Kamui arrives and angrily yells at his father for being beaten by Utsuro and thinking about his family when he was supposed to be fighting Kamui. The son rushes to attack his father, ignoring the cries of Abuto and the just arrived Kagura to stop.
Instead, a bokken is stabbed into the ground that Kamui was forced to dodge, signaling the arrival of Gintoki, Shinpachi and Sadaharu. Kamui wonders why they were here but the samurai responds that though they were not related by blood, the Yoruzuya was just as much Kagura’s family as Kamui and Umibouzu. Shinpachi pleads to Kamui to not make his sister and himself suffer anymore but Kamui responds that they were the ones making Kagura suffer by allowing her to watch him break them. Shinpachi instead responds that neither the Yoruzuya nor Kamui would break. But Kamui states that it was too late as their mother is dead and he would not rest until he or his father was gone. Gintoki answers that he will finish things for him and under everyone’s shocked gazes, kneels in front of Umibouzu… and headbutts him. He also collapses before declaring that he is now the strongest… while sporting a large bump. Umibouzu barely felt the hit, and Shinpachi chastises Gintoki for that failure. Gintoki rises to his feet and states that since he finished off the hunter, he had inherited the title of the "strongest person" and would finish off the father and son spat on Umibouzu's behalf. Gintoki taunts the teen, stating to fight him with everything as he will destroy Kamui’s worthless ideals. Kamui angrily punches Gintoki in the face but Gintoki still stands, coldly repeating that Kamui should go full out, before thrusting his wooden sword into Kamui, shoving him into the nearby cliffs. Gintoki tells Kamui that instead of chasing him, he had been running away from his father and his family. He had become empty and was trying to find a purpose for himself; Kamui had become weak. The two start to fight while Gintoki states that Kamui had a better title than becoming the “strongest”, and that was to be Kagura's “idiotic big brother”.
Characters[]
- Kouka (flashback)
- Umibouzu
- Kamui
- Kagura
- Utsuro
- Abuto
- Sakata Gintoki
- Shimura Shinpachi
- Sadaharu
- Housen (flashback)