Original subtitles

And now, the final game of the Ho-oh Title Match is here.

A mere step away from an unprecedented achievement.

Shoichi Yuuki, 9-dan.

Will he win his 100th title?

The fateful match is about to begin.

It's now the scheduled time.

Ho-oh Title Match, game seven.

Yuuki 9-dan, to move first. Please begin.

Black, Shoichi Yuuki 9-dan.

Rook to six-eight.

ONE MONTH AGO

Good morning.

- Good morning! - Morning.

ASUKA KUNIMI

Oh! Ms. Kunimi!

Yes?

You know, we're all going out for dinner tomorrow.

Why don't you join?

It's a welcome dinner for her.

Sorry. I'm good.

Hey, wait...

"I'm good," she says.

Told you it's not going to happen.

Can't pry her open.

I knew it.

KEIKO KUNIMI

As we feared, it has metastasized again.

To be frank, your mother's cancer is the scirrhous type

and her condition is serious.

Her condition may deteriorate at any moment.

I see.

Shall I tell her?

I'll tell her myself.

Understood.

Does she have any other family members?

Family...

No, only me.

THE SECRET TO RANGING ROOKS

SHOGI DICTIONARY

Come on, Asuka. Don't bother him.

ROOK

Asuka. This is your piece.

My piece?

I named you after this piece.

Is it strong?

Very strong.

Up and down, left and right. Traveling freely as it wishes.

It's my favorite piece.

ROOK

THE 38TH KIKO TITLE MATCH

Kunimi 5-dan. Gold to three-one.

I resign.

- Inagaki Kiko has resigned. - Yes!

- At 135 moves... - He won, Asuka!

Is Dad good?

He's the best!

Shoichi Kunimi, has finally claimed his very first title.

Cheers!

Congratulations!

Thank you. It's thanks to you two.

SHOGI

Here. As a thank you for supporting me.

Yay!

Asuka, do you like shogi?

Yes! I want to be good. Good enough to beat you!

Okay. When you're good enough, let's have a match.

Promise?

Promise.

All right, next up is The Gods of Shogi.

Today’s guest is Shoichi Yuuki, 9-dan.

- Thank you for coming. - Hi, I'm Yuuki.

Pleasure to meet you.

You too.

Yuuki 9-dan is a living legend who has set countless records,

and is the driving force of the recent shogi trend.

That's for sure.

Next month, you’ll be going for an unprecedented 100 career titles.

The whole country's watching you.

Your new autobiography, The End, is already a bestseller too.

THERE IS NO END FOR A KISHI

It's an intriguing title.

For us kishi, there's no end to our journey.

What counts as the ending, then? When do we say, "The End"?

This book is a musing, searching for that answer.

What drives you, Yuuki 9-dan?

Well...

My family, I'd say.

Ah, your family.

You talk a lot about your family in this book, too.

Behind your long, successful career--

Apparently, many people loved your TV appearance last night.

I saw you trending online. Your book is going to sell like crazy.

The royalties will be insane.

By the way, Dad. How was Yuna?

Yuna?

You met her at the show. The host.

Oh.

Let me introduce you two.

She said she'd like to properly chat.

Shoichi?

Yeah?

Next week's meet-and-greet will be the last promotional event for now.

Please see it through.

Meeting Yuna is important too.

I'm talking about work.

I'm talking about your future family.

Aren't you hungry?

Not really.

Okay.

Congratulations, Asuka!

ASUKA KUNIMI WINNER OF CHILDREN'S SHOGI TOURNAMENT

Do you think Dad will be happy?

Sure.

I'm good now. He'll play with me, won't he?

Maybe.

NKK CUP

Kunimi 7-dan, is in a tight spot.

I resign.

Thank you.

Kunimi 7-dan has resigned. After 163 moves, Takahashi 5-dan wins.

Shoichi Kunimi has lost eight in a row. He's not had a win this season so far.

Welcome home.

ROOK

Oh Dad! Look!

See, I'm good now. I want to play with you.

ASUKA KUNIMI WINNER OF CHILDREN'S SHOGI TOURNAMENT

Dad, you promised...

Don't touch my shogi set!

Hey, Asuka!

Oh goodness, are you okay?

Why don't you take a break?

I would like you to apologize to Asuka tomorrow.

Leave me alone, will you?

I must win.

We're your family.

I know shogi is important to you but you need to think about us too.

LOSING STREAK CONTINUES FOR KUNIMI

DIVORCE APPLICATION

What do you get from leaving us?

Do you think you'll win if you're free of us?

Hey.

We should try again together.

It'll be okay. You're strong.

Let's win as a family.

Sorry. I don't care anymore...

about you,

or Asuka.

You should...

stop playing shogi.

I wasted my move.

At a time like this...

- Ms. Kunimi! - Ms. Kunimi?!

- Mom! - Ms. Kunimi, are you okay?

Are you okay?

I just had a hard time hearing the sound of pieces on the board.

It brings back too many memories.

Can you go on your own next time?

No.

Now I hate that sound too.

I won't play anymore.

It's okay.

It's okay.

THERE IS NO END FOR A SHOGI PLAYER

SHOICHI YUUKI

Is it okay for you to walk?

I'm feeling good today, so I went for a walk.

I see.

What's wrong?

You look down.

Um, I'm not.

You do.

Did something happen?

Well...

No. Nothing happened.

At times like this, I wish I could take you on a trip.

We'd eat some good food

and have all the fun we want until you feel better.

That's right. We should when you feel a bit better.

We should.

Where do you want to go?

Well...

Oh.

A family restaurant.

A family restaurant?

Remember? We've been to one before. The three of us.

We had such a good time that day.

Your dad...

I want to see him.

Why...

do you want to see him?

Because...

we're family.

Family...

No, only me.

Don't touch my shogi set!

I don't care anymore

about you,

or Asuka.

What drives you, Yuuki 9-dan?

Well...

My family, I'd say.

100,000 COPIES SOLD

- Thank you so much. - I'm rooting for you.

- I'm supporting you. - Here.

Thank you.

He's so popular.

We need to see your ticket.

Can't I just... Is there any way to get in?

As I said, you need to have won the lottery to enter.

Please, just let me see him for a second.

No way. You can't do that.

My name is Asuka Kunimi. Could you at least give him my name?

I can't do that. Go away already.

But...

- What's going on? - Nothing.

- Please give it a rest. - Go back inside.

- Leave, or I'll call the police. - Well, I...

I'll take over. You can leave.

I...

Nice to meet you.

I'm Kaori Yuuki.

Shoichi's wife.

What do you need from him?

Oh, my mother wants to see my father...

I mean, she wants to see Mr. Shoichi. So I...

Your mother...

You mean, Ms. Keiko?

Yes!

My mom, she's sick. That's why--

Could you please leave?

What?

Shoichi is our family.

He no longer has anything to do with either of you.

Oh, but--

He said so himself.

He doesn't want anything to do with you.

Ah... Wait!

I'm sorry for showing up like this!

I know I'm causing you trouble, but...

But...

My mom is...

She's dying.

So...

Just this once...

Please! Please let me see my dad! I need to tell him about her! Please!

I'm so sorry, but...

Shoichi will never see either of you again.

Ever.

This is the last time for her! Please!

Please leave.

Mom.

Asuka.

Yes?

I'm sorry.

All this time...

I've burdened you.

I'm sorry.

What?

It'll be okay now.

Asuka,

don't be like me.

Be free and live your life.

What?

You talk a lot about your family here, too.

HOW I MET MY WIFE, KAORI

I'm Kaori Yuuki.

Shoichi's wife.

He said so himself.

He doesn't want anything to do with you.

Shoichi will never see either of you again.

Ever.

I want to see him.

Why...

do you want to see him?

Because...

we're family.

What drives you, Yuuki 9-dan?

Well...

My family, I'd say.

TO MY BELOVED FAMILY: MY WIFE KAORI AND MY SON TATSUYA

I don't care anymore...

about you,

or Asuka.

TO MY BELOVED FAMILY: MY WIFE KAORI AND MY SON TATSUYA

Why?

For a bastard like this...

We can feel the tension from here.

They're fired up.

These two have played countless legendary matches.

And now, the final game of the Ho-oh Title Match is here.

Just one step away from an unprecedented achievement.

Shoichi Yuuki, 9-dan.

Will he win his 100th title?

The fateful match is about to begin.

YUUKI 9-DAN VS. SASAMA HO-OH THE 64TH HO-OH TITLE MATCH GAME SEVEN

Black, Shoichi Yuuki 9-dan. Rook to six-eight.

So, it has begun.

A typical opening for Yuuki 9-dan, wouldn't you say?

Definitely. Like a declaration that he'll fight head-on.

Sasama Ho-oh, pawn to three-four.

What are you doing?

This is alarming. Who are you?

Who are you targeting with this?

Shoichi Yuuki.

Why?

Have you ever stabbed a person before?

Something like this can't kill him.

I'll stab him repeatedly.

Drop it. It's meaningless.

You know what? Me too.

I also want to kill Shoichi Yuuki.

But, no matter how much you stab him with this,

you wouldn't be able to kill him.

Yuuki 9-dan is on the defensive now.

He's getting locked down.

It's looking pretty tough.

How will Yuuki 9-dan respond to this situation?

Unfortunately, he's a superstar now.

Sasama Ho-oh is...

Know what happens if a star dies at their peak?

They become deified.

Worshipped like a deity. They'd end up living forever.

So, stabbing him now would be pointless.

There’s only one way to kill him.

That.

My family, I'd say.

I don't care anymore, about you or Asuka.

That man is not a superstar.

What?

He's just a piece of shit.

What's Yuuki 9-dan's next move?

To defend, or to attack?

It's rare for him to take so long to make a move.

Oh! He's moving.

ROOK

I resign.

Wow.

- Hey, this... - Yuuki 9-dan has done it!

He is the first to reach 100 career titles!

Unbelievable!

I've got goosebumps!

That was a perfect Shoichi Yuuki style victory.

- Right. - A historic match, no doubt!

In the middle of the game,

Sasama Ho-oh seemed to have the upper hand...

So she can kill him...

Let's team up, Asuka Kunimi.

I'm going to kill the old era.

What?!

You have to be the very first female kishi ever.

Women can only go so far.

We never know if we will win or lose.

I'll become a kishi and beat Shoichi Yuuki.

To kill someone is to deny their entire life.

For him, that's shogi.

Don't keep fighting a losing game.

It's hard to watch.

You're banned.

Someone’s pressuring them.

I'll destroy you tomorrow.

Leave.

I told you. It's all games.

I'm sorry.

Take this. My condolences.

I'll kill him with shogi.

Well, let's begin.

Subtitle translation by: Kana Sasayama