Original subtitles

Lone Wolf and Cub

What? An assassin with a child?

People call them the "Lone Wolf and Cub."

The former executioner, ltto Ogami, and his only son, Daigoro.

Once he's hired, he always gets the job done.

He will never leave any evidence behind.

I had a hard time trying to find his whereabouts

but I was finally able to make contact with him.

Are you saying that you, a chief castle retainer, hired an assassin?

There is no other way.

Your Highness, please let me handle this.

Fine.

The fate of the Tanimura clan

will be in your hands and the "Lone Wolf and Cub."

"Lone Wolf and Cub"...

That's a fearless name. I like it!

North to South, West to East

Tanimura clan, located in the city of Takashima in Shinano.

Most of their territory is surrounded by a mountain of rocks

and their area may cover 35,000 koku, but they're in fact a poor clan.

However, their finances are maintained steadily

and the people are not burdened with heavy taxation.

They all lead peaceful lives.

This is all thanks to the extraordinary efforts

by the chief castle retainer and the political advisers from the clan.

Who are you?

Bunzan.

Yes!

Yes! Tenzan.

Tenzan.

Yes! Tenzan.

Yes!

Yes! Kill them!

But leave one alive.

I'm the chief castle retainer of this Tanimura clan, Naizen Kato.

With the fate of our clan on the line

the reason why I hired your service was to get

the local administrator in control of the Imperial Court, Hanbei Wakai.

Well, he was already dismissed from office and is being sent to Edo.

I want you to kill this person for me.

For what reason?

Our clan is very poor

but the people are not burdened with heavy taxes

and we have maintained our finances rather steadily.

Were you aware of this?

I'll tell you the secret to our success.

A secret gold mine.

We're supposed to tell the government about any gold mines.

But the reason why we were able to conceal this mine for five years

is because our neighboring local administrator, Lord Hanbei Wakai

realized that we were in distress and turned a blind eye.

But recently it seems that the government found something out.

Lord Wakai has been dismissed from his position

and has been sent to Edo to be heavily interrogated.

If he mentions anything about the secret gold mine

the Tanimura clan is finished for sure.

Right.

For the sake of the clan and our people

I want to ask you for your help

and kill Lord Wakai for us.

Here is your 500 ryo for the kill.

What is it?

Inoue!

What happened?

Get a hold of yourself!

Get a hold of yourself!

Get a hold of yourself.

Inoue.

Did you get anything on Lord Hanbei Wakai?

Tomorrow morning

he's leaving the administrator's office

and will be heading to Edo.

And what route is he taking?

Through Shimosuwa

and onto the Koshu highway.

You did good.

But what happened to the fellow clan members who were with you?

We were ambushed by odd-looking men

and they were all killed.

Who were they?

They were wearing straw hats with the letter "Mountain"

imprinted.

Inoue! lnoue!

Inoue, get a hold of yourself.

Where are you going?

His pursuers followed his blood trail.

What?

I'm sure you don't want anyone to know that I made contact with you.

Don't let them see you.

ltto.

Do you remember me?

Junai Kuchiki.

That's right.

When you were the executioner for the Shogunate, we fought several times.

I'm that Junai!

I am aware that you're currently living as an assassin.

Who's the client that hired you in that boat?

Nobody hired me.

I'm the only one on that boat.

Kill them!

Kill them! Yes!

I think we lost them.

Can someone take over?

Who is Junai Kuchiki?

Mountain officers for the government. He's their leader.

Mountain officers scour the mountains in various districts.

They're a secret group of watchers.

They're full of deadly warriors.

Especially Junai Kuchiki.

He uses the lchiden-ryu sword technique.

He is the best assassin out of all the vassals.

I can't believe they would send such a group.

I guess the government is doing all they can to transport Lord Wakai safely.

Exactly.

Killing Lord Wakai while he's being heavily guarded

by a group of ninja experts who are comfortable in the mountains

is definitely an impossible task.

Then, Lord Ogami...

You're going to turn down this job?

You entrusted the fate of your clan

to a mere ronin like myself.

I'll do it.

Father.

Where are you going with a fish basket?

I'm going fishing, of course.

Why do you have to ask me where I'm going?

Shizu, you're still thinking about Lord Wakai...

My husband is being sent to Edo to be interrogated.

How could I not think about him?

Lord Wakai is no longer your husband.

Father!

The reason why he separated from me and told me to go home

was because he felt he was going to inconvenience the Tanimura clan.

He did it because he cares about you and me.

Then I'll gladly accept his kindness.

Father.

You said some things to me when I married Lord Wakai five years ago.

Have you forgotten them?

"Lord Wakai is substantial as well as beautiful. He's an excellent samurai."

"Stick by him for as long as you can."

Isn't that what you said?

Was it just a bunch of nonsense?

Your task is to kill my husband who found out about the secret gold mine.

Couldn't you think of an alternative?

That's not true.

Lord Wakai would not neglect his duties just because he has a family.

The reason why he chose to keep quiet about the secret gold mine

is because he believed that it was helping the people of Tanimura clan.

As a local government administrator, he's certainly a man of unusual caliber.

Then why are you trying to get rid of him?

You hired an assassin to kill Wakai.

I heard you talking to him.

Shizu.

Father.

Can't you trust Wakai?

He is a man of great caliber.

Do you think he would easily tell them about the secret gold mine?

I don't think so.

But we must prepare for the worst.

For the worst?

Interrogation by the government is very severe.

And if those torture experts assault him...

He won't talk.

Wakai will never say a word.

But just in case!

If he opens his mouth, then the Tanimura clan is finished!

As long as there's the fear of that happening

we can't let Lord Wakai reach Edo!

We simply just can't let him go!

Sir, the mountain officers are here!

What?

I'm Naizen Kato, the chief castle retainer of this clan.

I'm the leader of this government mountain patrol.

Junai Kuchiki.

Nice to meet you.

I don't get it.

What brings you and your government officers to this Tanimura clan?

Neighboring local administrator.

We're here to transport Hanbei Wakai to Edo.

I see.

But he has nothing to do with our clan.

Can you really say that he has nothing to do with your clan?

Your daughter is married to Hanbei Wakai

and they even have a five-year-old son.

But that is none of my business.

Besides, my daughter Shizu has been separated from Lord Wakai

and she has been living here for the past three months.

Even though your daughter came home

their son Kotaro is the successor.

So it has been decided that both father and son will be transported to Edo.

It's a pity, but I suppose it can't be helped.

Kotaro is no longer associated with our clan.

If he's no longer associated, then why are you hiding him?

Hiding him?

Nonsense!

Are you saying you don't remember?

No!

Harboring a son of a criminal would get our clan into great trouble.

I may be humble, but I'm still the chief castle retainer, Naizen Kato.

I wouldn't do such a foolish thing as that.

But his mother might not agree with what you said.

Shizu?

Since Kotaro is still a child, we decided not to put him in a cell.

We just let him run around the administrator's office, but...

He escaped?

Many farmers saw him running towards this territory of the Tanimura clan.

Shizu! Shizu!

Hurry!

Shizu!

Father!

You must hand over Kotaro to these people.

I won't do that! Kotaro is my son!

I'm sure Hanbei is prepared for all this.

Kotaro may be a child, but he's still Lord Wakai's eldest son.

Go on, Kotaro.

Listen to your grandpa!

Grandpa! I don't want to go!

Now that you've handed over Kotaro

we won't get involved with your clan anymore.

However...

If you decide to interfere in any way...

Interfere?

For example, hiring an assassin to prevent Wakai from talking.

There's no need for our clan to do such a thing!

Is that right?

But remember one thing.

Kotaro is in our hands now.

Kotaro!

Don't go, Shizu!

It's for the sake of our clan.

Forget about him.

Kotaro!

Administrator's Office

Father!

Father!

Kotaro...

Kotaro!

Father!

Just as I suspected, he fled back to his mother.

But as a result, I was able to see the reaction from the Tanimura clan.

You let Kotaro go just for that?

Your separation is just for appearance's sake.

I saw that a strong bond still exists

between you and your wife.

Do you intend to use that bond to your advantage

and keep the secret of the Tanimura clan from us?

What secret?

Stop playing dumb!

The Tanimura clan is very poor and surrounded by mountains.

Yet they do well financially without taxing their people heavily.

You tell me why!

I'm guessing that their chief castle retainer

is very capable of handling their finances.

You think you can fool the interrogators with that kind of nonsense?

I am fully aware of their extreme torturing methods.

But they'll never be able to get anything out of me

that will be good enough to destroy the Tanimura clan!

Even if this child is tortured?

Kotaro?

You're taking him to Edo for that?

You may be able to withstand the torture, but there has never been

a parent who stood by watching their child get tortured.

You dirty bastard!

That's our duty.

You better think real hard before we get to Edo.

Father!

Father!

Kotaro!

Lone Wolf and Cub

Hanbei Wakai.

He seemed very upset.

He's definitely going to talk now.

We just need a way to deal with ltto Ogami now.

We have to be careful around the area from Shimosuwa to Koshu highway.

Most people would think that way.

But ltto won't make his move according to the way we think.

Then where will he be?

He is coming here.

Here?

This administrator's office!

Impossible!

It's impossible for him to kill Wakai who's inside the cell.

It's impossible for him to get to the cell and besides

he'll never make it past the gate.

ltto makes the impossible possible.

"Lone Wolf and Cub"...

He might already be hiding somewhere nearby.

Get some men to patrol the area.

You two stay in this courtyard and guard the entrance to the cell.

Don't leave your post.

Find ltto! Split into two groups!

Go!

Yes!

That kid... He must be Mo's kid.

Kid.

Where's your father?

Daigoro.

Wait here for a while.

Hey!

There's blood on your pants.

I just killed a dog.

A dog?

Hold it!

That sword is a Dotanuki!

It's ltto Ogami! Get him!

Assassin, "Lone Wolf and Cub."

ltto...

Take a look at this!

If you kill Wakai, this child will die.

Who is that child?

My one and only son, Kotaro.

Can you kill him now, ltto?

I hear that even hunters never kill their game if it's with a child.

Besides, you also have a child.

You can't kill him since you're just like him.

ltto.

What do you say?

Using a dirty trick?

Junai Kuchiki.

It's just what I expected from you.

This is my job.

As you may know, I'll do anything to get the job done.

It doesn't matter if they're an adult or a child.

That's the difference between me and you.

Don't do it!

If we lose any more men

we won't have any left to help transport Wakai.

Father!

Daddy! Let's eat!

"Lone Wolf and Cub."

Did you fail to accomplish your job as an assassin?

You charged into the administrator's office

but you decided not to kill the target at the last minute.

That's what I heard.

I was not told that Hanbei Wakai had a child.

Plus the child's mother happens to be your daughter.

That's none of your business.

It's not related to your job as an assassin.

You don't care if your grandson is killed?

Of course not.

Even if my father says yes

I would have to disagree.

Shizu.

You followed me?

I'm Kotaro's mother.

You saved my son by not killing my husband.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

You were hired to kill Wakai, but please forget about all that.

What are you saying?

I'm sure they're going to torture Kotaro in order to make Wakai talk.

There's a greater chance that our clan's secret will be revealed!

But if you kill Wakai, Kotaro is going to die as well.

Why aren't you trying to save my husband?

You think I can save him from the hands of those officials?

You can do it with the help from Lord Ogami.

Even if we could, they'll keep chasing us forever.

We'll keep running forever then.

Please help us.

After I accept a job, I always carry it out.

Then you're definitely going to...

Kill Wakai.

I won't! I won't let you kill him!

Lord Ogami.

After hearing those words, I'm very relieved.

I trust you.

One, two, three, four, five, six.

Seven, nine, ten.

Let go of me!

I can't do that.

Not even officers dare to come near this mountain. Why are you here?

Travelers passing through here usually come in groups with a bodyguard.

But it doesn't matter what kind of bodyguard comes along.

We have a Kougenryu sword master.

And I'm here to meet that Lord Mondo Kurokawa.

What? You're here for our boss?

Please lead me to him.

Bastards!

Madam Shizu.

Lone Wolf and Cub

You want me to save Hanbei Wakai?

The man who stole you from me?

Please.

No one else can do this but you.

I refuse.

Because of you, I gave up the Tanimura clan and decided to become a bandit.

The promise made between us was nothing but some childhood fantasy.

There's no point in regretting the past.

But you know what?

I'm not nice enough to risk my life in order to save your former lover.

If you help me save both Wakai and Kotaro

I'll spend the rest of my life here with you.

What?

Wakai has separated from me.

He told me to find someone good and remarry.

So you're saying you'll marry me?

You'll marry a bandit like me?

Impossible!

Can't you believe me?

I can't possibly believe you!

I have proof.

Proof?

Shimosuwa Headquarters

There's been an inquiry from the higher officials.

Secrets of the Tanimura clan.

They want you to tell the secret to them through a messenger.

I don't know.

I don't know anything about the Tanimura clan's secret.

Your son.

If we decide not to give him any food or water starting tomorrow...

I wonder if he'll even make it to Edo.

Why you...

You and your dirty tricks!

My job is not only to transport you to Edo.

But to make you talk as well.

Lord Wakai'. Hurry'.!

Who are you people?

Who are you people? Nevermind that.

Madam Shizu is waiting for you on her horse, not far from here.

Shizu?

Go.

And I want you to tell this to Shizu. Don't go back to the mountains.

Live happily with your husband and son.

Thank you so much.

Hold it!

Kotaro!

I'll handle them.

Don't let Wakai and Kotaro get away!

Yes!

You.

There's no point waiting here.

Lord Wakai and his son are not coming.

Every one of the bandits have been killed.

Mountain officers are searching the area.

You better leave before they see you.

No.

I must find Wakai and Kotaro no matter what.

Come on.

It's hot!

I need water.

Kotaro!

Hang in there!

Water...

Water. Please give me some water!

Please give him some water!

Give some water to Kotaro!

Well?

Are you ready to talk now?

I'm begging you!

Give some water to Kotaro!

You're willing to tell the interrogators about the secret of the Tanimura clan.

Can I report it to them like that?

But in return, Kotaro...

We'll give him food and water.

That's if you tell them everything.

We can even set him free.

I can't trust your words.

In return, I need some official proof that Kotaro will not be blamed for all this.

Fine.

When we get to Edo, I'll get you a seal from the Lord.

That's good.

All we have to do is get you safely to Edo.

Let's go!

Damn you, "Lone Wolf and Cub"!

Daigoro. Light it up!

They have explosives!

Get out of here!

Get ready!

ltto! You fooled us!

Lord Wakai!

I have your son!

Don't worry!

Damn!

Thank you very much, Lord ltto.

Kotaro!

Mother!

I'm glad you're safe.

Daddy!

Lord Ogami, this was not part of our deal.

I never asked you to save Kotaro.

I hired you to do your job as an assassin.

I already did my job as an assassin.

What?

From north to south, west to east.

When the wind changes direction, so does the condition.

Instead of being exposed to the northern wind

you should look forward to the arrival of spring with the eastern wind.

It's the father's love for his son.

When the wind changes direction, so does the condition.

What does he mean?

I suppose...

That the northern wind is the extreme torture of the government.

And the eastern wind and the arrival of spring

represent a mother's loving hands.

Then Wakai left Kotaro in my hands.

Lord Wakai is going to avoid the government interrogation by suicide.

It's the father's love for his son.

Isn't that right, "Lone Wolf and Cub"?

By saving the life of a child, he did his job as an assassin.

ltto Ogami is simply amazing.

But this boy's father...

If he's sent to Edo, then he's going to die anyway.

The best thing you can do for Wakai

is to raise Kotaro admirably.

First, the lchijyo Bridge.

Second, the drug store.

Third, the fish market.

Fourth, the play.

Fifth, the Benkei of Gojyobashi.

Sixth, the Honganji Temple.

Seventh, the price of rice.

Eighth, the government office.

Wakai bit off his tongue and killed himself.

You succeeded in killing the father and saving the boy.

You win this match.

But there's one last match left.

Your Suio-ryu and my lchiden sword technique.

From north to south, west to east.

Even though the wind changes direction

nothing changes for the "Lone Wolf and Cub."

Wind that blows against the baby cart of ltto Ogami and Daigoro

is nothing but the violent, northern wind.

Yesterday, today and even tomorrow as well.

Next Episode

The lizuka Clan is in danger.

The shogun's beloved, Tsubone Ayano, is said

to pass through the clan's territory in order to get to the hot springs.

Yunoshin Ujiie, the chief superintendent retainer of the clan

prepares plenty of security and hires ltto Ogami.

Who is affecting ltto's heart?

Is it Kikuma Toyama? Or is it Jinnai Waku?

Days of uneasiness between father and daughter.

The only thing positive out of all this is the kindness Shiho showed Daigoro.

Please look forward to our next episode, "Night of Danger."