History Recap / LikeADragonIshin

Ryoma enter the throne room, where Fifteenth Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu (Daigo Dogima) awaits him. Tokugawa takes his sword from a nearby attendant, asking Ryoma what brings him here. When Ryoma asks if he really is the Shogun, Tokugawa takes this to mean Ryoma has never seen his face. That being said, he is impressed by Ryoma and Okita's strength and skill, asking if perhaps Ryoma has come to take his head. Ryoma sheathes his sword and explains that he is there to discuss an important matter with the Shogun that could save the country. The attendant scoffs and asks what a terrorist like Ryoma would know about saving the country, but Tokugawa shuts him up and rises from his throne, saying that neither the attendant nor the squad of ninja that snuck in behind Ryoma are to interfere. After pushing his attendant aside again when the old man tries to stop him, Tokugawa explains that he and his forefathers have faced many assassinations during their 300 years of ruling, but Ryoma is the first to come and say he is doing it to save the country- has the Bakufu really grown so weak as to allow something like this? He draws his sword and tells Ryoma that if he wants Tokugawa to listen to his request, he'll have to force him to do so. He demands Ryoma show him his full strength, stating that his guards will not interfere even if it means dying at Ryoma's hand. Ryoma draws his sword and says that if that's what it takes it's Tokugawa's call, with Tokugawa saying that if Ryoma is truly here to save the country then he best be prepared to die for his cause. But he warns Ryoma that he isn't the Shogun for nothing, and with that the two attack one another.

Ryoma runs back to Teradaya and finds Nakaoka waiting for him outside. After heading inside, Nakaoka explains that Takechi was forced to commit ''seppuku'' by Lord Yodo of Tosa, when his complicacy in Izo's murder of several Bakufu officials came to light . Izo had confessed Takechi's role in the plot shortly after he had been transferred back to Tosa. Ryoma gets up, but Nakaoka asks if this means he plans on going back to Tosa. He warns Ryoma that he's still technically an outlaw- returning to Tosa now would mean a death sentence for him. Nakaoka tells Ryoma to calm down, as he thinks that the man who masterminded Toyo's assassination is also behind the execution of Takechi; Lord Yodo moved quite fast with executing Takechi after Izo was taken into custody, leading him to believe that someone might be whispering in the ''daimyo'''s ear. It seems like they're doing their best to wipe out Toyo's faction, and by that logic Nakaoka reasons that Ryoma is their next target and would love to hear he's back in Tosa. Catching the masked man in Kyo, though, would deal a heavy blow against their plans. Ryoma asks if this means the only thing he can do is hunt around Kyo, with Nanaoka adding that he'd hoped Ryoma would just calm down and clear his head first. Nakaoka says he'll go back to Tosa and poke around for information, as he knows he won't be able to rest if he doesn't find out what happened to Toyo and Takechi as well. The best Ryoma can do is stick around town and lay low, since Takechi's death is greatly affecting Ryoma and he doesn't want to draw attention. Ryoma agrees and asks Nakaoka to let him know if he finds anything.

However, the thought of Takechi's death still weighs heavily on Ryoma's mind, and he spends the night drinking heavily. Oryo enters and tries to get Ryoma to stop drinking so much, but Ryoma angrily dismisses her and returns to his sake. Unfortunately he's run dry, so he gets up to head into town and find more booze to drown his sorrows. He heads to a bar in town to continue, but as he drinks he is greeted by a mysterious woman (Hana). Them woman notes Ryoma doesn't seem to be enjoying himself and offers to take him to somewhere more private, directing Ryoma to a bar in Kuramachi called Matsunoi. As the woman leave, Ryoma asks who she is, but the woman says she'll only tell Ryoma if he goes to Matsunoi.

The ''joshi'' stop her and ask what she thinks she's doing. The mother apologizes and begs mercy for herself and her daughter, but the ''joshi'' don't care and smack the mother to the ground, saying that if the girl dies then that's just fate and she should know better than to break ranks and try to defy them. The mother recovers and bitterly asks if the ''joshi'' are really all that special, wishing she had never moved to Tosa from Ozu as the samurai there would have gladly helped her and her daughter- do they really expect her to put them over her own flesh and blood? One of the ''joshi'' draws his sword and asks the woman who she thinks she is, talking to them like that, but before he can strike the woman Ryoma breaks ranks, grabs the sword, and deck the guy. As Ryoma growls that Tosa hasn't changed in the slightest, the second ''joshi'' draws his weapon and asks who Ryoma is, and why he isn't bowing like the other ''goshi''. With this opening, Ryoma tells the mother to take her daughter and run for it- he's a Tosa native, and he knows the ''joshi'' well enough to know they are beyond reasoning with. The mother takes Ryoma's opening and runs while Ryoma faces off against the ''joshi''.

Then that will just have to be what they do, Ryoma says. ''They'' will make the arrangements for the meeting, and when the fake Ryoma comes out of hiding they will attack and be the ones to jump ''him'' for a change. Hijikata asks how Ryoma intends to convince Satsuma and Choshu to meet in the first place, and he says he'll go and speak with Katsura and Saigo himself. Todo, though, says that might be a bit tough- Ito's men are roaming the streets in force, and Ryoma's not exactly an unknown face. If he goes to meet Katsura and Saigo then he's bound to tip off Ito and thus the fake Ryoma. Only Todo can act without suspicion, but with the Great Restoration set in motion Satsuma and Choshu are probably communicating directly with the Emperor and would blow off Todo without a second thought. They'll need to find some way to get Katsura and Saigo on board without tipping off the Goryi Eji.

The group settles in at Omiya and begin their planning. They have the venue, now all these need is their "guests"; Nakaoka says he will meet with Saigo, as while he is an unknown to Satsuma he's also an unknown to the Goryi Eji. And he has a surprise for them all, producing a piece of paper with a highly detailed image on it. Nakaoka explains that this new thing is a "photograph", and the man in the image is the fake Ryoma. The real one quickly identifies him as Takechi Hanpeita, explaining his history and supposed death to the Shinsengumi captains. Both Oryo and Otose are able to confirm that that's the "Sakamoto Ryoma" they remember, with Okita asking Ryoma if he knew Takechi was running around using his name. Ryoma says he first heard it from Izo, but the photograph just confirms it all the more. Nakaoka explains he plans to show the photo to Saigo to convince him to come: Saigo has met Ryoma and knows what he looks like, but the majority of the Satcho most likely do not. Hopefully, the photo will catch Saigo's interest and give Nakaoka a chance to talk to him. Hijikata says that will sort out Saigo, but what about Katsura? Katsura has a reputation as a hard man to meet, so contacting him might be difficult. Ryoma says there ''is'' a way to reach him- they need to get in touch with Ikumatsu, the okami that runs a bar in town Katsura owns, and from there they will be able to reach the man himself. Todo volunteers as he can freely move around town without suspicion, and he can bring up the photograph to strengthen his story. When Nagakura and Okita point out Todo also has to convince Ito to hold the meeting at Omiya, Todo says he'll just make some excuse about needing a drink and slip away. Ryoma warns Todo that he should be careful, as one false move and Ito and the Goryi Eji will be on to him. With their plans settled, Hijikata suggests they return to the barracks before nightfall to rest.

Ryoma rushes to Matsunoi, where he finds Takeda holding Ikumatsu hostage as he helps himself to a drink. Takeda is surprised to see Ryoma, figuring Todo would go to Hijikata, and Ryoma says he thought Takeda was heading to Ito's faction. Takeda says he'll keep Todo's secret, offering Ryoma a drink so they can talk everything over, but Ryoma wants to know what exactly Takeda's plan is. Takeda drinks and offers Ryoma a deal: he knows that Ito and the Goryi Eji are disposable pawns in the fake Ryoma's plan, and seeing the writing on the wall Takeda is considering defecting to Choshu while the going is good. All he wants from Ryoma is for him to put in a good word with Katsura, or would he rather end up like Todo? This and a few thinly-veiled rape threats towards both Ryoma and Ikumatsu causes Ryoma to draw his sword and slice a nearby sake bottle in half, telling Takeda that this just makes his choice all the more easy- he thought he just had to get Takeda to keep quiet, but now he's got no problem with killing the man. Takeda shoves Ikumatsu aside and gets up, saying he was hoping he wouldn't have to kill Ryoma. He draws a pair of pistols, saying that these are the ones the fake Ryoma used to kill Inoue, a gift from the man himself: high-caliber, fast loading, top of the line hardware, nothing Ryoma can stand against. Ryoma does not care and readies himself, and they two fight out of Matsunoi and into the street, and after a long fight Ryoma kills Takeda.

The other three Shinsengumi arrive, asking what happened as the Goryi Eji and Mimawarigumi have all fled. As Hijikata goes to check on Nakaoka, Nagakura and Okita check to see if the other dead man is Sakamoto Ryoma. Nagakura checks the dead man's face and says no, this guy doesn't match the picture, and Okita demands an answer from Ryoma. But all Ryoma can do is repeat what Takechi said- Sakamoto Ryoma died, in this room, this very night.

The three continue their battle, seeking to infiltrate the castle by sneaking in through the basement. They find more enemies below, battling through the narrow caverns as they head deep into the fortress. They fight their way to an engine room, where they find Ito and the Goryi Eji waiting for them. Ito tells Hijikata that he missed a great opportunity- if he had just made Ito Chief, then the Shinsengumi would have grown to new heights. He taunts Hijikata by saying his Goryi Eji are far beyond what the Shinsengumi were, and as he draws his sword he is ready to show him just what that means. The two sides fight, and during the battle the boiler overclocks and fills the room with steam, hiding Ito and the others from one another as they continue their battle. Eventually the Shinsengumi get the better of the Goryi Eji, though Ito himself remains standing, impressed by the Shinsengumi's skills. But he's been training his men hard, and the Goryi Eji are all able to quickly recover and move to fight again. Now it is Hijikata's turn to stay behind, ordering Ryoma to continue onward while he finishes Ito. Takechi is Ryoma's fight, and he needs to get there soon to resolve this whole mess. Ryoma and Okita hurry onward as Hijikata raises his blade in challenge to Ito.

They race through the streets in search of Kondo, but are cut off by Sasaki and his Mibawarigumi. Sasaki blames the Shinsengumi for the fire, drawing his sword and saying that while he doesn't know what they are planning he will see they answer for this. Okita grumbles that this will slow them down, but he was looking for an excuse to cut loose and he and Ryoma battle against the Mibawarigumi. The defeat Sasaki and his men, but more Mibawarigumi arrive on the scene, Okita growling that if they had so much time they could have put out the fires instead of just waiting to jump Shinsengumi. As Sasaki recovers, Okita tells Ryoma to keep up his search for Kondo while he handles the Mibawarigumi, Ryoma departing as Okita issues a challenge to his enemies.

The other three Shinsengumi arrive, asking what happened as the Goryi Eji and Mibawarigumi have all fled. As Hijikata goes to check on Nakaoka, Nagakura and Okita check to see if the other dead man is Sakamoto Ryoma. Nagakura checks the dead man's face and says no, this guy doesn't match the picture, and Okita demands an answer from Ryoma. But all Ryoma can do is repeat what Takechi said- Sakamoto Ryoma died, in this room, this very night.

As they approach the first gate, Sasaki and the Mibawarigumi step out to stop them. Nagakura asks why the Mibawarigumi have teamed up with Takechi and betrayed the Bakufu, but Sasaki tells them he doesn't care- all his life he's been cursing his boring, stagnant place in life, but now that Japan is caught up in instability unlike any seen since the Sengoku period he can't be happier. He wants the chaos to continue, and he isn't going to let the four Shinsengumi captains spoil his fun. While Okita is impressed Sasaki wasn't some stuck up noble, the others are not, and Sasaki draws his sword before he and the Mibawarigumi plunge into the fight. Sasaki is able to put up a good fight, and more Mibawarigumi arrive to do battle. Rather than let their advance be slowed down, Nagakura steps up and tells the others to go on ahead- ordering Hijikata and Okita to protect Ryoma on his hunt for Takechi. The remaining three wish Nakagura well, and rush off as he goes to fight the Mibawarigumi.

Hijikata grabs his sword and rises to his feet, looking to Ito and saying he only mentioned Kondo was "absent", not "killed". The Chief being absent is nothing new, but Ito seemed fairly confident he was dead, and he seems to know that it was at the hands of a ''ronin''. Ito asks what Hijikata is implying, with Ryoma, Okita, and Nagakura moving to join Hijikata surrounding Ito; Ito says that Chief Kondo is still alive and well, unless Ito knows something that he and the others do no. The four draw their swords and aim them at Ito, and when he doesn't speak up Hijikata takes this to be an admission of guilt- Ito has been in cahoots with the fake Ryoma and plotting to undermine the Shinsengumi. He reassures Ito that the Shinsengumi will survive after he is purged, the four raising their swords to execute the traitorous advisor.

In his room at Teradaya, Ryoma has compiled a list of Shinengumi captains and has already crossed out those whom he has determined cannot be the man in the mask, with Kondo being the latest. He hears Oryo coming to wake him and quickly hides his work and hurries back to his futon, passing it off as noisy revelers waking him up at night and being unable to get back to sleep. Oryo spots Ryoma's pen and ink, hinting that something is off with his cover story, but doesn't reveal anything before telling Ryoma that breakfast is ready. Once Oryo leaves, Ryoma pulls his list back out, noting that he only has four ''Tennen Rishin'' users left to interrogate, with his focus falling on Okita Soji's name.

Ryoma has one more question: if Oryo had been working with the Loyalists all this time, why did "Ryoma" show up today of all days? Oryo confesses she doesn't know, but "Ryoma" did mention he had a job to finish up in Kyo while he was there. As Ryoma contemplates this, Otose asks him what he plans to do with Oryo, with Oryo saying she is willing to take whatever punishment he has in mind. Oryo asks if Ryoma hates her, but Ryoma says he has no right to hate her because he also has his own secrets. He confesses to the two women that he is the ''real'' Sakamoto Ryoma, and the "Ryoma" Oryo knows is an imposter that's been using his name. He lays out the fakes crimes, his role in the death of Yoshida Toyo and his dealings with the British, and that he bears the same scars as Takechi Hanpeita. But Takechi was executed, supposedly, and even if he really is the imposter Ryoma has no idea why he would want Toyo dead. He sinks to the ground, lamenting that he is so confused and unsure of himself right now, but Oryo breaks him out by asking of he would like to meet the Sakamoto Ryoma she knows. There is, in fact, another member of the Shinsengumi who knows the fake Ryoma- if he meets that man, perhaps he could lead Ryoma to his double. Ryoma asks who the Shinengumi member is, with Oryo confessing that it is Yamazaki. With that information, Ryoma immediately grabs his sword and leaves Teradaya.

Ryoma returns to the barracks where he is greeted by Sanosuke, the Tenth Captain furious that once again the Shinsengumi look like weaklings given that their own barracks are no longer safe from attack. If Ryoma is feeling anything, he can go to the warehouse and pay his respects, Sanosuke informing Ryoma that Todo is there investigating the crime scene. Ryoma arrives at the warehouse just as the Shinsengumi are loading Yamazaki's corpse up for burial, Todo greeting him once the body is away. Todo explains that Yamazaki was stabbed though the heart from behind, guessing that whoever did it attacked him at night while he was unaware. Yamazaki was always a cautious person, so whoever killed him must have been someone he trusted, possibly even one of the Shinsengumi captains. On that note, Todo asks Ryoma where he was that night, with Ryoma saying he was staying at Terdaya before flipping the script, saying that if the Shinengumi captains are suspects then Todo himself is a candidate as well. Todo acknowledges this as a possibility and laughs it off, Ryoma departing soon after.

Before they can, Todo fires a shot into the air, whining that this isn't how he saw his tenure with the Shinengumi ending. He gets up and aims his pistol at the others, telling them that killing Ito isn't in the best interest of anyone right now. As the four take in Todo's betrayal, Ito laughs before getting up to join Todo and Takeda; he says that he'd hoped a little scheming would get him the Shinsengumi, but at the very least he was able to convince a few others... by "few others", he means a large group of Shinsengumi troopers, the men forming up outside the meeting hall. The three mutinous captains discard their Shinsengumi haori as Ito announces that he will be forming a new organization: the Goryo Eji. He says they will replace the Shinsengumi, and without funds the Shinsengumi will not be long for this world. With that, he bids a mocking farewell as he and the mutineers leave, the four captains watching as the Goryo Eji depart.

Ryoma leaves the barracks and heads for the docks to stop Okita before he goes to kill crazy. He heads into town to find some of the First Division harassing a local ''ronin'' for information, despite the man's pleas that he knows nothing. Ryoma steps in and asks if this is really how they want to reflect the SHinsengumi, but the leader of the trio says they are following Okita's orders and he told them to give no quarter to suspects... or those that interfere. Ryoma gets the message and beats the trio down, asking them if they know why Okita's so worked up over Inoue. The men, though, don't know anything about Okita's motives, leaving Ryoma with no leads as he heads towards the harbor. He arrives at the harbor and begins looking around before Yamazaki approaches him from the shadows. He has a message from Ito, saying that he wants no further interruptions to the Shinsengumi's plans, and Ryoma must stop Okita at all costs. Ryoma asks if there's any other information, with Yamazaki saying that Okita and the First Division are heading towards Mukurogai- apparently they have a suspect, a ''komuso'' (so named for the straw baskets they wear as hats). Ryoma asks how Yamazaki knows a ''komuso'' killed Inoue, with Yamazaki saying he doesn't know the full story but Okita must have some kind of lead. Still, having the First Division rampage is bad for everyone, so Yamazaki repeats Ito's orders to take down Okita in Mukurogai. Ryoma accepts, but he has his own message for Ito- one of these days, Ito should get out and do his dirty work himself instead of bossing the likes of Ryoma around.

Ryoma enters Kochi Castle and finds Takechi right where he expected to: the meeting room where they met Toyo the night he was murdered. Takechi explains that while Tosa may have changed, he made sure that this room stayed exactly as it was that night. He goes on to say that that night, Toyo was not going to choose Takechi: he had plans to leave the entirety of the Tosa Loyalist Party in Ryoma's hands. Ryoma is surprised by this, but Takechi is not: Ryoma has not changed, in that he will sacrifice everything for others but is completely blind to his own self. He could never allow Ryoma to be so naïve, and he could never forgive Toyo for passing Tosa on to Ryoma instead of him. Ryoma asks if Takechi had Toyo killed just so he could be in charge, but Takechi counters that in order to change Tosa sacrifices had to be made: bloodshed was always inevitable, and both Ryoma and Toyo were too kind and compassionate to make the hard calls and see the revolution through to the end. Toyo would never see things that way, and so in order to see his vision through Takechi had Toyo killed. Ryoma asks if Takechi expects him to believe that, with Takechi continuing on that Toyo was too caught up in the method of his revolution rather than the end result. Furthermore, they were both raised as tools of Toyo's plans, so Takechi was only carrying out his orders to their logical conclusion.

After a pause, Ryoma draws his blade to meet Takechi's challenge, saying that he sees a new spark within Takechi; Takechi agrees, not sure what it is but getting to fight Ryoma again has him excited. They both agree to hold back nothing, and with that they charge forward to attack. Their battle is fierce, and after a BladeLock Takechi knocks Ryoma into another room. As Ryoma recovers, he narrowly cuts through a sliding door Takechi throws at him before gdeflecting Takechi's follow up strikes. Ryoma breaks away to go for his pistol, but Takechi has grabbed his own gun and tries shooting Ryoma's out of his hand. After a brief pause to gain a better position, the two reengage and continue the fight, eventually following each other up to the roof of Kochi Castle. There, Takechi discards his pistol for a final duel, the two men clashing once more. After a grueling fight, Ryoma defeats Takechi.

Ryoma spots a man in a tiger-pattern haori (Toranosuke Sengoku) and guesses that's Sengoku). He continues his fight past Sengoku's guards, even managing to slip past a chokepoint where Sengoku attempt to shoot him with a Gatling gun. Still, the cowardly Sengoku retreats further into his castle, with Ryoma continuing to pursue as he cuts down more of the Loyalist guards (even briefly turning the Gatling gun on some men pursuing him). Ryoma finally corners Sengoku, the man pleading for his life as Ryoma tells him he's coming with the Shinsengumi. Before that can happen, though, Okita steps in and tells Sengoku to drop the act- as it turns out, the two were in cahoots with each other the whole time, and Sengoku got the Loyalists drunk so Okita and Ryoma would have an easy time fighting them. Ryoma asks why Okita didn't tell him about this sooner, with Okita feigning ignorance. Sengoku continues running his mouth, asking why there's no camaraderie between the Shinsengumi- perhaps it has something to do with Kamo? Okita tells Sengoku not to believe everything he hears, with Sengoku giving a quick quip about how Okita was supposed to be pretty before he backtracks and says that the Bakufu could put him to good use as a middleman. Ryoma asks if Sengoku really sold out the Loyalists to join the Bakufu, but Sengoku says he did much more than that- he sold Ryoma out too, eagerly asking Okita if he's going to let the secret out and tell him why he asked Sengoku to lure Ryoma here.

As Sengoku dies, Ryoma asks Okita why he killed the man. Okita tells him he broke Shinsengumi rules: no one talks about Kamo. But he adds Sengoku ''did'' have one good question: Why is Ryoma here, which Okita will tell Ryoma if he asks nicely. Ryoma does so, and Okita aims his sword at Ryoma before saying this is how they deal with traitors, revealing he knows Ryoma's true name. He boasts that he figured Ryoma as a fake on day one, coming in looking for ''Tennen Rishin'' users. And how would he know this? Because ''Okita'' is the man in the mask, taking up his fighting stance and taunting Ryoma about killing Toyo. Ryoma takes up a fighting stance of his own, Okita saying now they will have no distractions as they finish their fight. With that Okita charges in, Ryoma fighting off the mad flurry of blows from the Shinsengumi captain. Part of the way through their fight, Okita hurls his katana at Ryoma, rushing in with his tanto when Ryoma deflects the blade. Eventually, Ryoma breaks Okita's blade and tackles him to the ground, holding his sword to Okita's throat while Okita presses his broken tanto to Ryoma's stomach. Okita lets the weapon tumble from his fingers and compliments Ryoma on his skills, goading him into delivering the killing blow.

Ryoma returns to the barracks to find Hijikata talking with Okita. Hijikata calls to Ryoma and tells him he has a request: Yamazaki has narrowed down the Loyalist base to two locations, Ikedaya and Shikokuya. The meeting on the arson attack will take place at one of them, so to keep tabs Hijikata will be splitting the Shinsengumi into two forces to watch each inn. Ryoma and the Third Division will join Hijikata, and he asks Ryoma which inn they should cover. Ryoma suggest Shikokuya, with Hijikata accepting before Okita guesses that means he's watching Ikedaya. Okita departs and Ryoma asks if that was all, with Hijikata telling Ryoma to stay at the barracks for now so they will all be assembled for the raid. As Ryoma waits, Matsubara approaches him and tells him Hijikata wishes to speak with him at the warehouse. Inside, Ryoma finds Hijikata, Okita, and Nagakura standing around a beaten man, whom Okita identifies as Furutaka Shuntaro. Hijikata asks Furutaka to tell Ryoma what he told the others, with Furutaka weakly saying there are forty conspirators involved, the most dangerous being Yoshida and a man from Choshu named Katsura Kogoro. Nagakura says he hasn't heard of Yoshida, but Kogoro's a skilled swordsman and fast (giving him the nickname "Slippery Kogoro"), with Hijikata saying he's clever too and likely the mastermind behind the plot. Orders are to take the two of them alive, if possible, with Hijikata adding that Yoshida and Kogoro are only to be engaged by those Shinsengumi captains currently in the room- anyone else would be a waste. Okita and Nagakura suggest they get moving, but Hijikata says that if they all mobilize at once it could tip their enemies off- instead, they are to leave the barracks one at a time and head directly to their targets.

Hijikata's spy returns and reports that Shikokuya is quiet, no Loyalists anywhere. Hijikata guess this means they chose the wrong location, ordering his men to hurry to Ikedaya. The Shinsengumi arrive and the regular troopers rush in, with Ryoma and Hijikata following after the latter reminds Ryoma to prioritize Yoshida and Kogoro. Before they go inside, though, Ryoma spots Nakaoka in the crowd outside, the ''ronin'' giving Ryoma a shake of his head which he interprets as either Nakaoka failed to convince the Loyalists to lay low or the Shinsengumi got there first. With that he runs in, fighting his way through the Loyalists to reach the upper level of the inn. Once there he finds Nagakura injured and knocked against the wall, Nagakura lamenting he got cocky and should have waited. Ryoma gets his first look at the giant bruiser that is Yoshida (Futoshi Shimano), moving in to fight the Loyalist leader as Nagakura recovers. Ryoma steps inside and manages to overpower and defeat Yoshida.

Nagakura congratulates Ryoma on the win, but their battle is not over- Kogoro is still out there somewhere, and they need to take him down as well. Ryoma resumes his search, fighting off several ambushes on his way through the inn. finally he reaches the room Kogoro is supposedly in, opening it to find Niibori standing onver the dead bodies of several Shinsengumi troopers. Niibori greets Ryoma and confirms that he is Katsura Kogoro, leader of Choshu, with Ryoma asking how a smart man like him could come up with such a stupid plan like the arson attack. Katsura admits this looks really bad, but it's all a misunderstanding; he'd tried to talk some sense into Yoshida, but Yoshida could not be swayed and enough aggressive men had already signed on to make it impossible to steer away from extremism. So he came up with a plan of his own- set up a situation wherein Yamazaki could capture Furutaka. A dirty business, but it's better than seeing Kyo go up in smoke, only now Katsura's neck is on the line. He sheathes his sword and begs Ryoma to let him escape, as killing him here won't save Japan, and this isn't what Takechi would want either. Ryoma lowers his weapon and asks how Katsura knows Takechi, and Katsura reveals he knows Ryoma's real name: Takechi told him everything about Ryoma and why he joined the Shinsengumi, and with their relationship they can ultimately say they're on the same side in this fight.

At the Kyo-Satsuma Consulate, Saigo is meeting with two men. He asks one, Bakufu Admiral Katsu Rintaro (Masato Arakawa), if he is speaking with him because he intends to retire to Satsuma, but Katsu says he's not there to discuss retirement at this time. Rather, he is here because he disapproves of Satsuma's leadership- the idealists of Choshu will not be able to directly challenge the Bakufu, and will require Satsuma's military forces to get anything accomplished. Saigo wonders if the Bakufu would take kindly to what he is saying, but Katsu reminds Saigo that he should be keenly aware of which side he is on- he had pled with the shogunate to modernize and build a Western-style nation, but his concerns were ignored. So he will take matters into his own hands and undermine the Bakufu, and he wants Satsuma's support in this endeavor. With Katsu destabilizing the interior and Saigo's army pushing the defenses, the Bakufu will fall and Japan will be Saigo's for the taking. As a token of his goodwill, Katsu has brought a weapon for Saigo to use- a man who has made deep inroad with the British to bring weapons and money into Japan, weapons that could overthrow Edo Castle in a day with applied properly. The man's name? Sakamoto Ryoma.

"Sakamoto Ryoma", famed hero of the Ishin period, was murdered that night. The real Ryoma narrates what lead up to that point: for 300 years Japan had been under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate (the ''Bafuku''), but the arrival of American warships under command of Commodore Matthew Perry destabilized and would ultimately undo the Bafuku. Powerless against the advanced Western weapons, the samurai and the shogunate realized how weak their rule was, and as samurai do not serve weak rulers civil unrest began to form among the populace.

Ryoma narrates that the Loyalist Party has evolved into a national force in the year since Toyo's death. Now, they seek the overthrow of the Bafuku and the elevation of the Emperor as supreme ruler over Japan, and as such many of them have gathered in the royal capital of Kyo (Kyoto), where the Emperor resides. Some have even gone as far as to murder Bafuku officials and generally disturb the peace of the city.

As Ryoma heads out for the day, Otose stops him and tells him to be careful; as a ''ronin'' (and a suspicious one at that) he's likely to attract unwanted attention from some of the folks around town. Ryoma asks if she means the Shinsegumi will just cut him down in the street, to which Otose replies they will- they talk big about protecting order within the city, but ever since the Bafuku let them loose they've been on a rampage against anyone that crosses them and have only made the violence in the city worse. It'd be a shame if Ryoma just drank and gambled away his money only to end up dead in the street, but Ryoma is unperturbed and asks of she's only looking out for him in order to ensure she'll get his rent money. Otose tells Ryoma to think whatever he wants, and with that Ryoma is off. He makes a show of staggering through the street as a tired wastrel, drawing mocking laughter from the citizens of Kyo, but once he's out of sight he drops the act and strides off with purpose.

Frustrated by his lack of progress, Ryoma decides to roam the streets in search of more clues. As he wanders through town, he passes a pair of ''ronin'' trying to stiff a barmaid on their tab, saying that since they're fighting against the Bafuku they don't need to pay. One of them bumps into Ryoma and demands he apologize, but Ryoma has neither money nor an apology for scum like them. This angers the two ''ronin'' and they draw their swords, but Ryoma proves the better fighter and sends them running. The barmaid thanks Ryoma for his help, as they have had to deal with men like that with increasing frequency around town. The woman pays Ryoma one ''ryo'' for his trouble and sends him on his way, Ryoma continuing his search around town for more information. As he continues down the main drag, he sees a few shady ''ronin'' stop when they spot Shinsengumi troopers, running off so as to not draw their attention. Ryoma goes to do the same, but before he can he's stopped by a familiar face: Shimada Yahei from Tosa, who happily greets Ryoma unaware that he's in Kyo under an alias. Ryoma tries to insist that he's got the wrong guy, but Shimada continue to claim he's Ryoma. This draws the attention of the Shinsengumi, Ryoma and Shimada running when the troopers begin pursuing them.

They start back at the beginning, the Bathkeeper recapping all the info on ''Tennen Rishin'' Ryoma already has. What Ryoma ''doesn't'' know, though, is that after moving from Edo to Kyo, the ''Tennen Rishin'' practitioners set up a certain organization backed by the Bafuku to maintain order and stability in Kyo: the Shinsengumi. The head of the Shinsengumi, Kondo Isami, is the fourth heir to the ''Tennen Rishin'' style- he and six other masters make up the top brass of the Shinsengumi: Deputy Chief Hijikata Toshizo, General Secretary Yamanami Keisuke, First Division Captain Okita Soji, Second Division Captain Nagakura Shinpachi, Sixth Division Captain Inoue Genzaburo, and Eigth Division Captain Todo Heisuke. At first they were mocked for their "rube swordplay", but that all changed when they started getting results and massacring Loyalists by the dozens. The Shinsengumi is roughly a thousand strong as of now, and with the officers at the head they could even put the armies of the Sengoku period to shame. Ryoma asks if any of the officers mentioned travelled to Tosa in the last year, but the Bathkeeper doesn't know that- one would have to get really close to the officers to learn that information, and that would take a lot of time. The Bathkeepr can do it for a substantial fee, but Ryoma declines as he now has a clear idea of just where his target is. The Bathkeeper asks what his plan is, but before Ryoma can answer they hear a commotion outside as the attendant tries to keep a new arrival from entering. From the sound of the slap, it doesn't go well.

Ryoma is shocked to learn that Takechi willingly joined with the men who may have killed Toyo, but Takechi states things have changed: Tosa alone isn't in need of change, but Japan as a whole, and they need to eliminate the Bafuku that set in motion the system that allows places like Tosa to exist. That was the endgame of what he and Toyo were planning, and if he has to ally with the old men of Tosa then so be it. Takechi says that power for reformation must come from the Emperor, so every Loyalist in Japan is gathering in Kyo to form a fighting force that can overthrow the Bafuku and restore the Emperor to full power. Ryoma asks if Takechi thinks numbers alone will be enough to overthrow the Bafuku, which Takechi does believe as did Toyo (so he claims). The Tokugawa power base is crumbling as they speak, and the Black Ships did more than just shock the nation with fear- it reinvigorated it's spirit, and now is the time to act. Already a plan is working its way through the Imperial Court to oust the Bafuku, and Takechi is on the run due to his part in the scheme (explaining why he's in Mukurogai).

Takechi cannot believe that Ryoma is serious about joining the Shinsengumi, but Ryoma holds fast to his plan. Takechi says it's too dangerous, especially now with his position- he could easily get Ryoma back into Tosa without any further issues, and there's no need to waste his life trying to hunt down a killer. Even if he did join, how would he identify the masked man without knowing his voice or face? Ryoma knows the man's fighting style, and if he crosses blades with him again he'll identify him that way. Takechi tells Ryoma to forget about that and rejoin the Loyalists with him, as that's what Toyo would have wanted for them. Ryoma refuses, saying he would never work with the men who ordered Toyo's death, asking Takechi if he would really use everyone and everything to achieve his goal. Takechi insists they must take down the Bafuku to ensure Tosa's freedom, as there's no other way for ''goshi'' like them. Ryoma yells that Takechi is missing the point- if Toyo was there right now would Takechi be able to tell him that everything he's doing is for the best of Tosa? Could he lie to Toyo like that? Takechi says he would, and it would be the truth. He flips the question back and asks Ryoma if ''he'' is proud of what he is doing, running after some half-baked revenge scheme. Toyo gave them the tools to make a great future, not some rage-fueled passion project that keeps them stuck in the past. Ryoma asks if Takechi would just let Toyo's killer go free and move on, but Takechi says they need to look at the bigger picture first. Ryoma moves to leave, saying that next time they meet Takechi may be too far gone and he may not be able to call him "brother"; ultimately, he ''can't'' see the big picture like Takechi, and he needs to find out who ordered Toyo killed and why, and until he does so he'll never be at peace. Ryoma leaves, and when Takechi goes to get more sake he ends up smashing the jar in frustration.

Hijikata declares Ryoma will begin his official duties the following day, tasking Fourth Division Captain Matsubara Chuji (Yu Morinaga) with explaining Ryoma's new role. Matsubara asks why him, with Hijikata saying Matsubara is fairly new to the position of captain as well, so it will serve as a good refresher. Matsubara protests that he doesn't think Ryoma is worthy of being a captain given all the trials he and the others went through, but Hijikata clarifies that was an order, not a request. However, Eighth Division Captain Todo Heisuke (Tianyou Zhao) chimes in and volunteers to take Matsubara's place as Ryoma's teacher if he doesn't want it and Hijikata is alright with the change. Matsubara calls Todo a suck-up, but Hijikata approves the change while Todo happily tells Ryoma they'll talk later. Hijikata then informs the others that Yamanami has been dealt with, saying that he committed ''seppuku'' as per the Shinsengumi's laws. Sanosuke says Hijikata went too far, as Yamanami was with them since the Edo days and questioning if he really had to die. Todo points out that Sanosuke wasn't from the Edo days, so why should he care so much, with Sanosuke countering that he was trained by Kondo so he's an Edo man at heart. Hijikata continues that the Shinsengumi's laws are deserters are to be put to death- Yamanami knew this and yet still tried to desert, as did Serizawa Kamo, Hiryama Goro, and Hirama Jusuke the previous year. No exceptions are to be made, which the assembled captains had better remember in case they get any ideas. Hijikata rises and says the Bafuku has put the utmost faith in the Shinsengumi, so he expects the best of all of them before the adjourns the meeting and departs.

Ryoma arrives back at Teradaya and is greeted by Otose, whose surprised at how well Ryoma's first day as Third Captain went. Ryoma asks if she's still worried about him paying rent, which Otose replies she is- she has a business to run and a familiarity with reckless debtors that die without paying, so she won't stop worrying until she has money in hand. She spots the bag and asks what's inside, Ryoma confirming it's his new Captain's Uniform. Otose takes it and says she'll have it stitched up good as new, though it will be another charge on Ryoma's tab for the future. Otose calls Oryo and asks her to patch up the haori, but Oryo refuses. When pressed by Otose, Oryo says she refuses to help those who join with murderers, running off while declaring she hates the Shinsengumi. Ryoma asks if she has a history with the Shinsengumi, with Otose saying Oryo's father was killed by a Bafuku official. Her father was a Loyalist to boot, so she's a mite touchy towards those with a license to kill, and to compound it all she's probably very upset that the man she fancies is joining the very thing she loathes. Ryoma is surprised to learn Oryo has feelings for him, with Otose calling him dense as Oryo wasn't exactly being subtle. For now, though, Otose suggests they drop that matter and tells Ryoma go reconcile with Oryo, pointing him towards the Kamo River where Oryo possibly ran off to.

Ryoma and Nakaoka fight their way through the hordes of Loyalists, eventually escaping from the temple. The two compliment each other on their fighting skills, with Nakaoka deciding to move his operations to Teradaya so he'll be closer to Ryoma. Ryoma accepts this before asking if Nakaoka is going to continue pursuing Takechi, but Nakaoka says he will put that aside for now; Takechi is back in Tosa, and he wants to refocus his efforts on the Shinsengumi. Ryoma is surprised to learn Takechi is back in Tosa, Nakaoka informing him Takechi was recently summoned back by the Lord of Tosa, who has just returned from Edo. Ryoma asks if he knows why Takechi was summoned back, Nakaoka explains that the Lord of Tosa, Yamauchi Yodo, lost his standing in the Ansei Purge and was forced to retire to the countryside. He originally had Toyo acting in his stead, but now that Toyo is dead Yodo was allowed by the Bafuku to return to Tosa. Ryoma asks why he would summon Takechi, though, and Nakaoka is unsure of that. He does say that Takechi did succeed in taming the Tosa elders and became their de facto leader, something that Yodo is sure to take umbrage at- Nakaoka says that if Yodo had been in Tosa instead of Toyo, the Loyalist Party would never have gotten a chance to take root and grow into what it is today. Ryoma asks if this means Takechi and the Loyalists are in danger, with Nakaoka saying that all depends on what Lord Yodo decides. For now, they need to focus on finding the masked man, and as he leaves Nakaoka reminds Ryoma that Takechi isn't the one infiltrating the Shinsengumi, and Ryoma is in a more dangerous position than Takechi (which Ryoma agrees with).

After leaving Hinata, Ryoma decides to head back to the barracks to report to Hijikata. Upon arriving, he sees Tani talking with some of his men from the Seventh Division, saying that they're going to complete their next job solo so they can get the full reward. Ryoma asks if something happened, but Tani tells him it's none of his business before he and his men depart. As they leave, Ryoma is approached by Inoue, who informs him "Izo the Butcher" is in town, Ryoma clarifying that they mean Okada Izo. Inoue confirms, saying Izo has killed several Bafuku officials and the Shinsengumi has been hunting him for some time now. Yamazaki tracked down Izo after he killed a Shinsengumi trooper near the river, but while the local magistrate wants him alive Tani and Suzuki (who are on the case) are just as likely to kill him if they catch him. They have gone to a gambling den in Rakugan where Izo is hiding out, and Inoue suggests, Ryoma join him in getting to the others. But he warns Ryoma that Izo is not to be underestimated, and could easily kill him in a fight. With that, the two captains head off after their compatriots.

Ryoma and Inoue depart the gambling hall, Ryoma guessing Inoue had called the police well ahead of time. Inoue confirms this, with Ryoma guessing that Inoue never intended to execute Izo in the first place. Inoue confirms this as well, saying he wanted to test Ryoma to see if he was more composed than Tani or Suzuki were. Though it did seem like Izo and Ryoma were quite friendly for being on opposite sides of the Bafuku-Loyalist war, but Ryoma tells Inoue not to look too deep into it. Inoue agrees before asking Ryoma if he would like to know where Izo is headed- Ryoma guesses a jail in Kyo, but Inoue says he's heading back to Tosa; the entire operation was orchestrated by Lord Yodo, who has arranged for Izo to be brought to him alive. Ryoma asks what Yodo wants with Izo, which Inoue can't say for certain- he guesses Yodo wants to crush the Loyalists, using Izo to undermine Takechi's power as Takechi had been using Izo as his personal hitman while Yodo was in Edo. Once Izo arrives in Tosa, Inoue suspects he'll be brutally tortured, and if he confesses that Takechi was his handler it will be enough for Yodo to destroy the Loyalists and have Takechi executed. Inoue muses it might have been better if he'd killed Izo here instead of turning him over to Yodo, as this could spell bad news to the Loyalist Party. As Inoue leaves, Ryoma curses himself for putting Takechi and the Loyalists in danger.

Matsubara then asks Hijikata if it's true that they've captured a Choshu agent, which Hijikata confirms as the reason behind their meeting today. He explains Yamazaki captured a Loyalist spy named Furutaka Shuntaro. Shuntaro was captured alongside a large cache of gunpowder and explosives, and after a few hours of torture he confessed to quite the dastardly plot- forty Loyalists were conspiring to start a fire to burn down the Imperial Palace. Todo says that makes no sense as the Loyalists swear allegiance to the Emperor, so why would they seek to burn his home down? Hijikata explains that if the palace went up in flames, every Bafuku-aligned force (including the Shinsengumi) would be drawn to one spot, which the Loyalists would then attack and destroy them all in one stroke. Okita comments that it seems the Loyalists are finally looking to attack the Shinsengumi, but Hijikata explains there's more than just that- in the resulting chaos, the Loyalists would break into the palace and kidnap the Emperor, Ito adding that with the Emperor in hand they would force him to issue a decree to attack the Bafuku directly.

Ryoma leaves the barracks and heads towards Shikokuya. Upon arriving he links up with Hijikata, who tells him he sent a spy inside to scope out the place and alert them when the Loyalists arrive. ''If'' the Loyalists arrive, as if they head to Ikedaya then they'll have to regroup quickly to link up with Okita's group. As they wait, Hijikata notices that Ryoma seems pretty composed for the work ahead before asking if he and Matsubara have been talking lately. Ryoma asks why he's interested in that, and Hijikata says Matsubara had been asking questions about Ryoma earlier that day and it seemed a bit conspicuous. Ryoma doesn't answer, so Hijikata asks why he joined the Shinsengumi, with Ryoma replying that Hijikata should have asked him that when he first showed up. He lies and says that he had no real reason, just nowhere else to turn to in life; Hijikata asks if that's true, as with his skill any Loyalist party or Bafuku militia would have taken him, but Ryoma says he'll go wherever he has some value. Hijikata understands- in fact, he sympathizes, as he and Chief Kondo both were born to peasant families. Hijikata personally had no assumptions he would be anything more than a peasant farmer, but the arrival of the Black Ships upended everything and allowed him to pursue his dream. Kondo has a dream as well, and with the Shinsengumi he and others like him have a real chance at seeing that dream come to fruition. Ryoma asks if he means for the benefit of the Bafuku, but Hijikata says it's for the benefit of the country. Some day he'll tell Ryoma the full story, as he holds Ryoma in high esteem- all he needs now is for Ryoma to trust his methods.

At the Kyo-Satsuma Consulate, Saigo is meeting with two men. He asks one, Bafuku Admiral Katsu Rintaro (Masato Arakawa), if he is speaking with him because he intends to retire to Satsuma, but Katsu says he's not there to discuss retirement at this time. Rather, he is here because he disapproves of Satsuma's leadership- the idealists of Choshu will not be able to directly challenge the Bafuku, and will require Satsuma's military forces to get anything accomplished. Saigo wonders if the Bafuku would take kindly to what he is saying, but Katsu reminds Saigo that he should be keenly aware of which side he is on- he had pled with the shogunate to modernize and build a Western-style nation, but his concerns were ignored. So he will take matters into his own hands and undermine the Bafuku, and he wants Satsuma's support in this endeavor. With Katsu destabilizing the interior and Saigo's army pushing the defenses, the Bafuku will fall and Japan will be Saigo's for the taking. As a token of his goodwill, Katsu has brought a weapon for Saigo to use- a man who has made deep inroad with the British to bring weapons and money into Japan, weapons that could overthrow Edo Castle in a day with applied properly. The man's name? Sakamoto Ryoma.

Inside the Shinsengumi compound, Nagakura fills in Ryoma on who the Mimawarigumi are- they are essentially "high born" Shinsengumi, retainers of the Bafuku on special assignment compared to the ''ronin'' of the Shinsengumi. Because of this class divide, the Mimawarigumi are spiteful of the Shinsengumi, though Nagakura concedes that their leader Sasaki does have some skill about him. He warns Ryoma to keep an eye out for Sasaki, just in case. Ryoma decides to change topics and asks how Nagakura is recovering from his wounds from Ikedaya, with Nagakura replying that he's on the mend and grateful for Ryoma taking on Yoshida. Ryoma says that ''he'' is the one that should be grateful, saying he owes Nagakura one for covering him on Katsura. Nagakura, though, says Ryoma owes him nothing; he has honestly grown tired of killing their own, which Ryoma guesses means the incident with Serizawa Kamo. Ryoma asks what happened that day, and Nagakura tells him the story; before they were the Shinsengumi, they were known as the Miburoshigumi, and there were ten ''Tennen Rishin'' users including Nagakura, the other surviving captains, Kamo, and his followers Hirama Jusuke and Hirayama Goro. A power struggle arose between those three and the other ''Tennen Rishin'' users, with control of the Miburoshigumi up for grabs. Kamo wasn't just a brilliant swordsman, but well educated as well, Nagakura saying he was the only one who could have challenged Kondo for control of a group like this. Hijikata disagreed, with Ryoma asking if that meant Hijikata killed Kamo; Nagakura says no, he never learned who killed Kamo and honestly he doesn't care, warning Ryoma that no one talks about Kamo if they want to survive in the Shinsengumi. Ryoma asks Nagakura why a man like him joined the Shinsengumi, with Nagakura saying he owes Kondo his life for covering him when Nagakura killed a man by mistake. If he can see Kondo's dream through to the end, then he'll be happy with himself. Ryoma says Kondo sounds like a remarkable man, with Nagakura saying that one day Ryoma should see that for himself. Ryoma expresses interest in meeting Kondo, with Nagakura directing him to Kondo's room in the deepest part in the compound, though he warns him that no one is likely in at this time.

As Ryoma leaves the compound, Inoue arrives and asks if Ryoma would like to see the chief. Ryoma says he's just been curious, nothing more, but Inoue says he's in luck as Kondo has a mission that he feels Ryoma would be perfect for. Ryoma asks what the mission is, and Inoue asks him if he's heard of "Sakamoto Ryoma". Ryoma feigns ignorance, with Inoue explaining his relationship with Takechi and his role as Loyalist Party Rep, and how Ryoma is believed to be the killer of Yoshida Toyo. Kondo's orders are for Ryoma to learn everything there is about "Ryoma", with Ryoma asking where he should start. Inoue says Sakamoto Ryoma was reported at the Satsuma consulate, explaining further that after fleeing Tosa he was taken in by a Bafuku Admiral named Katsu Rintaro. Katsu has even giving Ryoma a ship, which he apparently uses as a means to purchase weapons from the British in Nagasaki through a merchant by the name of Thomas Glover. Ryoma asks what "Ryoma" is planning to do with British weapons, with Inoue saying that's what the chief wants him to find out. He suggests Ryoma go to the Satsuma Consulate first and see if he can learn anything, as Katsu apparently brought "Ryoma" there to introduce him to Saigo Kichinosuke, and if Saigo is meeting with Katsu perhaps he might speak with Ryoma as well. Any information Ryoma gets, he can report directly to Kondo.

Nakaoka warns that Saigo will be a difficult challenge to face- Satsuma has grown powerful and wealthy from centuries of foreign trade, such that even the Bafuku tread lightly when dealing with them lest they side with the Loyalists. And if there is anyone leading the Satsuma, it's Saigo, who keeps his own counsel and is long on trust. Ostensibly the Bafuku and Satsuma are allies against Choshu (whom Satsuma has a longstanding grudge against), but eventually the Satsuma might take a shot at the shogunate and the Loyalists would most likely have to fall in line for that. However, Choshu is filled with radical idealists, so the rank-and-file of either side is more likely to try and kill the other rather than cooperate. Still, they need to figure out how Ryoma fits into this all- if the fake has access to British weapons, he's likely to have a great deal of leverage. Nakaoka will poke around and see if there is anything he can learn, while he suggests Ryoma stay the course and conduct his investigation into the fake.

Kondo explains that he heard of Toyo's murder and how the man held responsible fled to Edo and began looking for ''Tennen Rishin'' users. That man is sitting in front of him now, so the Sakamoto Ryoma down in Nagasaki is a fake buying weapons from the British. Ryoma fakes ignorance, which Kondo commends him on before reassuring Ryoma that his secret identity will not leave the room and the Shinsengumi won't silence him as a traitor. Kondo gets to the point- Ryoma has talent, whether he's Ryoma or Saito, and Kondo would like to recruit him for a little project he has in mind. Ryoma asks what the project is, and Kondo tells him he plans to relocate the capital from Kyo to Edo. He explains to Ryoma that he sees this as the only way to keep Japan from collapsing under the crisis it finds itself in; the Loyalists are hellbent on a fight with the Bafuku, a fight that would leave Japan too weak to resist an Imperialistic invasion from the British or Americans. Ryoma asks how moving the capital to Edo solves that problem, with Kondo explaining Kyo must die and the Royal Family with it. Ryoma is outraged as that's the exact same plan the Loyalists have, but Kondo counters that the Loyalist saw the Emperor as a means for war- he'll use the Emperor as a means for peace by destroying the divide between the Bafuku and the Emperor. Right now, both sides of the conflict have their own claims to power separated by a gap, but what if that gap were closed? Kyo is the seat of imperial power, but how can one reconcile that with the Bafuku located in Edo? Wouldn't it make more sense to have one seat of power rather than two? Ryoma asks if Kondo realizes what he's saying, and Kondo says yes- once Kyo is razed the Emperor will have nothing left and be forced to move his court to Edo. The Loyalists will have no one to back and no way to reach the Emperor if he is in the clutches of the Bafuku, and Japan's governing authority would be consolidated in one place.

Ryoma counters that if Kondo topples the Imperial Court, people across Japan will want revenge against the Bafuku. Kondo replies that's why he chose a fire as his vector of change, to best cover their tracks and deflect blame, and the Shinsengumi are well trained to act quickly and get the job done. In fact, that's why the Shinsengumi even exist- to assemble those with the skill to annihilate a city. Of course, not every officer can be trusted with the plan, with Ryoma asking why Kondo chose ''him'' to discuss this with. Kondo says Ryoma has proven his worth, and he has something to offer Ryoma to sweeten the deal- the identity of the man who killed Toyo. Ryoma asks if Kondo really knows who it was, with Kondo replying yes- he's the chief of the Shinsengumi, and no one in the Shinsengumi does anything without his knowledge. If Ryoma wants that information, all he has to do is sign on to Kondo's plan to move the capital. But Ryoma is unconvinced and calls the plan idiotic, saying Kondo cares not for the people of Kyo and would be sacrificing all of them for his political gains. Kondo counters that more people would die in a civil war and some sacrifices need to be made to impart great change. Still, Ryoma refuses and makes to leave, telling Kondo he is unlike him and isn't going to be tearing apart more families.

Ryoma spots a man in a tiger-pattern haori (Toranosuke Sengoku) and guesses that's Sengoku). He continues his fight past Sengoku's guards, even managing to slip past a chokepoint where Sengoku attempt to shoot him with a Gatling gun. Still, the cowardly Sengoku retreats further into his castle, with Ryoma continuing to pursue as he cuts down more of the Loyalist guards (even briefly turning the Gatling gun on some men pursuing him). Ryoma finally corners Sengoku, the man pleading for his life as Ryoma tells him he's coming with the Shinsengumi. Before that can happen, though, Okita steps in and tells Sengoku to drop the act- as it turns out, the two were in cahoots with each other the whole time, and Sengoku got the Loyalists drunk so Okita and Ryoma would have an easy time fighting them. Ryoma asks why Okita didn't tell him about this sooner, with Okita feigning ignorance. Sengoku continues running his mouth, asking why there's no camaraderie between the Shinsengumi- perhaps it has something to do with Kamo? Okita tells Sengoku not to believe everything he hears, with Sengoku giving a quick quip about how Okita was supposed to be pretty before he backtracks and says that the Bafuku could put him to good use as a middleman. Ryoma asks if Sengoku really sold out the Loyalists to join the Bafuku, but Sengoku says he did much more than that- he sold Ryoma out too, eagerly asking Okita if he's going to let the secret out and tell him why he asked Sengoku to lure Ryoma here.

Ryoma runs back to Teradaya and finds Nakaoka waiting for him outside. After heading inside, Nakaoka explains that Takechi was forced to commit ''seppuku'' by Lord Yodo of Tosa, when his complicacy in Izo's murder of several Bafuku officials came to light . Izo had confessed Takechi's role in the plot shortly after he had been transferred back to Tosa. Ryoma gets up, but Nakaoka asks if this means he plans on going back to Tosa. He warns Ryoma that he's still technically an outlaw- returning to Tosa now would mean a death sentence for him. Nakaoka tells Ryoma to calm down, as he thinks that the man who masterminded Toyo's assassination is also behind the execution of Takechi; Lord Yodo moved quite fast with executing Takechi after Izo was taken into custody, leading him to believe that someone might be whispering in the ''daimyo'''s ear. It seems like they're doing their best to wipe out Toyo's faction, and by that logic Nakaoka reasons that Ryoma is their next target and would love to hear he's back in Tosa. Catching the masked man in Kyo, though, would deal a heavy blow against their plans. Ryoma asks if this means the only thing he can do is hunt around Kyo, with Nanaoka adding that he'd hoped Ryoma would just calm down and clear his head first. Nakaoka says he'll go back to Tosa and poke around for information, as he knows he won't be able to rest if he doesn't find out what happened to Toyo and Takechi as well. The best Ryoma can do is stick around town and lay low, since Takechi's death is greatly affecting Ryoma and he doesn't want to draw attention. Ryoma agrees and asks Nakaoka to let him know if he finds anything.

Ryoma heads to the Shinsengumi headquarters to check in, only to be confronted by Nagakura asking where he's been once he arrives. When he asks if Ryoma heard about what happened to Inoue, Ryoma is confused and asks what's wrong. Rather than explain, Nagakura tells Ryoma to go to the barracks and see for himself. He goes inside and finds Inoue's dead body laid out on the training grounds, with Hijikata, Okita, and the other captains holding vigil. Ryoma asks what happened, with Todo explaining Inoue was shot twice in the back before taking a fatal sword blow, with the culprits dumping his body in the river when they were finished. Most likely it was the Loyalists, Sanosuke grumbling that Inoue was getting too old and lost his touch if he were to get killed like this. Hijikata defends Inoue by saying he was still the best swordsmen of them all, guessing that whoever killed him must have ambushed him before he could react, Sanosuke snarking that maybe they should go find the murderer and recruit him for his skills. He goes on to say he feels sorry for the men who served under Tani, Suzuki, and now Inoue, saddled with weak captains who couldn't cut it in the end. When Todo asks if he's being harsh, Sanosuke doubles down by saying the Shinsengumi's reputation has been trashed since they lost three Captains to the Choshu Loyalists and two to infighting and desertion, asking Hijikata if he knows that the Choshu are calling the Shinsengumi pawns to the Bafuku. He then asks if Hijikata forgot his promise from a year prior, that joining the Shinsengumi was a fast track to becoming ''hatamoto''; that was the only reason he joined, to form an elite crew that would rise to the top, but here they are now recruiting strangers like Ryoma and getting slaughtered by the Loyalists. He won't stand for it, and demands that Hijikata set him loose. Hijikata asks him if he means to find Inoue's killer, but Sanosuke says one man alone won't satisfy him- he wants to slaughter the Loyalists to a man, going inn by inn to find and kill any that remain. When Todo points out that would nab Inoue's killer but do nothing to reveal his motive, Sanosuke says he doesn't care- they'll use Inoue's death as justification to purge the Loyalists and perhaps win the Shinsengumi's glory back.

Sanosuke once again pleads for Hijikata to let him loose, but Okita steps behind Sanosuke and draws his sword so it's resting hear the Tenth Captain's neck. He tells Sanosuke that he likes the idea, but there's going to be a change in plans: ''First'' Division will handle the manhunt, all but daring Hijikata to stop him. Okita makes to leave, but Sanosuke stops him and begs to be taken along for the hunt. Okita, though, shuts Sanosuke down by telling him that no one here thinks he's a pawn of the Bafuku- he's clearly a pawn of the ''Shinsengumi'', and he would do best to remember that. With that, Okita summons his men and departs.

Jusuke eventually woke up to the sound of fighting, spotting Kamo and Okita dueling out in the rain (Kamo having already killed Inoue and Nagakura). Jusuke roused Goro to go help Kamo, but Kamo told the two to run for it before Okita killed them. Using that distraction, Okita slashed Kamo across the face (giving him his scar) before going for a killing blow, but Goro and Jusuke got to him first and killed Okita. As the three men pulled themselves back together and Jusuke asked Kamo what happened, Kondo and Hijikata arrived to see what the commotion was about. Kondo was once again impressed with Kamo's skills, while Kamo threw himself at Kondo's feet and took full responsibility for the deaths of the three men, asking Kondo to spare Goro and Jusuke and allow him to commit suicide. Goro and Jusuke both step forward and say it wasn't Kamo's fault Okita and the others attacked, and they claim responsibility to Okita's death, but Kamo says that they betrayed the trust of the man who took them in after they were cast out of Mito and killed his apprentice, and such an action can only be repaid in blood. Goro asked how self defense is a crime, and surprisingly Kondo agreed; he said ''he'' should be the one apologizing, as he allowed the fear of the Mito faction to grow in the hearts of the three dead men. But what's done is done, and the three Mito men are just going to have to die- Okita Soji was the best swordsman they had, and as the face of the Miburoshigumi his death would make them a laughingstock among the populace (Hijikata adding that the Bafuku would pull their support and force them to disband). Goro didn't care and both he and Jusuke aimed their swords at Kondo and Hijikata respectively, but Kamo ordered them to stand down. Kondo, for his part, apologized for being callous over the death of his star pupil, saying that all he cared about was protecting and building up Japan- that was why he fooled the Bafuku into allowing the Miburoshigumi to form, and he still needed the Mito faction's skills to ensure his plan would come to fruition.

All this time, even from before she arrived at Teradaya, Oryo has been collaborating with the Loyalists. At first it was just reporting rumors and hearsay to them, and the Loyalists told her she was helping a good cause and paying her well (all so Oryo can afford medicine for her ill mother). But one day, her contact came to her and told her that she was to start tailing a man named Saito Hajime and reporting on his actions, "Ryoma" asking for every little detail on Hajime's movements and the people he met during his time in Kyo. At first Oryo thought nothing of it, but her perception changed that night Ryoma took her in his arms as he slept off his binge drinking. Oryo falls silent, and Otose draws out several stacks of ryo from her sleeve; she says she found this the night after she had hired Oryo, guessing that it was a gift from "Ryoma" for hiring the girl. Ryoma then asks how Oryo met the man, Oryo confessing that her father was a Loyalist until he was killed in a raid by Bafuku men. After that, Loyalists started coming by her house to pay their respects, and "Ryoma" was one of those men. He was kind to Oryo and took care of the family after her father's death, Otose adding that it's always the women and children who get the worst of it when samurai start killing one another. At the end of the day, Oryo didn't join with the Loyalists because she genuinely wanted to, and was only trying to help her sick mother. With that said, she asks Ryoma not to be too harsh on Oryo for what she did.

Kondo meets Ryoma atop a tower in Kyo, chiding him for losing the imposter. Ryoma blames the Mimawarigumi for interfering, mentioning their orders from Admiral Rintaro. Kondo says that leaves the mystery of "Ryoma" open for a little while longer, Ryoma thinking about seeing Takechi's scars before Kondo asks if Ryoma might have a guess as to the fake's reasons for returning to Kyo. Ryoma doesn't have a clue, but Kondo does (which is why he called him up to the tower in the first place), and now would also be a good time to tell him that it is almost showtime for the Shinsengumi. Ryoma asks what that means, with Kondo explaining he means the end of Japan as they know it; the fake Ryoma was in town seeking to trigger an anti-Bafuku civil war. Ryoma asks what happened that would cause Kondo to think this, and Kondo breaks the news that Saigo and Katsura have formed a truce between Satsuma and Choshu, forming the Satcho Alliance against the Bafuku. He knows a Sakamoto Ryoma helped facilitate the deal, specifically the ''real'' one, but apparently Ryoma was bombed out of his skull when he achieved that bit of peacemaking. Ryoma begins to realize what happened the night of his drinking binge, with Kondo lamenting he never thought a night on the town would be enough to bridge a centuries-old feud. Now they are on the brink of war, the two largest Loyalist factions have united, it's all Ryoma's fault, and the fake Ryoma is only making things worse by funneling British weapons and munitions to the Alliance- any day now, they could start a rebellion unlike any Japan has ever faced before, and both the fake Ryoma and the Western Powers will grow rich off the weapons sales they'll be getting as Japan drowns in its own blood. With everything arrayed thusly, Kondo has no choice but to execute his plan to raze Kyo and relocate the Imperial Court.

However, Ryoma has an idea: what if, instead of stopping the Satcho, they stopped the Bafuku? If the Bafuku surrendered, then the Satcho would have no reason to fight. Kondo asks if Ryoma thinks the Bafuku would just roll over for the Loyalists and end 300 years of Shogunate rule, but as he thinks it over he realizes that it just might work- now that they have a legitimate rival to their power, perhaps the Bafuku would be more willing to listen. If the Tokugawa willingly gave their power back to the Emperor before the Loyalists forced them to (under the guise of some "Great Restoration"), then Ryoma's assumption that the Satcho would have no reason for war would make sense. Perhaps if they spoke with the Shogun personally, they could get it to work, but Ryoma asks if speaking to the shogun in person is even possible. Kondo says that under normal circumstances it wouldn't be, but if Ryoma went as himself they might get that chance; not only is he skilled with a blade, unlike any man Kondo has seen, but he has a natural charisma that allows him to get loose cannons like Okita to behave themselves. Ryoma thinks Kondo is just flattering him, but Kondo is sincere in his conviction that Ryoma is their best bet to infiltrate Edo Castle and talk the Shogun into abdicating. He asks if Ryoma is up to the task, suggesting he sneak in under the cover of darkness so he isn't executed on sight, as this will be the only way they can convince the Tokugawa to accept a Great Restoration.

Ryoma returns to Teradaya, telling Otose that he'll be leaving first thing in the morning and asking her to wake him. As he rests in his room, Oryo enters and takes a seat, Ryoma telling her that Yamazaki was murdered (most likely at the hands of the fake Ryoma). He doesn't think she'll be in any danger, but he suggests Oryo not go out in public too much anymore. Oryo tells Ryoma that he shouldn't worry about her, but Ryoma counters that he ''does'' worry, as he's the reason she's still stuck in this mess. He turns to her and tells Oryo that he is heading to Edo and won't be back until his mission is complete. Oryo questions if Ryoma should be trusting her with that information- what if she betrays him to the Loyalists while he's away. Ryoma tells her that Teradaya was the first place he ever shared his real name once leaving Tosa, and he really has nothing to hide anymore... also, depending on how things go in Edo, he may never return. Oryo asks what Ryoma plans to do, and Ryoma tells her about his plan to go to Edo and try to convince the Shogun to dissolve the Bafuku. He knows it sounds crazy, but it didn't feel right for him to not tell her, and if he doesn't come back that means he died with but one regret- that he never had a moment to sit down and enjoy a meal Oryo prepared for him. That will keep him motivated on his trip to Edo, and he asks if Oryo would do that for him, which Oryo agrees to before leaving to give Ryoma a chance to rest.

That night, Ryoma approaches Edo Castle and asks to see the Shogun. The guards are clearly suspicious of this unknown warrior approaching at night, and order him to stand down. Ryoma asks again to see the Shogun, telling the guards that if they won't let him in he'll just have to force his way in. The guards are unintimidated and draw there swords, but before a battle can begin Okita tells Ryoma he's wasting his breath and he should get out of the way... he just hijacked a cannon and has turned it around towards the main gate. Ryoma and the guards dive away before Okita blasts a hole through the gate, and with their presence now known the two Shinsengumi captains arm themselves and charge in. Ryoma and Okita battle their way through Edo Castle, tearing their way through squads of swordsman and gunners in their search for the Shogun. As they enter the castle proper, they are attacked by ninja and even more guards, battling into the center of the Bafuku Fortress while dodging dozens of deadly traps and automated defenses. Eventually Okita peels off to hold the line and give Ryoma enough time to talk to the Shogun, though Ryoma still has to cut his way through more guards to reach the Shogun.

Ryoma enter the throne room, where Fifteenth Shogun Tokugawa Yoshinobu (Daigo Dogima) awaits him. Tokugawa takes his sword from a nearby attendant, asking Ryoma what brings him here. When Ryoma asks if he really is the Shogun, Tokugawa takes this to mean Ryoma has never seen his face. That being said, he is impressed by Ryoma and Okita's strength and skill, asking if perhaps Ryoma has come to take his head. Ryoma sheathes his sword and explains that he is there to discuss an important matter with the Shogun that could save the country. The attendant scoffs and asks what a terrorist like Ryoma would know about saving the country, but Tokugawa shuts him up and rises from his throne, saying that neither the attendant nor the squad of ninja that snuck in behind Ryoma are to interfere. After pushing his attendant aside again when the old man tries to stop him, Tokugawa explains that he and his forefathers have faced many assassinations during their 300 years of ruling, but Ryoma is the first to come and say he is doing it to save the country- has the Bafuku really grown so weak as to allow something like this? He draws his sword and tells Ryoma that if he wants Tokugawa to listen to his request, he'll have to force him to do so. He demands Ryoma show him his full strength, stating that his guards will not interfere even if it means dying at Ryoma's hand. Ryoma draws his sword and says that if that's what it takes it's Tokugawa's call, with Tokugawa saying that if Ryoma is truly here to save the country then he best be prepared to die for his cause. But he warns Ryoma that he isn't the Shogun for nothing, and with that the two attack one another.

Ryoma manages to fight Tokugawa until the Shogun is exhausted, but rather than cut him down as the Shogun expects Ryoma merely punches him instead. Killing Tokugawa won't end the Shogunate as they would just find someone else to replace him, but the war the Loyalists are plotting would exterminate his entire family line. Tokugawa asks if he means the Satcho Alliance, explaining that while the Bafuku may be weakened they still have spies everywhere feeding the Shogun information. Ryoma says that someone is acting as the middle man between the Loyalist and the foreign arms dealer Thomas Glover, and thanks to his efforts the Satcho might be better prepared for war than Tokugawa realizes. Tokugawa dismisses them as small minded fools that would destroy Japan with their infighting, asking if Ryoma is one of their number. Ryoma says he's just a delivery man with something that could stop the coming war, stepping up and presenting Kondo's letter to Tokugawa. The attendant rushes to his master's side and begs him not to read it, but Tokugawa says he may be a dead man if he does not. As Tokugawa reads the letter, Okita comes jogging in saying he's all ready to leave, with Ryoma saying he's just about finished with the Shogun as well.

A few days later, Admiral Rintaro meets with the fake Ryoma in Kyo, telling him he was not anticipating that Tokugawa would concede defeat and dissolve his regime, thus denying Katsuro and Saigo a motive to start their skirmish. As the fake Ryoma helps himself to some Sake, Rintaro continues by blaming the Shinsengumi and Saito Hajima for this setback, joking that at least now they won't need two Sakamoto Ryomas anymore. But no matter- Choshu and Satsuma still have the weapons the fake provided, and they'd be more than willing to start a war at the slightest provocation even if the Bafuku won't give them one. Now, they can put the Shinsengumi to good use for their cause.

Ryoma arrives at Asahi, but he is too late: upon entering Kondo's usual room, he finds the Shinsengumi Chief in a pool of his own blood, fatally wounded with a strike to the chest. Ryoma asks what happened, and Kondo says that burning Kyo was not his idea. Ryoma then asks who attacked him, but Kondo is unable to identify his attacker. He does have a message from the man: Meet at the Palace. Kondo believes the man seeks to assassinate the Emperor while Kyo deals with the Shinsengumi and the fire, and he may very well be the fake Ryoma putting his plans into motion. While the Bafuku may be dissolving, Kondo says they'll frame him (a Bafuku ally) for the Emperor's assassination, starting the civil war in earnest. Kondo says it's ironic: he came to Kyo to burn it down, but Sakamoto Ryoma convinced him to save the city, and yet he will still be blamed for starting that very fire he was trying to prevent. He has one last favor to ask of Ryoma, passing him a letter and telling him to get it to Hijikata- it is his final strategy. As he dies, Kondo says he's glad to have met Ryoma, as he gave Kondo hope that they really ''could'' change the country for the better. With that he orders Ryoma to leave and take down the fake, but before he leaves Ryoma thanks Kondo for his trust, comparing him with Toyo entrusting Ryoma with his own will. He sets Kondo down so he may die in peace, swearing that he will find a way to see Kondo's dream through to the end, and he will do it as Sakamoto Ryoma rather than Saito Hajime. With that he leaves, Kondo offering a short prayer to his comrades before he breathes his last and falls limp.

Hijikata names off those captains that have died recently, saying with their numbers halved and Kondo still absent the Shinsengumi cannot carry on in its current form. So to help reform the group, Hijikata announces that he will name "Saito Hajime" the new Chief of the Shinsengumi, much to Takeda and Ito's surprise and outrage. He asks Ryoma if he has any objections, which Ryoma says he has none before accepting the honor. Takeda, though, explodes that he will not serve a rookie that essentially just arrived as leader, but Okita counters that Ryoma is clearly the strongest of the captains- he's a shoe-in for the role of leader by that metric. Ito turns to Hijikata with a question. Yes, Ryoma's great with a sword and all, but the Shinsengumi Chief must also play politics with the Bafuku, and he must be a man of culture and knowledge (which Hijikata agrees to). Kondo had all these skills, but now that he is dead at the hands of some ''ronin'' it would be a heresy to allow the Shinsengumi to fall to ruin. In light of this information, Ito nominates himself to be Chief of the Shinsengumi, promising to shepherd the group back to its former glory. Takeda quickly endorses Ito, but Hijikata says it's interesting.

Ryoma asks for details on Kondo's plan, and Hijikata is happy to give them: he and Kondo knew Ito was after the Chief's position since day one, so Kondo allowed Ito free reign of the Shinsengumi so Kondo could see who Ito allied with. Todo was chosen to be Kondo's Mole, as he had studied military tactics under Ito, and Kondo had Todo get close to Ito over the last half of the year to figure out his motives. Even Hijikata wasn't privy to the specifics of the plan, guessing Kondo was plotting this move well in advance. Todo apologizes for keeping the other captains in the dark about everything, adding that he intervened before the four executed Ito so he would not lose his source of information. Okita asks if Todo knows who Ito's been working with, and Todo confirms that it is "Sakamoto Ryoma". But he's got some bigger news: "Ryoma" is planning to meet with the heads of Choshu and Satsuma soon, and Ito's in charge of organizing everything. According to Todo, the Great Restoration plan has sent the fake Ryoma into a panic, with Hijikata guessing that means the fake intends to delude the Satcho Alliance with their desire for a new government and get them to challenge the Bafuku. But Todo says Ito told him "Ryoma" has another objective, and when Okita asks what that is Ryoma guesses the fake wants the Bafuku and the Satcho to tear each other apart, and when both are too weak to fight the Loyalists will rise up and finish both parties off. Hijikata, though, says that Choshu and Satsuma wouldn't be easily duped, which is why (Todo says) Ito was in such a panic to give them a unifying cause to fight. On top of that, he has to find a place where the three leaders can meet in secret. Okita asks if Todo knows where the fake Ryoma is, but Todo admits that's the one thing Ito ''hasn't'' told him, but he's confident that the fake would reveal himself if the Satcho meeting were to happen.

As Nakaoka slips into unconsciousness, another voice tells Ryoma that his struggles are useless. Ryoma recognizes the voice, turning as Sasaki and now Ito join Takechi, his face hidden in shadow. Takechi commends Ryoma for continuing to foil his plans (getting the Bafuku to dissolve, foiling his plan to assassinate the Emperor), asking Ryoma why he's being so quiet now. Doesn't he want to know why Takechi had Toyo killed, or why he's been posing as Ryoma, or perhaps why he abandoned his given name and took Ryoma's? Ryoma wants to know only one thing: is the man standing before him ''really'' Takechi? When Takechi questions what he means, Ryoma says he wants to know what happened to turn Takechi into the monster he sees now, a lightning flash revealing that Takechi has gone prematurely grey. Ryoma tells Takechi that this is where he will kill him, and he made his mind up the moment he learned Takechi was impersonating him... and yet now he's hesitating, because he can see the pain and suffering Takechi has been through up to this point. Ryoma hates himself for it, but that hate is nothing compared to what he feels towards Takechi, raising his sword and rushing forward in a reckless charge. Both Sasaki and Ito block Ryoma's strike, Takechi telling Ryoma that this is where the man "Sakamoto Ryoma" died, and his legend ends here. Ryoma asks what he means, and Takechi says he can't allow Ryoma to kill him just yet. There is just one more thing he needs from Ryoma, and as Ryoma demands an explanation Takechi slips back into the shadows, telling Ryoma to find him in Tosa if he wants to learn what that is. Ryoma bellows for Takechi to return, but Sasaki and Ito knock him back before escaping with their master.

After they finish praying, Ryoma asks if Oryo is tired from their walk that day. Oryo says that today was nothing like her work at Teradaya, and that she was wondering if Ryoma was tired from all the running around they were doing. As they look over the railing, she admits she wishes they could do this more often. After a pause, Ryoma turns to Oryo and thanks her; she has been the main reason he has been able to do anything on his own, but even knowing that he never got a chance to properly thank her. So he's doing it now, as for all he knows it may be his last chance to thank her for everything. He tells her that a lot will chance with the Bafuku dissolving, and he hopes that Oryo and Otose stick together to support one another. Oryo turns away and tells Ryoma not to talk to her like that; she doesn't want to hear what's coming next, and it may not mean much given that she had spied on Ryoma in the past, but from now on she does not want to leave his side. But if that's the case, why is he making it seem like she will never seen him again? He is coming back, right? Oryo falls into Ryoma's arms and says she will be waiting for him, no matter how long it takes for him to return, asking him to promise he'll come back. Ryoma does so, and Oryo says if he lied she will never cook for him again.

As they approach the first gate, Sasaki and the Mibawarigumi step out to stop them. Nagakura asks why the Mibawarigumi have teamed up with Takechi and betrayed the Bafuku, but Sasaki tells them he doesn't care- all his life he's been cursing his boring, stagnant place in life, but now that Japan is caught up in instability unlike any seen since the Sengoku period he can't be happier. He wants the chaos to continue, and he isn't going to let the four Shinsengumi captains spoil his fun. While Okita is impressed Sasaki wasn't some stuck up noble, the others are not, and Sasaki draws his sword before he and the Mibawarigumi plunge into the fight. Sasaki is able to put up a good fight, and more Mibawarigumi arrive to do battle. Rather than let their advance be slowed down, Nagakura steps up and tells the others to go on ahead- ordering Hijikata and Okita to protect Ryoma on his hunt for Takechi. The remaining three wish Nakagura well, and rush off as he goes to fight the Mibawarigumi.

Okita strolls in and asks if they're just going to keep running their mouths, saying he was busy napping when Nagakura says he's late again. He sprawls out over the First and Third Captain's seats, noting that their "sourpuss rookie" is running behind as well. Hijikata says he will be along soon enough, just as Ryoma arrives at the barracks and heads inside. Hijikata welcomes Ryoma and bids him take his seat, all the other captains eyeing up Ryoma as he heads to his spot. After telling Okita to clear out of Ryoma's spot, Hijikata gets the meeting started by formally introducing Ryoma to the captains. Seventh Captain Tani Sanjuro (Akira Mabuchi)asks why a fresh-faced rookie like Ryoma gets to be Third Captain, questioning if he's got what it takes to run with the likes of them. Nagakura vouches for him based on how well Ryoma fought against Okita and himself, with Tani asking if maybe Ryoma just slipped Nagakura a bribe to pass. Fifth Division Captain Takeda Kanryusai (Hiroki Awano) says he doesn't care about the Third Captain and just wants to get back to training his men, so if they can get the meeting over with he would be grateful. Tenth Captain Harada Sanosuke (Masato Aizawa) laughs at this, saying the Fifth Division have been complaining about how hard Takeda's "[[DepravedHomosexual training]]" really is, but Sixth Captain Inoue Genzaburo (Osamu Kashiwagi) tells them both to quiet down as this ''is'' an official meeting and he will tolerate no childish squabbling. Besides, Sanosuke should look to his own division, which is gaining a reputation for bad manners probably inherited from their captain.

The next day an officers' meeting is held, with Todo commenting they are two captains short (Kondo, once again, is not present). Harada says that Tani and Suzuki were dumb enough to get themselves killed and the Shinsengumi doesn't need them (even taking some time to needle Ito for elevating Suzuki on his word alone). Todo tells Harada to lay off, but Harada continues on and implies Todo might be working with Ito to secure a higher-ranked position (despite ostensibly being a part of Kondo's faction). Hijikata tells Harada to back down- there are no factions within the Shinsengumi, and they are all united under a common cause. Ito agrees, as being part of the Shinsengumi means they give up all past allegiances or reputations. Matsubara adds that all this talk of factions is disrespectful for those who signed up for PatrioticFervor (like him), and with factions like Choshu and Satsuma running rampant in the street they need to stay united.

Ryoma turns to leave when he is stopped by a Shinsengumi trooper, telling him the Deputy Chief has a message for him and tells him to follow. Ryoma follows the trooper to a room on the far end of the complex, the trooper telling him that the Chief has given him this room to use for the future (a fairly generous offer which the trooper doesn't fully understand). Ryoma rests until evening when he heads out to meet Hijikata at Tsubakiro. He reaches the location and heads inside, where Hijikata is sitting alone in a large room with some sake. He welcomes Ryoma to the Shinsengumi, though Ryoma notes it's a rather odd place to welcome a man into an organization and not even provide him somewhere to sit. Hijikata tells him to pay that no mind, as there are other rooms to sit in... and the owners probably wouldn't want to get blood on their cushions. Hijikata stands up and says he knows Ryoma's been interested in ''Tennen Rishin'' users, which Ryoma dismisses as a passing curiosity. Hijikata says that most people wouldn't go deep enough in their interest to reach ''Tennen Rishin'', but he senses Ryoma's different. With that, he steps over to a side panel, opening it to reveal a man dressed in white (Masaharu Sera) waiting on the other side. Ryoma asks what he's doing there, with Hijikata explaining the man is also versed in ''Tennen Rishin'', ordering Ryoma to fight him to the death. The man draws his sword while Ryoma says the whole thing is ridiculous, with Hijikata countering that Shinsengumi are ordered to kill without hesitation- mortality and emotions will only slow him down. Hijikata senses Ryoma has a soft heart, normally a death sentence in their line of work, so he should consider this a test of his character as Ryoma should have no hesitations about killing a man. With that Ryoma draws his sword, Hijikata warning Ryoma that the man will be doing his level best to kill him, so he should step up to preserve his life. With that, the two fight, and Ryoma manages to best the man in white.

The next day, an emergency meeting of the Shinsengumi Captains is called. Nagakura asks where Chief Kondo is, with Hijikata saying Kondo had other business to attend to and will not be present, again. Shinsengumi Advisor Ito Kashitaro (Daisaku Kuze) says its disrespectful for the leader of a thousand-man organization to never show his face, but Hijikata says he sees no problem relaying the chief's wishes to the captains. Besides, they've still been operating pretty effectively, so is there a specific problem Ito has? Ito says they may be doing fine now, but when push comes to shove he'd rather have a leader directing them from the front in a time of crisis. Ninth Division Captain Suzuki Mikisaburo (Kanji Koshimizu) suggests they should just get a new chief, as they need a leader they can all look up to, and if Kondo isn't going to fight on the front lines why should he expect them to do the same for him? Hijikata asks if he means to replace Kondo with Ito, with Suzuki saying he never said ''that'' specifically. Hijikata, though, knows how indebted Suzuki feels towards Ito since he's responsible for making Suzuki a captain. Suzuki withdraws his point, with Hijikata saying the Shinsengumi has always operated with Kondo as the head and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future. As for Ito's concerns, Hijikata suggests he set them aside for now, with Ito saying he wishes good health for the Chief wherever he is... or if he's still even alive. Hijikata asks what Ito is implying, with Ito saying there's a rumor going around that Kondo's actually been dead for a long time, but they dismiss these as idle gossip and nothing more. Still, its something to keep an eye on, since few people have ever seen Kondo around these days- heck, Ito's only seen Kondo once, and ''he's'' third in command of the Shinsengumi. There are people out there making accusations that it's actually Hijikata calling the shots in Kondo's name, but that's all preposterous nonsense... right?

[[folder: Prologue]]

Ryoma still refuses to believe him, which Takechi doesn't find too surprising. He goes on to say that all of this started around the time he hired Serizawa Kamo to kill Toyo- that was when he first began operating under the alias of "Sakamoto Ryoma". Why? He wants to know which of them is right: if he wins, he'll carry on with his plans for revolution. As part of the Shinsengumi, Ryoma was bound to hear news of a fake and would investigate, so Takechi took the name as a challenge to Ryoma: will Sakamoto Ryoma be remembered as the man who rewrote history with the sword, or will he walk the same path as Yoshida Toyo. The last year holds the answer, and now it is time for them to find out what that answer is- all that is certain is that Sakamoto Ryoma will be remembered as a man who changed history, and whether it's him or the real deal doesn't really matter. Ryoma calls Takechi insane and asks if a fight will really solve anything, but Takechi sees it as only natural. That's why he traced Ryoma's every move, through his spies within the Shinsengumi (Yamazaki) and outside (Oryo). Everything was going perfectly, even the Satcho Alliance played into Takechi's hands, but then Ryoma blindsided him by restoring Imperial Rule, so he was forced to play his trump card and set Kyo ablaze, but even then Ryoma emerged triumphant, killed Izo, and forgave Oryo for her actions. Despite everything Takechi has thrown at him, Ryoma refused to change, so calling him here is meant to end this, one-on-one, no further distractions, and perhaps Takechi can finally prove himself the righteous one. Ryoma once more calls Takechi "brother" which Takechi responds makes him feel genuinely revied inside. However, as he rises from his spot and draws his sword, he says that doesn't matter now- history cannot have two Sakamoto Ryomas, so they must help it along.

As Ryoma helps Takechi, they confront the man who shot him: Lord Yodo himself (Kyohei Jingu), who says that you can never trust those that work their way up from the bottom. He asks Takechi if he really didn't see this coming, asking how he would be able to fool the country if he couldn't fool Takechi. Ryoma asks what he means, and Yodo thanks Ryoma for his stunt with Imperial Rule allowing him to keep Tosa intact. As Ryoma asks what he means, Takechi explains that Yodo intends to take Japan and sell it to the British. Yodo "corrects" Takechi by saying he intends to give it to the British, not sell it, with Takechi firing back that all Yodo wants is a cushy Throne. Yodo confirms this; he wants to put himself so far above the rabble that there will be no need for class distinction. Even as they speak, a British fleet is steaming towards Japan, and Yodo intends to allow them to land in Tosa. With European forces and his own accumulated weapons, the Imperial Government in Kyo will be powerless against Yodo. He adds that he quite likes the British, with their ways of finding like-minded individuals in secret to forward their plans, and he is just the man able to sell Japan to them while still maintaining "order".

Ryoma still refuses to believe him, which Takechi doesn't find too surprising. He goes on to say that all of this started around the time he hired Serizawa Kamo to kill Toyo- that was when he first began operating under the alias of "Sakamoto Ryoma". Why? He wants to know which of them is right: if he wins, he'll carry on with his plans for revolution. As part of the Shinsengumi, Ryoma was bound to hear news of a fake and would investigate, so Takechi took the name as a challenge to Ryoma: will Sakamoto Ryoma be remembered as the man who rewrote history with the sword, or will he walk the same path as Yoshida Toyo. The last year holds the answer, and now it is time for them to find out what that answer is- all that is certain is that Sakamoto Ryoma will be remembered as a man who changed history, and whether it's him or the real deal doesn't really matter. Ryoma calls Takechi insane and asks if a fight will really solve anything, but Takechi sees it as only natural. That's why he traced Ryoma's every move, through his spies within the Shinsengumi (Yamazaki) and outside (Oryo). Everything was going perfectly, even the Satcho Alliance played into Takechi's hands, but then Ryoma blindsided him by restoring Imperial Rule, so he was forced to play his trump card and set Kyo ablaze, but even then Ryoma emerged triumphant, killed Izo, and forgave Oryo for her actions. Despite everything Takechi has thrown at him, Ryoma refused to change, so calling him here is meant to end this, one-on-one, no further distractions, and perhaps Takechi can finally prove himself the righteous one. Ryoma once more calls Takechi "brother" which Takechi responds makes him feel genuinely revied inside. However, as he rises from his spot and draws his sword, he says that doesn't matter now- history cannot have two Sakamoto Ryomas, so they must help it along. After a pause, Ryoma draws his blade to meet Takechi's challenge, saying that he sees a new spark within Takechi; Takechi agrees, not sure what it is but getting to fight Ryoma again has him excited. They both agree to hold back nothing, and with that they charge forward to attack. Their battle is fierce, and after a BladeLock Takechi knocks Ryoma into another room. As Ryoma recovers, he narrowly cuts through a sliding door thrown at him before going for hhis pistol, but Takechi has grabbed his own gun and tries shooting Ryoma's out of his hand. After a brief pause to gain a better position, the two reengage and continue the fight, eventually following each other up to the roof of Kochi Castle. There, Takechi discards his pistol for a final duel, the two men clashing once more. After a grueling fight, as the sun begins to peek over the horizon, Ryoma defeats Takechi.

Ryoma rushes to Matsunoi, where he finds Takeda holding Ikumatsu hostage as he helps himself to a drink. Takeda is surprised to see Ryoma, figuring Todo would go to Hijikata, and Ryoma says he thought Takeda was heading to Ito's faction. Takeda says he'll keep Todo's secret, offering Ryoma a drink so they can talk everything over, but Ryoma wants to know what exactly Takeda's plan is. Takeda drinks and offers Ryoma a deal: he knows that Ito and the Goryi Eji are disposable pawns in the fake Ryoma's plan, and seeing the writing on the wall Takeda is considering defecting to Choshu while the going is good. All he wants from Ryoma is for him to put in a good word with Katsura, or would he rather end up like Todo? This and a few thinly-veiled rape threats towards both Ryoma and Ikumatsu causes Ryoma to draw his sword and slice a nearby sake bottle in half, telling Takeda that this just makes his choice all the more easy- he thought he just had to get Takeda to keep quiet, but now he's got no problem with killing the man. Takeda shoved Ikumatsu aside and gets up, saying he was hoping he wouldn't have to kill Ryoma. He draws a pair of pistols, saying that these are the ones the fake Ryoma used to kill Inoue, a gift from the man himself: high-caliber, fast loading, top of the line hardware, nothing Ryoma can stand against. Ryoma does not care and readies himself, and they two fight out of Matsunoi and into the street, and after a long fight Ryoma kills Takeda.