History Recap / YakuzaLikeADragon

As Kume rants about the evils of prostitution, Ichiban and company step out to see what's up. Kuma demands to know what they're doing here, and Ichiban tells them that they're here as workers now. Kume spins this factoid into a message on the soapland dodging anti-prostitution laws by being registered as a "bathhouse", and this is a grey zone that cannot stand. Ichiban then asks if Kume's being good with the law, since the point of a march is to ''march'', not stand in the street and give lectures. Kuma reveals his permit and tells Ichiban that he has the police's blessing to be here, and marches stop all the time to give speeches. However, Ichiban and Adachi latch onto that point to pick further holes in Kume's argument- the permit says they're only supposed to have ten people, not the fifteen they currently have, Kume trying to brag to Ichiban caused him to cross Otohime Land's property line and therefore break the rule about staying in the street, and not marching is a violation of traffic laws by blocking the street. All that being said, would that make what Kume's doing one of those "grey zones" he loves to rant about? The wind taken out of his sails, Kume decides to move on while Ichiban tells him not to trip in the streets.

Mitsuo goes off to return the money while Ichiban goes to complete his rounds. He's approached by Old Man Takeo, who tells him that local drunk Mama Michiyo wanted to talk with him. Ichiban goes to the Champion District and finds Mama Michiyo, sloshed out of her gourd and wanting to celebrate New Years with Ichiban. Ichiban declines as he still has work to do and it's way too early to get drunk. The best he can do is help Mama Michiyo back to her chair when she stumbles out the door to greet Ichiban. When Ichiban leaves, Old Man Takeo returns to tell him there's some trouble over at Shangri-La, where Ichiban grew up. Not wanting to see any harm come to the soapland, Ichiban hurries over there to see what's up, only to learn it's just a plugged toilet and they don't have a plunger handy. Ichiban goes to a nearby cigarette shop to find one, beating up a group of punks that were harassing a tourist on his way. The old lady at the cigarette shop asks why Ichiban doesn't just buy a plunger for Shangri-La, or better yet dump the Arakawa family for a ''real'' yakuza family to make some cash. Ichiban swears that he will never abandon Arakawa, and the old lady moves on to ask if the rumors are true and he's babysitting Arakawa's son these days. He counters saying the "young master" is the same age as him, and since he's wheelchair bound he needs a caretaker to make sure he stays active and sociable.

Mitsuo goes off to return the money while Ichiban goes to complete his rounds. He's approached by Old Man Takeo, who tells him that local drunk Mama Michiyo wanted to talk with him. Ichiban goes to the Champion District and finds Mama Michiyo, sloshed out of her gourd and wanting to celebrate New Years with Ichiban. Ichiban declines as he still has work to do and it's way to early to get drunk. The best he can do is help Mama Michiyo back to her chair when she stumbles out the door to greet Ichiban. When Ichiban leaves, Old Man Takeo returns to tell him there's some trouble over at Shangri-La, where Ichiban grew up. Not wanting to see any harm come to the soapland, Ichiban hurries over there to see what's up, only to learn it's just a plugged toilet and they don't have a plunger handy. Ichiban goes to a nearby cigarette shop to find one, beating up a group of punks that were harassing a tourist on his way. The old lady at the cigarette shop asks why Ichiban doesn't just buy a plunger for Shangri-La, or better yet dump the Arakawa family for a ''real'' yakuza family to make some cash. Ichiban swears that he will never abandon Arakawa, and the old lady moves on to ask if the rumors are true and he's babysitting Arakawa's son these days. He counters saying the "young master" is the same age as him, and since he's wheelchair bound he needs a caretaker to make sure he stays active and sociable.

After Ichiban's victory, his junior partner Mitsuo Yasumura runs up to make sure everything is okay. Ichiban shows Mitsuo the money he got off Ushio, and Mitsuo is happy because that meets their collection quota for the day in one job. Ichiban disagrees and says they're going to track down the kids that got swindled and offer refunds, which Mitsuo is unhappy about. As Mitsuo prepares to leave, Ichiban asks how bad the blow to his head is. Not the injuries he received from getting punched in the head by brass knuckles, but the damage to his hair- he just got a new punch perm and would hate to see it ruined by some punk. Mitsuo calls Ichiban a masochist, as while he could easily wipe the floor with the kind of punks they face he always lets them get a few hits in; Ichiban defends this by saying that he envisions himself as the hero of a ''VideoGame/DragonQuest'' style RPG, and letting the other guy get a few whacks in is only fair. Mitsuo is exasperated by more ''Dragon Quest'' talk, telling Ichiban that Captain Sawashiro has been drilling it into their heads that it's kill or be killed in the yakuza world, and while Ichiban gets that he couldn't live with himself if he killed a man in a simple shakedown. In a way, while Arakawa and the yakuza have given meaning to Ichiban's life and lifted him out of rock-botton, playing ''Dragon Quest'' helped shape who he is as a man and has given him a hero's spirit. Mitsuo is impressed and admits that maybe he should pick up a game at some point in the future.

A theater troupe is putting on a play of a vengeful daughter searching for her father's murderer. The young man playing the role of the daughter, Masumi, turns in a spectacular performance, drawing much praise from the crowd and quite a few tips as well. As he gets cleaned up backstage after the performance, Masumi's mother Yoko yells at him for not getting confetti cut for their next performance in Osaka before stealing his tips and threatening him with a pair of scissors. Masumi's father manages to get her to back down, but Yoko clearly shows not respect for him before traipsing off with her latest boyfriend. While Masumi cleans up (revealing a massive scar on his right cheek covered up by his makeup), his father tells him he'll take care of the confetti and not to worry about Yoko.

After talking with the Elder Bum, Ichiban goes to Heian Tower to meet with Chairman Hoshino. He sits down and asks Hoshino again how he knows Arakawa. Hoshino says the counterfeiting operation started up shortly after World War II, and was so secret only the top brass and a select few others of the Seiryu and the Liumang knew of its existence. Outside of that group, though, they hired smugglers to get the bills to their final destinations, one of whom was a travelling actor named Toshio Arakawa, Masumi's father. Then one day he reported he lost a suitcase with a hundred million fake yen inside, and the Seiryu had to make an example of him for the other smugglers. But since the counterfeiting operation was so secret they couldn't just delegate it to some low-ranked grunt, so Hoshino (the heir apparent of the Clan) was sent out to complete the hit. Hoshino had no idea Toshio's son was with him until he struck, so he had to commit to killing the man and forcing Masumi to find the aftermath. It was only later that Hoshino learned that Arakawa's mother and her boyfriend were the true culprits behind the lost money, and they got a one way trip to the bottom of the ocean.

Floor by floor Ichiban and his party fights the Omi, working their way up the tower to reach the Arakawa offices. Upon arriving they find the place trashed and Tendo waiting for them, the lieutenant helping himself to a glass of brandy. Tendo tells Ichiban he figured there was no recording of Aoki ordering Arakawa's death, and Ichiban confirms this but notes Aoki sent him out anyway. Tendo realizes that he is was Ichiban is after, with Ichiban saying that he and Arakawa genuinely thought Tendo was on their side. Tendo laughs, saying that Arakawa gave him the chance to finally get to the top and take what he felt was his, taunting Ichiban about how he shot Arakawa so he would painfully bleed out and get to see Tendo's smug face leering down at him as he died. This riles Ichiban up enough to tear off his shirt and challenge Tendo, and Tendo responds by taking his jacket off (revealing he has a dragon tattoo) and preparing to fight. Tendo proves to be just as tough as Ichiban has heard, [[NoSell No Selling]] Ichiban's initial attacks before knocking Ichiban back. Tendo thrashes Ichiban, knocking him about even before he pulls out the brass knuckles, but Ichiban's tenacity wins out and he eventually forces Tendo into a final cross counter.

Aoki sputters when he sees Ichiban and his allies are perfectly fine. He asks Tendo what the meaning of this is, but as it turns out "Tendo" is actually Mirror Face, who wasn't too happy that Aoki tried to kill him back in Ijincho and teamed up with Ichiban. Just then, Saeko and Joon-gi step out of the shadows with a camera, telling Aoki that they're going to be sending that little clip of Aoki ordering Ichiban disposed of to the internet for all to see. Aoki tries to stop them, but Ichiban tells Aoki it's over; Aoki has lost his way in trying to get back at the people that embarrassed him in the past, and this was the only way for Ichiban to get Aoki back on track. Aoki says that Ichiban doesn't know him, but Ichiban swears he'll do whatever he needs to to defeat Aoki before preparing for a fight. Aoki orders his men to kill Ichiban and his party, and the two sides clash. During the fight, Aoki tries to slip away to the second level of the office, with Ichiban giving chase. Finally cornered, the two drop all pretenses: no goofy transitions, no super moves, just Ichiban and Masato having a fist fight over their shared fate. Ichiban proves to be the better fighter of the two, knocking Masato down to the bottom level and ensuring his defeat.

Ichiban jumps down and asks Masato to surrender, but Masato remains defiant and believes he can still change Japan. Ichiban shoots this down by saying all Masato was doing was whatever he pleased and leaving others to clean up the mess, using his ideals as a shield as he killed people like Arakawa for nothing. Masato says that they were people who could be used, while he is a man who is meant to use others, but Ichiban furiously rejects that outlook. He goes on to say that he always admired Masato, and envied how Masato grew up with everything Ichiban always wanted as a child, so how could he turn out to be such a scumbag? The police arrive to demand answers, and Ichiban gives Masato a choice: he can start over, rebuild his life from rock bottom and be the man Ichiban always admired. He even offers to help, as that's what Arakawa would have wanted for both of them. Ichiban goes to the police and tells them that Aoki arranged for the bombing that almost killed Ichiban, having Joon-gi show them the video of Aoki ordering Tendo to dispose of their bodies. The leader says they'll have to consult with the commissioner on this first before sending one of his men to help Masato. While they were distracted by the video, though, Masato palmed a piece of broken glass and uses it to take the police officer hostage and steal his pistol. As he works his way over to the exit, Masato tells Ichiban that he always hated the yakuza and their emphasis on oaths and brotherhood. Ichiban, though, puts himself between the police and Masato, pleading for Masato to drop the gun as he doesn't want to see another family member of his die. He wasn't able to stop Masato before, but now he has the chance to talk him down before he's lost to Ichiban just like Arakawa. Masato, though, rejects Ichiban's pleas and makes his way to the elevator, knocking his hostage out once he's made his escape.

Down in the streets, Masato stumbles limply through the crowds while his EngineeredPublicConfession plays for all the world to see. By some twist of fate he ends up where this all began: the coin lockers at Shinjuku Station where he and Ichiban were placed. Ichiban arrives soon after, saying he knew exactly what kind of person Masato was and that he thought Masato would want to restart everything, which is why he thought to look for Masato at the lockers. Masato says Ichiban doesn't know him and aims his gun at Ichiban, shooting near his feet to keep him from coming closer and taking it. As the crowds scatter, Masato turns to the lockers and asks Ichiban if he remembers Yumeno, the woman who ruined his life. Turns out she married Horinouchi, and the two met up at a party to celebrate his promotion to commissioner just before Masato was elected; there, she did not recognize Masato and said that he was a fine young man, Masato bitterly laughing at the irony that she would compliment the man she once said was creepy and threatening. Ichiban tries to approach Masato, but Masato puts the gun to his temple and threatens to shoot himself. Masato says that moment with Yumeno was when he realized just how fragile his newfound power was, and after all that no one could appreciate who he truly was after all the effort he put in to change his weak old self.

Ichiban says that isn't true; Arakawa, Sawashiro, himself, they all cared about Masato and how he lived his life. When he first saw Masato as Aoki after he got out of prison, Ichiban knew it was Masato right away because he cared about him. Masato chuckles as Ichiban seems to be going back to that "bullshit" about family love, but Ichiban swears that's not it. Despite every time Masato screwed up, he and the others still cared for him because there was a greater connection between them, not some black-and-white emotion. Never once did they regret being with him, and Masato needs to get it through his thick skull that they all loved him and only ever wanted the best for him. Ichiban sobs that he sees Masato as his brother, and the last thing he wants is to see Masato die. As Ichiban begs Masato to come to his senses, Masato lowers the pistol and places it in an empty locker, locking it away for good. That task complete, he calls his secretary and tells her he intends to turn himself over to the police, and from there he will face the charges brought against him. [[HeelFaceDoorslam And then Kume comes out of nowhere and stabs him]], weeping about Masato's "betrayal" and swearing that he will carry on his ideals. As Kume stumbles away, Ichiban rushes to Masato and picks him up, Masato passing out as Ichiban charges through the crowd in search of a doctor.

Some time later, Horinouchi is waiting on the roof of Tokyo PD when Adachi approaches him. Adachi asks if Horinouchi remembers him, but Horinouchi does not and asks him to get to the point. Adachi says he found some evidence in the Millennium Tower concerning the Tokyo Omi's crimes, telling Horinouchi about the rumor that there was evidence tying the governor to the Arakawa Family. Horinouchi rightly dismisses that as a bluff to lure Tendo out, after which a group of officers exit the elevator behind Adachi. Adachi pulls out a USB stick and tells Horinouchi that when Tendo ransacked the office, he ''did'' find something of interest to the police: a list of nearly 300 million yen worth in bribes, with a catalogue of who was paid off and how much. Adachi guesses Horinouchi didn't expect this to turn up, as the records show that a good portion of the money ended up in the pockets of Horinouchi and a few other prominent officials in exchange for looking the other way as the Omi took over Kamurocho. Horinouchi tries to get the other policemen to arrest Adachi, but Adachi says he already sent the evidence to the inspector general and the media, so there's nothing Horinouchi can do to save his skin. Horinouchi asks why Adachi would do this if he stands to gain nothing, with Adachi saying it all comes down to revenge, more or less. The police step forward and arrest Horinouchi, and as he's led away Adachi asks if he remembers a rude yakuza he encountered at a cabaret club eighteen years ago. When Horinouchi says no, Adachi dismisses it as nothing important and lets the police take the Commissioner away while he goes to have a smoke.

Down in Ijincho, Ichiban is praying over a shrine to the Arakawas with Nanba. Nanba informs Ichiban that Sawashiro got life in prison for the murder of Chairman Hoshino, adding that Masato died not knowing he wasn't Arakawa's son, and Arakawa died not knowing Masato wasn't his either. He suggests Ichiban get a DNA test to confirm whether he's Arakawa's real son or not and put his mind at ease, but Ichiban declines as he sees Jiro Kasuga and Masumi Arakawa as his fathers, equally- no DNA test is going to change that. Nanba accepts that, and Saeko enters the room saying they're going to be late for the main funeral. There, Ichiban is greeted by Daigo, Watase, Saejima, Majima, and Mitsuo, Ichiban asking if Daigo is really setting up a security firm in Sotenbori. Watase confirm this, saying that it was their idea to create a place where the loose yakuza could come and put their skills to legitimate uses. Saejima and Majima ask if Ichiban will take Arakawa's place in the organization, but Ichiban declines for now; he has unfinished business in Ijincho that he can't let sit, friends he needs to support in uncertain times. Daigo accepts this, and Ichiban goes to pay his final respects to Masumi and Masato.

After the funeral, Ichiban is greeted by the rest of his party, Hamako, Seong-hui, and the Elder Bum, with Zhao and Hamako asking if he intends to skip town. Ichiban asks Saeko to explain what's going on for him while he takes a break near the river, mulling over the last thing Masato said to him before he died: "Keep Living, Ichi. Starting over from Rock Bottom? I like those odds". Ichiban tells himself that the bottom doesn't have to be all gloomy and dark, and as long as he keeps looking up and moving forward he can see the light at the end. That, at least, was something Masato got absolutely right.

Despite the skill arranged against them, the Omi officers have the weight in numbers and keep the heroes on their toes. One officer manages to slip past Ichiban, charging at Watase with a knife. He's in no danger, though for ''Kazuma Kiryu himself'' breaks cover and decks the Omi officer. While Majima and Saejima welcome the Dragon of Dojima back (and Watase feigns ignorance as to who he is), Kiryu looks to Ichiban and tells him he'll anchor the back while Ichiban takes care of the front. Pumped up by this newcomer that everyone seems to know and respect, Ichiban tears his shirt off and dives right back into the fray, and eventually the heroes triumph over the Omi officers. As Watase, Daigo, and their bodyguards depart (with Kiryu giving a nod of respect to Ichiban), Ichiban collapses in exhaustion and is greeted by Arakawa, who thanks Ichiban for his hard work that day.

'''(Under Construction)'''

Sawashiro first met Arakawa many years before he swore up. Back then, he was just a 15 year old punk with an alcoholic father and no prospects in life, so he ran off to Kamurocho to try and make his way. He ended up sharing space with a young woman who was in the same boat as he was, and they managed for a while until Sawashiro got her pregnant. Too late for an abortion, they decided to just ignore the baby in hopes that it would miscarry, but luck was not on their side and Sawashiro's girlfriend gave birth to their son in a department store bathroom while he was on a construction job. Unable or unwilling to take responsibility, the two decided to abandon the child, placing him in a coin locker on Shichifuku Street and leaving him to his fate. Sawashiro was ready to call it good then, but his girlfriend had a change of heart and ran back to the coin lockers. By the time they got there, they found Arakawa bashing the locker open with his fists, and they could only stare in shock as Arakawa ran off with their child.

As he walks off, Ichiban gets a call from Nick and asks how he looked on TV. Nick says he's trending now, but the public isn't exactly supporting Ichiban either; Ichiban isn't surprised as he'd always look like the villain to Aoki, but seeing his reaction made it all worth it. Nick is happy to see Ichiban is happy, asking him and his friends to meet up at a bar called Earth Angel so they can plan their next steps.

When they reach the hideout, Seong-hui calls Ichiban to tell him neither Ishioda nor Mirror Face has left the building. The two are on the fourth floor, and there's about ten other yakuza in the building with them; Ichiban tells Seong-hui to keep an eye on Ishioda while he and the others go to confront him.

Ichiban drops his plans to speak with Kume and rushes to Seiryu Headquarters. He finds the place littered with unconscious yakuza and Takabe injured in the corner, the captain telling him that ten Omi men busted in and made for the chairman's office. Ichiban runs to the office and is stopped by the Omi soldiers, fighting his way past them to reach Hoshino. But it's too late, and Ichiban finds Sawashiro having a smoke while Hoshino lies dead at his desk. Sawashiro taunts Ichiban about he's late, again, saying that without Hoshino the gray zones have lost a great pillar of leadership and will collapse without his assistance. Ichiban demands to know why Aoki and Sawashiro had to kill Hoshino, as they already have enough power to last a lifetime. Sawashiro aims his gun at Ichiban and pulls the trigger, but it's on empty. As he tosses the gun away, Sawashiro reminds Ichiban about how important winning this district is to Aoki, but when Ichiban asks if they're that scared he'll beat Kume Sawashiro says of course not- Aoki just doesn't want to have obstacles in his way, no matter how miniscule their chances of winning are. Sawashiro would have preferred to have killed Ichiban, but with his campaign drawing lots of attention doing so would have caused problems, so Hoshino was selected instead as destroying the Ijin Three would pull the rug out from under Ichiban. Ichiban asks why it seems like Masato sinks lower and lower at every turn, and why they are going so far out of their way to crush Ichiban if he's just garbage to them. He tries punching Sawashiro, but Sawashiro catches the punch before it can connect. Ichiban asks if Sawashiro was the one who killed Arakawa

Ichiban drops his plans to speak with Kume and rushes to Seiryu Headquarters. He finds the place littered with unconscious yakuza and Takabe injured in the corner, the captain telling him that ten Omi men busted in and made for the chairman's office. Ichiban runs to the office and is stopped by the Omi soldiers, fighting his way past them to reach Hoshino. But it's too late, and Ichiban finds Sawashiro having a smoke while Hoshino lies dead at his desk. Sawashiro taunts Ichiban about he's late, again, saying that without Hoshino the gray zones have lost a great pillar of leadership and will collapse without his assistance. Ichiban demands to know why Aoki and Sawashiro had to kill Hoshino, as they already have enough power to last a lifetime. Sawashiro aims his gun at Ichiban and pulls the trigger, but it's on empty. As he tosses the gun away, Sawashiro reminds Ichiban about how important winning this district is to Aoki, but when Ichiban asks if they're that scared he'll beat Kume Sawashiro says of course not- Aoki just doesn't want to have obstacles in his way, no matter how miniscule their chances of winning are. Sawashiro would have preferred to have killed Ichiban, but with his campaign drawing lots of attention doing so would have caused problems, so Hoshino was selected instead as destroying the Ijin Three would pull the rug out from under Ichiban. Ichiban asks why it seems like Masato sinks lower and lower at every turn, and why they are going so far out of their way to crush Ichiban if he's just garbage to them. He tries punching Sawashiro, but Sawashiro catches the punch before it can connect.

The two yakuza prove to be a far greater challenge than anything Ichiban has faced before, their skill and teamwork giving Ichiban and his friends a run for their money. After a protracted fight both officers are having a blast and trading banter with one another while Ichiban and his group are out of breath. Now, though, it's time for them to get serious, but before they can commit to Round 2 Arakawa steps out and tells both sides to stand down. He then introduces Ichiban to someone else of great importance: Daigo Dojima, Sixth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. Daigo greets Ichiban and introduces his two lieutenants, Taiga Saejima and Goro Majima, and while Majima whines about once again attacking an ally and ruining his fun Arakawa tells him he'll get all the fighting he needs tomorrow. Adachi and Nanba step between Ichiban and Arakawa and say they won't let him shoot Ichiban again, but Arakawa says there's no need to worry as he has no intention of shooting Ichiban. Adachi asks for proof of Arakawa's sincerity, and Arakawa invites them all into the Dragon chamber to discuss the matter in private.

With Ishioda down for the count, Ichiban goes to Nanba and formally welcomes him back to the team. Nanba asks if they're still friends, which Ichiban happily confirms and gives Nanba a good handshake. Nanba goes to Joon-gi and says his brother mentioned the Geomijul treated him well- so well, in fact, that when Ichiban asks of the Koreans should be apologizing Nanba says his brother intends to marry the girl who was made his caretaker while he was there. Ichiban then remembers they've got to go save Zhao, but fortunately the man himself stumbles into the room. When Ichiban asks if he broke out on his own, Zhao says he had help before asking Ichiban (and ''only'' Ichiban) to follow him. On their way, Ichiban asks who rescued Zhao, but Zhao says his rescuer was not one for talking; all he knows is that he's Omi Alliance. The figure steps out of the shadows, revealing himself to be Ichiban's old friend Mitsu. Ichiban is happy to see Mitsu and says they have a lot to catch up on, with Mitsu saying he's been through a lot in the years since Ichiban went to prison. He himself can't be seen here, as he'll be executed by the Omi if someone finds out- all he can say for now is that Arakawa is getting close to his endgame, and he'll need all the help he can get. With that Mitsu departs, and Zhao escorts Ichiban and his friends out of Qing Jin.

Once they reach safety, Ichiban comments that Arakawa's got a weird taste in lieutenants if he's got a guy like Ishioda in his ranks. Adachi says that Arakawa has three lieutenants of note: Ishioda, the wild and unpredictable one, Jo Sawashiro, who needs no introduction, and a former heavyweight boxer by the name of Tendo. Ichiban asks why a boxer would give up his career to join the yakuza, and while he doesn't have an answer for Ichiban Adachi does say Tendo has become one of Arakawa's favorites during his time as captain. Just then Ichiban gets a call from Joon-gi, who is impressed by Ichiban's fight with the wrecking ball. Ichiban tells Joon-gi that he was on his way to help, but there's too many Omi soldiers blocking the path. Joon-gi understands, and says he and the others have a gift for Ichiban; he asks Ichiban to head to the restaurant Eomeoni's Vow for further details, hanging up before Ichiban can get further information. They arrive at the restaurant, where the old woman manning the front leads Ichiban and friends to the back. Through the door there, she says, is an underground passage leading to the Geomijul, which Ichiban whines that Joon-gi let them fight a crane before showing them the easy way forward. The woman tells Ichiban that the secret passage is one of the Geomijul's most heavily guarded secrets, and telling an outsider like him about it must mean Joon-gi truly trusts Ichiban.

The woman leads them to the main Geomijul building, Saeko marveling at the vast tangles of power cables going in and out of the building (Adachi commenting that's what gives the Geomijul its name- the "Spider Web"). The woman tells them that what they're seeing is at the very top of the building, but slips away while Ichiban and friends are distracted by a large cockroach. They continue on alone, fighting off attacks from Geomijul agents as they wander the ruined halls of the building. They eventually reach the heart of the Geomijul, where the man in black is waiting for them and congratulates them on their journey. He apologizes for having his men attack them and takes off his mask, introducing himself as Joon-gi Han. Ichiban asks Han why he had his men attack them, with Han saying he wanted to test Ichiban and his friends to gauge their true strength. Han was impressed, though he boasts he could have soloed the group with little difficulty, but that doesn't matter right now as they have business to discuss. Han invites them inside while Nanba notes he seems to be toying with them.

Inside the next room, Ichiban sees a massive wall of computer and television screens. Han explains that this is the business of the Geomijul- thousands of cameras and agents picking up information around the city and then funneled back here, hence why they have to steal so much electricity from around town. Han goes on to say that of the Ijin Three, the Geomijul are the newest and numerically weakest of the gangs, so they use their information to both make money and to balance the other clans (Han uses the example of a Liumang killing a Seiryu man- the Geomijul would investigate the situation and leak everything about the culprit to the yakuza, thus providing a single target for their vengeance). Adachi asks if they deal with guys who try to break the status quo, and when Han says that is part of their business Ichiban asks if that means they've already disposed of Mabuchi. Han says no, directing Ichiban to a monitor that displays Mabuchi and his fellows breaking into Otohime Land, definitive proof that Mabuchi killed Nonomiya. But before Han can turn that tape over, there's something else he'd like to show Ichiban.

Han leads them to another room, where technicians are monitoring a strange machine. The machine uses lasers and energy fields, and to the group's shock they see it carry a sheet of paper from the bottom until they print out as 10,000 yen notes at the top. Ichiban asks if this is similar to Mabuchi's operation at Yokohama Trading, but the woman from earlier returns and says no- Mabuchi's bills are basically toy money compared to these machines, which can copy a bill down to the molecular level. Han introduces her as Seong-hui, the leader of the Geomijul, a fact that shocks Adachi and Ichiban. Seong-hui says that the paper they discovered at Mabuchi's warehouse is very special, treated with a rare element shipped over from the mainland by the Liumang. Rather than steal it like Ichiban asks, the Geomijul have an arrangement to get the paper directly from the Liumang, with Zhao himself being privy to the arrangement. Ichiban then asks if Mabuchi's operation is part of the Geomijul's or the Liumang's operations, which Seong-hui says neither; one of Mabuchi's men was a former money launderer, and when he discovered the paper he went to Mabuchi with an offer to make counterfeit yuan on their own. Zhao is also well aware of that as well, but he's keeping quiet on it to avoid having all their secrets exposed (Mabuchi doesn't know about the yen-making operation).

Seong-hui goes on to say that the exact recipe to make paper for yen is a closely guarded secret, but a mole on the inside leaked that secret to the Geomijul and partners decades ago. Adachi doesn't believe it as there would be no way the police wouldn't notice something going on for that long, with Seong-hui implying it's been going on even longer than ''he's'' been alive. The point is, no one should know about these bills... and as she jabs a pistol into Ichiban's chin, Seong-hui asks how he came across one. She pulls the bloody yen out of Ichiban's pocket and identifies it as a misprint that should have been destroyed, with Han adding the Geomijul has been tracking Ichiban since he arrived in Ijincho before pulling his own weapons and asking for an explanation. Ichiban swears he has no idea where the bill came from, and after a tense moment Seong-hui lowers her pistol and walks off. She explains they figured Ichiban was clueless enough to be of no threat, and wouldn't have come here for any real reason. But she does not have the same view on Nanba, turning her pistol on him while the others stare in shock.

When Nanba saw the fake bill, he thought he could follow Ichiban and learn where he got it, and maybe get one step closer to finding Shoichi. But when it became apparent that Ichiban knew even less than he did, Nanba considered cutting his losses and leaving, apologizing to the others for leading them on. He looks to Seong-hui and asks her if his brother is alive or dead, and he doesn't care what happens to him if he knows that. Rather than shoot him, Seong-hui tasers Nanba and turns him over to her guards, telling Ichiban he's in the clear while the Geomijul drag Nanba off. Before they leave, though, Ichiban calls out and asks they release Nanba, with Seong-hui asking if he can consider Nanba his friend after all the lies he told. Ichiban says "friend" doesn't even begin to describe it: if it weren't for Nanba, Ichiban would have died all those days ago, and for that he owes him his life. Nanba only wants to look for his family, and that is something Ichiban cannot fault. Han draws his guns, but Ichiban lunges forward and grapples with the Korean. Seong-hui tries to shoot Ichiban in the back, but Adachi steps forward and disarms her. Seong-hui and her guards flee to call for backup while Han steps up to fight Ichiban, Adachi, and Saeko, the four brawling while Nanba does his best to recover.

After defeating Han, Ichiban and Saeko help Nanba back to his feet and the four make a run for it, fighting against several groups of Geomijul men in their race for the outside. As the Geomijul close in, Ichiban tells Nanba to go ahead while he and the others hold the Koreans off. Nanba is hesitant to do so as he got them all mixed up in this in the first place, but Ichiban tells him to think nothing of it and that they would have tried to help him regardless. Nanba thanks Ichiban and disappears, and after they defeat the last of the Geomijul Ichiban asks Seong-hui if they can leave. Seong-hui says that depends on Han's report, with the latter getting off the phone to inform Seong that Nanba escaped the Geomijul. Seong-hui asks if Ichiban realizes what he's done- if word gets out about the Geomijul's operations, the tenuous peace in Ijincho will collapse. As such, the Geomijul are going to keep looking for Nanba and make sure he does not leave Ijincho alive. Ichiban says he'll keep fighting the Geomijul to guard his friend from them. He asks why they don't just call off the fight as Nanba isn't likely to leak all their secrets, and Seong-hui says that's not her call before asking Ichiban to meet her at the Heian Tower in Chinatown that night at 2 AM- there, he'll meet the person who really controls Nanba's fate. With that she and Han depart, with Ichiban asking his remaining friends to accompany him to the homeless camp to see if Nanba left behind anything that might clue them in to his whereabouts.

At the camp, Ichiban asks the Elder bum for permission to go through Nanba's things. The Elder Bum grants their permission, and Saeko spots an out of place box in Nanba's shack. Inside is a laptop, and a quick search of the hard drive reveals a draft of Shoichi's article. Reading through it reveals the rumors go back fifty years, all pointing to the chair of the Citizens' Liberal Party Yutaka Ogikubo, who represents Yokohama in the National Diet. Ichiban asks who Ogikubo is, with Adachi saying the man is the oldest member of the CLP with vast political power; even the Prime Minister is said to be nothing more than a yes-man to him. There's nothing in the article that directly fingers Ogikubo, though, so even if word got out it'd be nothing more than malicious slander... except the fake money exists, so there has to be some truth to the article. Ichiban has a small revelation: Nanba seeing the fake bill in Ichiban's pocket was probably his first indication that the story was true, and it might have made him jumpy as well as given him his first real sign of hope for finding Shoichi. Ichiban laments that he wished he'd spotted this sooner, with Saeko assuring him he did nothing wrong before they pack up to meet with Seong-hui. They head to Heian Tower, Adachi noticing the place seems empty when they go inside. They find Han waiting for them, the Korean telling Ichiban that everyone is waiting for him. And by everyone, he means all three heads of the Ijin Three: Seong-hui, Zhao, and Chairman Hoshino.

Seong-hui adds the Geomijul were also saved by the gray zone- back in the 80s, they were just a subset of a different organization called the Jingweon Mafia (Seong-hui digressing to state that Han is actually the body double of one of their leaders), and every time the Jingweon was crushed some of the survivors would wind up in Ijincho. As their numbmers grew so did their conflicts with the Liumang, but Ogikubo stepped in before the violence could escalate and gave them control of the printing aspect of the operation. They also took over surveillance, to ensure that no one outside of the Three learned of the counterfeiting operation. With peace in Ijincho and money in his pockets, Ogikubo rose to become the dominant figure of the Citizens' Liberal Party. Adachi doesn't buy it, saying that peace won on forgeries is no peace at all, but Hoshino counters that it's no different from the unspoken alliance between the yakuza and the police since the end of World War II. This quiets Adachi, but Ichiban is still not placated and asks why they called him and his friends here in the first place.

Zhao lays it out for Ichiban: Nanba, a man who has a stated grudge against the Ijin Three, now has evidence of their crimes and their connections to the government, and for that he must be silenced. Hoshino adds that under normal circumstances they ''all'' would be silenced, but since he has a good idea of where Ichiban got the fake bill he'll let it slide. The Chairman gives Ichiban the bill back and says that in exchange for Nanba, he'll tell Ichiban who gave him the bill. Ichiban declines, as he doesn't want to sell out a friend for a piece of information that badly. Zhao tells ichiban that if any info gets outside Ijincho, the Great Wall will come crashing down; Ichiban isn't too bothered by this at first, but Seong-hui and Zhao remind him that if the Wall does come down, the Omi Alliance will come sweeping into Ijincho and take vengeance on any of their enemies that might be hiding there, i.e. Ichiban himself. Ichiban admits they have a point but still refuses to sell out Nanba, at which point Hoshino and Zhao tell Ichiban that Liumang assassins are already hunting Nanba. Ichiban demands they call the assassins off, but Zhao says he's more than willing to sacrifice one guy for the safety of their operation, with Hoshino adding that if Ichiban does nothing Nanba will die. Saeko counters that Nanba is dead either way, but Hoshino says they'll deal with that later and they just have to focus on finding Nanba first. Han has a lead they can follow to find Nanba, which Ichiban accepts before he and his friends depart.

Out in the hallway, Han says that his information is just a lead, but it's better than nothing. There's no indication Nanba has left Ijincho just yet, so it's likely he's hiding with someone that's not tied with the Ijin Three. Saeko asks if he means the police, but Han says that would be too risky given what they've just talked about. Rather, the Geomijul believes Nanba has sought refuge with Bleach Japan, which Adachi says makes sense in the grand scheme of things. Ichiban asks what the Ijin Three plan on doing to Nanba once they bring him in, which Han says is not his call to make but if he does nothing the Liumang assassins will eventually get Nanba first. Ichiban asks where Bleach Japan's office is, with Hand directing him to the Hakuryo Building on Carriage Highway- Bleach Japan's Yokohama branch has their headquarters on the second floor. With that information, the heroes head off to the Hakuryo Building.

Once they reach safety, Ichiban comments that Arakawa's got a weird taste in lieutenants if he's got a guy like Ishioda in his ranks. Adachi says that Arakawa has three lieutenants of note: Ishioda, the wild and unpredictable one, Jo Sawashiro, who needs no introduction, and a former heavyweight boxer by the name of Tendo. Ichiban asks why a boxer would give up his career to join the yakuza, and while he doesn't have an answer for Ichiban Adachi does say Tendo has become one of Arakawa's favorites during his time as captain. Just then Ichiban gets a call from Han, who is impressed by Ichiban's fight with the wrecking ball. Ichiban tells Han that he was on his way to help, but there's too many Omi soldiers blocking the path. Han understands, and says he and the others have a gift for Ichiban; he asks Ichiban to head to the restaurant Eomeoni's Vow for further details, hanging up before Ichiban can get further information. They arrive at the restaurant, where the old woman manning the front leads Ichiban and friends to the back. Through the door there, she says, is an underground passage leading to the Geomijul, which Ichiban whines that Han let them fight a crane before showing them the easy way forward. The woman tells Ichiban that the secret passage is one of the Geomijul's most heavily guarded secrets, and telling an outsider like him about it must mean Han truly trusts Ichiban.

Inside, Han greets Ichiban and tells him to hurry along to the Geomijul- the Omi Alliance has just breached the outer barricade and are storming in. Along the way, Ichiban asks what Seong-hui is doing, with Han telling Ichiban that she is trying to reach Ogikubo for instructions. What happens after that remains to be seen. Ichiban thanks Han for allowing them to use the secret passage, with Han warning him that if he and his friends try to cut and run, he'll have to kill them. Inside the Geomijul, Seong-hui gets off the phone with Ogikubo and tells the party he has ordered the destruction of the counterfeiting operation. They have about two minutes to do so before the Omi break in, and Seong-hui orders Han to take point in the operation. Han replies that if they do this, they'll lose their surveillance network and their home as well, but Seong-hui says that it's worth the risk. As Han goes about his duties, Ichiban asks if it really ''is'' worth the effort to cover Ogikubo. Seong-Hui says Ogikubo gave them a place to grow in safety, and this would pay their debt to him in full. All she asks of Ichiban and his group is to hold off the Omi Alliance long enough for the Geomijul to destroy the evidence. Saeko sees that Seong-hui is being earnest in her pleas, and convinces Ichiban and Adachi to set aside their reservations and fight. Seong-hui thanks Saeko for the vote of confidence and leaves with Han to oversee the destruction while the heroes go to fight the Omi.

The Omi arrive soon after, with Ogasawara, Ishioda, and Nanba leading the group. Ishioda is surprised to see Ichiban survived the wrecking ball, and has another question to go with it: why is Ichiban even alive in the first place after Arakawa shot him. He guesses he'll just have to ask later, while Nanba tries to direct Ogasawara to the printer before the Koreans can destroy it. Nanba pleads with Ichiban to step aside, but Ichiban refuses as he promised Seong-hui he would act as a rearguard for them. The two groups fight, and Ichiban's group is able to hold of the yakuza long enough for the Geomijul to succeed in their task. The yakuza sans Ishioda flee, and he seems willing to continue before Seong-hui and the other Koreans return, Seong-hui putting Ishioda down with a kick to the crotch. Ogasawara tries to flee, but he is cut off and captured by Han.

First things first, Ichiban wants to know how Ogasawara fell in with the Omi Alliance. When Ogasawara doesn't answer right away, Han and Seong-hui chide Ichiban for being too soft and threaten far worse punishment on Ogasawara for losing their home. Ogasawara says he has no control over the Omi- that power belongs to Aoki. He does not answer Adachi when he asks if Ogasawara knew Aoki by any other name, but he reacts with shock when Ichiban brings up Masato Arakawa. When Ichiban gives his relationship to Masato, he takes Ogasawara's silence as answer enough. Ogasawara then details his history with Aoki/Masato; they met twenty years ago in school, long after Masato had already adopted his Aoki personality (Ogasawara didn't learn the truth until years later). He was not wheelchair bound either, Ogasawara guessing he had some special treatment done to cure his ailment before he went to Harvard. He certainly had the money for it, which became one of the reasons why Ogasawara was drawn to Aoki in the first place. Ogasawara didn't realize just ''how'' rich Aoki was until they got back to Japan, or how deep his connections with the underworld were as well; any other man would have killed for that kind of power and wealth, but Aoki wanted more. He wanted the power to bend those the yakuza couldn't touch to his will, and for that he needed popularity, front-facing power.

Ichiban continues the interrogation, asking what the next step is after Bleach Japan. Ogasawara says that Phase Two was courting the media, with Aoki inviting reporters from across Japan to come and see what he was doing. His popularity skyrocketed with the attention, and he even made it on a few talk shows here and there. Ichiban asks if Aoki's "winning smile" was really that important, which Ogasawara counters by saying image is ''everything''- not just saying good things, but looking good while doing it helps to win over more people. In 2010 he ran for the House of Councillors, publicly proclaiming his intention to leave Bleach Japan and become actively involved in politics. With the Citizens' Liberal Party's endorsement Aoki won a landslide election. He followed that up two years ago with his run for governor, where he was so far ahead in the polls he didn't need to worry about funding or even campaigning much. All the while the Arakawa Family dug up every dirty secret on his opponents he could find, all but fixing the elections to turn out a win for Aoki. Six months later, Aoki launched the Kamurocho 3K plan and wiped out the Tojo Clan, to much rejoicing from the people of Tokyo. Adachi asks if that happened around the same time the picture of him an Horinouchi was taken, which Ogasawara confirms. Adachi goes on to say Aoki merely replaced the Tojo with the Omi, which Ogasawara does not deny before saying that in the end society didn't care if it was one group of thugs patrolling the streets or another, allowing the Omi to quietly take the Tojo throne.

First things first, Ichiban wants to know how Ogasawara fell in with the Omi Alliance. When Ogasawara doesn't answer right away, Han and Seong-hui chide Ichiban for being too soft and threaten far worse punishment on Ogasawara for losing their home. Ogasawara says he has no control over the Omi- that power belongs to Aoki.

Ichiban's group (sans Nanba, who has gone to see his brother) and the Koreans bring Ogasawara to the homeless camp. The Elder Bum is not happy that they brought a kidnapping victim to his camp, to which Ichiban apologizes before explaining why they need to talk to Ogasawara. The Elder Bum tells them to finish up and be out by morning, which Ichiban is grateful for before moving on to Ogasawara.

The next morning as Ichiban goes out for the day, he gets a call from Hamako warning him that a guy named Totsuka from the Seiryu Clan has been roaming the streets with his men in search of Ichiban. Surprised that Totsuka wasn't completely broken from the failure of his Sunlight Castle scam, the group heads over to Hamako's place. There they find Totsuka and his men threatening bodily harm on Hamako if she doesn't cough up Ichiban's location.

Adachi is not convinced, though, and believes there may be some truth to the theory Aoki is Masato; Aoki didn't get his massive popularity until two years ago, when he launched the Kamurocho 3K Plan and crushed the Tojo Clan. Once the 3K Plan made its debut, all the Tojo's ranking officers disappeared before the police could pin them with anything, but even the 3K Plan couldn't have taken them all down without inside help. That insider would be Arakawa, Masato's father, and it would also explain Arakawa's sudden betrayal of the Tojo Clan to the Omi Alliance- Arakawa had transferred his loyalty to his son instead of the yakuza.