Note: The following recap contains unmarked spoilers. Proceed with caution.
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Prologue
Jingaicho, Onomichi
Hiroshima Prefecture
Kazuma Kiryu is having a drink at a local bar. The bartender, a friendly woman named Kiyomi, asks Kiryu if he should be drinking with so little time left. Kiryu says that an unnamed third party can wait, and he just wants to enjoy his drink. Just then, a local thug named Tsuyoshi Nagumo comes stomping in and demands Kiryu step outside so they can fight. Kiyomi asks Nagumo to take it easy, to which Nagumo protests that his "Kiyo-chan" is taking the side of some out-of-town loser over him. Kiryu has little patience, so he finishes his drink and steps outside, Nagumo following him to a nearby lot. Kiryu beats Nagumo into the ground, but rather than tell him off for his antagonism Kiryu leaves to return to Kiyomi's bar, chastising Nagumo for making him late. When he arrives, Kiyomi hands Kiryu a pot of warm water, which Kiryu uses to prepare powdered milk for the aforementioned third person: a baby boy named Haruto who had been asleep in a basket nearby.
Four Years Prior
Haruka Sawamura makes her confession during her performance at the end of Yakuza 5, saying how proud she is to know Kazuma Kiryu despite his past as a yakuza. Meanwhile, Kiryu stumbles through the streets of Tokyo, doing his best to keep moving forward while bleeding out from his wounds. Haruka runs out of the stadium and finds Kiryu, the two tearfully reuniting before getting Kiryu to a hospital.
As Kiryu rests, Haruka is visited by Shun Akiyama, who reassures her that Kiryu will be back on his feet in a few weeks. Haruka is grateful, but Akiyama warns her that her stunt at the stadium won't go away quickly, and with the tensions between the Tojo Clan and the Omi Alliance still at an all time high it might be some time before things return to normal. Still, Akiyama has faith that Kiryu and Haruka can handle anything that comes their way, which Haruka is thankful for. She confirms that they plan to return to Okinawa and live in peace at the orphanage, which Akiyama is disappointed by but wishes them the best (he intends to go into hiding for a few weeks to let everything simmer down).
Outside, a squad of policemen arrive (watched over by Detective Makoto Date) and are stopped by Goro Majima and Taiga Saejima. Saejima guesses (correctly) that they're here for him, as he still has time to serve and is technically an escaped prisoner. Saejima quietly surrenders to the police, though the leader says they're not here for only him before stepping into Kiryu's room. Once there, he makes his announcement: Kazuma Kiryu is under arrest for assault and destruction of private property, much to the shock of Haruka and Akiyama.
Haruka, Akiyama, and Date regroup at New Serena where they watch the news report of Kiryu's arrest. Date says that Kiryu's arrest is a publicity stunt, engineered by Tokyo PD to make up for their failures in preventing the Omi/Tojo war. Akiyama is outraged and asks if there's any way Date can intervene, but he admits his hands are tied and Kiryu is on his own. What's more, the rest of the Tojo leadership is getting away with only minor infractions, as arresting the likes of Daigo Dojima or Majima would lead the Clan leaderless and uncontrollable: Kiryu's reputation and existence outside the Clan's power structure makes him a perfect target to arrest and make an example of. Haruka asks if this means Kiryu is going back to jail, and Date says a good lawyer could get Kiryu off without jail time... but that depends on Kiryu.
Back at the hospital, Kiryu has a dream recapping his relationships with many of the major characters from the previous games. When he wakes up, he finds Daigo waiting for him, the two going up on the roof to talk in private. Daigo says Kiryu could get off his impending jail time with a good lawyer, but Kiryu has refused and he would like to know why. Kiryu admits that, how he sees it, if he does his time then he can absolve himself of his past actions and finally be free of the Tojo Clan. Otherwise, there would be no peace for him, Haruka, or the Morning Glory orphans. Daigo understands, but asks Kiryu if he's certain that he wants to leave Haruka and the kids to fend for themselves for however long he's in jail. Kiryu says that Haruka can handle her end and the media will take the spotlight off him as he does his time, and when all is done he can return to Okinawa with a clear conscious.
Six months later, Haruka visits Kiryu in prison to get him up to speed on how things are going back in Okinawa. The kids all miss him, but the orphanage is running well and the community is supporting them until Kiryu returns. Kiryu asks how the media is handling things, which Haruka reassures him that they're no trouble at all. Kiryu informs her that if he makes parole he'll be out in three years, which discourages Haruka despite Kiryu's reassurance that it's all so she can be proud of their relationship. Kiryu asks what's wrong, and Haruka admits that their separation on account of her idol career really took a toll on her, but it also helped reaffirm her love for Kiryu (which she says she had taken for granted before). Once more she reaffirms that she'll keep her chin up while Kiryu serves his time, and the two depart in good spirits.
Back at Morning Glory, Haruka and the orphans are busy preparing dinner. There's good news to be had, as Mitsuo is up for a prestigious baseball scholarship that could lead to a pro career... unless, as Koji points out, his status as an orphan might disqualify him. Mitsuo waves this off since everyone already knows he's an orphan, but Haruka takes this with a different meaning: that the media might find out about his relationship with her and smear him with an association with the yakuza. That night, she checks social media to find a number of nasty articles about her and the orphans, driving her to tears as she concludes she's become a threat to Morning Glory. She returns to the orphanage and packs her things to leave, but is caught by Ayako who confronts her over the articles. Haruka admits it's not just Mitsuo's scholarship: any one of them could get a big break like that, only to have it ruined by their association with Haruka. Ayako asks what Haruka will do, and Haruka says she intends to get closer to Kiryu for when he leaves prison. She asks Ayako not to tell anyone about what happened, boarding a ship bound for the mainland that morning.
Back in Kamurocho, Date responds to a massive fire that tears through Little Asia. The officer accompanying him says that multiple blazes started at once before converging, but doesn't give an answer as to whether or not it can be classified as arson. Meanwhile, from a suite in the Millennium Tower, a Tojo Clan associate watches the blaze before turning to his three partners, proposing a toast to celebrate their new alliance and the revival of the Tojo Clan.
Chapter 1: The Price of Freedom
December 2016
Kiryu is released from prison and returns to Okinawa, ready to start his new life as a full civilian. The kids at Morning Glory are overjoyed to see Kiryu return, but they have a major question: where's Haruka? Kiryu is confused as he thought Haruka was back with them, at which Ayako confesses what happened on the last night any of them saw Haruka. Haruka kept in touch for a little while, but soon the calls stopped coming and they couldn't reach out to her any other way (Haruka cancelled her cellphone contract shortly after leaving Okinawa and always called from a payphone). The kids are angry at Ayako for keeping them in the dark for so long, but Kiryu insists it's not her or Haruka's fault: all blame falls on him in the end. He swears he'll find Haruka and makes plans to return to Kamurocho (where Ayako and the kids think Haruka is living). He tries calling Akiyama, believing that the loan shark might have contacts that have seen Haruka, but only gets a dead number.
Kiryu returns to Kamurocho, lamenting his luck at always being dragged back to the city. He sets out to find Akiyama, but on the way he runs into Date, who's surprised to see Kiryu back in Kamurocho, assuming he would have gone back to Okinawa. Kiryu sees that Date is busy, the detective explaining he's investigating the murder of a Tojo associate at the hands of a Chinese immigrant. Date explains that the Tojo Clan is at war with the Saio Triad, a new Chinese mafia that swept into Little Asia after the fires three years prior. With the war escalating to the point that civilians were being targeted, Tokyo PD looked for someone to blame and pinned it on the Tojo Clan, sending Daigo and Majima to prison and leaving an old retainer named Katsumi Sugai (whom Kiryu does not know personally) in charge. Date encourages Kiryu to stay away from the war since that sort of thing was what got him arrested in the first place, and changes the subject to how Haruka is and why Kiryu's back in Kamurocho. Kiryu explains that Haruka's gone missing and he suspects her to be in Kamurocho, and he was hoping Akiyama would have some leads he could look in to. Date is unsure if that will pan out, as Akiyama closed Sky Finance some time ago and has been in hiding ever since. He guesses that the triads have been gunning for Akiyama, but can't say more before he has to get back to work. Date and Kiryu part ways, with Kiryu continuing to Sky Finance as that's his best lead so far.
After confirming that Akiyama is not there, Kiryu goes out into Kamurocho to look for information. None of the bartenders or shopkeeps he talks to know what happened to Akiyama, or Haruka for that matter, and eventually Kiryu's path takes him to Little Asia, where a Tojo Clan delegation has just been thrown out after a failed negotiation with the Saio Triad's top enforcer, a brutish thug name Ed. Triad members attack Kiryu for trespassing, but Kiryu easily defeats them before trying to squeeze them for information on Akiyama. The Triads tell him nothing, but one of the Tojo Clan associates recognizes Kiryu and has his men run off to tell Sugai.
With no new leads, Kiryu returns to Sky Finance in case there was something he missed. Upon arriving he finds a gang of Triad members about to execute a Tojo associate, whom Kiryu rescues before fighting off the Chinese. The grateful yakuza thanks Kiryu for the save, explaining that guys like him are getting jumped all over the place. Kiryu figures that's why Akiyama went into hiding, and the yakuza tells Kiryu that he'd seen Akiyama recently with some hobos over at Children's Park. The man introduces himself as Murota, a green recruit of the Jinsei family, and Kiryu introduces himself before the two part ways (though Murota concludes it couldn't have been the Kazuma Kiryu that saved his life).
Kiryu travels to Children's Park and finds a homeless man waiting for him. The man will show him to Akiyama... if Kiryu buys him lunch first. Kiryu buys the guy a bento, and the man leads Kiryu into the sewer. Kiryu finds Akiyama camping out there, the two catching up on what happened since they last met. Akiyama shut down Sky Finance when the Triads started gunning for him, even sending Hana to live with her family out in the countryside rather than risk her getting caught up in the fighting. Akiyama asks why Kiryu's in town, and Kiryu explains that he's looking for Haruka and hoped Akiyama might know something. Unfortunately Akiyama hasn't seen Haruka (kind of hard to look for one girl when running from murderous Chinese gangsters), and Kiryu prepares to leave and keep up his search. However, Ed arrives with a hit squad in search of Akiyama, Kiryu and Akiyama fighting off the Triads before making their escape.
As they exit the sewers, Kiryu gets a phone call from Date urging him to meet him at the hospital: Haruka was in a car accident and is in critical condition. Kiryu and Akiyama hurry to the hospital to find Date there with another officer, Honjo (who first informed Date of Haruka's accident). Haruka is currently in the ICU with a broken hip, shoulder, and life-threatening head trauma. Kiryu asks what happened, with Honjo and Date explaining she was hit by some punk while out in the street, with the culprit still at large. Furthermore, Date has more news to drop on Kiryu before taking him to the hospital nursery: Haruka was carrying a baby with her when she was hit, who is revealed to be the child introduced in the prologue.
Kiryu is released from prison and returns to Okinawa, ready to start his new life as a full civilian. The kids at Morning Glory are overjoyed to see Kiryu return, but they have a major question: where's Haruka? Kiryu is confused as he thought Haruka was back with them, at which Ayako confesses what happened on the last night any of them saw Haruka. Haruka kept in touch for a little while, but soon the calls stopped coming and they couldn't reach out to her any other way (Haruka cancelled her cellphone contract shortly after leaving Okinawa and always called from a payphone). The kids are angry at Ayako for keeping them in the dark for so long, but Kiryu insists it's not her or Haruka's fault: all blame falls on him in the end. He swears he'll find Haruka and makes plans to return to Kamurocho (where Ayako and the kids think Haruka is living). He tries calling Akiyama, believing that the loan shark might have contacts that have seen Haruka, but only gets a dead number.
Kiryu returns to Kamurocho, lamenting his luck at always being dragged back to the city. He sets out to find Akiyama, but on the way he runs into Date, who's surprised to see Kiryu back in Kamurocho, assuming he would have gone back to Okinawa. Kiryu sees that Date is busy, the detective explaining he's investigating the murder of a Tojo associate at the hands of a Chinese immigrant. Date explains that the Tojo Clan is at war with the Saio Triad, a new Chinese mafia that swept into Little Asia after the fires three years prior. With the war escalating to the point that civilians were being targeted, Tokyo PD looked for someone to blame and pinned it on the Tojo Clan, sending Daigo and Majima to prison and leaving an old retainer named Katsumi Sugai (whom Kiryu does not know personally) in charge. Date encourages Kiryu to stay away from the war since that sort of thing was what got him arrested in the first place, and changes the subject to how Haruka is and why Kiryu's back in Kamurocho. Kiryu explains that Haruka's gone missing and he suspects her to be in Kamurocho, and he was hoping Akiyama would have some leads he could look in to. Date is unsure if that will pan out, as Akiyama closed Sky Finance some time ago and has been in hiding ever since. He guesses that the triads have been gunning for Akiyama, but can't say more before he has to get back to work. Date and Kiryu part ways, with Kiryu continuing to Sky Finance as that's his best lead so far.
After confirming that Akiyama is not there, Kiryu goes out into Kamurocho to look for information. None of the bartenders or shopkeeps he talks to know what happened to Akiyama, or Haruka for that matter, and eventually Kiryu's path takes him to Little Asia, where a Tojo Clan delegation has just been thrown out after a failed negotiation with the Saio Triad's top enforcer, a brutish thug name Ed. Triad members attack Kiryu for trespassing, but Kiryu easily defeats them before trying to squeeze them for information on Akiyama. The Triads tell him nothing, but one of the Tojo Clan associates recognizes Kiryu and has his men run off to tell Sugai.
With no new leads, Kiryu returns to Sky Finance in case there was something he missed. Upon arriving he finds a gang of Triad members about to execute a Tojo associate, whom Kiryu rescues before fighting off the Chinese. The grateful yakuza thanks Kiryu for the save, explaining that guys like him are getting jumped all over the place. Kiryu figures that's why Akiyama went into hiding, and the yakuza tells Kiryu that he'd seen Akiyama recently with some hobos over at Children's Park. The man introduces himself as Murota, a green recruit of the Jinsei family, and Kiryu introduces himself before the two part ways (though Murota concludes it couldn't have been the Kazuma Kiryu that saved his life).
Kiryu travels to Children's Park and finds a homeless man waiting for him. The man will show him to Akiyama... if Kiryu buys him lunch first. Kiryu buys the guy a bento, and the man leads Kiryu into the sewer. Kiryu finds Akiyama camping out there, the two catching up on what happened since they last met. Akiyama shut down Sky Finance when the Triads started gunning for him, even sending Hana to live with her family out in the countryside rather than risk her getting caught up in the fighting. Akiyama asks why Kiryu's in town, and Kiryu explains that he's looking for Haruka and hoped Akiyama might know something. Unfortunately Akiyama hasn't seen Haruka (kind of hard to look for one girl when running from murderous Chinese gangsters), and Kiryu prepares to leave and keep up his search. However, Ed arrives with a hit squad in search of Akiyama, Kiryu and Akiyama fighting off the Triads before making their escape.
As they exit the sewers, Kiryu gets a phone call from Date urging him to meet him at the hospital: Haruka was in a car accident and is in critical condition. Kiryu and Akiyama hurry to the hospital to find Date there with another officer, Honjo (who first informed Date of Haruka's accident). Haruka is currently in the ICU with a broken hip, shoulder, and life-threatening head trauma. Kiryu asks what happened, with Honjo and Date explaining she was hit by some punk while out in the street, with the culprit still at large. Furthermore, Date has more news to drop on Kiryu before taking him to the hospital nursery: Haruka was carrying a baby with her when she was hit, who is revealed to be the child introduced in the prologue.
Chapter 2: Life Blooms Anew
Kiryu is shocked by the presence of a baby, even more so when Date hands him a onesie identifying the child as "Haruto Sawamura". This, combined with what Haruka went through to protect him, pegs the child as Haruka's son. Kiryu angrily asks where the boy's father is, to which Honjo replies they have no leads yet: Haruka wasn't carrying any loose information that could be used to identify a significant other, and her phone was badly damaged in the accident (though the police are trying to extract whatever they can from the data card). Date says they didn't even know Haruka was in Kamurocho until the accident, and the only way they'll get any concrete information is from asking her directly when she wakes up, if she wakes up. Honjo has to go back to the scene of the crime, though when Kiryu asks where exactly that is Honjo dismisses him: in his eyes, Kiryu's just a washed-up yakuza who would just be getting in the way. Kiryu wants to know more, though, asking Date if they were sure it was just an accident and not part of some revenge scheme by an old rival out to get Kiryu. Honjo finally relents and offers to take Kiryu to Senryo Avenue where Haruka was hit.
Honjo and Kiryu arrive at the crime scene where Honjo gives Kiryu all the information they have: Haruka was hit from behind by a black sedan that came flying out of a nearby parking garage, with the driver (some gangbanger in his early twenties) fleeing the scene shortly after. Honjo suspects that the culprit may have been fleeing some violence related to the war between the yakuza and the triads. Kiryu asks if they know if the culprit was affiliated with either, though Honjo says there are other syndicates that might be considered before giving Kiryu a history of the current war: three months prior, the heir to the Saio Triad Jimmy Lo was shot dead in Kamurocho, which the Chinese blamed on the Tojo Clan despite no real evidence. The Tojo Clan retaliated by declaring open season on any Chinese in the city, and in the chaos new syndicates have begun creeping in to Kamurocho, including one that Kiryu has a past with: the resurrected Jingweon Mafia.
Honjo warns Kiryu to keep an eye out in case the Jingweon or any other syndicate takes a shot at him, which Kiryu accepts before he begins investigating the crime scene. From the skid marks on the road Honjo concludes that the driver was not attempting to murder Haruka, as they show he sped up after he hit her rather than stopping to see if he'd finished the job. They don't talk for long before Honjo notices a man spying on Kiryu. Kiryu chases down the spy, who reveals himself to be a Tojo associate with the Someya Family who had been ordered to keep an eye on Kiryu and "keep him safe". Kiryu asks how the Tojo Clan knew he was there since he only just arrived in town, which the man admits he's too low on the ladder to know, but he does let slip that the Tojo Clan knows about Haruka's accident. Kiryu demands to know where the Patriarch of the Someya family is, to which the man says he's at Tojo Headquarters meeting with Acting Chairman Sugai. Frustrated that he's once more getting pulled into Tojo Clan affairs, Kiryu heads to the headquarters.
Upon arriving at Tojo HQ, Kiryu meets Takumi Someya, Patriarch of the Someya family. Someya apologizes for his subordinate's actions, but that discussion can wait as Sugai would like to speak to Kiryu. Kiryu and Someya go to Sugai in the main conference room, where Sugai welcomes Kiryu and invites him to come talk business (and the viewer might recognize Sugai as the Tojo associate celebrating the destruction of Little Asia). Kiryu asks how Sugai knew about Haruka's accident so quickly, with Sugai claiming the police told him not long after it happened due to Haruka's high profile and her closeness to the former Fourth Chairman. Kiryu then asks why Sugai and Someya sent a man to spy on him, which Someya says was meant to keep tabs on Kiryu and make sure he was not killed by the Chinese. Not that he thinks Kiryu needs it, or that he deserves it: to Someya, Kiryu is a relic of the past who has no business sticking his nose in the struggles of the current generation, which Kiryu finds to be rather arrogant of the young Patriarch. Kiryu asks if either Someya or Sugai had any involvement with Haruka's accident, which Someya denies. Kiryu says he believes them, but gives the two a warning: if they so much as think about raising a hand against his family, Kiryu will bury them all and the Tojo Clan with them.
Kiryu returns to the hospital and meets with Akiyama (who's cleaned up since leaving the sewers). Haruka is still unconscious, and there's more trouble: a man by the name of Nojiri from Child Protection Services is here to take Haruto. Nojiri explains that since Haruka has no living relatives, Haruto is considered a ward of the state until she makes a recovery and will be placed in an orphanage. Kiryu steps up and offers to take care of Haruto, but Nojiri dismisses Kiryu as he has no legal status with Haruka and as an ex-con is considered a security risk that Nojiri doesn't want to deal with. Kiryu calls Nojiri a callous bastard, speaking from experience that the last place a kid like Haruto needs to be is in an orphanage. Nojiri once again dismisses Kiryu as interfering before going to find a doctor to release Haruto to him, while Kiryu heads to the nursery while swearing he won't let Haruka lose her child like this.
Kiryu and Akiyama go to the nursery, with Akiyama doing his best to dissuade Kiryu from what he's about to do. Kiryu insists he's the only one that can protect Haruto, while Akiyama plays devil's advocate for Nojiri: yes, the likes of Date and Akiyama know Kiryu is a stand up guy, but to the rest of the world he's an ex-yakuza who's been involved in plenty of different crimes and incidents. All they can do, Akiyama argues, is wait for Haruka to wake up, but Kiryu again refuses. If Haruka doesn't wake up, Haruto would just be lost to the system and Kiryu would be unable to help him, so in his mind he has to take Haruto. Akiyama once more disagrees, saying that Kiryu would be branded a kidnapper and then both Haruto and Haruka would be lost to him. Kiryu admits he knows this is wrong, but he has no other option for keeping Haruto safe and orders Akiyama to let him pass. Akiyama refuses, and Kiryu attacks Akiyama. Akiyama is still as skilled as ever, but can't bring himself to go all out against Kiryu and is defeated. Kiryu then departs with Haruto.
That night, when Kiryu returns to Kamurocho, Haruto's crying forces him to stop at a convenience store for food. Fortunately Date spots him and directs Kiryu to some baby formula rather than the onigiri Kiryu was going to buy, and he take Kiryu to New Serena to debrief. While the barkeep takes care of Haruto, Date informs Kiryu he spoke with Nojiri and promised to take the fall if anything bad happened to Haruto. Kiryu apologizes, but Date tells him not to waste his breath as Nojiri essentially wrote Haruto off as a lost cause rather than get involved with the paperwork. While Date was also concerned about the fate of Haruka's son, that's not why he wanted to speak with Kiryu: Haruka had to have major surgery to save her life, and while the surgery was a success she is still comatose with no indication of if or when she'll wake up. Date asks if Kiryu picked up any more leads on Haruka, which Kiryu admits he has not. Date, though, does have one small lead: the police finally got into Haruka's phone and pulled a photo that was taken of her. Kiryu notes the background of the photo tells him nothing, but Date says the data they pulled said the photo was taken in Hiroshima, specifically the city of Onomichi. Date doesn't know for certain, but he guesses that Haruka spent the three years between her departure from Okinawa and the accident in Hiroshima, which Kiryu hypothesizes means Haruto's father might be there as well (and may know what led to Haruka coming up to Kamurocho).
Kiryu says he plans on leaving for Hiroshima the next day with Haruto, intending to find the father and beat the crap out of him for abandoning his child like that, but Date says that might be risky: Hiroshima is the base of operations for the Yomei Alliance, a confederation of yakuza and other gangs that is easily the third most powerful clan in Japan after the Omi Alliance and the Tojo Clan. The Yomei have stayed neutral in the ongoing struggles between the Omi and the Tojo, but they are fiercely isolationist and don't take kindly to strangers poking around Hiroshima (even expelling an attempt by the Omi Alliance to expand into Hiroshima back in the 70s). Kiryu notes that he'd always been warned to stay out of Hiroshima, but none of the other Tojo associates ever explained why. Date says that Chairman Takeru Kurusu, a gambler and founder of the Yomei Alliance, ordered his men to fortify Hiroshima instead of expanding outward like the other yakuza clans, comparing it to a medieval shogunate rather than a normal criminal organization. Kiryu admits that no one he knew ever met Kurusu, which Date doesn't find surprising; Kurusu was active from the 40s until he fell off the map sometime in the 70s, with the current theory going around that he died decades ago and one of his captains named Koshimizu has been directing Yomei operations from the shadows. With the Yomei cutting off Hiroshima's underworld from the rest of Japan, Date and the police have next to no reliable information on the Alliance, so Kiryu would essentially be walking in blind and could spark a war between the Tojo and the Yomei with one wrong step. Kiryu still plans on going, reasoning that as a civilian he doesn't have the same kind of clout he did in days past, but in the meantime he asks Date to watch over Haruka while he's gone. Date agrees, expressing confidence that Haruka will wake up and telling Kiryu that he better have Haruto's father in tow when she does wake up.
Honjo and Kiryu arrive at the crime scene where Honjo gives Kiryu all the information they have: Haruka was hit from behind by a black sedan that came flying out of a nearby parking garage, with the driver (some gangbanger in his early twenties) fleeing the scene shortly after. Honjo suspects that the culprit may have been fleeing some violence related to the war between the yakuza and the triads. Kiryu asks if they know if the culprit was affiliated with either, though Honjo says there are other syndicates that might be considered before giving Kiryu a history of the current war: three months prior, the heir to the Saio Triad Jimmy Lo was shot dead in Kamurocho, which the Chinese blamed on the Tojo Clan despite no real evidence. The Tojo Clan retaliated by declaring open season on any Chinese in the city, and in the chaos new syndicates have begun creeping in to Kamurocho, including one that Kiryu has a past with: the resurrected Jingweon Mafia.
Honjo warns Kiryu to keep an eye out in case the Jingweon or any other syndicate takes a shot at him, which Kiryu accepts before he begins investigating the crime scene. From the skid marks on the road Honjo concludes that the driver was not attempting to murder Haruka, as they show he sped up after he hit her rather than stopping to see if he'd finished the job. They don't talk for long before Honjo notices a man spying on Kiryu. Kiryu chases down the spy, who reveals himself to be a Tojo associate with the Someya Family who had been ordered to keep an eye on Kiryu and "keep him safe". Kiryu asks how the Tojo Clan knew he was there since he only just arrived in town, which the man admits he's too low on the ladder to know, but he does let slip that the Tojo Clan knows about Haruka's accident. Kiryu demands to know where the Patriarch of the Someya family is, to which the man says he's at Tojo Headquarters meeting with Acting Chairman Sugai. Frustrated that he's once more getting pulled into Tojo Clan affairs, Kiryu heads to the headquarters.
Upon arriving at Tojo HQ, Kiryu meets Takumi Someya, Patriarch of the Someya family. Someya apologizes for his subordinate's actions, but that discussion can wait as Sugai would like to speak to Kiryu. Kiryu and Someya go to Sugai in the main conference room, where Sugai welcomes Kiryu and invites him to come talk business (and the viewer might recognize Sugai as the Tojo associate celebrating the destruction of Little Asia). Kiryu asks how Sugai knew about Haruka's accident so quickly, with Sugai claiming the police told him not long after it happened due to Haruka's high profile and her closeness to the former Fourth Chairman. Kiryu then asks why Sugai and Someya sent a man to spy on him, which Someya says was meant to keep tabs on Kiryu and make sure he was not killed by the Chinese. Not that he thinks Kiryu needs it, or that he deserves it: to Someya, Kiryu is a relic of the past who has no business sticking his nose in the struggles of the current generation, which Kiryu finds to be rather arrogant of the young Patriarch. Kiryu asks if either Someya or Sugai had any involvement with Haruka's accident, which Someya denies. Kiryu says he believes them, but gives the two a warning: if they so much as think about raising a hand against his family, Kiryu will bury them all and the Tojo Clan with them.
Kiryu returns to the hospital and meets with Akiyama (who's cleaned up since leaving the sewers). Haruka is still unconscious, and there's more trouble: a man by the name of Nojiri from Child Protection Services is here to take Haruto. Nojiri explains that since Haruka has no living relatives, Haruto is considered a ward of the state until she makes a recovery and will be placed in an orphanage. Kiryu steps up and offers to take care of Haruto, but Nojiri dismisses Kiryu as he has no legal status with Haruka and as an ex-con is considered a security risk that Nojiri doesn't want to deal with. Kiryu calls Nojiri a callous bastard, speaking from experience that the last place a kid like Haruto needs to be is in an orphanage. Nojiri once again dismisses Kiryu as interfering before going to find a doctor to release Haruto to him, while Kiryu heads to the nursery while swearing he won't let Haruka lose her child like this.
Kiryu and Akiyama go to the nursery, with Akiyama doing his best to dissuade Kiryu from what he's about to do. Kiryu insists he's the only one that can protect Haruto, while Akiyama plays devil's advocate for Nojiri: yes, the likes of Date and Akiyama know Kiryu is a stand up guy, but to the rest of the world he's an ex-yakuza who's been involved in plenty of different crimes and incidents. All they can do, Akiyama argues, is wait for Haruka to wake up, but Kiryu again refuses. If Haruka doesn't wake up, Haruto would just be lost to the system and Kiryu would be unable to help him, so in his mind he has to take Haruto. Akiyama once more disagrees, saying that Kiryu would be branded a kidnapper and then both Haruto and Haruka would be lost to him. Kiryu admits he knows this is wrong, but he has no other option for keeping Haruto safe and orders Akiyama to let him pass. Akiyama refuses, and Kiryu attacks Akiyama. Akiyama is still as skilled as ever, but can't bring himself to go all out against Kiryu and is defeated. Kiryu then departs with Haruto.
That night, when Kiryu returns to Kamurocho, Haruto's crying forces him to stop at a convenience store for food. Fortunately Date spots him and directs Kiryu to some baby formula rather than the onigiri Kiryu was going to buy, and he take Kiryu to New Serena to debrief. While the barkeep takes care of Haruto, Date informs Kiryu he spoke with Nojiri and promised to take the fall if anything bad happened to Haruto. Kiryu apologizes, but Date tells him not to waste his breath as Nojiri essentially wrote Haruto off as a lost cause rather than get involved with the paperwork. While Date was also concerned about the fate of Haruka's son, that's not why he wanted to speak with Kiryu: Haruka had to have major surgery to save her life, and while the surgery was a success she is still comatose with no indication of if or when she'll wake up. Date asks if Kiryu picked up any more leads on Haruka, which Kiryu admits he has not. Date, though, does have one small lead: the police finally got into Haruka's phone and pulled a photo that was taken of her. Kiryu notes the background of the photo tells him nothing, but Date says the data they pulled said the photo was taken in Hiroshima, specifically the city of Onomichi. Date doesn't know for certain, but he guesses that Haruka spent the three years between her departure from Okinawa and the accident in Hiroshima, which Kiryu hypothesizes means Haruto's father might be there as well (and may know what led to Haruka coming up to Kamurocho).
Kiryu says he plans on leaving for Hiroshima the next day with Haruto, intending to find the father and beat the crap out of him for abandoning his child like that, but Date says that might be risky: Hiroshima is the base of operations for the Yomei Alliance, a confederation of yakuza and other gangs that is easily the third most powerful clan in Japan after the Omi Alliance and the Tojo Clan. The Yomei have stayed neutral in the ongoing struggles between the Omi and the Tojo, but they are fiercely isolationist and don't take kindly to strangers poking around Hiroshima (even expelling an attempt by the Omi Alliance to expand into Hiroshima back in the 70s). Kiryu notes that he'd always been warned to stay out of Hiroshima, but none of the other Tojo associates ever explained why. Date says that Chairman Takeru Kurusu, a gambler and founder of the Yomei Alliance, ordered his men to fortify Hiroshima instead of expanding outward like the other yakuza clans, comparing it to a medieval shogunate rather than a normal criminal organization. Kiryu admits that no one he knew ever met Kurusu, which Date doesn't find surprising; Kurusu was active from the 40s until he fell off the map sometime in the 70s, with the current theory going around that he died decades ago and one of his captains named Koshimizu has been directing Yomei operations from the shadows. With the Yomei cutting off Hiroshima's underworld from the rest of Japan, Date and the police have next to no reliable information on the Alliance, so Kiryu would essentially be walking in blind and could spark a war between the Tojo and the Yomei with one wrong step. Kiryu still plans on going, reasoning that as a civilian he doesn't have the same kind of clout he did in days past, but in the meantime he asks Date to watch over Haruka while he's gone. Date agrees, expressing confidence that Haruka will wake up and telling Kiryu that he better have Haruto's father in tow when she does wake up.
Chapter 3: Foreign Influence
Kiryu and Haruto arrive in Onomichi, with Kiryu going in to town to ask around for leads on Haruka before he finds a place to stay. His travels take him to the bar Snack Kiyomi, where the titular bartender is watering her plants in preparation for business that night. Kiyomi welcomes Kiryu and coos over Haruto, asking if he's Kiryu's. Kiryu denies that he's Haruto's father (though he admits it's easy to peg him for the boy's grandfather) and asks if he might come in for a drink. Kiyomi lets Kiryu in, revealing Nagumo hanging out and having a smoke. While Kiyomi goes to get a basket for Haruto, Nagumo interrogates Kiryu as to who he is and why he's in town, getting it into his head that Kiryu's here to seduce Kiyomi. Kiyomi shoos Nagumo away for harassing her customers, though Nagumo does try to grab Kiryu on his way out. Kiryu deflects the grab and berates Nagumo for acting like a common thug instead of a yakuza. With Nagumo acting belligerent, Kiryu suggests they step outside rather than argue in front of Kiyomi and Haruto, with Nagumo leading him to an empty lot down the block. Kiryu beats Nagumo down and returns to Snack Kiyomi, Nagumo swearing vengeance as a captain of the Hirose family.
Kiryu returns to the bar and Kiyomi give him his drink. Kiryu hands Kiyomi Haruka's picture and explains why he's in Onomichi, asking Kiyomi if she's seen Haruka before. Kiyomi has not, and the name "Haruka Sawamura" doesn't ring any bells either. Kiryu finishes his drink and prepares to leave when Kiyomi asks where he plans on staying. Kiryu admits he had planned on just finding somewhere close by, but Kiyomi says all the local places are closed and he'd have to head into Hiroshima proper to find a hotel. She calls up a friend of hers, Kazuaki Ino, who owns an apartment building nearby and asks him to take Kiryu in for the night. Kiryu thanks Kiyomi and leaves, meeting Ino outside. Ino admits he would have refused Kiryu if "Kiyo-chan" hadn't made the request, and as they head to the Navy Apartments Kiryu asks what their deal is. Ino explains that he, Nagumo, and Kiyomi all went to school together, the two men competing fiercely for Kiyomi's affection. Eventually she got sick of it and moved to Tokyo for a few years, though when she came back Ino and Nagumo were back at it again. Ino laments that in his youth he could handle Nagumo, but now that he's joined the yakuza he's gotten a lot more aggressive. They arrive at the Navy Apartments, a run-down building that Ino says is set for demolition at some point in the future. Kiryu inquires about the name, and Ino gives a short history lesson on Onomichi: the town used to be a thriving hub of shipbuilding and fishing, and the "Navy" was a small gang of con artists that fleeced visitors before being absorbed into the Yomei Alliance. Nowadays, though, the shipbuilding moved on and the young folks flocked to bigger cities like Tokyo, and Onomichi has slowly withered from neglect. Ino lets Kiryu in and departs for the night.
As Kiryu tries to put Haruto down, he notes that the child is fussing a lot more than usual. Thinking Haruto is hungry and realizing he's out of powdered milk, Kiryu heads out into town to find some, but the locals can't point him to a store and everything else is closed. Kiryu eventually goes to Kiyomi for directions/help, who points him towards the barber shop as the owner recently had a child. Kiryu goes to the barber and asks for help, but he and the woman who answers him are interrupted by a drunk pissing on one of the nearby buildings. Tired and angry about everything he's had to put up with that day, Kiryu hands Haruto off to the woman and beats the drunk senseless. Grateful that Kiryu drove off the drunk, the woman gives Kiryu some milk and sends him on his way. Back at the apartment, Kiryu tries to feed Haruto, but the baby refuses the milk. Fortunately, Kiyomi stops by to check on Kiryu and takes over, sensing that Haruto isn't hungry but instead is sleepy. After Haruto quiets down, Kiryu asks Kiyomi if she has any children of her own since she's so good with Haruto. Kiyomi, however, gives a quick answer about babysitting for a friend before rushing back to her bar, wishing Kiryu a good night.
The next morning, Kiryu heads back into town to look for leads. While out and about, he runs into Nagumo once more, the yakuza now joined by two of his underlings: young and level-headed Yuta Usami and rough-looking but easygoing Takaaki Matsunaga. Neither Yuta or Matsunaga get Nagumo's grudge against Kiryu and encourage him to let it drop so they can get to an important event, but Nagumo is worked up and starts beating on the two for not getting why he's out for Kiryu... who doesn't care and is already down the block by the time they realize it. Nagumo leaves in a huff with his men following behind while Kiryu goes to Kiyomi's bar. Kiyomi has a favor to ask of him: a member of Ino's baseball team called in sick, and she was wondering if Kiryu could sub in so they can have a full team. Kiryu doesn't know a whole lot about baseball but agrees, reasoning that it'd be as good a place as any to ask if anyone has seen Haruka.
Kiryu, Haruto, and Kiyomi arrive at the baseball field and are greeted by Ino, who warns them that some of the other team can get a little intense... specifically Nagumo, who arrives with Yuta and Matsunaga and is pissed to see Kiryu there. Ino and Kiyomi reassure Kiryu that baseball is one of the few things Nagumo takes seriously, but Kiryu notes Nagumo's foul temper and wonders if that'll actually hold up. Sure enough, Nagumo is on the warpath and playing dirty, getting most of Kiryu's team hit-by-pitch so he can have a chance at beaning Kiryu. Kiryu gets up to bat and after narrowly dodging Nagumo's pitch he hurls his bat at the yakuza's head, missing him by centimeters. Nagumo drops all pretense and attacks Kiryu with Yuta and Matsunaga reluctantly joining in, but once more Kiryu proves to be a match for Nagumo and beats the three to a pulp. The game is called and Ino invites Kiryu out for drinks, but Kiryu declines as he has to watch Haruto. He speaks with Kiyomi, who says that she asked around for him but no one has seen or heard of Haruka. Kiryu admits he's discouraged, second guessing himself that maybe Haruka only spent a few days in Onomichi when her picture was taken. Kiyomi gives Kiryu some words of encouragement and invites him back to the bar for some food, leading into the events of the prologue. This time, though, when Kiryu leaves to return to Snack Kiyomi, an unseen assailant approaches Nagumo and punches him out.
As Kiryu and Kiyomi wait for Haruto to finish his milk, a gang of yakuza come in dragging a beaten Nagumo behind them. The leader introduces himself as Koji Masuzoe, Patriarch of the Masuzoe family (of which the Hirose family is subservient to), and he's here to collect Kiyomi's protection money that Nagumo is late in delivering. Nagumo asks for more time, but Masuzoe is not having any of it (and his aggressive actions end up startling Haruto and making him cry). Kiyomi gets some money to give to Nagumo, who refuses as he could never collect from his beloved Kiyo-chan. Masuzoe is less forgiving, and though he doesn't take Kiyomi's money he drags Nagumo out to teach him some respect for the higher-ranking family. Kiryu finishes his drink and follows after them, primarily to make sure Nagumo doesn't get killed and also to get revenge on Masuzoe for making Haruto cry. Kiryu tracks them to a lookout point and finds Masuzoe and his men working over Nagumo, stepping in to save his former "enemy". Nagumo tries to dissuade Kiryu, as Masuzoe and his men are pros who won't hesitate to kill a civilian like Kiryu, but Kiryu is undeterred and defeats Masuzoe. With Masuzoe down for the count, Nagumo can do nothing but marvel at Kiryu's strength and skill. He asks Kiryu why he'd come out to save him, to which Kiryu responds he gets Nagumo's desire to protect and impress Kiyomi but was impressed when Nagumo was willing to put his life on the line to protect her. Nagumo admits he can't stand up to Kiryu, and concedes that Kiryu can have Kiyomi if he wants. Kiryu isn't interested and prepares to leave, but Nagumo has a better idea: why doesn't Kiryu become his aniki? Of course it wouldn't be official, since Kiryu's a civilian and all, but he could still stop by the Hirose family office and help out with things. Kiryu doesn't want to get caught up in another instance with a stranger calling him aniki, but Nagumo insists and Kiryu reluctantly gives in.
Kiryu returns to the bar and Kiyomi give him his drink. Kiryu hands Kiyomi Haruka's picture and explains why he's in Onomichi, asking Kiyomi if she's seen Haruka before. Kiyomi has not, and the name "Haruka Sawamura" doesn't ring any bells either. Kiryu finishes his drink and prepares to leave when Kiyomi asks where he plans on staying. Kiryu admits he had planned on just finding somewhere close by, but Kiyomi says all the local places are closed and he'd have to head into Hiroshima proper to find a hotel. She calls up a friend of hers, Kazuaki Ino, who owns an apartment building nearby and asks him to take Kiryu in for the night. Kiryu thanks Kiyomi and leaves, meeting Ino outside. Ino admits he would have refused Kiryu if "Kiyo-chan" hadn't made the request, and as they head to the Navy Apartments Kiryu asks what their deal is. Ino explains that he, Nagumo, and Kiyomi all went to school together, the two men competing fiercely for Kiyomi's affection. Eventually she got sick of it and moved to Tokyo for a few years, though when she came back Ino and Nagumo were back at it again. Ino laments that in his youth he could handle Nagumo, but now that he's joined the yakuza he's gotten a lot more aggressive. They arrive at the Navy Apartments, a run-down building that Ino says is set for demolition at some point in the future. Kiryu inquires about the name, and Ino gives a short history lesson on Onomichi: the town used to be a thriving hub of shipbuilding and fishing, and the "Navy" was a small gang of con artists that fleeced visitors before being absorbed into the Yomei Alliance. Nowadays, though, the shipbuilding moved on and the young folks flocked to bigger cities like Tokyo, and Onomichi has slowly withered from neglect. Ino lets Kiryu in and departs for the night.
As Kiryu tries to put Haruto down, he notes that the child is fussing a lot more than usual. Thinking Haruto is hungry and realizing he's out of powdered milk, Kiryu heads out into town to find some, but the locals can't point him to a store and everything else is closed. Kiryu eventually goes to Kiyomi for directions/help, who points him towards the barber shop as the owner recently had a child. Kiryu goes to the barber and asks for help, but he and the woman who answers him are interrupted by a drunk pissing on one of the nearby buildings. Tired and angry about everything he's had to put up with that day, Kiryu hands Haruto off to the woman and beats the drunk senseless. Grateful that Kiryu drove off the drunk, the woman gives Kiryu some milk and sends him on his way. Back at the apartment, Kiryu tries to feed Haruto, but the baby refuses the milk. Fortunately, Kiyomi stops by to check on Kiryu and takes over, sensing that Haruto isn't hungry but instead is sleepy. After Haruto quiets down, Kiryu asks Kiyomi if she has any children of her own since she's so good with Haruto. Kiyomi, however, gives a quick answer about babysitting for a friend before rushing back to her bar, wishing Kiryu a good night.
The next morning, Kiryu heads back into town to look for leads. While out and about, he runs into Nagumo once more, the yakuza now joined by two of his underlings: young and level-headed Yuta Usami and rough-looking but easygoing Takaaki Matsunaga. Neither Yuta or Matsunaga get Nagumo's grudge against Kiryu and encourage him to let it drop so they can get to an important event, but Nagumo is worked up and starts beating on the two for not getting why he's out for Kiryu... who doesn't care and is already down the block by the time they realize it. Nagumo leaves in a huff with his men following behind while Kiryu goes to Kiyomi's bar. Kiyomi has a favor to ask of him: a member of Ino's baseball team called in sick, and she was wondering if Kiryu could sub in so they can have a full team. Kiryu doesn't know a whole lot about baseball but agrees, reasoning that it'd be as good a place as any to ask if anyone has seen Haruka.
Kiryu, Haruto, and Kiyomi arrive at the baseball field and are greeted by Ino, who warns them that some of the other team can get a little intense... specifically Nagumo, who arrives with Yuta and Matsunaga and is pissed to see Kiryu there. Ino and Kiyomi reassure Kiryu that baseball is one of the few things Nagumo takes seriously, but Kiryu notes Nagumo's foul temper and wonders if that'll actually hold up. Sure enough, Nagumo is on the warpath and playing dirty, getting most of Kiryu's team hit-by-pitch so he can have a chance at beaning Kiryu. Kiryu gets up to bat and after narrowly dodging Nagumo's pitch he hurls his bat at the yakuza's head, missing him by centimeters. Nagumo drops all pretense and attacks Kiryu with Yuta and Matsunaga reluctantly joining in, but once more Kiryu proves to be a match for Nagumo and beats the three to a pulp. The game is called and Ino invites Kiryu out for drinks, but Kiryu declines as he has to watch Haruto. He speaks with Kiyomi, who says that she asked around for him but no one has seen or heard of Haruka. Kiryu admits he's discouraged, second guessing himself that maybe Haruka only spent a few days in Onomichi when her picture was taken. Kiyomi gives Kiryu some words of encouragement and invites him back to the bar for some food, leading into the events of the prologue. This time, though, when Kiryu leaves to return to Snack Kiyomi, an unseen assailant approaches Nagumo and punches him out.
As Kiryu and Kiyomi wait for Haruto to finish his milk, a gang of yakuza come in dragging a beaten Nagumo behind them. The leader introduces himself as Koji Masuzoe, Patriarch of the Masuzoe family (of which the Hirose family is subservient to), and he's here to collect Kiyomi's protection money that Nagumo is late in delivering. Nagumo asks for more time, but Masuzoe is not having any of it (and his aggressive actions end up startling Haruto and making him cry). Kiyomi gets some money to give to Nagumo, who refuses as he could never collect from his beloved Kiyo-chan. Masuzoe is less forgiving, and though he doesn't take Kiyomi's money he drags Nagumo out to teach him some respect for the higher-ranking family. Kiryu finishes his drink and follows after them, primarily to make sure Nagumo doesn't get killed and also to get revenge on Masuzoe for making Haruto cry. Kiryu tracks them to a lookout point and finds Masuzoe and his men working over Nagumo, stepping in to save his former "enemy". Nagumo tries to dissuade Kiryu, as Masuzoe and his men are pros who won't hesitate to kill a civilian like Kiryu, but Kiryu is undeterred and defeats Masuzoe. With Masuzoe down for the count, Nagumo can do nothing but marvel at Kiryu's strength and skill. He asks Kiryu why he'd come out to save him, to which Kiryu responds he gets Nagumo's desire to protect and impress Kiyomi but was impressed when Nagumo was willing to put his life on the line to protect her. Nagumo admits he can't stand up to Kiryu, and concedes that Kiryu can have Kiyomi if he wants. Kiryu isn't interested and prepares to leave, but Nagumo has a better idea: why doesn't Kiryu become his aniki? Of course it wouldn't be official, since Kiryu's a civilian and all, but he could still stop by the Hirose family office and help out with things. Kiryu doesn't want to get caught up in another instance with a stranger calling him aniki, but Nagumo insists and Kiryu reluctantly gives in.
Chapter 4: Deception
Nagumo brings Kiryu to the Hirose Family headquarters, a small house not too far away from Snack Kiyomi. There he introduces Kiryu to Yuta, who's surprised at Nagumo's complete 180 on Kiryu. As Nagumo sends Yuta to get drinks for him and Kiryu, he notices the Patriarch's light is on in his room and takes Kiryu up to meet Toru Hirose, the affable old leader of the family. As Nagumo explains, Hirose was a legend in the Yomei Alliance back in the day, even fighting on the front lines when the Omi Alliance tried to invade. Hirose welcomes Kiryu, asking if it's a shock for a formal Tokyo yakuza like him to find such a laid-back family like his. Kiryu corrects Hirose that he's just a civilian, which Hirose apparently accepts before asking Nagumo if he handled the payment issue with Masuzoe. Nagumo says he did, just as another family member arrives calling for Nagumo. Nagumo and Kiryu excuse themselves and go downstairs, finding junior member Naoto Tagashira with a bloody nose telling them that Matsunaga got into a fight with some rowdy customers over at Moreno, the family bar. Nagumo asks why, and Yuta says that news of their beating at Kiryu's hands has gotten around, and Matsunaga likely snapped at being disrespected like that. Nagumo refuses to help Matsunaga, since he started the fight and should be able to clean up his own problems, but Tagashira and Yuta refuse to leave Matsunaga hanging and run off to help him.
Kiryu asks if Nagumo's just going to let them run off like that, to which Nagumo replies everything will be fine. He explains that Matsunaga runs a bar called Moreno in his spare time away from the family, and him getting into fights with the customers isn't an unusual occurrence. Kiryu asks for directions to Moreno and goes over to make sure everything is okay. He arrives to find the three Hirose associates getting their assess kicked by a gang of drunks while others go and harass the waitress. Kiryu intervenes and tells the drunks to show some respect, which they take as an insult and move to attack him. This goes about as well as any attacks on Kiryu go, with Tagashira and Yuta asking just who the heck this newcomer is. Nagumo arrives and congratulates Kiryu on his victory, apologizing as he couldn't bring himself to attack customers of their establishments.
As Matsunaga recovers, he recognizes Kiryu from their fight at the baseball game. Nagumo tells him to show Kiryu some respect as his new aniki, but Matsunaga is not one to make friends with a former enemy so quickly. As he and Nagumo argue (with Nagumo defending his actions as the customers were ship builders who could get them shut down) Kiryu departs for Kiyomi's bar. When he gets back to Snack Kiyomi, the two adults have a chat where Kiryu explains everything that went down that night. Kiyomi is surprised that Kiryu is hanging around the Hirose family so much, but she's glad he and Nagumo managed to bury the hatchet. Kiryu intends to return the next day so he can ask about Haruka, hoping that perhaps one of them might know something.
The next morning, Kiryu brings Haruto over to the Hirose family. The yakuza (especially Yuta) take a shine to Haruto, and Kiryu presents Haruka's picture and asks if any of them have seen her before. All of them react in shock at Haruka's picture, but Nagumo quickly covers it up that they were just surprised at how young Haruka was and that none of them have seen her before. Yuta, Matsunaga, and Tagashira all quickly make excuses before leaving, and Kiryu asks if he can speak with Hirose before he heads out for the day. Hirose invites Kiryu in and thanks him for saving Nagumo, though this has put him in bad standing with the Masuzoe family (who Hirose notes is also turning their attention to Kiryu). Kiryu thanks Hirose for the warning and goes to leave, but as he steps outside he's approached by Kiyomi who warns him that Masuzoe's men were just at her bar looking for him. Not wanting to drag Haruto into a fight, Kiyomi takes Kiryu to the local shrine where the child will be safe under her watch.
As Haruto marvels at the shrine, Kiyomi warns Kiryu that things will only get worse now that the Masuzoe family is hunting for him. Kiryu agrees, but he's finally gotten confirmation that Haruka was here: the Hirose family are pretty bad liars, and he could tell by their reactions to Haruka's photo that they probably knew her quite well while she was in town. Kiyomi argues that maybe they just recognize her from TV, but Kiryu says that if that were the case they'd just come out and say so. Still, he won't force the information out of them, as he's grown fond of them and their antics and wants them to talk to him on even footing. With that settled, Kiryu entrusts Haruto to Kiyomi and heads to Moreno.
Kiryu goes to Moreno and seeks out Matsunaga to apologize. Matsunaga is busy putting the finishing touches on a model of the battleship Yamato, which was built in Hiroshima during World War II. He accepts Kiryu's apology, but makes it clear that they're still not friends no matter what Nagumo says. Just then Yuta bursts in with bad news: the shipbuilders Kiryu roughed up the other night complained to the Yomei Alliance, and now Captain Koshimizu himself is over at Hirose HQ with Masuzoe and 20 other yakuza to settle matters. Matsunaga reasons that he'll have to make amends for what happened, maybe even commit Yubitsume, despite Kiryu being the one that beat the shipbuilders. Tagashira suggests that maybe they just throw Kiryu to Koshimizu, but Matsunaga shoots that down as cowardice. Kiryu asks why the captain of a major yakuza clan would come down on a third-rate family like theirs, but Tagashira explains that those guys were employees of Iwami Shipbuilding, one of the biggest and most influential shipbuilding firms in Japan if not the world. As Onomichi is their base of operations, Iwami Shipbuilding has a stake in pretty much everything from schools to hospitals, and Kiryu guesses they hold major sway over the Yomei Alliance as well. Matsunaga tells Kiryu that it's none of his business before he goes to face Koshimizu, rebuffing Kiryu's offer to help and ordering Yuta and Tagashira to make sure Kiryu doesn't leave. One Curb-Stomp Battle later, and Kiryu heads out to rescue Matsunaga.
When Kiryu arrives at the Hirose family offices, Masuzoe is waiting for him itching for a rematch. Masuzoe demands Kiryu tell him why he's here, but Kiryu refuses and tells Masuzoe to step aside so he can talk with Koshimizu. Masuzoe isn't in the mood, and he and his men attack Kiryu. Kiryu defeats Masuzoe, who tries to dissuade Kiryu from killing him as it would bring the might of the Yomei Alliance down on his head. His confession catches the attention of Koshimizu, who steps out of the Hirose offices to take Masuzoe down a few pegs before introducing himself to Kiryu. Moreover, Koshimizu makes it clear he knows exactly who Kiryu is, and indicates that Nagumo knows as well before he leaves with Masuzoe.
Kiryu and Nagumo check on Matsunaga, who's been beaten as retribution for letting the bar fight happen. Matsunaga asks why Kiryu is going out of his way to get involved, which Kiryu responds that he'll just have to trust him. Yuta and Tagashira arrive and see Matsunaga's injuries, which Nagumo says he inflicted so as to show fealty to Koshimizu without forcing Matsunaga to cut off a pinky. The group shares a laugh (with Kiryu and Hirose joining in as well), and after everything's calmed down Kiryu comes clean about his identity as the Dragon of Dojima and the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. Matsunaga is surprised to learn that Kiryu is the Kazuma Kiryu, though none of the other Hirose associates seem all that surprised, though Kiryu guesses it's because they've got their own secrets they don't want to divulge. Again, Kiryu's not one to press, and he leaves the Hirose offices to collect Haruto and turn in for the night. When he meets up with Kiyomi at the apartment, Kiryu notices that something's off with her, but she once again dodges and leaves for home.
After Haruto has been put down for bed, Kiryu steps outside to have a smoke. Not long after, Nagumo arrives to talk about Haruka. Nagumo explains that they all knew Haruka well, and figured out exactly who Kiryu was when he showed up with her picture. He apologizes for treating Kiryu with disrespect when he first arrived, and goes on to explain why they didn't tell Kiryu they knew Haruka: Haruka didn't give them permission. As Nagumo tells it, Haruka arrived three years ago out of the blue and didn't talk much about her past, with most of the townspeople guessing she was a runaway of some sort. Haruka soon became a popular figure in Onomichi: everyone liked her and was on their best behavior, even rough and tumble guys like Nagumo and the others. They also figured out her past celebrity life, but everyone worked hard to keep it quiet so Haruka could live a normal life without having her past dragged out into the open again. Kiryu asks if he knows who Haruto's father is, then, but Nagumo can't say for certain: Haruka had friends, but never dated anyone as far as he knows, and given Haruto's age he guesses Haruka got pregnant either shortly before or after she disappeared from Onomichi. Nagumo admits that's about all he knows, but he says there is one person in Onomichi who probably knows the most about Haruka and what happened to her: Kiyomi, who had hired Haruka as a waitress so the girl could support herself.
Kiryu asks if Nagumo's just going to let them run off like that, to which Nagumo replies everything will be fine. He explains that Matsunaga runs a bar called Moreno in his spare time away from the family, and him getting into fights with the customers isn't an unusual occurrence. Kiryu asks for directions to Moreno and goes over to make sure everything is okay. He arrives to find the three Hirose associates getting their assess kicked by a gang of drunks while others go and harass the waitress. Kiryu intervenes and tells the drunks to show some respect, which they take as an insult and move to attack him. This goes about as well as any attacks on Kiryu go, with Tagashira and Yuta asking just who the heck this newcomer is. Nagumo arrives and congratulates Kiryu on his victory, apologizing as he couldn't bring himself to attack customers of their establishments.
As Matsunaga recovers, he recognizes Kiryu from their fight at the baseball game. Nagumo tells him to show Kiryu some respect as his new aniki, but Matsunaga is not one to make friends with a former enemy so quickly. As he and Nagumo argue (with Nagumo defending his actions as the customers were ship builders who could get them shut down) Kiryu departs for Kiyomi's bar. When he gets back to Snack Kiyomi, the two adults have a chat where Kiryu explains everything that went down that night. Kiyomi is surprised that Kiryu is hanging around the Hirose family so much, but she's glad he and Nagumo managed to bury the hatchet. Kiryu intends to return the next day so he can ask about Haruka, hoping that perhaps one of them might know something.
The next morning, Kiryu brings Haruto over to the Hirose family. The yakuza (especially Yuta) take a shine to Haruto, and Kiryu presents Haruka's picture and asks if any of them have seen her before. All of them react in shock at Haruka's picture, but Nagumo quickly covers it up that they were just surprised at how young Haruka was and that none of them have seen her before. Yuta, Matsunaga, and Tagashira all quickly make excuses before leaving, and Kiryu asks if he can speak with Hirose before he heads out for the day. Hirose invites Kiryu in and thanks him for saving Nagumo, though this has put him in bad standing with the Masuzoe family (who Hirose notes is also turning their attention to Kiryu). Kiryu thanks Hirose for the warning and goes to leave, but as he steps outside he's approached by Kiyomi who warns him that Masuzoe's men were just at her bar looking for him. Not wanting to drag Haruto into a fight, Kiyomi takes Kiryu to the local shrine where the child will be safe under her watch.
As Haruto marvels at the shrine, Kiyomi warns Kiryu that things will only get worse now that the Masuzoe family is hunting for him. Kiryu agrees, but he's finally gotten confirmation that Haruka was here: the Hirose family are pretty bad liars, and he could tell by their reactions to Haruka's photo that they probably knew her quite well while she was in town. Kiyomi argues that maybe they just recognize her from TV, but Kiryu says that if that were the case they'd just come out and say so. Still, he won't force the information out of them, as he's grown fond of them and their antics and wants them to talk to him on even footing. With that settled, Kiryu entrusts Haruto to Kiyomi and heads to Moreno.
Kiryu goes to Moreno and seeks out Matsunaga to apologize. Matsunaga is busy putting the finishing touches on a model of the battleship Yamato, which was built in Hiroshima during World War II. He accepts Kiryu's apology, but makes it clear that they're still not friends no matter what Nagumo says. Just then Yuta bursts in with bad news: the shipbuilders Kiryu roughed up the other night complained to the Yomei Alliance, and now Captain Koshimizu himself is over at Hirose HQ with Masuzoe and 20 other yakuza to settle matters. Matsunaga reasons that he'll have to make amends for what happened, maybe even commit Yubitsume, despite Kiryu being the one that beat the shipbuilders. Tagashira suggests that maybe they just throw Kiryu to Koshimizu, but Matsunaga shoots that down as cowardice. Kiryu asks why the captain of a major yakuza clan would come down on a third-rate family like theirs, but Tagashira explains that those guys were employees of Iwami Shipbuilding, one of the biggest and most influential shipbuilding firms in Japan if not the world. As Onomichi is their base of operations, Iwami Shipbuilding has a stake in pretty much everything from schools to hospitals, and Kiryu guesses they hold major sway over the Yomei Alliance as well. Matsunaga tells Kiryu that it's none of his business before he goes to face Koshimizu, rebuffing Kiryu's offer to help and ordering Yuta and Tagashira to make sure Kiryu doesn't leave. One Curb-Stomp Battle later, and Kiryu heads out to rescue Matsunaga.
When Kiryu arrives at the Hirose family offices, Masuzoe is waiting for him itching for a rematch. Masuzoe demands Kiryu tell him why he's here, but Kiryu refuses and tells Masuzoe to step aside so he can talk with Koshimizu. Masuzoe isn't in the mood, and he and his men attack Kiryu. Kiryu defeats Masuzoe, who tries to dissuade Kiryu from killing him as it would bring the might of the Yomei Alliance down on his head. His confession catches the attention of Koshimizu, who steps out of the Hirose offices to take Masuzoe down a few pegs before introducing himself to Kiryu. Moreover, Koshimizu makes it clear he knows exactly who Kiryu is, and indicates that Nagumo knows as well before he leaves with Masuzoe.
Kiryu and Nagumo check on Matsunaga, who's been beaten as retribution for letting the bar fight happen. Matsunaga asks why Kiryu is going out of his way to get involved, which Kiryu responds that he'll just have to trust him. Yuta and Tagashira arrive and see Matsunaga's injuries, which Nagumo says he inflicted so as to show fealty to Koshimizu without forcing Matsunaga to cut off a pinky. The group shares a laugh (with Kiryu and Hirose joining in as well), and after everything's calmed down Kiryu comes clean about his identity as the Dragon of Dojima and the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan. Matsunaga is surprised to learn that Kiryu is the Kazuma Kiryu, though none of the other Hirose associates seem all that surprised, though Kiryu guesses it's because they've got their own secrets they don't want to divulge. Again, Kiryu's not one to press, and he leaves the Hirose offices to collect Haruto and turn in for the night. When he meets up with Kiyomi at the apartment, Kiryu notices that something's off with her, but she once again dodges and leaves for home.
After Haruto has been put down for bed, Kiryu steps outside to have a smoke. Not long after, Nagumo arrives to talk about Haruka. Nagumo explains that they all knew Haruka well, and figured out exactly who Kiryu was when he showed up with her picture. He apologizes for treating Kiryu with disrespect when he first arrived, and goes on to explain why they didn't tell Kiryu they knew Haruka: Haruka didn't give them permission. As Nagumo tells it, Haruka arrived three years ago out of the blue and didn't talk much about her past, with most of the townspeople guessing she was a runaway of some sort. Haruka soon became a popular figure in Onomichi: everyone liked her and was on their best behavior, even rough and tumble guys like Nagumo and the others. They also figured out her past celebrity life, but everyone worked hard to keep it quiet so Haruka could live a normal life without having her past dragged out into the open again. Kiryu asks if he knows who Haruto's father is, then, but Nagumo can't say for certain: Haruka had friends, but never dated anyone as far as he knows, and given Haruto's age he guesses Haruka got pregnant either shortly before or after she disappeared from Onomichi. Nagumo admits that's about all he knows, but he says there is one person in Onomichi who probably knows the most about Haruka and what happened to her: Kiyomi, who had hired Haruka as a waitress so the girl could support herself.
Chapter 5: Masked
Yuta and Nagumo get into an argument over how to calm Haruto after the child soils his diaper again. Fortunately, handing him off to Kiryu seems to work out just fine, though Kiryu admits Haruto would probably rather be with his mother right now. After a period of silence, Nagumo asks if Kiryu has any more information on Haruka, but Kiryu says Kiyomi wasn't at the bar when he went to talk to her after his chat with Nagumo. Nagumo finds this odd as Kiyomi usually doesn't leave her bar, but Kiryu says she left him a letter asking to meet her at the top of the ropeway that afternoon so they can talk one-on-one. Nagumo reasons it's just like the Hirose members coming clean about Haruka, though Yuta counters that Nagumo's bad acting didn't help matters (a fact that Kiryu agrees with).
Kiryu leaves Haruto with the Hirose family and heads out to meet with Kiyomi. Kiyomi apologizes for dragging Kiryu so far out of the way, and Kiryu asks her to tell him everything she knows about Haruka. Kiyomi first met Haruka shortly after she got off the boat from Okinawa, mistaking her for a suicidal teen about to jump into the harbor. The two got to talking and Kiyomi took her in when she realized Haruka had nowhere to go. Everyone in town picked up on Haruka's identity pretty quickly, but as Nagumo said they did their best to treat Haruka like a normal girl and never brought it up. Haruka slowly came out of her shell until one day she arrived at Kiyomi's bar in tears (but still smiling); she left Onomichi the next day and no one has seen her since. Kiryu guesses that must have been the day Haruka learned she was pregnant, which Kiyomi agrees with.
Kiryu asks if Kiyomi knows who Haruto's father is, and Kiyomi admits she never saw Haruka dating so she can't say for certain. She does have an idea of who it might be, though, but before she can say who the two are interrupted by none other than Someya and his men. Kiryu demands to know what a Tojo Clan patriarch is doing in Hiroshima, and Someya explains he's here to swear an oath with Koshimizu. Someya notes its an unusual arrangement, since Koshimizu is second-in-command of the Yomei Alliance and he's just a patriarch, but since Daigo is in prison and therefore unable to swear and oath with Chairman Kurusu the yakuza will just have to improvise. Kiryu asks why Someya was chosen, which Someya replies that Sugai is considering him to officially become next in line for the Chairmanship, a fact Kiryu finds dubious. Someya notes Kiryu's disproval, suggesting perhaps he would like to swear an oath instead. Kiryu doesn't answer, and Someya goes on to comment on how fate seems to keep bringing them together: after all, what are the odds the two of them would run into each other so far out of the way, and Kiryu with a woman who used to be with Someya? Kiyomi shies away as Someya greets her, which he takes as his cue to leave. Kiryu notes that the two seem to have a past, but since he's only interested in details pertaining to Haruka he'll let it drop.
Kiryu returns to the Hirose family and tells them what happened, which drives Nagumo to despair at the thought that his Kiyo-chan could have dated someone else (or even be a divorcee). While they try to calm Nagumo down, Ino bursts in and tells them that Kiyomi has just been kidnapped by a bunch of yakuza. Ino tried to fight them off, but just got beaten up by the yakuza before they drove off (though Kiyomi told him not to worry about her). Kiryu asks if they were Yomei Alliance, but Ino says they looked like Tokyo yakuza and were led by a young-looking fellow (Someya). Nagumo prepares to head out to save Kiyomi, dismissing Kiryu's warning that the Tojo Clan isn't one to be trifled with. Matsunaga and the others say they'll go with Nagumo, but Kiryu warns them that Someya is here as a guest of the Yomei Alliance: if they go barging in, it could mean death for all of them and the dissolution of the Hirose family. He offers to go alone, as he's an outsider with few ties to either faction, but Nagumo refuses to let Kiryu go alone.
Just then Hirose enters and offers a solution for how they can go and fight without getting spotted: garish ski masks. Matsunaga asks why Hirose has a bunch of ski masks, and Hirose says he used to wear them back in the day whenever he wanted to beat up some of his fellow yakuza, and no one ever caught on. Nagumo isn't convinced, but since it's all they've got he doesn't complain. He hands one to Kiryu who refuses as he's not really one for stealth, but Yuta insists because otherwise he'll stand out like a sore thumb and all of their cover will be blown. As Hirose takes his leave, the group plans out their attack: the hotel Someya is staying at is divided into five floors, with floors 2 and 3 for guests and the 5th floor being a VIP suite. Nagumo puts Tagashira, Matsunaga, and Yuta in one group to search one side of the building while he and Kiryu search the other, and hopefully they can find Kiyomi and escape quickly before the entirety of the Tojo Clan forces come down on them.
Our heroes drive up to the hotel in a van, busting through to find Kiyomi. The hotel is crawling with Tojo associates, the group fighting their way through until they reach the baths on the fourth floor. Neither Kiyomi or Someya can be found, and while they search the sauna Nagumo ends up taking off his mask to get some fresh air... right in front of Masuzoe, blowing their cover. Someya reveals he was hiding in the sauna, and deflects Kiryu's questions about where Kiyomi is. Someya guesses that Kiryu wants to fight him, but he declines: their attack has left him at a disadvantage, and he only gets into fights he knows he'll win. Instead, he distracts Kiryu with a towel to the face before blasting him with some steam, slipping out while Kiryu gets his bearings back. Kiryu pursues Someya while Nagumo and the others double back to hold off the angry Tojo and Yomei grunts.
Kiryu confronts Someya, who's frustrated by Kiryu's dogged pursuit before doing the customary Battle Strip to face Kiryu. Kiryu is surprised to see that Someya doesn't have a tattoo, which Someya dismisses as yet another relic of the old yakuza that has become a liability in the modern age. Kiryu disagrees, saying that a yakuza tattooing himself shows his dedication to the cause and the lifestyle, and without such traditions the yakuza are nothing. Someya counters that money, not tradition, is what's bringing new recruits in these days, before indicating that Kiyomi is in the next room. Kiryu thanks Someya for the information and the two fight, Kiryu eventually defeating Someya.
Nagumo comes in shortly after Kiryu defeats Someya, but just as they're regrouping Koshimizu steps out of the other room. He's actually pleased Kiryu is here, and invites him in to the other room. Kiryu and Nagumo enter to find Kiyomi having dinner with two other men. The youngest of the two (whom Koshimizu identifies as President Iwami) asks what the meaning of all this is, and Kiryu explains they're here to take Kiyomi home as she was being held captive. Koshimizu laughs at this, as they were merely extending some hospitality to their new partner's wife; to Nagumo's dismay, Someya confirms that he and Kiyomi used to be married. Iwami says there must be consequences for the disturbance, and Koshimizu declares that the Hirose family is henceforth ejected from the Yomei Alliance and Patriarch Hirose owes them a finger. The eldest of the two, though, tells Koshimizu to drop the matter as he doesn't want to upset Kiyomi any further. Kiryu asks who this man is, and he introduces himself as the chairman of Iwami Shipbuilding, Heizo Iwami, though they may know him better at Takeru Kurusu, Chairman and founder of the Yomei Alliance. Iwami Shipbuilding is a front of the Yomei run by Kurusu's son, Tsuneo Iwami, and Kurusu makes it clear he's quite familiar with Kiryu's reputation. But this is no place to talk business, so Kurusu retires to a boat in the harbor for some privacy.
Once they're alone, Kurusu asks a favor of Kiryu: he would like Kiryu to bear witness to Someya and Koshimizu swearing their oath. Kurusu says that the Yomei has stayed neutral for so long because picking between the Tojo Clan or the Omi Alliance could lead to all out war, and that could jeopardize their whole operation. Kiryu asks why Kurusu is so set on an alliance with that being the case, which Koshimizu says isn't for him to know until he witnesses the oath. Kurusu goes on to explain that Kiryu is respected and feared by the Omi, so if he approves of the oath then they'll have to accept it. Kiryu understands, but declines to bear witness as it would undermine Daigo's status as Sixth Chairman. Iwami warns Kiryu that they would be unable to make the oath with Someya then and could seek out an alliance with the Omi instead, but Kiryu doesn't care as he's no longer a member of the Tojo Clan. Kurusu accepts Kiryu's reasoning and apologizes for the impropriety, and the group returns to the mainland.
Afterwards, Kiryu returns to the Hirose offices with Kiyomi and the others. While Nagumo sulks and Hirose wrestles Yuta and Tagashira, Kiryu speaks with Kiyomi about her information regarding Haruto's father. Kiyomi says she thinks it might be a man named Tatsukawa, a former childhood friend of Yuta's who left the Hirose family years ago. Matsunaga asks why Kiyomi thinks its Tatsukawa, and Kiyomi says that just before Haruka disappeared she overheard Tatsukawa on the phone with someone telling them to get an abortion. Kiyomi admits she wasn't sure it was Haruka he was talking to at first, but things clicked after Haruka left and Kiryu returned with Haruto. Kiryu asks where Tatsukawa is now, with Yuta saying he skipped town and moved to Tokyo some time ago. Tagashira says he kept in touch with Tatsukawa after he moved to Tokyo, and last he heard Tatsukawa was working as a host for a club. But that was ages ago and Tatsukawa hasn't answered any of Tagashira's messages. Kiyomi apologizes as it's not much to go off of, but Kiryu says that any lead is a good lead and begins to make plans to go back to Kamurocho.
Kiryu leaves Haruto with the Hirose family and heads out to meet with Kiyomi. Kiyomi apologizes for dragging Kiryu so far out of the way, and Kiryu asks her to tell him everything she knows about Haruka. Kiyomi first met Haruka shortly after she got off the boat from Okinawa, mistaking her for a suicidal teen about to jump into the harbor. The two got to talking and Kiyomi took her in when she realized Haruka had nowhere to go. Everyone in town picked up on Haruka's identity pretty quickly, but as Nagumo said they did their best to treat Haruka like a normal girl and never brought it up. Haruka slowly came out of her shell until one day she arrived at Kiyomi's bar in tears (but still smiling); she left Onomichi the next day and no one has seen her since. Kiryu guesses that must have been the day Haruka learned she was pregnant, which Kiyomi agrees with.
Kiryu asks if Kiyomi knows who Haruto's father is, and Kiyomi admits she never saw Haruka dating so she can't say for certain. She does have an idea of who it might be, though, but before she can say who the two are interrupted by none other than Someya and his men. Kiryu demands to know what a Tojo Clan patriarch is doing in Hiroshima, and Someya explains he's here to swear an oath with Koshimizu. Someya notes its an unusual arrangement, since Koshimizu is second-in-command of the Yomei Alliance and he's just a patriarch, but since Daigo is in prison and therefore unable to swear and oath with Chairman Kurusu the yakuza will just have to improvise. Kiryu asks why Someya was chosen, which Someya replies that Sugai is considering him to officially become next in line for the Chairmanship, a fact Kiryu finds dubious. Someya notes Kiryu's disproval, suggesting perhaps he would like to swear an oath instead. Kiryu doesn't answer, and Someya goes on to comment on how fate seems to keep bringing them together: after all, what are the odds the two of them would run into each other so far out of the way, and Kiryu with a woman who used to be with Someya? Kiyomi shies away as Someya greets her, which he takes as his cue to leave. Kiryu notes that the two seem to have a past, but since he's only interested in details pertaining to Haruka he'll let it drop.
Kiryu returns to the Hirose family and tells them what happened, which drives Nagumo to despair at the thought that his Kiyo-chan could have dated someone else (or even be a divorcee). While they try to calm Nagumo down, Ino bursts in and tells them that Kiyomi has just been kidnapped by a bunch of yakuza. Ino tried to fight them off, but just got beaten up by the yakuza before they drove off (though Kiyomi told him not to worry about her). Kiryu asks if they were Yomei Alliance, but Ino says they looked like Tokyo yakuza and were led by a young-looking fellow (Someya). Nagumo prepares to head out to save Kiyomi, dismissing Kiryu's warning that the Tojo Clan isn't one to be trifled with. Matsunaga and the others say they'll go with Nagumo, but Kiryu warns them that Someya is here as a guest of the Yomei Alliance: if they go barging in, it could mean death for all of them and the dissolution of the Hirose family. He offers to go alone, as he's an outsider with few ties to either faction, but Nagumo refuses to let Kiryu go alone.
Just then Hirose enters and offers a solution for how they can go and fight without getting spotted: garish ski masks. Matsunaga asks why Hirose has a bunch of ski masks, and Hirose says he used to wear them back in the day whenever he wanted to beat up some of his fellow yakuza, and no one ever caught on. Nagumo isn't convinced, but since it's all they've got he doesn't complain. He hands one to Kiryu who refuses as he's not really one for stealth, but Yuta insists because otherwise he'll stand out like a sore thumb and all of their cover will be blown. As Hirose takes his leave, the group plans out their attack: the hotel Someya is staying at is divided into five floors, with floors 2 and 3 for guests and the 5th floor being a VIP suite. Nagumo puts Tagashira, Matsunaga, and Yuta in one group to search one side of the building while he and Kiryu search the other, and hopefully they can find Kiyomi and escape quickly before the entirety of the Tojo Clan forces come down on them.
Our heroes drive up to the hotel in a van, busting through to find Kiyomi. The hotel is crawling with Tojo associates, the group fighting their way through until they reach the baths on the fourth floor. Neither Kiyomi or Someya can be found, and while they search the sauna Nagumo ends up taking off his mask to get some fresh air... right in front of Masuzoe, blowing their cover. Someya reveals he was hiding in the sauna, and deflects Kiryu's questions about where Kiyomi is. Someya guesses that Kiryu wants to fight him, but he declines: their attack has left him at a disadvantage, and he only gets into fights he knows he'll win. Instead, he distracts Kiryu with a towel to the face before blasting him with some steam, slipping out while Kiryu gets his bearings back. Kiryu pursues Someya while Nagumo and the others double back to hold off the angry Tojo and Yomei grunts.
Kiryu confronts Someya, who's frustrated by Kiryu's dogged pursuit before doing the customary Battle Strip to face Kiryu. Kiryu is surprised to see that Someya doesn't have a tattoo, which Someya dismisses as yet another relic of the old yakuza that has become a liability in the modern age. Kiryu disagrees, saying that a yakuza tattooing himself shows his dedication to the cause and the lifestyle, and without such traditions the yakuza are nothing. Someya counters that money, not tradition, is what's bringing new recruits in these days, before indicating that Kiyomi is in the next room. Kiryu thanks Someya for the information and the two fight, Kiryu eventually defeating Someya.
Nagumo comes in shortly after Kiryu defeats Someya, but just as they're regrouping Koshimizu steps out of the other room. He's actually pleased Kiryu is here, and invites him in to the other room. Kiryu and Nagumo enter to find Kiyomi having dinner with two other men. The youngest of the two (whom Koshimizu identifies as President Iwami) asks what the meaning of all this is, and Kiryu explains they're here to take Kiyomi home as she was being held captive. Koshimizu laughs at this, as they were merely extending some hospitality to their new partner's wife; to Nagumo's dismay, Someya confirms that he and Kiyomi used to be married. Iwami says there must be consequences for the disturbance, and Koshimizu declares that the Hirose family is henceforth ejected from the Yomei Alliance and Patriarch Hirose owes them a finger. The eldest of the two, though, tells Koshimizu to drop the matter as he doesn't want to upset Kiyomi any further. Kiryu asks who this man is, and he introduces himself as the chairman of Iwami Shipbuilding, Heizo Iwami, though they may know him better at Takeru Kurusu, Chairman and founder of the Yomei Alliance. Iwami Shipbuilding is a front of the Yomei run by Kurusu's son, Tsuneo Iwami, and Kurusu makes it clear he's quite familiar with Kiryu's reputation. But this is no place to talk business, so Kurusu retires to a boat in the harbor for some privacy.
Once they're alone, Kurusu asks a favor of Kiryu: he would like Kiryu to bear witness to Someya and Koshimizu swearing their oath. Kurusu says that the Yomei has stayed neutral for so long because picking between the Tojo Clan or the Omi Alliance could lead to all out war, and that could jeopardize their whole operation. Kiryu asks why Kurusu is so set on an alliance with that being the case, which Koshimizu says isn't for him to know until he witnesses the oath. Kurusu goes on to explain that Kiryu is respected and feared by the Omi, so if he approves of the oath then they'll have to accept it. Kiryu understands, but declines to bear witness as it would undermine Daigo's status as Sixth Chairman. Iwami warns Kiryu that they would be unable to make the oath with Someya then and could seek out an alliance with the Omi instead, but Kiryu doesn't care as he's no longer a member of the Tojo Clan. Kurusu accepts Kiryu's reasoning and apologizes for the impropriety, and the group returns to the mainland.
Afterwards, Kiryu returns to the Hirose offices with Kiyomi and the others. While Nagumo sulks and Hirose wrestles Yuta and Tagashira, Kiryu speaks with Kiyomi about her information regarding Haruto's father. Kiyomi says she thinks it might be a man named Tatsukawa, a former childhood friend of Yuta's who left the Hirose family years ago. Matsunaga asks why Kiyomi thinks its Tatsukawa, and Kiyomi says that just before Haruka disappeared she overheard Tatsukawa on the phone with someone telling them to get an abortion. Kiyomi admits she wasn't sure it was Haruka he was talking to at first, but things clicked after Haruka left and Kiryu returned with Haruto. Kiryu asks where Tatsukawa is now, with Yuta saying he skipped town and moved to Tokyo some time ago. Tagashira says he kept in touch with Tatsukawa after he moved to Tokyo, and last he heard Tatsukawa was working as a host for a club. But that was ages ago and Tatsukawa hasn't answered any of Tagashira's messages. Kiyomi apologizes as it's not much to go off of, but Kiryu says that any lead is a good lead and begins to make plans to go back to Kamurocho.
Chapter 6: Footsteps
Tagashira gives Kiryu a picture of Tatsukawa so he can better identify him. Kiryu, Yuta, and Matsunaga express disbelief that a sweet girl like Haruka would go for a jackass like Tatsukawa, but Nagumo says that sometimes there isn't a lot of logic to relationships (clearly projecting his feelings for Kiyomi on the situation). Just then Someya arrives and asks to speak with Kiyomi in private, but she refuses. Someya says he was just coming to apologize and prepares to leave, but before he steps out Kiyomi asks how their daughter is (which drives Nagumo to further despair). Someya says she's growing up to be just like her mother, and she can come see her if she returns to him in Tokyo. After Someya leaves, Kiyomi apologizes to Kiryu for lying to him, but Kiryu says there's nothing to apologize for. Yuta chimes in and asks the question that's on everyone's mind: how is Haruka anyway? Kiryu tells them about the accident and that Haruka is in a coma. Kiryu is determined to find out why Haruka was in Kamurocho in the first place, and why she felt to leave Onomichi. Tagashira guesses that perhaps she was going to live with Tatsukawa, with Yuta noting that the two did leave Onomichi around the same time. Kiryu announces he'll leave for Tokyo tomorrow and entrusts Haruto to Kiyomi, with Yuta and Nagumo tagging along so they can help Kiryu in case he gets caught up in the war between the Tojo Clan and the Saio Triad (and so they can beat Tatsukawa up for abandoning Haruka).
The three arrive in Kamurocho the next evening, with Kiryu taking them to Cafe Alps to discuss their plans. Yuta pulls up a social media picture of Tatsukawa from two weeks prior showing him enjoying himself with two hostesses, though Kiryu admits that's not much to go off of- Kamurocho changes quickly, and being in prison for three years means that it could be somewhere Kiryu's never been to. Nagumo asks what's next, and Kiryu says they'll go to one of his old haunts to ask around: Club Stardust. As they head to Stardust, though, Yuta gets a bad case of the shits and has to run off to find a bathroom, leading them to a nearby convenience store. As Yuta tries to get his Potty Emergency sorted out, Nagumo idly flips through a magazine until he finds an article stating Daigo's appeal was rejected and he's bound for prison. Nagumo asks if Kiryu will do anything, since Daigo's imprisonment gives Someya more room to take over, but Kiryu says he has no real power as an ex-Tojo Clan member.
Yuta still hasn't found a bathroom and runs to Stardust, but the bouncer throws him out as they don't take male customers. Kiryu asks to speak with Kazuki or Yuya, but the bouncer doesn't know anyone by that name and tells Kiryu and company to leave. As they try to regroup, they are approached by a businessman who reveals himself to be Yuya. Kiryu asks why Yuya quit Stardust, though they're forced to delay the discussion and find a bathroom for Yuta. After settling in at a barbeque restaurant, Kiryu explains why they're in town and asks Yuya if he knows Tatsukawa. Surprisingly enough, he does- Tatsukawa was working at Stardust shortly before Yuya left, though he's uncertain if he's still there. Yuya explains that the club scene tanked when the war between the Tojo Clan and the Saio Triad ramped up, and try as they might he and Kazuki couldn't keep Stardust afloat. Near the beginning of the year, a wealthy group of Koreans stepped in and started buying up prime real estate, snatching up Stardust in the process. Yuya believes they were financed by the Jingweon Mafia, with Kiryu giving Nagumo and Yuta a brief overview of his history with them. Nagumo expresses doubt that Tatsukawa would stick around long after the Koreans stepped in, but Kiryu believes there might still be some clues in Stardust as to where Tatsukawa went. Yuya is currently working a desk job to make ends meet, but Kazuki is out raising capital to buy Stardust back from the Koreans, and he won't hesitate to go back to Stardust when the time comes.
As they talk, the Stardust bouncer walks in followed by a handsome young man with white hair. The man introduces himself as the owner of Stardust, Joon-gi Han, and apologizes for his bouncer turning them away from the door... and by "apologizes", he means smashing the bouncer's face into a hot grill and berating him for turning away potential customers. To make amends, Han invites Kiryu and the others to Stardust, and he expresses that he's a big fan of Kiryu and would love a chance to talk to him. Nagumo asks if he knows anything about Tatsukawa, but Han says he'll answer those questions after they've come to visit him in Stardust. As they made their way to Stardust, they're attacked by members of the Jingweon Mafia. Nagumo asks if that means Han double crossed them, but Kiryu is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and guesses some of the Jingweon might not be informed about Han's actions. They fight off some of the men, but as more arrive Nagumo and Yuta tell Kiryu to go on to Stardust and meet with Han.
Kiryu reaches Stardust, with Yuta joining him not long after (Nagumo stayed behind to vent his frustrations over Kiyomi). Han welcomes them and apologizes once again for his men acting out of hand, confirming that he a member of the Jingweon Mafia though he claims that he's come to terms with the Mafia's grudge against Kiryu. Kiryu notes that Stardust looks kind of dead, and Han says that the front of the club is just that- a front. His female clientele really go for what he has set up in back, Han escorting them to a secret room where a more explicit club is set up, a place where women can unleash their inhibitions and do whatever they please to the hosts. Han says that he was surprised at how repressed the Japanese seemed to be when he first arrived, and the new club is making money hand over fist as he exploits that desire. Kiryu isn't interested and only wants to know where Tatsukawa is, but Han says he quit months ago. However, Han is willing to give Kiryu a tip on where he might be... if Kiryu fights him in front of the crowd. Kiryu refuses to be an exhibition piece for Han and prepares to leave, but Yuta takes Han's challenge and steps into the ring. Unfortunately for Yuta, Han is leagues above him and pummels him relentlessly, and eventually Kiryu steps in to take over for Yuta before Han beats him to death. Kiryu and Han fight while Yuta is taken away for medical treatment, and though Han is skilled Kiryu emerges victorious. Han's men bring Yuta out and threaten to kill him, but Han orders them to stand down before conceding defeat to Kiryu. Han and Kiryu shake hands, with Han promising he'll fulfil his end of the bargain.
After Han cleans up, he meets Kiryu and Yuta at the front of Stardust to talk business. Kiryu gives Han Tatsukawa's picture to confirm they're talking about the same guy, and Han confirms that it's the same man. Han asks why they're looking for Tatsukawa, but Kiryu refuses to answer. Han suggest they stop beating around the bush and just be open with one another; he already knows about Haruka's accident and her connection to Kiryu, and asks if perhaps they think Tatsukawa is connected to the two. Kiryu again refuses to say more, and Han goes on to say that he believes Tatsukawa became a host as a cover for some other scheme- after all, he knows Chinese and was spending a lot of time in Little Asia after quitting. Kiryu is surprised to learn Tatsukawa knows Chinese, and Yuta explains Tatsukawa taught him and Tagashira when he was in the Hirose family (with Han guessing he wanted to learn so as to impress a girl). Tatsukawa used his skill to get in with the Saio Triad as an informant, with Han guessing he came to Kamurocho to cover his tracks and prevent being discovered. He once more asks Kiryu why he's gunning for Tatsukawa, but Kiryu once again refuses to answer as their deal was he'd tell them about Tatsukawa. Han concedes the point and tells Kiryu and Yuta that Tatsukawa lives on the second floor of the Ouka Building off Senryo Avenue. Kiryu moves to leave before addressing the rumor that the Jingweon have fanned the flames between the Tojo Clan and the Saio Triad, and while Han admits that would be advantageous of them the Jingweon have no stake in the war. Kiryu and Yuta leave while Han wishes them well, though he shatters his drink in frustration once they depart.
Yuta asks if Kiryu's ready to head to Tatsukawa's place, but Kiryu latches on to the fact that it's near Senryo Avenue, where Haruka was hit. They won't know anything until they speak with Tatsukawa, but Kiryu states he won't hold back if it turns out he was involved in the accident. Yuta goes off to find Nagumo while Kiryu heads to the Ouka Building, the three meeting up outside. Yuta notes that Nagumo kind of smells like a bubble bath, and Nagumo admits the Jingweon lost interest after Kiryu and Yuta left, and on his way to Stardust he got lost and so went to a brothel to relax for a bit. Kiryu tables the discussion and the three go inside to confront Tatsukawa, but they find the place empty. Yuta checks one of the rooms, stumbling back in horror as he finds the mutilated, rotting corpses of Tatsukawa and an unknown woman.
The three arrive in Kamurocho the next evening, with Kiryu taking them to Cafe Alps to discuss their plans. Yuta pulls up a social media picture of Tatsukawa from two weeks prior showing him enjoying himself with two hostesses, though Kiryu admits that's not much to go off of- Kamurocho changes quickly, and being in prison for three years means that it could be somewhere Kiryu's never been to. Nagumo asks what's next, and Kiryu says they'll go to one of his old haunts to ask around: Club Stardust. As they head to Stardust, though, Yuta gets a bad case of the shits and has to run off to find a bathroom, leading them to a nearby convenience store. As Yuta tries to get his Potty Emergency sorted out, Nagumo idly flips through a magazine until he finds an article stating Daigo's appeal was rejected and he's bound for prison. Nagumo asks if Kiryu will do anything, since Daigo's imprisonment gives Someya more room to take over, but Kiryu says he has no real power as an ex-Tojo Clan member.
Yuta still hasn't found a bathroom and runs to Stardust, but the bouncer throws him out as they don't take male customers. Kiryu asks to speak with Kazuki or Yuya, but the bouncer doesn't know anyone by that name and tells Kiryu and company to leave. As they try to regroup, they are approached by a businessman who reveals himself to be Yuya. Kiryu asks why Yuya quit Stardust, though they're forced to delay the discussion and find a bathroom for Yuta. After settling in at a barbeque restaurant, Kiryu explains why they're in town and asks Yuya if he knows Tatsukawa. Surprisingly enough, he does- Tatsukawa was working at Stardust shortly before Yuya left, though he's uncertain if he's still there. Yuya explains that the club scene tanked when the war between the Tojo Clan and the Saio Triad ramped up, and try as they might he and Kazuki couldn't keep Stardust afloat. Near the beginning of the year, a wealthy group of Koreans stepped in and started buying up prime real estate, snatching up Stardust in the process. Yuya believes they were financed by the Jingweon Mafia, with Kiryu giving Nagumo and Yuta a brief overview of his history with them. Nagumo expresses doubt that Tatsukawa would stick around long after the Koreans stepped in, but Kiryu believes there might still be some clues in Stardust as to where Tatsukawa went. Yuya is currently working a desk job to make ends meet, but Kazuki is out raising capital to buy Stardust back from the Koreans, and he won't hesitate to go back to Stardust when the time comes.
As they talk, the Stardust bouncer walks in followed by a handsome young man with white hair. The man introduces himself as the owner of Stardust, Joon-gi Han, and apologizes for his bouncer turning them away from the door... and by "apologizes", he means smashing the bouncer's face into a hot grill and berating him for turning away potential customers. To make amends, Han invites Kiryu and the others to Stardust, and he expresses that he's a big fan of Kiryu and would love a chance to talk to him. Nagumo asks if he knows anything about Tatsukawa, but Han says he'll answer those questions after they've come to visit him in Stardust. As they made their way to Stardust, they're attacked by members of the Jingweon Mafia. Nagumo asks if that means Han double crossed them, but Kiryu is willing to give them the benefit of the doubt and guesses some of the Jingweon might not be informed about Han's actions. They fight off some of the men, but as more arrive Nagumo and Yuta tell Kiryu to go on to Stardust and meet with Han.
Kiryu reaches Stardust, with Yuta joining him not long after (Nagumo stayed behind to vent his frustrations over Kiyomi). Han welcomes them and apologizes once again for his men acting out of hand, confirming that he a member of the Jingweon Mafia though he claims that he's come to terms with the Mafia's grudge against Kiryu. Kiryu notes that Stardust looks kind of dead, and Han says that the front of the club is just that- a front. His female clientele really go for what he has set up in back, Han escorting them to a secret room where a more explicit club is set up, a place where women can unleash their inhibitions and do whatever they please to the hosts. Han says that he was surprised at how repressed the Japanese seemed to be when he first arrived, and the new club is making money hand over fist as he exploits that desire. Kiryu isn't interested and only wants to know where Tatsukawa is, but Han says he quit months ago. However, Han is willing to give Kiryu a tip on where he might be... if Kiryu fights him in front of the crowd. Kiryu refuses to be an exhibition piece for Han and prepares to leave, but Yuta takes Han's challenge and steps into the ring. Unfortunately for Yuta, Han is leagues above him and pummels him relentlessly, and eventually Kiryu steps in to take over for Yuta before Han beats him to death. Kiryu and Han fight while Yuta is taken away for medical treatment, and though Han is skilled Kiryu emerges victorious. Han's men bring Yuta out and threaten to kill him, but Han orders them to stand down before conceding defeat to Kiryu. Han and Kiryu shake hands, with Han promising he'll fulfil his end of the bargain.
After Han cleans up, he meets Kiryu and Yuta at the front of Stardust to talk business. Kiryu gives Han Tatsukawa's picture to confirm they're talking about the same guy, and Han confirms that it's the same man. Han asks why they're looking for Tatsukawa, but Kiryu refuses to answer. Han suggest they stop beating around the bush and just be open with one another; he already knows about Haruka's accident and her connection to Kiryu, and asks if perhaps they think Tatsukawa is connected to the two. Kiryu again refuses to say more, and Han goes on to say that he believes Tatsukawa became a host as a cover for some other scheme- after all, he knows Chinese and was spending a lot of time in Little Asia after quitting. Kiryu is surprised to learn Tatsukawa knows Chinese, and Yuta explains Tatsukawa taught him and Tagashira when he was in the Hirose family (with Han guessing he wanted to learn so as to impress a girl). Tatsukawa used his skill to get in with the Saio Triad as an informant, with Han guessing he came to Kamurocho to cover his tracks and prevent being discovered. He once more asks Kiryu why he's gunning for Tatsukawa, but Kiryu once again refuses to answer as their deal was he'd tell them about Tatsukawa. Han concedes the point and tells Kiryu and Yuta that Tatsukawa lives on the second floor of the Ouka Building off Senryo Avenue. Kiryu moves to leave before addressing the rumor that the Jingweon have fanned the flames between the Tojo Clan and the Saio Triad, and while Han admits that would be advantageous of them the Jingweon have no stake in the war. Kiryu and Yuta leave while Han wishes them well, though he shatters his drink in frustration once they depart.
Yuta asks if Kiryu's ready to head to Tatsukawa's place, but Kiryu latches on to the fact that it's near Senryo Avenue, where Haruka was hit. They won't know anything until they speak with Tatsukawa, but Kiryu states he won't hold back if it turns out he was involved in the accident. Yuta goes off to find Nagumo while Kiryu heads to the Ouka Building, the three meeting up outside. Yuta notes that Nagumo kind of smells like a bubble bath, and Nagumo admits the Jingweon lost interest after Kiryu and Yuta left, and on his way to Stardust he got lost and so went to a brothel to relax for a bit. Kiryu tables the discussion and the three go inside to confront Tatsukawa, but they find the place empty. Yuta checks one of the rooms, stumbling back in horror as he finds the mutilated, rotting corpses of Tatsukawa and an unknown woman.
Chapter 7: Heihaizi
The next day Kiryu speaks with Date and Honjo about the murders. Kiryu confirms he only knew Tatsukawa from the photo and didn't know who the woman was, and while Date is willing to let this settle Honjo isn't so forgiving. In his eyes, Kiryu does have a motive for killing Tatsukawa, as he was the man Kiryu thinks got Haruka pregnant. Kiryu also informs the police of Tatsukawa's relationship with the Chinese, which combined with his wounds leads Date to believe the Saio Triad is responsible for the murders. Honjo asks Date if he should be telling Kiryu all this, feeling that it reeks of collusion, but Kiryu and Date make plans to meet up at New Serena later to talk. Kiryu returns to New Serena where Yuta and Nagumo are waiting, both men doing their best to process Tatsukawa's murder. The three talk about what their next step is since their one lead is literally a dead end, and Kiryu says he wants to know why Tatsukawa was killed; if he was in deep with the Triads while still maintaining contact with Haruka, it could mean that she and Haruto might be in the line of fire (bringing back the theory that Haruka's accident was actually a hit).
Date arrives later and tells Kiryu that Haruka has been moved to the police hospital for security reasons, as the regular hospital had been getting frequent calls from men claiming to be part of the Tojo Clan. Her condition has not improved either, though Date dissuades Kiryu from going to see her in case someone follows him and reveals her hiding place. Kiryu asks about Akiyama, and Date tells Kiryu he told Akiyama much the same since he's still being hunted by the Triads. Kiryu asks if Date could reach out to Akiyama for him, but Date says Akiyama told him he'd be in touch before disappearing again. When Date asks Kiryu why he needs to speak to Akiyama, Kiryu brings up their fight with Ed and thinks Akiyama might have some means of finding the Saio officer, and if Kiryu finds Ed he can pressure him for why the Saio Triad killed Tatsukawa. Date would rather have the police investigate this, but knows he won't stop Kiryu from going- all he asks is that Kiryu tell him everything he learns about Tatsukawa and his interactions with the Triads and Haruka.
After Date leaves, Yuta asks why they don't just let him handle Tatsukawa's case. Kiryu says that the police will lock down the evidence soon enough (citing Honjo's suspicion of him as evidence of how fast they work around here), and with so little time he has to work quickly. He says he'll start by looking into Akiyama's sewer hideout, and instructs Nagumo and Yuta to wait until he contacts them. When Kiryu arrives at the sewer, however, he finds a squad of Saio Triad goons waiting for Akiyama. After Kiryu defeats the Chinese, he's greeted by the homeless man that had acted as Akiyama's lookout, who informs him that Akiyama hasn't been down in the sewers since Kiryu met him last. Kiryu asks the hobo if he could contact Akiyama for him, which the man agrees to but warns Kiryu it might take some time.
A short time later, Kiryu gets a call from Akiyama. Kiryu asks him if he knows how high-ranking Ed is in the Saio hierarchy, and Akiyama says he's pretty sure Ed's an officer as he's one of the few that can talk directly with the boss. Kiryu says he wants to speak with Ed and asks if Akiyama knows where he is, but Akiyama says Ed spends most of his time in the Saio Triad's stronghold in Little Asia- just walking in and asking for him isn't going to get Kiryu anywhere. Akiyama tells Kiryu to meet him on the sixth floor of the APA Hotel on Theater Square, and then they can talk some more. Kiryu arrives at the hotel, but spots some men following him; he lures the men to an alleyway and beats them down, but to his surprise he sees that they're Tojo men.
Kiryu returns to the hotel and goes to the sixth floor, stepping into an open room. Akiyama arrives disguised as a window washer, and he brought along Murota for some extra protection. Murota (who's still grateful for Kiryu rescuing him from the Triads) tells Kiryu that Sugai and the other Tojo execs have been working themselves up in a panic over Kiryu's return, and passes along a rumor that Daigo's arrest was set up by Sugai (who coordinated with the Saio Triad to start the fires that destroyed Little Asia). Murota warns Kiryu to steer clear of Sugai and Someya, and Kiryu brings up his fight with the Tojo men on his way here. Murota takes his leave while Kiryu and Akiyama discuss the problem further: it seems that Someya and Sugai were originally allied on the matter, but when the war between the Tojo and the Saio escalated the two soured on one another. Akiyama laments that Kamurocho has become a mess with the war and the Jingweon acting in the shadows, and Kiryu's return has been the one bright spot of hope on the streets, and while Akiyama knows it's selfish of him to ask Kiryu to get involved again he's been hoping Kiryu resolves the mess anyway.
In the meantime, though, Akiyama has found an alternate route into the Saio Triad headquarters that they can use to get to Ed. Akiyama asks why Kiryu wants to talk with Ed, and Kiryu explains the deal with Tatsukawa and his relationship to Haruka. Akiyama agrees to help Kiryu break into the Triad headquarters, telling him they'll meet up outside Little Asia soon. Kiryu returns to New Serena and brings Nagumo and Yuta to Little Asia (after Yuta wakes up Nagumo from binge drinking 500,000 yen worth of sake). Akiyama leads them to an alley next to the main headquarters and explains his plan: he and Kiryu will sneak up to the roof and lower down a rope to let Yuta and Nagumo climb up. From there, they'll continue through the buildings until they reach Ed's office, where they'll either speak with him or wait until he comes back. However, having the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan breaking in to a rival gang's stronghold would cause some issues, so Akiyama produces some ski masks to disguise themselves (Kiryu finding it amusing that Hirose was on to something when he offered his ski masks back in Onomichi).
Kiryu and Akiyama sneak through the kitchens, though they are eventually spotted and forced to fight some of the Triad members (including a super persistent chef). They get past the Triads and let Nagumo and Yuta up on the roof, the four heading towards Ed's office. However, Kiryu notes that there's suspiciously little Triad activity around, just as a bunch of Chinese gangsters burst out in an ambush. Akiyama, Nagumo, and Yuta hold off the Triads while Kiryu goes to confront Ed. Ed admits that he personally killed Tatsukawa, but refuses to say why he did and asks if Kiryu is familiar with the term heihaizi. Kiryu isn't, and Ed explains that heihaizi are children born outside of China's One-Child Policy; normally they live in squalor, but the Saio Triad has a lucrative human trafficking scheme to smuggle heihaizi into Japan, one of them being Tatsukawa. Tatsukawa joined the Yomei Alliance out of gratitude, but Ed says he lost his way and betrayed his past connections, marking him for death. Kiryu asks how exactly Tatsukawa betrayed the Saio, but Ed refuses to answer before he attacks Kiryu.
Kiryu and Ed fight through the Saio Triad headquarters, eventually being joined by more Chinese and Kiryu's allies. Eventually Kiryu and the others defeat Ed, Kiryu informing that he's the one that killed Tatsukawa. Ed still refuses to answer why he killed Tatsukawa, but before Yuta can press him for answers they are interrupted by Masuzoe and a squad of gun-wielding Triad members. Kiryu asks why a Yomei Alliance officers is in Kamurocho consorting with the Triads, and Masuzoe reveals he was a Saio Triad member the whole time (and a heihaizi like Tatsukawa). Kiryu then asks what they were doing in Hiroshima, but Masuzoe counters that Kiryu's not in a position to ask questions before asking him why he was breaking in to the Triad Headquarters. Kiryu tells them about Tatsukawa being the father of Haruto, and as Masuzoe takes in this information Ed orders him to shoot Kiryu. But Masuzoe refuses, saying that the boss will decide Kiryu's fate. The man himself steps in and introduces himself as Big Lo, saying he's heard a lot about Kiryu from Masuzoe and is curious as to what Kiryu is looking for in Onomichi. He asks Masuzoe something that goes untranslated (though Yuta understands it) before ordering his men to lower their weapons. Lo notes that the circumstances of their meeting are less than ideal, but he would be willing to speak with Kiryu when he's had some time to cool his head. Kiryu asks what Lo gets out of it, and the Triad Boss says that not only does he not have to worry about killing Kiryu in his headquarters, Kiryu is well placed to be an intermediary for all the factions involved in the ongoing war- speaking with him will be advantageous for everyone, especially Lo. Kiryu accepts and Lo departs, Masuzoe instructing Kiryu to go alone to the ruins of Shangri-La the following night.
Kiryu and his group regroup at New Serena, Nagumo speculating as to why Masuzoe let them live, and more importantly why two heihaizi like Tatsukawa and Masuzoe were in Hiroshima. Kiryu and Akiyama explain the concept of the heihaizi to Yuta and question if that sort of thing is common in Hiroshima, but both Nagumo and Yuta express ignorance of any human smuggling rings. Kiryu says he's ready for his meeting with Lo, seeing it as his best chance to find out why Tatsukawa was killed and make sure Haruka won't be a target for future reprisals. Then, Yuta remembers what Lo said to Masuzoe: something about Kiryu not knowing the significance of Onomichi or the secret hidden in the town, a secret that must never be revealed to anyone.
Date arrives later and tells Kiryu that Haruka has been moved to the police hospital for security reasons, as the regular hospital had been getting frequent calls from men claiming to be part of the Tojo Clan. Her condition has not improved either, though Date dissuades Kiryu from going to see her in case someone follows him and reveals her hiding place. Kiryu asks about Akiyama, and Date tells Kiryu he told Akiyama much the same since he's still being hunted by the Triads. Kiryu asks if Date could reach out to Akiyama for him, but Date says Akiyama told him he'd be in touch before disappearing again. When Date asks Kiryu why he needs to speak to Akiyama, Kiryu brings up their fight with Ed and thinks Akiyama might have some means of finding the Saio officer, and if Kiryu finds Ed he can pressure him for why the Saio Triad killed Tatsukawa. Date would rather have the police investigate this, but knows he won't stop Kiryu from going- all he asks is that Kiryu tell him everything he learns about Tatsukawa and his interactions with the Triads and Haruka.
After Date leaves, Yuta asks why they don't just let him handle Tatsukawa's case. Kiryu says that the police will lock down the evidence soon enough (citing Honjo's suspicion of him as evidence of how fast they work around here), and with so little time he has to work quickly. He says he'll start by looking into Akiyama's sewer hideout, and instructs Nagumo and Yuta to wait until he contacts them. When Kiryu arrives at the sewer, however, he finds a squad of Saio Triad goons waiting for Akiyama. After Kiryu defeats the Chinese, he's greeted by the homeless man that had acted as Akiyama's lookout, who informs him that Akiyama hasn't been down in the sewers since Kiryu met him last. Kiryu asks the hobo if he could contact Akiyama for him, which the man agrees to but warns Kiryu it might take some time.
A short time later, Kiryu gets a call from Akiyama. Kiryu asks him if he knows how high-ranking Ed is in the Saio hierarchy, and Akiyama says he's pretty sure Ed's an officer as he's one of the few that can talk directly with the boss. Kiryu says he wants to speak with Ed and asks if Akiyama knows where he is, but Akiyama says Ed spends most of his time in the Saio Triad's stronghold in Little Asia- just walking in and asking for him isn't going to get Kiryu anywhere. Akiyama tells Kiryu to meet him on the sixth floor of the APA Hotel on Theater Square, and then they can talk some more. Kiryu arrives at the hotel, but spots some men following him; he lures the men to an alleyway and beats them down, but to his surprise he sees that they're Tojo men.
Kiryu returns to the hotel and goes to the sixth floor, stepping into an open room. Akiyama arrives disguised as a window washer, and he brought along Murota for some extra protection. Murota (who's still grateful for Kiryu rescuing him from the Triads) tells Kiryu that Sugai and the other Tojo execs have been working themselves up in a panic over Kiryu's return, and passes along a rumor that Daigo's arrest was set up by Sugai (who coordinated with the Saio Triad to start the fires that destroyed Little Asia). Murota warns Kiryu to steer clear of Sugai and Someya, and Kiryu brings up his fight with the Tojo men on his way here. Murota takes his leave while Kiryu and Akiyama discuss the problem further: it seems that Someya and Sugai were originally allied on the matter, but when the war between the Tojo and the Saio escalated the two soured on one another. Akiyama laments that Kamurocho has become a mess with the war and the Jingweon acting in the shadows, and Kiryu's return has been the one bright spot of hope on the streets, and while Akiyama knows it's selfish of him to ask Kiryu to get involved again he's been hoping Kiryu resolves the mess anyway.
In the meantime, though, Akiyama has found an alternate route into the Saio Triad headquarters that they can use to get to Ed. Akiyama asks why Kiryu wants to talk with Ed, and Kiryu explains the deal with Tatsukawa and his relationship to Haruka. Akiyama agrees to help Kiryu break into the Triad headquarters, telling him they'll meet up outside Little Asia soon. Kiryu returns to New Serena and brings Nagumo and Yuta to Little Asia (after Yuta wakes up Nagumo from binge drinking 500,000 yen worth of sake). Akiyama leads them to an alley next to the main headquarters and explains his plan: he and Kiryu will sneak up to the roof and lower down a rope to let Yuta and Nagumo climb up. From there, they'll continue through the buildings until they reach Ed's office, where they'll either speak with him or wait until he comes back. However, having the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan breaking in to a rival gang's stronghold would cause some issues, so Akiyama produces some ski masks to disguise themselves (Kiryu finding it amusing that Hirose was on to something when he offered his ski masks back in Onomichi).
Kiryu and Akiyama sneak through the kitchens, though they are eventually spotted and forced to fight some of the Triad members (including a super persistent chef). They get past the Triads and let Nagumo and Yuta up on the roof, the four heading towards Ed's office. However, Kiryu notes that there's suspiciously little Triad activity around, just as a bunch of Chinese gangsters burst out in an ambush. Akiyama, Nagumo, and Yuta hold off the Triads while Kiryu goes to confront Ed. Ed admits that he personally killed Tatsukawa, but refuses to say why he did and asks if Kiryu is familiar with the term heihaizi. Kiryu isn't, and Ed explains that heihaizi are children born outside of China's One-Child Policy; normally they live in squalor, but the Saio Triad has a lucrative human trafficking scheme to smuggle heihaizi into Japan, one of them being Tatsukawa. Tatsukawa joined the Yomei Alliance out of gratitude, but Ed says he lost his way and betrayed his past connections, marking him for death. Kiryu asks how exactly Tatsukawa betrayed the Saio, but Ed refuses to answer before he attacks Kiryu.
Kiryu and Ed fight through the Saio Triad headquarters, eventually being joined by more Chinese and Kiryu's allies. Eventually Kiryu and the others defeat Ed, Kiryu informing that he's the one that killed Tatsukawa. Ed still refuses to answer why he killed Tatsukawa, but before Yuta can press him for answers they are interrupted by Masuzoe and a squad of gun-wielding Triad members. Kiryu asks why a Yomei Alliance officers is in Kamurocho consorting with the Triads, and Masuzoe reveals he was a Saio Triad member the whole time (and a heihaizi like Tatsukawa). Kiryu then asks what they were doing in Hiroshima, but Masuzoe counters that Kiryu's not in a position to ask questions before asking him why he was breaking in to the Triad Headquarters. Kiryu tells them about Tatsukawa being the father of Haruto, and as Masuzoe takes in this information Ed orders him to shoot Kiryu. But Masuzoe refuses, saying that the boss will decide Kiryu's fate. The man himself steps in and introduces himself as Big Lo, saying he's heard a lot about Kiryu from Masuzoe and is curious as to what Kiryu is looking for in Onomichi. He asks Masuzoe something that goes untranslated (though Yuta understands it) before ordering his men to lower their weapons. Lo notes that the circumstances of their meeting are less than ideal, but he would be willing to speak with Kiryu when he's had some time to cool his head. Kiryu asks what Lo gets out of it, and the Triad Boss says that not only does he not have to worry about killing Kiryu in his headquarters, Kiryu is well placed to be an intermediary for all the factions involved in the ongoing war- speaking with him will be advantageous for everyone, especially Lo. Kiryu accepts and Lo departs, Masuzoe instructing Kiryu to go alone to the ruins of Shangri-La the following night.
Kiryu and his group regroup at New Serena, Nagumo speculating as to why Masuzoe let them live, and more importantly why two heihaizi like Tatsukawa and Masuzoe were in Hiroshima. Kiryu and Akiyama explain the concept of the heihaizi to Yuta and question if that sort of thing is common in Hiroshima, but both Nagumo and Yuta express ignorance of any human smuggling rings. Kiryu says he's ready for his meeting with Lo, seeing it as his best chance to find out why Tatsukawa was killed and make sure Haruka won't be a target for future reprisals. Then, Yuta remembers what Lo said to Masuzoe: something about Kiryu not knowing the significance of Onomichi or the secret hidden in the town, a secret that must never be revealed to anyone.
Chapter 8: Conspiracy
Someya is entertaining some high ranking yakuza, assuring them that the war with the Triads will be over soon. One notes that Kiryu is still around, saying that Someya should chase him out as his time is long past. Someya takes issue with this and smashes a wine bottle over the man's head before leaving in a huff.
Meanwhile, Kiryu fills Date in on what little they've learned about Tatsukawa and the Triads. Date asks if the Triad would stoop so low as to murder a child to send a message, Kiryu saying he wouldn't put it pat them and agreeing that Haruto should be kept out of Kamurocho until further notice. With info that the triads have infiltrated Hiroshima and with new questions concerning the big secret in Onomichi, Kiryu is hedging on his meeting with Lo going well so he can finally get some answers. Just then Someya enters New Serena with a request for Kiryu: he knows Kiryu met with Lo, and would like to join Kiryu if/when he goes to meet the Triad Boss again. Someya says he would like to speak with Lo about a truce in the war, but he's been fairly secretive since his son Jimmy Lo was murdered and so Kiryu is his best bet at reaching him. Someya is coy about talking more on Jimmy Lo's death in front of Date, but admits he doesn't know who did it when Date says it'll be kept off record. Kiryu asks if Someya and the Tojo Clan were behind the fires in Little Asia and orchestrated the rise of the Saio Triad as a means to overthrow Daigo, but Someya dismisses these rumors as preposterous. Kiryu agrees to allow Someya to accompany him, but warns Someya that Lo only invited Kiryu and might react negatively to the presence of another yakuza. Someya is willing to take that risk and departs. With Someya gone, Nagumo asks if Kiryu knows what he's doing and guesses that Someya just wants to get close to Lo so he can kill him. Kiryu agrees that that's Someya's plan, but he'll be there to intervene if it comes to that, and if Kiryu refused him Someya could have retaliated against them.
Someya returns to New Serena that night, and he and Kiryu head for Shangri-La. The soapland has sat abandoned and condemned since the events of Yakuza 1, Someya warning Kiryu that it now serves as home for a number of lowlifes and deviants cast out from society. Kiryu and Someya fight their way past a number of Shangri-La's residents, including a particularly nasty fellow in a gimp suit known as "Hangman", until they reach Lo. Lo is disappointed that Kiryu broke his word and brought Someya, and Someya tells Lo to clear out of his hiding place as soon as possible. Kiryu uses this to confirm the rumors that the Tojo Clan started the Little Asia fire to allow the Saio Triad to step in and do their part to dethrone Daigo. Someya draws a gun and aims it at Lo, asking Kiryu to ally with him so they can capture Lo and extract whatever information they want from him. Kiryu disagrees and puts himself between Someya and Lo, saying that he is responsible for Daigo's return to the Tojo Clan and Someya essentially admitted to betraying him, something Kiryu cannot let stand. Someya is impressed by Kiryu's improvisation, saying that by beating him he can win Lo's trust and get his information that way. Someya discards his gun and Kiryu rips off his shirt, and the two battle it out while Lo looks on.
Kiryu eventually defeats Someya, who laments that he'll never surpass the Dragon of Dojima and asks who will finish him off. Lo asks if Kiryu would leave Someya to him, so he can take his vengeance on Kamurocho. Lo says, though, that it wasn't the Tojo that killed Jimmy, but Tsuneo Iwami; Iwami had brought the Saio Triad in to help rearrange the leadership of the Tojo Clan, then tried to have Lo assassinated when he had served his purpose. Sugai and Someya both owe their current status to Iwami, and Lo feels it a waste of bullets to kill pawns like them. Someya tells Lo he's a fool for not killing him, but Lo sees that killing Someya here would only enrage the Tojo Clan further- why kill one bee when you risk angering the whole hive? Lo will instead let Someya go, as choosing not to kill him will show Lo's power, and he sends Someya off with a message for Iwami that he will stop at nothing if it means avenging his son's murder. Someya accepts the message and leaves.
Lo asks if Kiryu disapproves of how he handled Someya, but Kiryu agrees with his methods. Lo had hoped their meeting would allow him to get a good feel for the kind of man Kiryu is, but Kiryu isn't interested in that sort of thing and only wants to know why Lo had Tatsukawa killed. Lo says he cannot tell Kiryu what Tatsukawa's betrayal was about unless Kiryu pledges himself to the Saio Triad, but ultimately it's irrelevant- Tatsukawa is not Haruto's father. Kiryu demands to know how Lo is certain of this and if he has more information on Haruka, which Lo declines to answer but warns Kiryu that Haruto is key in the struggle in Kamurocho, and now other factions are waking up to how important the child is. Their discussion is interrupted when Kiryu gets a phone call from Yuta, who tells Kiryu that they just got a call from Kiyomi back in Hiroshima: Patriarch Hirose has gone missing, and he took Haruto with him.
Meanwhile, Kiryu fills Date in on what little they've learned about Tatsukawa and the Triads. Date asks if the Triad would stoop so low as to murder a child to send a message, Kiryu saying he wouldn't put it pat them and agreeing that Haruto should be kept out of Kamurocho until further notice. With info that the triads have infiltrated Hiroshima and with new questions concerning the big secret in Onomichi, Kiryu is hedging on his meeting with Lo going well so he can finally get some answers. Just then Someya enters New Serena with a request for Kiryu: he knows Kiryu met with Lo, and would like to join Kiryu if/when he goes to meet the Triad Boss again. Someya says he would like to speak with Lo about a truce in the war, but he's been fairly secretive since his son Jimmy Lo was murdered and so Kiryu is his best bet at reaching him. Someya is coy about talking more on Jimmy Lo's death in front of Date, but admits he doesn't know who did it when Date says it'll be kept off record. Kiryu asks if Someya and the Tojo Clan were behind the fires in Little Asia and orchestrated the rise of the Saio Triad as a means to overthrow Daigo, but Someya dismisses these rumors as preposterous. Kiryu agrees to allow Someya to accompany him, but warns Someya that Lo only invited Kiryu and might react negatively to the presence of another yakuza. Someya is willing to take that risk and departs. With Someya gone, Nagumo asks if Kiryu knows what he's doing and guesses that Someya just wants to get close to Lo so he can kill him. Kiryu agrees that that's Someya's plan, but he'll be there to intervene if it comes to that, and if Kiryu refused him Someya could have retaliated against them.
Someya returns to New Serena that night, and he and Kiryu head for Shangri-La. The soapland has sat abandoned and condemned since the events of Yakuza 1, Someya warning Kiryu that it now serves as home for a number of lowlifes and deviants cast out from society. Kiryu and Someya fight their way past a number of Shangri-La's residents, including a particularly nasty fellow in a gimp suit known as "Hangman", until they reach Lo. Lo is disappointed that Kiryu broke his word and brought Someya, and Someya tells Lo to clear out of his hiding place as soon as possible. Kiryu uses this to confirm the rumors that the Tojo Clan started the Little Asia fire to allow the Saio Triad to step in and do their part to dethrone Daigo. Someya draws a gun and aims it at Lo, asking Kiryu to ally with him so they can capture Lo and extract whatever information they want from him. Kiryu disagrees and puts himself between Someya and Lo, saying that he is responsible for Daigo's return to the Tojo Clan and Someya essentially admitted to betraying him, something Kiryu cannot let stand. Someya is impressed by Kiryu's improvisation, saying that by beating him he can win Lo's trust and get his information that way. Someya discards his gun and Kiryu rips off his shirt, and the two battle it out while Lo looks on.
Kiryu eventually defeats Someya, who laments that he'll never surpass the Dragon of Dojima and asks who will finish him off. Lo asks if Kiryu would leave Someya to him, so he can take his vengeance on Kamurocho. Lo says, though, that it wasn't the Tojo that killed Jimmy, but Tsuneo Iwami; Iwami had brought the Saio Triad in to help rearrange the leadership of the Tojo Clan, then tried to have Lo assassinated when he had served his purpose. Sugai and Someya both owe their current status to Iwami, and Lo feels it a waste of bullets to kill pawns like them. Someya tells Lo he's a fool for not killing him, but Lo sees that killing Someya here would only enrage the Tojo Clan further- why kill one bee when you risk angering the whole hive? Lo will instead let Someya go, as choosing not to kill him will show Lo's power, and he sends Someya off with a message for Iwami that he will stop at nothing if it means avenging his son's murder. Someya accepts the message and leaves.
Lo asks if Kiryu disapproves of how he handled Someya, but Kiryu agrees with his methods. Lo had hoped their meeting would allow him to get a good feel for the kind of man Kiryu is, but Kiryu isn't interested in that sort of thing and only wants to know why Lo had Tatsukawa killed. Lo says he cannot tell Kiryu what Tatsukawa's betrayal was about unless Kiryu pledges himself to the Saio Triad, but ultimately it's irrelevant- Tatsukawa is not Haruto's father. Kiryu demands to know how Lo is certain of this and if he has more information on Haruka, which Lo declines to answer but warns Kiryu that Haruto is key in the struggle in Kamurocho, and now other factions are waking up to how important the child is. Their discussion is interrupted when Kiryu gets a phone call from Yuta, who tells Kiryu that they just got a call from Kiyomi back in Hiroshima: Patriarch Hirose has gone missing, and he took Haruto with him.
Chapter 9: Disappearance
Kiryu rushes back to New Serena to meet up with Nagumo and Yuta. The two have been unable to reach Hirose since he fell off the grid, and Nagumo is baffled as to why he would just disappear with Haruto like that. Kiryu guesses it might have something to do with what Lo mentioned about Haruto's significance to the wider gang war, and informs the two that Tatsukawa is not Haruto's father. But that business can wait until they find Hirose, and Nagumo tells Kiryu that they did get news that the main family was looking for Hirose as well, with Koshimizu stopping by the family offices looking for the patriarch. He guesses that they're actually looking for Haruto based on what Lo told Kiryu. Matsunaga and Tagashira are hiding out at Moreno until things blow over, but Nagumo guesses that's the first place Koshimizu and the Yomei would look, and so the three head back to Hiroshima to rescue the others and find Hirose and Haruto.
Upon arriving back in Onomichi, the three head for Moreno but are stopped almost immediately by Yomei Alliance soldiers. They fight their way through the streets until they reach Moreno, where they find Matsunaga, Tagashira, and Kiyomi waiting for them. Once everyone settles down, Kiyomi tells them her side of the story: It was just before opening when Hirose stopped by to visit Haruto. Kiyomi stepped out briefly to buy Hirose some cigarettes, but when she came back he and Haruto were gone. At first she thought he'd just taken the child out for a walk around town, but Hirose had paid for his drink and left his cellphone at the bar. When he didn't return, Kiyomi called Matsunaga and had him call Yuta in Kamurocho. Nagumo asks if Kiyomi noticed Hirose acting strange or anything, but Kiyomi says he was his regular jolly self. Yuta also reasons that Hirose left by choice, as he paid for his drink and there were no other signs of a struggle. Kiryu tells them about what Lo said concerning Haruto's value, leading to Tagashira to theorize that perhaps Hirose took Haruto to a safe place to protect him from the likes of Koshimizu (and didn't tell Kiyomi to keep her out of things). But there's no way of knowing for sure without talking to Hirose.
Kiryu gets up to look for Hirose, and Kiyomi apologizes for her negligence in keeping an eye on Haruto. Kiryu doesn't blame her, though, and tells her that he fought with Someya up in Kamurocho and explains his role in putting Daigo behind bars. Kiyomi uses this time to finally come clean about her past with Someya; after high school, Kiyomi moved to Tokyo to escape the small town feel of Onomichi and found work at a hostess club. She did well for herself until she was scammed into taking on a mountain of debt from a phony real estate manager who threatened to turn the yakuza on her. Someya, another one of her customers, caught wind of Kiyomi's money troubles and went to settle the debt himself, arriving back at Kiyomi's club bloodied and bruised to let Kiyomi know. The two were soon married and had a daughter, but Someya sank deeper into the yakuza despite Kiyomi begging him to get out for their daughter's sake. The tipping point was one night when Kiyomi saw Someya playing with their daughter while she was busy washing out blood from his suit, and she decided to abscond with the child and flee Someya. Unfortunately Someya caught on and had an underling catch Kiyomi, and after taking their daughter away Someya beat Kiyomi for trying to escape. Kiyomi eventually fled back to Onomichi, but Someya put a security detail on their daughter and Kiyomi was forced to abandon her. Kiyomi thinks she's an absolute disgrace of a mother to leave her child with Someya, but Nagumo disagrees and swears he'll do whatever he can to get her daughter back. Kiyomi thanks Nagumo for his encouragement and leaves the bar.
Kiryu asks if Nagumo would like to go after Kiyomi, but he declines- they've got to find the patriarch and Haruto first. Matsunaga suggests they hit up some of Hirose's favorite haunts to see if anyone has seen him, and after gathering some information from the Hirose associates Kiryu heads out. Unfortunately his search doesn't turn up much information- even his phone has no data on it to indicate Hirose was in touch with anyone. Kiryu returns to the Hirose Family offices and picks up a box of matches from a bar called Snack Hourglass, guessing that Hirose must be a regular if he has something like that on him. As he steps outside he's jumped by a gang of Yomei associates looking for Hirose, and after he defeats them Kiryu demands their leader explain why they're looking for Hirose. The leader tells him they don't know, only that Koshimizu ordered them to find Hirose and Haruto. Kiryu then asks him if he knows where Masuzoe is, and when the man replies that Masuzoe's up in Tokyo working with Someya Kiryu warns him that Masuzoe's lying to him. With that settled Kiryu heads to Snack Hourglass, where the owner tells him Hirose told her he would be waiting for him at Ryunan Shrine.
Kiryu heads for the Shrine, but is stopped by Koshimizu. The Yomei captain draws a knife and asks Kiryu if he knows where Hirose is, and while Kiryu says yes he asks Koshimizu why Haruto is so important to the Yakuza. Koshimizu refuses to answer and the two fight, but Kiryu is able to defeat Koshimizu. Koshimizu swears it's not over, but Kiryu says their current struggle is just before Nagumo brains Koshimizu with a bottle and knocks him unconcious. The others arrive, Nagumo explaining that the owner of Snack Hourglass sent them. Kiryu asks them to wake Koshimizu up so he can asks him some questions, but Hirose arrives with Haruto and tells him that won't be necessary- he'll answer all of Kiryu's questions.
As the six settle in at the Shrine, Hirose apologizes for running off with Haruto like that; Koshimizu's men were closing in, and Hirose did not have much choice in the matter. Nagumo says that Hirose could have at least warned them, but Hirose admits he didn't want them to get any more involved than they already were. He goes on to confess that he'd been keeping tabs on Haruka from when Haruto was born up until the accident. Matsunaga asks why he didn't mention that sooner, and Hirose says that he has his own reasons and that Haruto was destined to have people hunting for him. As for why Haruto is considered so valuable, it comes back to who his real father is. Kiryu guesses that means Hirose knows who the father is, and Hirose says they all know who he is: Yuta Usami.
Upon arriving back in Onomichi, the three head for Moreno but are stopped almost immediately by Yomei Alliance soldiers. They fight their way through the streets until they reach Moreno, where they find Matsunaga, Tagashira, and Kiyomi waiting for them. Once everyone settles down, Kiyomi tells them her side of the story: It was just before opening when Hirose stopped by to visit Haruto. Kiyomi stepped out briefly to buy Hirose some cigarettes, but when she came back he and Haruto were gone. At first she thought he'd just taken the child out for a walk around town, but Hirose had paid for his drink and left his cellphone at the bar. When he didn't return, Kiyomi called Matsunaga and had him call Yuta in Kamurocho. Nagumo asks if Kiyomi noticed Hirose acting strange or anything, but Kiyomi says he was his regular jolly self. Yuta also reasons that Hirose left by choice, as he paid for his drink and there were no other signs of a struggle. Kiryu tells them about what Lo said concerning Haruto's value, leading to Tagashira to theorize that perhaps Hirose took Haruto to a safe place to protect him from the likes of Koshimizu (and didn't tell Kiyomi to keep her out of things). But there's no way of knowing for sure without talking to Hirose.
Kiryu gets up to look for Hirose, and Kiyomi apologizes for her negligence in keeping an eye on Haruto. Kiryu doesn't blame her, though, and tells her that he fought with Someya up in Kamurocho and explains his role in putting Daigo behind bars. Kiyomi uses this time to finally come clean about her past with Someya; after high school, Kiyomi moved to Tokyo to escape the small town feel of Onomichi and found work at a hostess club. She did well for herself until she was scammed into taking on a mountain of debt from a phony real estate manager who threatened to turn the yakuza on her. Someya, another one of her customers, caught wind of Kiyomi's money troubles and went to settle the debt himself, arriving back at Kiyomi's club bloodied and bruised to let Kiyomi know. The two were soon married and had a daughter, but Someya sank deeper into the yakuza despite Kiyomi begging him to get out for their daughter's sake. The tipping point was one night when Kiyomi saw Someya playing with their daughter while she was busy washing out blood from his suit, and she decided to abscond with the child and flee Someya. Unfortunately Someya caught on and had an underling catch Kiyomi, and after taking their daughter away Someya beat Kiyomi for trying to escape. Kiyomi eventually fled back to Onomichi, but Someya put a security detail on their daughter and Kiyomi was forced to abandon her. Kiyomi thinks she's an absolute disgrace of a mother to leave her child with Someya, but Nagumo disagrees and swears he'll do whatever he can to get her daughter back. Kiyomi thanks Nagumo for his encouragement and leaves the bar.
Kiryu asks if Nagumo would like to go after Kiyomi, but he declines- they've got to find the patriarch and Haruto first. Matsunaga suggests they hit up some of Hirose's favorite haunts to see if anyone has seen him, and after gathering some information from the Hirose associates Kiryu heads out. Unfortunately his search doesn't turn up much information- even his phone has no data on it to indicate Hirose was in touch with anyone. Kiryu returns to the Hirose Family offices and picks up a box of matches from a bar called Snack Hourglass, guessing that Hirose must be a regular if he has something like that on him. As he steps outside he's jumped by a gang of Yomei associates looking for Hirose, and after he defeats them Kiryu demands their leader explain why they're looking for Hirose. The leader tells him they don't know, only that Koshimizu ordered them to find Hirose and Haruto. Kiryu then asks him if he knows where Masuzoe is, and when the man replies that Masuzoe's up in Tokyo working with Someya Kiryu warns him that Masuzoe's lying to him. With that settled Kiryu heads to Snack Hourglass, where the owner tells him Hirose told her he would be waiting for him at Ryunan Shrine.
Kiryu heads for the Shrine, but is stopped by Koshimizu. The Yomei captain draws a knife and asks Kiryu if he knows where Hirose is, and while Kiryu says yes he asks Koshimizu why Haruto is so important to the Yakuza. Koshimizu refuses to answer and the two fight, but Kiryu is able to defeat Koshimizu. Koshimizu swears it's not over, but Kiryu says their current struggle is just before Nagumo brains Koshimizu with a bottle and knocks him unconcious. The others arrive, Nagumo explaining that the owner of Snack Hourglass sent them. Kiryu asks them to wake Koshimizu up so he can asks him some questions, but Hirose arrives with Haruto and tells him that won't be necessary- he'll answer all of Kiryu's questions.
As the six settle in at the Shrine, Hirose apologizes for running off with Haruto like that; Koshimizu's men were closing in, and Hirose did not have much choice in the matter. Nagumo says that Hirose could have at least warned them, but Hirose admits he didn't want them to get any more involved than they already were. He goes on to confess that he'd been keeping tabs on Haruka from when Haruto was born up until the accident. Matsunaga asks why he didn't mention that sooner, and Hirose says that he has his own reasons and that Haruto was destined to have people hunting for him. As for why Haruto is considered so valuable, it comes back to who his real father is. Kiryu guesses that means Hirose knows who the father is, and Hirose says they all know who he is: Yuta Usami.
Chapter 10: Blood Law
Two Years Earlier
On her way home from the store, Haruka sees Yuta beating a guy to a bloody pulp in an alley. She asks what the heck is going on, and Yuta presents a camera with pictures of her on it, telling her the man is a paparazzo hoping to dig up some dirt on Haruka. Yuta smashes the camera and tells Haruka that the townsfolk all know who she is, but just want her to live a normal life free from her past. He departs saying that he'll stay away from Kiyomi's for a little while, but he hopes to see her around town sometime soon.
The Present Day
Kiryu and the Hirose family try to process the bombshell that Yuta is Haruto's father. As Kiryu gives Yuta a Death Glare to end all Death Glares, Nagumo angrily demands to know why Yuta didn't come clean sooner. Yuta admits that he got caught up with everyone pegging Tatsukawa and didn't think it could be him. Besides, they only did it once, which doesn't save Yuta from getting punched out by Nagumo. Kiryu tells Nagumo to calm down for now before asking how Hirose can be so certain that Yuta is the father. Hirose says that the newly arrived Masuzoe will explain everything. Masuzoe asks Hirose if he'll keep his promise- if he tells them the full truth, he's a dead man to both the Yomei Alliance and the Saio Triad. Hirose assures Masuzoe that Chairman Kurusu will allow Masuzoe a chance to escape once all is said and done.
Hirose says he first learned Yuta was Haruto's father by how Masuzoe and Tatsukawa reacted when they learned Haruka was pregnant. As it turns out the two had been watching Yuta since he was a kid, and when Yuta asks why Masuzoe drops another bombshell: Yuta is the son of Big Lo and is the heir to the Saio Triad. Kiryu counters that Lo's son Jimmy was murdered three months ago, and Masuzoe explains that Yuta is Jimmy's younger brother. He goes on to explain that while the Saio Triad has weathered many wars and conflicts on the mainland, it has frequently been destabilized by internal conflicts. To curtail the backstabbing, the Saio adopted a blood law where only family members could hold officer positions (Ed, for example, is Lo's cousin), and only the boss' biological son can inherit the Triad. But if the boss were to have more than one son, the two could compete for the position and start a war of sucession. Previous Saio bosses got around this by exiling any son after the first, an insurance policy in case something happened to the heir and the line needed to be continued.
Yuta doesn't believe this, but Masuzoe suggests he think back on his childhood as an orphan. He and Tatsukawa were ordered to watch over Yuta since his infancy, making sure he grew up well and didn't get himself killed (Masuzoe even arranged for the cute Chinese girl Yuta wanted to impress, so he could learn Chinese in preparation for taking over the Triad). Thanks to Tatsukawa's proximity to Yuta, they were able to track his every action down to his tryst with Haruka, which is how they knew she was pregnant before anyone else. Yuta, though, went on his merry way completely oblivious to what had happened, and not wanting their backup heir to go around fathering kids (especially half-Japanese kids) Masuzoe and Tatsukawa tried to arrange for Haruka to have an abortion before word got out. But Haruka disappeared, and Masuzoe says she did so with help from Hirose.
Hirose begins telling his part: he was out on the town one day when Haruka came to him, spooked that she had conceived a child with the heir to a Chinese Triad. Haruka did not want to abort the child to please some faceless mafia, and so asked Hirose to find her somewhere safe to hide. Hirose, bored and with nothing else to do, agreed and spirited Haruka away, much to Masuzoe's frustration. Still, he and Tatsukawa decided not to alert Lo- Yuta was still the backup heir, so him fathering a child wouldn't be too threatening to the Triad's survival. But then Jimmy Lo was murdered by Iwami, and when the Saio leadership dug into Yuta's past in preparation for his ascension Masuzoe and Tatsukawa began a desperate search to find Haruka and her child before someone else exposed their mistake.
Tatsukawa found Haruka living in a small village not too far from Onomichi. The two reported Haruto to Lo, who sent out a single order: Kill the child. Kiryu says he didn't take Lo as a man to get hung up on blood ties, which Masuzoe excuses as a cultural difference between the yakuza and the triads. Tatsukawa and Masuzoe waited for their opportunity to strike, they just needed to get her away from Hirose first. But just as they were about to go through with the plan, Tatsukawa betrayed the Saio Triad and planned to capture Haruto and deliver him to Iwami, reasoning that the Triad could still kill them for their failure even if they succeeded in killing the child. Tatsukawa lured Haruka to Kamurocho to deliver the baby to Iwami, but something went wrong and Haruka had her accident, with Masuzoe saying Tatsukawa was behind the wheel of the car that hit her. Tatsukawa abandoned his plan and fled the scene, and Haruto landed right in Kiryu's lap kicking off the events of the last few days. Tatsukawa was killed not long after, and even a hardened gangster like Masuzoe was disgusted by how Ed forced Tatsukawa to watch as he butchered his girlfriend and then slashed his throat.
Masuzoe says that's all he knows and begs Hirose once more for his protection. Hirose doesn't answer him, instead telling Nagumo to hold on tight to Haruto. Just then, masked assailants burst into the Shrine and attempt to take Haruto, Kiryu and the others storming out to confront the rest. While Kiryu fights off the attackers, the Hirose family plays a game of Keep-Away to get Haruto into the city, with Yuta running off with a gang of the assailants following him. As Kiryu continues the fight at the Shrine, Joon-gi Han arrives to fight. The two battle, but soon a member of the Jingweon interrupts and informs Han that they have captured Haruto. Han thanks Kiryu for his time and departs, Kiryu pursuing him into town. He runs into Yuta and sees he's missing Haruto, Yuta telling him he passed the child off to Nagumo to draw away some of the pressure.
Back at the Hirose offices, Yuta tries to apologize for what happened between him and Haruka, but Kiryu isn't having it. Nagumo arrives and tells them that the Koreans grabbed Haruto and took off in a boat, Yuta lamenting that they'll never catch him now. Nagumo asks if that means Yuta is giving up, but Yuta protests that he's still trying to process everything and doesn't know what to think. Nagumo tells Kiryu that Ino and the others are getting a boat ready to pursue, and they'll meet up at the docks soon. They get ready to leave, but Nagumo notices Yuta isn't moving. Nagumo threatens to hit Yuta if he doesn't snap out of it, but Kiryu intervenes and tells Nagumo not to punch Yuta.
That's his job.
As Yuta recovers from getting punched out into the street, Kiryu berates him for his cowardice; before he learned Haruto was his son Yuta would have died for the child, but now he's here sulking about his bloodline. Kiryu demands that he shape up and start acting like a proper father. Kiryu is going after Haruto and Yuta is free to come along, but if he doesn't Kiryu never wants to see him again. Kiryu and Nagumo join the others at the dock, but just as they're about to ship off Yuta runs up and begs them to let him help rescue his son. Kiryu welcomes Yuta aboard and they head out in pursuit of the Jingweon.
Ino gets a word from a buddy about a suspicious looking boat trying to hide out on one of the cargo islands in the harbor. Kiryu asks what exactly that is, and Nagumo explains that's where the shipyards keep their supplies rather than stacking everything in a warehouse, making it a perfect spot for a smaller boat to hide. Kiryu asks what happened to Masuzoe, and Tagashira says that Masuzoe ran off during the fight with the Jingweon and is no longer their problem. Kiryu identifies the attackers as the Jingweon, Hirose adding they're probably on Iwami's payroll. Kiryu then asks Hirose to explain the connection between the Saio Triad and Onomichi, as its pretty convenient that the heir to the Triad and two heihaizi like Tatsukawa and Masuzoe could blend in so well around here. Hirose explains that Kurusu and the Saio Triad have been in business with one another since before World War II, almost 70 years ago. There was a gap following the war, but the relationship picked up around 30 years ago when Lo took over the Saio Triad. Their trade? Heihaizi; the Saio Triad smuggled undocumented children over to Japan, where the Yomei Alliance would give them new identities and documents. Kiryu asks if Iwami is in on the deal, and Hirose guesses that he's got his own arrangements with Lo. Nagumo also brings up the secret that Lo mentioned, which Hirose is surprised by. Matsunaga has an idea, though; Kurusu has plenty of political contacts through both the Yomei and Iwami Shipbuilding, including a possible connection with a mysterious "Fixer" in the upper echelons of government- perhaps that relationship is the big secret of Onomichi. Yuta identifies the fixer as Minoru Daidoji, an old figure of the government who's been blamed for every political scandal in Japan since the war, ranging from war crimes to the economic collapse that caused the Lost Decade. Nagumo doesn't buy it, but their discussion is interrupted when Ino calls out that they're close to the cargo island.
While Ino and Hirose guard the boat, Kiryu and the others head deep into the island, fighting off attacks from Jingweon grunts while searching for Haruto. During their search, Han calls Kiryu and tells him Haruto is safe, and he will return the child on one condition: Kiryu sends Yuta to Kamurocho to kill Lo, as he is uniquely situated to get close to Lo. Han tells Kiryu Yuta has three days to carry out the task, or he'll kill Haruto. Kiryu has a counter offer: He'll come alone and beat Han into a bloody pulp, and then take Haruto back by force. Han wishes Kiryu good luck and hangs up, and Kiryu explains what happened before he heads out to get Haruto.
Kiryu fights through the Jingweon until he corners Han. Han congratulates Kiryu on his strength, though he notes that this will mark the end of the Jingweon once more. Kiryu asks if Iwami is bankrolling the Jingweon, which Han confirms; after the Little Asia fire, Iwami approached the Jingweon with money in exchange for the Jingweon fanning the conflict between the Saio Triad and the Tojo Clan (and Han confirms that his men were the ones who killed Jimmy Lo). Han even worked with Tatsukawa on the plan to kidnap Haruto and was in Kamurocho at the time of Haruka's accident, monitoring Tatsukawa to make sure he did the deed. Kiryu asks if Tatsukawa intended to hit Haruka, but Han says that was an accident- Haruka had gotten suspicious of Tatsukawa's motives and fled the scene when he tried to take Haruto, and in his effort to catch her he lost control of his car and ran her down. Kiryu asks if Han is telling him this so he can set Kiryu's mind at ease before he kills Han, though Han counters that he wanted to tell Kiryu before he lost his chance after killing him. The two fight, and an enraged Kiryu manages to overpower and defeat Han.
Kiryu leaves Han and goes to comfort Haruto. Han recovers and says he has no regrets if Kiryu decides to kill him then and there, but Kiryu declines to show Haruto what he would do to Han. Han calls Kiryu out on his naivete, saying that none of his other opponents will show similar sentiment... but then, Kiryu's never one to back down, and perhaps he might even discover the secret of Onomichi. Kiryu asks if he knows what that secret is, but Han says Chairman Kurusu is the one to talk to. Before Han can say anything more, he's shot dead by an unseen gunman. Kiryu runs for cover with Haruto, but the gunman chooses to make his escape rather than attack Kiryu. Elsewhere, Masuzoe is shown to have suffered a similar fate, his body floating in the harbor with a bullet to the head.
On her way home from the store, Haruka sees Yuta beating a guy to a bloody pulp in an alley. She asks what the heck is going on, and Yuta presents a camera with pictures of her on it, telling her the man is a paparazzo hoping to dig up some dirt on Haruka. Yuta smashes the camera and tells Haruka that the townsfolk all know who she is, but just want her to live a normal life free from her past. He departs saying that he'll stay away from Kiyomi's for a little while, but he hopes to see her around town sometime soon.
The Present Day
Kiryu and the Hirose family try to process the bombshell that Yuta is Haruto's father. As Kiryu gives Yuta a Death Glare to end all Death Glares, Nagumo angrily demands to know why Yuta didn't come clean sooner. Yuta admits that he got caught up with everyone pegging Tatsukawa and didn't think it could be him. Besides, they only did it once, which doesn't save Yuta from getting punched out by Nagumo. Kiryu tells Nagumo to calm down for now before asking how Hirose can be so certain that Yuta is the father. Hirose says that the newly arrived Masuzoe will explain everything. Masuzoe asks Hirose if he'll keep his promise- if he tells them the full truth, he's a dead man to both the Yomei Alliance and the Saio Triad. Hirose assures Masuzoe that Chairman Kurusu will allow Masuzoe a chance to escape once all is said and done.
Hirose says he first learned Yuta was Haruto's father by how Masuzoe and Tatsukawa reacted when they learned Haruka was pregnant. As it turns out the two had been watching Yuta since he was a kid, and when Yuta asks why Masuzoe drops another bombshell: Yuta is the son of Big Lo and is the heir to the Saio Triad. Kiryu counters that Lo's son Jimmy was murdered three months ago, and Masuzoe explains that Yuta is Jimmy's younger brother. He goes on to explain that while the Saio Triad has weathered many wars and conflicts on the mainland, it has frequently been destabilized by internal conflicts. To curtail the backstabbing, the Saio adopted a blood law where only family members could hold officer positions (Ed, for example, is Lo's cousin), and only the boss' biological son can inherit the Triad. But if the boss were to have more than one son, the two could compete for the position and start a war of sucession. Previous Saio bosses got around this by exiling any son after the first, an insurance policy in case something happened to the heir and the line needed to be continued.
Yuta doesn't believe this, but Masuzoe suggests he think back on his childhood as an orphan. He and Tatsukawa were ordered to watch over Yuta since his infancy, making sure he grew up well and didn't get himself killed (Masuzoe even arranged for the cute Chinese girl Yuta wanted to impress, so he could learn Chinese in preparation for taking over the Triad). Thanks to Tatsukawa's proximity to Yuta, they were able to track his every action down to his tryst with Haruka, which is how they knew she was pregnant before anyone else. Yuta, though, went on his merry way completely oblivious to what had happened, and not wanting their backup heir to go around fathering kids (especially half-Japanese kids) Masuzoe and Tatsukawa tried to arrange for Haruka to have an abortion before word got out. But Haruka disappeared, and Masuzoe says she did so with help from Hirose.
Hirose begins telling his part: he was out on the town one day when Haruka came to him, spooked that she had conceived a child with the heir to a Chinese Triad. Haruka did not want to abort the child to please some faceless mafia, and so asked Hirose to find her somewhere safe to hide. Hirose, bored and with nothing else to do, agreed and spirited Haruka away, much to Masuzoe's frustration. Still, he and Tatsukawa decided not to alert Lo- Yuta was still the backup heir, so him fathering a child wouldn't be too threatening to the Triad's survival. But then Jimmy Lo was murdered by Iwami, and when the Saio leadership dug into Yuta's past in preparation for his ascension Masuzoe and Tatsukawa began a desperate search to find Haruka and her child before someone else exposed their mistake.
Tatsukawa found Haruka living in a small village not too far from Onomichi. The two reported Haruto to Lo, who sent out a single order: Kill the child. Kiryu says he didn't take Lo as a man to get hung up on blood ties, which Masuzoe excuses as a cultural difference between the yakuza and the triads. Tatsukawa and Masuzoe waited for their opportunity to strike, they just needed to get her away from Hirose first. But just as they were about to go through with the plan, Tatsukawa betrayed the Saio Triad and planned to capture Haruto and deliver him to Iwami, reasoning that the Triad could still kill them for their failure even if they succeeded in killing the child. Tatsukawa lured Haruka to Kamurocho to deliver the baby to Iwami, but something went wrong and Haruka had her accident, with Masuzoe saying Tatsukawa was behind the wheel of the car that hit her. Tatsukawa abandoned his plan and fled the scene, and Haruto landed right in Kiryu's lap kicking off the events of the last few days. Tatsukawa was killed not long after, and even a hardened gangster like Masuzoe was disgusted by how Ed forced Tatsukawa to watch as he butchered his girlfriend and then slashed his throat.
Masuzoe says that's all he knows and begs Hirose once more for his protection. Hirose doesn't answer him, instead telling Nagumo to hold on tight to Haruto. Just then, masked assailants burst into the Shrine and attempt to take Haruto, Kiryu and the others storming out to confront the rest. While Kiryu fights off the attackers, the Hirose family plays a game of Keep-Away to get Haruto into the city, with Yuta running off with a gang of the assailants following him. As Kiryu continues the fight at the Shrine, Joon-gi Han arrives to fight. The two battle, but soon a member of the Jingweon interrupts and informs Han that they have captured Haruto. Han thanks Kiryu for his time and departs, Kiryu pursuing him into town. He runs into Yuta and sees he's missing Haruto, Yuta telling him he passed the child off to Nagumo to draw away some of the pressure.
Back at the Hirose offices, Yuta tries to apologize for what happened between him and Haruka, but Kiryu isn't having it. Nagumo arrives and tells them that the Koreans grabbed Haruto and took off in a boat, Yuta lamenting that they'll never catch him now. Nagumo asks if that means Yuta is giving up, but Yuta protests that he's still trying to process everything and doesn't know what to think. Nagumo tells Kiryu that Ino and the others are getting a boat ready to pursue, and they'll meet up at the docks soon. They get ready to leave, but Nagumo notices Yuta isn't moving. Nagumo threatens to hit Yuta if he doesn't snap out of it, but Kiryu intervenes and tells Nagumo not to punch Yuta.
That's his job.
As Yuta recovers from getting punched out into the street, Kiryu berates him for his cowardice; before he learned Haruto was his son Yuta would have died for the child, but now he's here sulking about his bloodline. Kiryu demands that he shape up and start acting like a proper father. Kiryu is going after Haruto and Yuta is free to come along, but if he doesn't Kiryu never wants to see him again. Kiryu and Nagumo join the others at the dock, but just as they're about to ship off Yuta runs up and begs them to let him help rescue his son. Kiryu welcomes Yuta aboard and they head out in pursuit of the Jingweon.
Ino gets a word from a buddy about a suspicious looking boat trying to hide out on one of the cargo islands in the harbor. Kiryu asks what exactly that is, and Nagumo explains that's where the shipyards keep their supplies rather than stacking everything in a warehouse, making it a perfect spot for a smaller boat to hide. Kiryu asks what happened to Masuzoe, and Tagashira says that Masuzoe ran off during the fight with the Jingweon and is no longer their problem. Kiryu identifies the attackers as the Jingweon, Hirose adding they're probably on Iwami's payroll. Kiryu then asks Hirose to explain the connection between the Saio Triad and Onomichi, as its pretty convenient that the heir to the Triad and two heihaizi like Tatsukawa and Masuzoe could blend in so well around here. Hirose explains that Kurusu and the Saio Triad have been in business with one another since before World War II, almost 70 years ago. There was a gap following the war, but the relationship picked up around 30 years ago when Lo took over the Saio Triad. Their trade? Heihaizi; the Saio Triad smuggled undocumented children over to Japan, where the Yomei Alliance would give them new identities and documents. Kiryu asks if Iwami is in on the deal, and Hirose guesses that he's got his own arrangements with Lo. Nagumo also brings up the secret that Lo mentioned, which Hirose is surprised by. Matsunaga has an idea, though; Kurusu has plenty of political contacts through both the Yomei and Iwami Shipbuilding, including a possible connection with a mysterious "Fixer" in the upper echelons of government- perhaps that relationship is the big secret of Onomichi. Yuta identifies the fixer as Minoru Daidoji, an old figure of the government who's been blamed for every political scandal in Japan since the war, ranging from war crimes to the economic collapse that caused the Lost Decade. Nagumo doesn't buy it, but their discussion is interrupted when Ino calls out that they're close to the cargo island.
While Ino and Hirose guard the boat, Kiryu and the others head deep into the island, fighting off attacks from Jingweon grunts while searching for Haruto. During their search, Han calls Kiryu and tells him Haruto is safe, and he will return the child on one condition: Kiryu sends Yuta to Kamurocho to kill Lo, as he is uniquely situated to get close to Lo. Han tells Kiryu Yuta has three days to carry out the task, or he'll kill Haruto. Kiryu has a counter offer: He'll come alone and beat Han into a bloody pulp, and then take Haruto back by force. Han wishes Kiryu good luck and hangs up, and Kiryu explains what happened before he heads out to get Haruto.
Kiryu fights through the Jingweon until he corners Han. Han congratulates Kiryu on his strength, though he notes that this will mark the end of the Jingweon once more. Kiryu asks if Iwami is bankrolling the Jingweon, which Han confirms; after the Little Asia fire, Iwami approached the Jingweon with money in exchange for the Jingweon fanning the conflict between the Saio Triad and the Tojo Clan (and Han confirms that his men were the ones who killed Jimmy Lo). Han even worked with Tatsukawa on the plan to kidnap Haruto and was in Kamurocho at the time of Haruka's accident, monitoring Tatsukawa to make sure he did the deed. Kiryu asks if Tatsukawa intended to hit Haruka, but Han says that was an accident- Haruka had gotten suspicious of Tatsukawa's motives and fled the scene when he tried to take Haruto, and in his effort to catch her he lost control of his car and ran her down. Kiryu asks if Han is telling him this so he can set Kiryu's mind at ease before he kills Han, though Han counters that he wanted to tell Kiryu before he lost his chance after killing him. The two fight, and an enraged Kiryu manages to overpower and defeat Han.
Kiryu leaves Han and goes to comfort Haruto. Han recovers and says he has no regrets if Kiryu decides to kill him then and there, but Kiryu declines to show Haruto what he would do to Han. Han calls Kiryu out on his naivete, saying that none of his other opponents will show similar sentiment... but then, Kiryu's never one to back down, and perhaps he might even discover the secret of Onomichi. Kiryu asks if he knows what that secret is, but Han says Chairman Kurusu is the one to talk to. Before Han can say anything more, he's shot dead by an unseen gunman. Kiryu runs for cover with Haruto, but the gunman chooses to make his escape rather than attack Kiryu. Elsewhere, Masuzoe is shown to have suffered a similar fate, his body floating in the harbor with a bullet to the head.
Chapter 11: Father and Son
Kiryu reunites with the Hirose family and passes Haruto to Yuta, who tearfully apologizes for getting him and Haruka into this mess. When they return to the Hirose family offices, Kiryu tells them of his encounter with Han and his murder. Hirose guesses that one of Iwami's men was the shooter, but Kiryu thinks it might have something to do with Kurusu and the secret of Onomichi (also noting Lo seemed concerned about the secret too, which would explain why the Saio Triad is at odds with Iwami). Nagumo asks if this means Kurusu is to blame for the whole mess, but Hirose says Iwami's is more of an independent actor than he lets on; Kurusu passed over Iwami for Koshimizu to be the heir to the Yomei Alliance, but Iwami subverted his father's wishes and managed to win Koshimizu over to his side. Kiryu asks Hirose how he knows Kurusu, and Hirose says that the two were drinking buddies back in the day but Kurusu never mentioned a big secret in Onomichi, leading the group to think that maybe it's just a rumor that's gotten out of hand... maybe. Matsunaga asks Kiryu what he's going to do with Haruto, since leaving him at the family office will risk the Yomei Alliance finding him; Kiryu says he'll take Haruto back to his apartment for the night, but he invites Yuta to come with so he can spend some time with his son.
As Haruto sleeps, Yuta and Kiryu talk and Yuta admits it feels good to have a son. Yuta says that he grew up as an angry kid, with only Tatsukawa to keep him company, and never really felt at home until he joined the Hirose family (though he notes that was probably a ploy so Masuzoe could keep an eye on him). Kiryu notes that Haruka is much the same, and Yuta says he could tell by how reserved she was around others. Yuta laments that his blood and inaction have put Haruka and the Hirose family in danger, but he intends to make things right: he tells Kiryu that he's heading for Kamurocho in the morning, and he'll speak with Lo and try to negotiate for Haruto's safety. Kiryu agrees on the plan, saying that Lo needs to hear Yuta out, and if he won't listen then Kiryu will destroy the Saio Triad single handedly if he has to.
They stop by the Hirose offices the next day to tell the others (sans Hirose) their plan. Nagumo offers to come with them, but Kiryu declines; depending on how things go, they might need to protect Hirose from retaliation by either the Saio or the Yomei (since Nagumo did hit the clan captain over the head with a bottle the other night). Nagumo counters that the main family has other things to worry about, and tells Kiryu that they found Masuzoe's body that morning. Nagumo thinks it's the Chinese, but Kiryu notes that Han was killed with a similar bullet to the head and thinks they might be connected. Yuta tells Kiryu that they'll burning daylight and he, Kiryu, and Haruto depart for Kamurocho.
Upon arriving in Kamurocho, Kiryu and Yuta take Haruto to New Serena, reasoning that Date can protect the child while they go to speak with Lo. Date agrees to take Haruto, but warns Kiryu that Iwami is in town with a bunch of Yomei soldiers, putting the Triads on edge. Kiryu asks why Iwami is here, Date theorizing that perhaps he's trying to rebuild the alliance with Sugai after the oath between Someya and Koshimizu fell through. Yuta steps outside to call Hirose and see if he knows anything, while Date asks Kiryu if perhaps he could hold off on his meeting with Lo to allow the tensions to die down. Kiryu declines, as with Han and Masuzoe the body count is already on the rise and he can't delay any longer.
Yuta is taking long time coming back from his call. Kiryu steps outside to check on him, but finds Yuta missing with only his phone left. Date realizes Yuta has gone off alone to Little Asia, and Kiryu hurries off to find him while Date watches Haruto. As Kiryu heads to Little Asia, Nagumo calls him to tell Kiryu Yuta left a will at the office, leading him to believe Yuta is going to attempt a Murder-Suicide and kill Lo to protect Haruto. Kiryu arrives at Little Asia to find the Saio Triad headquarters in flames, and though the Triads try to stop him Kiryu charges in to find Yuta.
Earlier, Yuta arrives at the Saio headquarters, drunk and demanding to see Lo. He meets with Lo in his office and the two talk about his attempts on Haruto's life and Masuzoe's death (which Lo was unaware of) before Yuta hurls one of his spare bottles of booze at the wall. Except it's not booze- it's gasoline. Lo says that Yuta is being shortsighted and they could negotiate, but Yuta says he has no other options and lights the gasoline with a cigarette.
Kiryu fights past the Triads (including a final confrontation with Ed), and reaches Lo's office. He finds Yuta there, with Lo unconscious on the floor. Yuta thanks Kiryu for showing him how to fix things, saying that if he and Lo die here then no one will come for Haruto again. Kiryu asks if Yuta is really okay with leaving Haruto as an orphan, and Yuta asks Kiryu if he would be willing to take care of Haruto and Haruka when he's gone. Kiryu refuses to let Yuta abandon them and rushes forward to (literally) beat some sense into him. Yuta is defeated, and Kiryu escapes the burning complex with him and Lo in tow.
Outside, Lo laments the irony that the blood ties of the Saio Triad would turn Yuta into a would-be assassin. Kiryu pins Lo to a wall and tells him he has no right to call Yuta his son, which Lo agrees with. Realizing there's no hope for Yuta to take over now, Lo swears that the Saio Triad will never threaten him or Haruto again. However, he tells Yuta that he was a pawn in the attempt to kill Lo, manipulated into this position by a man working to hide the secret of Onomichi (as Lo had made himself a liability). This man has worked for Kurusu for decades, honing his skills to become a master assassin that has killed dozens to keep the secret safe. Kiryu and Yuta realize Lo can only be talking about one man: Patriarch Hirose.
Kiryu asks why Hirose would manipulate Yuta into killing Lo. Lo says that after Jimmy was killed, Kurusu sent Hirose to Lo to convince him to flee the country and take his information on the secret with him. Hirose even brought Haruto along with him for that first meeting. Hirose offered Lo a chance to leave Japan alive, but Lo refused since the Saio had not recouped the money they had invested in Little Asia and he wanted vengeance against Iwami for murdering Jimmy. Hirose proposed a counter offer: he would give Lo Yuta and let him take over the Triad, otherwise he will tell Yuta everything about his past, how Haruto is his son, and that the Triads want Haruto dead. Lo asked why he doesn't just kill Hirose and Haruto right then and there, but Hirose countered that he'd kill Lo and all his men with little difficulty. He gave Lo one month to clear out and remove Masuzoe and Tatsukawa before departing, leaving a final threat to Lo against revealing the secret of Onomichi. Lo tells Kiryu and Yuta that despite being deep in his compound and having almost a hundred men guarding him, a single old man with a gun forced him to accept his terms and left him sweating bullets.
After his meeting with Hirose, Lo retracted his kill order on Haruto, but by then Tatsukawa had been bought out by Iwami culminating in Haruka's accident. With Haruto in Kiryu's hands, Lo guesses Hirose felt he had lost his bargaining chip against the Triad Boss and made arrangements for Yuta to kill Lo- Hirose told Yuta he was Haruto's father, had Masuzoe tell Yuta that Lo wanted Haruto dead, and then murdered Masuzoe once he outlived his usefulness. Kiryu also realizes that Hirose was the gunman that shot Han after their fight. Lo goes on to say that much like him being bound by blood law, Hirose and Kurusu are bound by the secret of Onomichi, even going so low as to sacrifice one of their own men to keep the secret safe. Yuta refuses to believe that Hirose would do something like this, and Lo says there's only one way to let the truth come out: reveal the secret of Onomichi.
As Haruto sleeps, Yuta and Kiryu talk and Yuta admits it feels good to have a son. Yuta says that he grew up as an angry kid, with only Tatsukawa to keep him company, and never really felt at home until he joined the Hirose family (though he notes that was probably a ploy so Masuzoe could keep an eye on him). Kiryu notes that Haruka is much the same, and Yuta says he could tell by how reserved she was around others. Yuta laments that his blood and inaction have put Haruka and the Hirose family in danger, but he intends to make things right: he tells Kiryu that he's heading for Kamurocho in the morning, and he'll speak with Lo and try to negotiate for Haruto's safety. Kiryu agrees on the plan, saying that Lo needs to hear Yuta out, and if he won't listen then Kiryu will destroy the Saio Triad single handedly if he has to.
They stop by the Hirose offices the next day to tell the others (sans Hirose) their plan. Nagumo offers to come with them, but Kiryu declines; depending on how things go, they might need to protect Hirose from retaliation by either the Saio or the Yomei (since Nagumo did hit the clan captain over the head with a bottle the other night). Nagumo counters that the main family has other things to worry about, and tells Kiryu that they found Masuzoe's body that morning. Nagumo thinks it's the Chinese, but Kiryu notes that Han was killed with a similar bullet to the head and thinks they might be connected. Yuta tells Kiryu that they'll burning daylight and he, Kiryu, and Haruto depart for Kamurocho.
Upon arriving in Kamurocho, Kiryu and Yuta take Haruto to New Serena, reasoning that Date can protect the child while they go to speak with Lo. Date agrees to take Haruto, but warns Kiryu that Iwami is in town with a bunch of Yomei soldiers, putting the Triads on edge. Kiryu asks why Iwami is here, Date theorizing that perhaps he's trying to rebuild the alliance with Sugai after the oath between Someya and Koshimizu fell through. Yuta steps outside to call Hirose and see if he knows anything, while Date asks Kiryu if perhaps he could hold off on his meeting with Lo to allow the tensions to die down. Kiryu declines, as with Han and Masuzoe the body count is already on the rise and he can't delay any longer.
Yuta is taking long time coming back from his call. Kiryu steps outside to check on him, but finds Yuta missing with only his phone left. Date realizes Yuta has gone off alone to Little Asia, and Kiryu hurries off to find him while Date watches Haruto. As Kiryu heads to Little Asia, Nagumo calls him to tell Kiryu Yuta left a will at the office, leading him to believe Yuta is going to attempt a Murder-Suicide and kill Lo to protect Haruto. Kiryu arrives at Little Asia to find the Saio Triad headquarters in flames, and though the Triads try to stop him Kiryu charges in to find Yuta.
Earlier, Yuta arrives at the Saio headquarters, drunk and demanding to see Lo. He meets with Lo in his office and the two talk about his attempts on Haruto's life and Masuzoe's death (which Lo was unaware of) before Yuta hurls one of his spare bottles of booze at the wall. Except it's not booze- it's gasoline. Lo says that Yuta is being shortsighted and they could negotiate, but Yuta says he has no other options and lights the gasoline with a cigarette.
Kiryu fights past the Triads (including a final confrontation with Ed), and reaches Lo's office. He finds Yuta there, with Lo unconscious on the floor. Yuta thanks Kiryu for showing him how to fix things, saying that if he and Lo die here then no one will come for Haruto again. Kiryu asks if Yuta is really okay with leaving Haruto as an orphan, and Yuta asks Kiryu if he would be willing to take care of Haruto and Haruka when he's gone. Kiryu refuses to let Yuta abandon them and rushes forward to (literally) beat some sense into him. Yuta is defeated, and Kiryu escapes the burning complex with him and Lo in tow.
Outside, Lo laments the irony that the blood ties of the Saio Triad would turn Yuta into a would-be assassin. Kiryu pins Lo to a wall and tells him he has no right to call Yuta his son, which Lo agrees with. Realizing there's no hope for Yuta to take over now, Lo swears that the Saio Triad will never threaten him or Haruto again. However, he tells Yuta that he was a pawn in the attempt to kill Lo, manipulated into this position by a man working to hide the secret of Onomichi (as Lo had made himself a liability). This man has worked for Kurusu for decades, honing his skills to become a master assassin that has killed dozens to keep the secret safe. Kiryu and Yuta realize Lo can only be talking about one man: Patriarch Hirose.
Kiryu asks why Hirose would manipulate Yuta into killing Lo. Lo says that after Jimmy was killed, Kurusu sent Hirose to Lo to convince him to flee the country and take his information on the secret with him. Hirose even brought Haruto along with him for that first meeting. Hirose offered Lo a chance to leave Japan alive, but Lo refused since the Saio had not recouped the money they had invested in Little Asia and he wanted vengeance against Iwami for murdering Jimmy. Hirose proposed a counter offer: he would give Lo Yuta and let him take over the Triad, otherwise he will tell Yuta everything about his past, how Haruto is his son, and that the Triads want Haruto dead. Lo asked why he doesn't just kill Hirose and Haruto right then and there, but Hirose countered that he'd kill Lo and all his men with little difficulty. He gave Lo one month to clear out and remove Masuzoe and Tatsukawa before departing, leaving a final threat to Lo against revealing the secret of Onomichi. Lo tells Kiryu and Yuta that despite being deep in his compound and having almost a hundred men guarding him, a single old man with a gun forced him to accept his terms and left him sweating bullets.
After his meeting with Hirose, Lo retracted his kill order on Haruto, but by then Tatsukawa had been bought out by Iwami culminating in Haruka's accident. With Haruto in Kiryu's hands, Lo guesses Hirose felt he had lost his bargaining chip against the Triad Boss and made arrangements for Yuta to kill Lo- Hirose told Yuta he was Haruto's father, had Masuzoe tell Yuta that Lo wanted Haruto dead, and then murdered Masuzoe once he outlived his usefulness. Kiryu also realizes that Hirose was the gunman that shot Han after their fight. Lo goes on to say that much like him being bound by blood law, Hirose and Kurusu are bound by the secret of Onomichi, even going so low as to sacrifice one of their own men to keep the secret safe. Yuta refuses to believe that Hirose would do something like this, and Lo says there's only one way to let the truth come out: reveal the secret of Onomichi.
Chapter 12: The Sleeping Giant
In Onomichi, Kurusu discusses Yuta's failure to kill Lo with Hirose. Both men have sacrificed much in the last 70 years to keep the secret safe, but Kurusu trusts Hirose that he'll do what's needed to make sure this doesn't happen again. Meanwhile, in Kamurocho, Kiryu takes Yuta and Lo to New Serena, and while Lo rests Date tells Kiryu that the Saio are in a panic with their base destroyed and their boss MIA. Kiryu intends to let Lo go as soon as possible, but he has a few questions for the Triad Boss before he does.
Lo wakes up and Kiryu starts his questioning: why did the Saio come to Japan in the first place, why are they fighting the Tojo Clan, and what is the secret of Onomichi. Lo admits that not even he knows what the secret is: the secret was first crafted by his father and Chairman Kurusu, a military project of some kind given that Japan was in the middle of World War II at the time. Date notes that predates the founding of the Yomei Alliance, implying that Iwami Shipbuilding must have made the deal with the Saio during the war. Lo confirms that, going on to say he personally didn't know about the secret until his father mentioned it in 1985, saying that it was Kurusu's one weakness. Lo didn't learn anything more, but on his father's deathbed Lo received a code that could decipher the location of the secret if Lo needed to act against Kurusu. Lo has spent the last 30 years trying to crack the code with little success, and it was around that time that Kurusu had firmly established his two identities as Chairman of the Yomei and President of Iwami Shipbuilding, which helped him set up the role of the Fixer in Japanese politics. Date asks if perhaps the secret is what drove Kurusu to crime in the first place, and while Lo can't say for certain he did use the secret and Kurusu's dual identities to forge the heihaizi smuggling agreement. Iwami Shipbuilding provided the perfect front for the human trafficking, and Kurusu would do anything to keep the secret of Onomichi from getting out.
After securing the trafficking deal, Lo returned to China and made arrangements for the Saio to stay away from Japan, so as to avoid getting drawn back in with Kurusu. Jimmy, however, grew ambitious and kept pressuring Lo to expand into Japan, arguing they could use the secret of Onomichi to blackmail Kurusu into helping them overthrow the Tojo Clan. Lo refused, as it could have risked their operation in Hiroshima, but Jimmy went behind his back and conspired with Iwami to get them into Kamurocho, even getting a personal invitation from Sugai. Lo disapproved and ordered Jimmy to call off the deal, but Iwami revealed he knew Lo did not know the full extent of the secret of Onomichi (thanks to Jimmy blabbing about it after a few rounds of drinks) and threatened to tell Kurusu if he backed out of Kamurocho. Lo demanded to know why Iwami wanted the Saio Triad in Kamurocho, but all Iwami said was that it would help the rebirth of the Tojo Clan.
Lo explains that Iwami's plan is to use Sugai and Someya as puppets to take over the Tojo Clan and rule Kamurocho. With the Saio forced into his scheme, Iwami started a fake war between the yakuza and the triads to depose Daigo, and once Sugai was in power Lo was marked for assassination. They killed Jimmy instead, and Lo guesses that Kurusu sent Hirose to negotiate his departure from Japan so Lo wouldn't retaliate by revealing the secret of Onomichi. Yuta continues to refuse to believe Hirose is an assassin, and Kiryu is willing to give the old man the benefit of the doubt after all he did to protect Haruka and Haruto. Lo asks that he and Kiryu go to the roof to speak in private, but on his way out Date tells Kiryu some good news: Haruka reacted to Haruto's presence when he brought him by earlier that day, and while it's not a full recovery, it’s a good sign that Haruka is trying to wake up.
Kiryu meets Lo on the rooftop and the two resume their conversation. Lo entrusts the secret of Onomichi to Kiryu as he claims to not have much time left, giving him a datacard that has theaforementioned code on it (reasoning that someone more familiar with Onomichi than him might be able to crack it). Lo warns Kiryu that the closer he gets to the secret the harder Hirose and Kurusu will try to stop him. Kiryu asks why Lo is trusting him, and Lo says that Kiryu is the father of the girl his son loves, making them equals in that regard. While he admits he has no right to consider himself Yuta's father, Lo trusts Kiryu and knows he'll do whatever he can to keep them all safe (and perhaps help Yuta as he comes to terms with his father figure Hirose being an assassin). Lo begins to leave, but Kiryu stops him and asks what he meant by not having much time left. Lo says he resigned as head of the Saio Triad and dismissed Yuta as his heir, which breaks the blood law of the Saio Triad. A new leader will be chosen and Lo will be killed for his crime, but he promises Kiryu he'll be long gone by the time that happens. He also guesses the Saio will use this time to retreat from Kamurocho, though he laments being unable to avenge Jimmy's murder. Kiryu asks if there's anything Lo would like to say to Yuta before he leaves, but Lo declines as Yuta would never listen to anything he had to say.
Kiryu returns to New Serena and tells Yuta and Date that Lo entrusted him with the secret of Onomichi, and he is returning to Hiroshima to settle matters. First, though, he needs to talk to the rest of the Hirose family about what he's learned, in the event that he comes to blows with Hirose while trying to figure out the secret. Date asks what's in it for Kiryu since with Lo gone the threat to Haruka and Haruto is gone as well, and Kiryu says he owes it to the Hirose family due to him dragging them into the conflict. He tells Yuta to take Haruto and wait for Haruka to wake up while he goes alone to Onomichi, and when Yuta protests Kiryu says that he considers Haruka like a daughter and wants someone to be at her side. Yuta refuses again and wants to go down to Hiroshima to clear Hirose's name, but Date steps in and arrests Yuta for arson and plotting Lo's murder right in front of him (and so he can keep an eye on him while Kiryu's in Hiroshima).
Upon arriving in Onomichi, Kiryu finds a welcoming committee of Yomei Alliance waiting for him with a message from Chairman Kurusu: leave Onomichi and never come back. Kiryu refuses and fights off the Yomei Alliance, heading over to the Hirose offices once he's finished. The guys are watching a news report saying that Minoru Daidoji has been hospitalized and is presumed in critical condition when Kiryu arrives, and he fills them in on what happened in Kamurocho. None of them (especially Nagumo) can accept Lo's information on Hirose, and while Kiryu agrees he just wants them to be prepared. Nagumo gives his and Matsunaga's history with Hirose: their fathers died as part of the Yomei Alliance, and Hirose took them in and gave them purpose- to accept what Lo said at face value would be to betray everything Hirose did for them. Nagumo goes as far as to reject Kiryu as his aniki, and while Kiryu accepts that he asks what they'll do if/when Hirose acts concerning the secret of Onomichi. Nagumo says they'll do what they're told and keep their mouths shut, and when Kiryu persists Nagumo orders him outside so they can settle their grudge once and for all.
Kiryu and Nagumo fight, but Matsunaga and Tagashira interrupt when more members from the main family arrive looking for Kiryu. Kiryu suggests Nagumo tell them the Hirose family has cut ties with him, but Nagumo isn't one to back down from a fight. After they defeat the Yomei, Kiryu uses this as proof that Kurusu will stop at nothing to keep the secret of Onomichi from being revealed; Nagumo agrees, but counters that it doesn't prove that Hirose's in on it as well. Kiryu tells him he'd be better off proving that Hirose is innocent or not rather than just believing so. Nagumo agrees to help Kiryu expose the secret, if only to clear Hirose of any wrongdoing. Kiryu reveals the code to them, and asks for their help in cracking it so they can determine the location of the secret.
The information Lo gave Kiryu is a string of numbers and letters: J, 7, B, 7, R, 36, N, 1, M, 7, E, 9, O, 22, I, 1, K, 1. Tagashira guesses that each number is paired with a letter before guessing that perhaps it's a substitution cypher, a code he read about online where paired off letters and numbers build a phrase of some kind. They'll need the substitution table to solve the code, with Tagashira constructing a sample table to spell "konnichiwa". Kiryu mentions that Lo said someone with a knowledge of the history of Onomichi would be able to solve it, so perhaps the code is tied to some historical landmark around town. Kiryu, Matsunaga, and Nagumo head out while Tagashira looks online for clues. Kiryu notices that some rocks marked with poems have authors and attributions that correlate with the letters in the code, taking pictures of them as evidence before returning to the office. Tagashira confirms that the first names of the authors match the letters in the code, meaning that the cypher is found among the poem stones and they can solve the code. Tagashira gets the words "sea", "army", "water", "soldier", "mountain", "name", "road", "big", and "grave", which in kanji says "Naval soldier Yamano Dodai's grave".
The four go to the cemetery to find Yamano Dodai's grave, guessing the secret might be hidden inside. Nagumo pries it open and finds a cylindrical container, which he hands to Kiryu to open. Kiryu opens it to find a blueprint of the old Iwami shipyard, which was used until World War II and now sits abandoned. Kiryu concludes that the secret of Onomichi is in the abandoned shipyard, and the four head to the dock to borrow Ino's boat once more. On their way there, Nagumo warns Kiryu that the shipyard is huge; if they can't find the secret quickly, they'll be clean out of luck. Fortunately, Tagashira poked around there a few times in the past and knows the layout pretty well, so he can guide Kiryu and the others through and perhaps find something out of place. Nagumo asks what Kiryu thinks the secret is, and he admits he has no idea.
They arrive at the shipyard to find the place crawling with main family men. Kiryu and the Hirose family fight their way through the crowds, with Nagumo and Matsunaga splitting off to take on smaller groups and let Kiryu and Tagashira through. After defeating the Yomei, Tagashira spots an out of place door and goes to open it, but as Kiryu goes to help Tagashira tells him to get out of the way before he's crushed by a pallet of pipes. Hirose reveals himself and attacks Kiryu, even pitching a kitchen knife into Tagashira's leg to prevent him from interfering. As Nagumo and Matsunaga work their way down to help, Hirose tells Kiryu that he shouldn't have stuck his nose in things like this. Tagashira recovers and manages to open the door, stepping in even as Hirose tries to tell him to leave. Hirose moves to deal with Tagashira, but Kiryu steps up and blocks Hirose, demanding that the Patriarch come clean with his men. Hirose orders Kiryu to step aside and the two fight, Hirose using his expert knife skills and guerilla tactics to keep Kiryu at bay.
Kiryu defeats Hirose, with Nagumo and Matsunaga arriving soon after. Just then, a warning siren rings out through the shipyard and the entire place starts shaking, Tagashira stumbling back outside saying he found a large lever and pulled it. As Hirose mutters that he failed, the four watch as a massive battleship rises from the harbor. And not just any battleship- Matsunaga identifies it as the Yamato. Chairman Kurusu steps out of the shadows to correct Matsunaga that the ship isn't the Yamato- it's the Yamato Mark II, a bigger and more heavily armed version of the battleship and Japan's most classified military secret. Officially, the Mark II was commissioned but never made it off the drawing board, but the Japanese military secretly contracted Iwami Shipbuilding to construct the Mark II. Due to the war Iwami had no workers, so they contacted the Saio Triad to smuggle poor Chinese laborers into the country to build the ship, and that was how the Saio learned of the secret of Onomichi. Unfortunately the war ended before the Mark II was completed, and Iwami was set to suffer immeasurable financial losses as a result. But then a man came forward and offered to cover the company's debt- Minoru Daidoji, then a high ranking officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Daidoji felt the Mark II would be needed to ensure the survival of Japan, so he embezzled millions in war funds to repay Iwami Shipbuilding, a fact that would destroy his career and reputation if it ever came to light. When American occupational forces arrived, Kurusu chose to hide the battleship rather than turn it over as part of demilitarization, and Daidoji gave him more money to cover up the Mark II's existence.
Once the Americans departed, Daidoji began amassing political power, which he used to funnel money into Iwami Shipbuilding and passed legislation that assisted Kurusu's ventures. Through Daidoji, Kurusu found other unscrupulous politicians to leverage, building a vast support network that poured money into Iwami Shipbuilding and the Yomei Alliance. The only indication of Kurusu's government collusion was the Mark II, which Daidoji and his administration would do anything to keep from coming to light. The Yomei Alliance was founded by Kurusu and other Iwami board members who were privy to the Mark II's construction, each one closely monitored to ensure they did not leak any information. And with all their focus on keeping the Mark II a secret, the Yomei had no need or want to expand beyond Hiroshima. But one day 30 years ago, Daidoji approached Kurusu and made him swear the Mark II would remain a secret for all eternity. By that point most of those that knew of the secret were getting old, so Kurusu ordered Hirose to kill them all.
Kiryu asks Hirose why he would accept such a monstrous order, and Hirose begins his story. At the age of 14, he formed a gang with other survivors of the nuclear strike on Hiroshima, and one day one of the guys got the idea to break into Iwami Shipbuilding. Hirose wasn't interested, but when you're the leader of a gang you have to step up to maintain power, so they went ahead and broke in. They were captured almost immediately and one of Kurusu's guards beat on Hirose, but Hirose maintained his cocky attitude until he managed to steal the man's gun when Kurusu intervened. Impressed by Hirose's determination, Kurusu offered to take him in as a member of the Yomei Alliance.
Hirose joined up, but his rough behavior meant he didn't fit in with the rest of the yakuza. He was always getting in to fights and being sent on the hardest jobs, but whenever he came back Kurusu was there to comfort him. Kurusu paid Hirose generously and treated him to lavish meals, but Hirose admits he always felt best about himself whenever Kurusu complimented him. In a way, though he was proud of his fighting skills, Kurusu's praise gave Hirose a reason to live and keep on moving. But then one night Kurusu called Hirose to a meeting and told him about the secret of Onomichi (though he didn't tell Hirose about the Mark II), and asked just how far Hirose would go to keep that secret safe and thus prevent the Yomei Alliance from collapsing. Hirose of course said he would do anything, and Kurusu decided to demonstrate just what kind of loyalty he was looking for by inviting one of Hirose's aniki in and shooting the man dead.
Hirose was terrified, but agreed to do whatever Kurusu asked to keep the secret safe as he felt it made him important not just to Kurusu but to Japan as a whole. He followed every order to the letter, killing everyone from Kurusu's business associates to his own aniki, and the secret remained safe... until now. Kurusu says Kiryu's actions have rendered their deaths meaningless, and now he must die. Hirose grabs his knife and goes to stab Kiryu, but Nagumo jumps in the way and causes Hirose to hesitate. Kurusu amends his order that Hirose kills everyone present, but Nagumo pleads that Hirose can't do this. Hirose continues to hesitate, ultimately admitting he can't bring himself to harm his surrogate sons like this. He first tries to convince Nagumo to step aside and forget this ever happened, but when Nagumo refuses he asks Kurusu if perhaps this one time he could spare his targets. Kurusu shoots Hirose for hesitating, and as Nagumo rushes to help the dying patriarch Matsunaga steps up and disarms Kurusu.
As the Hirose family comforts their patriarch, Kurusu turns to leave but offers Hirose one last bit of information: Daidoji's actual orders were to destroy the Mark II, not keep it hidden. Murdering anyone that knew was also his idea, not Daidoji's, meaning that Hirose killed all those people on false pretenses. Kurusu departs, and while Nagumo wants to go after him Hirose tells them to leave him alone: with the secret out, Kurusu won't have long in this world anyway and vengeance would be hollow. Instead, he marvels at the Mark II, happy that he got to see what the secret was before he died. Hirose calls Nagumo and Matsunaga over and confesses he actually hoped one of them would be the one to kill him, as during his time as Kurusu's personal hitman he killed their fathers for learning the secret of Onomichi. He apologizes to the two of them just before he dies, and Kiryu (no doubt remembering his own father figure Kazama confessing his hand in the death of Kiryu's parents eleven years ago) can only look on as the Hirose family mourns their patriarch.
Kurusu returns to his office to call Daidoji, but Iwami informs him Daidoji isn't in any position to respond. According to Iwami, Kurusu is finished now that the secret is out, but his prospects are looking up as he and Daidoji renegotiate. Iwami asks what excuse Kurusu was going to use to make up for his failure, which Kurusu feigns ignorance to. Iwami then reveals that he's known the secret of Onomichi all this time, and was merely playing dumb whenever it was brought up- 40 years prior when he was a kid, Iwami was approached by an officer named Matsunaga, who told him everything about the secret in the hopes Iwami would speak to Kurusu and perhaps spare him from Hirose's knife (he died that night, though it's doubtful Iwami would have told Kurusu anyway). Iwami calls Kurusu's actions sloppy, as if he really wanted to keep the Mark II a secret he should have silenced everyone at once instead of piecemeal and allowing for potential leaks.
Iwami continues on, saying that 70 years worth of politicians and allies are dirtied by association with Kurusu- if word gets out now about the collusion it could mean the total collapse of order in Japan. To keep that from happening, they want Kurusu silenced, which Iwami will be happy to do. Before he does, though, he asks Kurusu why he never trusted Iwami with the secret. Kurusu tells Iwami that if he did, Iwami would be forced into a life of crime, a fate Kurusu did not want for his son. Instead he arranged for Iwami to inherit the shipbuilding company, a respectable job he could leverage for future gains and influence down the line. Iwami tells Kurusu that he would decide what he'd be pleased with, not Kurusu, and expresses that he wants not just Iwami Shipbuilding but the Yomei Alliance as well. When he realized he wasn't getting that, he took matters into his own hands and launched his plot to subvert the Triads and take over the Tojo Clan. Kurusu notes that Iwami has done much, but bringing Lo to Japan was what allowed the Mark II to be revealed to the world. Iwami counters that Kurusu has been against him from the beginning, citing the failed oath between Koshimizu and Someya as an attempt to rein him in, but if he had let it go through they'd have Kamurocho and could have silenced Lo as well, therefore making the Mark II's reveal Kurusu's fault, a fact that Daidoji agrees with.
Now with the Mark II revealed, it's Iwami's time to step up and claim his destiny. Koshimizu enters and aims a gun at Kurusu, and as Iwami leaves he does his own Battle Strip (revealing his Bai Ze tattoo) before declaring he now has Daidoji's confidence, money, and all the power that comes with being leader of the Yomei Alliance. Kurusu warns him that he won't be able to handle the pressure and should quit while he's ahead, but Iwami doesn't listen and leaves before Koshimizu executes Kurusu.
Iwami goes to visit Daidoji and informs him of Kurusu's "suicide". He tells the ailing politician that he'll take care of the battleship and cover any trace to Daidoji- all he asks for in return is that Daidoji extend the same courtesy to him that he did to Kurusu. Daidoji tells Iwami that the arrangement and name "Takeru Kurusu" is all his if Iwami kills Kazuma Kiryu before Daidoji dies, which Iwami accepts.
Meanwhile, Yuta, Haruto, and Date are watching over Haruka for any change. Yuta tells her that Hirose is dead, but he is not going to give up on her no matter what. He pleads for her to wake up, but as Haruto reaches out and takes his mother's hand Haruka gives a small gasp and opens her eyes. Yuta tells Date to go and call Kiryu as Haruka shakes off her coma.
Lo wakes up and Kiryu starts his questioning: why did the Saio come to Japan in the first place, why are they fighting the Tojo Clan, and what is the secret of Onomichi. Lo admits that not even he knows what the secret is: the secret was first crafted by his father and Chairman Kurusu, a military project of some kind given that Japan was in the middle of World War II at the time. Date notes that predates the founding of the Yomei Alliance, implying that Iwami Shipbuilding must have made the deal with the Saio during the war. Lo confirms that, going on to say he personally didn't know about the secret until his father mentioned it in 1985, saying that it was Kurusu's one weakness. Lo didn't learn anything more, but on his father's deathbed Lo received a code that could decipher the location of the secret if Lo needed to act against Kurusu. Lo has spent the last 30 years trying to crack the code with little success, and it was around that time that Kurusu had firmly established his two identities as Chairman of the Yomei and President of Iwami Shipbuilding, which helped him set up the role of the Fixer in Japanese politics. Date asks if perhaps the secret is what drove Kurusu to crime in the first place, and while Lo can't say for certain he did use the secret and Kurusu's dual identities to forge the heihaizi smuggling agreement. Iwami Shipbuilding provided the perfect front for the human trafficking, and Kurusu would do anything to keep the secret of Onomichi from getting out.
After securing the trafficking deal, Lo returned to China and made arrangements for the Saio to stay away from Japan, so as to avoid getting drawn back in with Kurusu. Jimmy, however, grew ambitious and kept pressuring Lo to expand into Japan, arguing they could use the secret of Onomichi to blackmail Kurusu into helping them overthrow the Tojo Clan. Lo refused, as it could have risked their operation in Hiroshima, but Jimmy went behind his back and conspired with Iwami to get them into Kamurocho, even getting a personal invitation from Sugai. Lo disapproved and ordered Jimmy to call off the deal, but Iwami revealed he knew Lo did not know the full extent of the secret of Onomichi (thanks to Jimmy blabbing about it after a few rounds of drinks) and threatened to tell Kurusu if he backed out of Kamurocho. Lo demanded to know why Iwami wanted the Saio Triad in Kamurocho, but all Iwami said was that it would help the rebirth of the Tojo Clan.
Lo explains that Iwami's plan is to use Sugai and Someya as puppets to take over the Tojo Clan and rule Kamurocho. With the Saio forced into his scheme, Iwami started a fake war between the yakuza and the triads to depose Daigo, and once Sugai was in power Lo was marked for assassination. They killed Jimmy instead, and Lo guesses that Kurusu sent Hirose to negotiate his departure from Japan so Lo wouldn't retaliate by revealing the secret of Onomichi. Yuta continues to refuse to believe Hirose is an assassin, and Kiryu is willing to give the old man the benefit of the doubt after all he did to protect Haruka and Haruto. Lo asks that he and Kiryu go to the roof to speak in private, but on his way out Date tells Kiryu some good news: Haruka reacted to Haruto's presence when he brought him by earlier that day, and while it's not a full recovery, it’s a good sign that Haruka is trying to wake up.
Kiryu meets Lo on the rooftop and the two resume their conversation. Lo entrusts the secret of Onomichi to Kiryu as he claims to not have much time left, giving him a datacard that has theaforementioned code on it (reasoning that someone more familiar with Onomichi than him might be able to crack it). Lo warns Kiryu that the closer he gets to the secret the harder Hirose and Kurusu will try to stop him. Kiryu asks why Lo is trusting him, and Lo says that Kiryu is the father of the girl his son loves, making them equals in that regard. While he admits he has no right to consider himself Yuta's father, Lo trusts Kiryu and knows he'll do whatever he can to keep them all safe (and perhaps help Yuta as he comes to terms with his father figure Hirose being an assassin). Lo begins to leave, but Kiryu stops him and asks what he meant by not having much time left. Lo says he resigned as head of the Saio Triad and dismissed Yuta as his heir, which breaks the blood law of the Saio Triad. A new leader will be chosen and Lo will be killed for his crime, but he promises Kiryu he'll be long gone by the time that happens. He also guesses the Saio will use this time to retreat from Kamurocho, though he laments being unable to avenge Jimmy's murder. Kiryu asks if there's anything Lo would like to say to Yuta before he leaves, but Lo declines as Yuta would never listen to anything he had to say.
Kiryu returns to New Serena and tells Yuta and Date that Lo entrusted him with the secret of Onomichi, and he is returning to Hiroshima to settle matters. First, though, he needs to talk to the rest of the Hirose family about what he's learned, in the event that he comes to blows with Hirose while trying to figure out the secret. Date asks what's in it for Kiryu since with Lo gone the threat to Haruka and Haruto is gone as well, and Kiryu says he owes it to the Hirose family due to him dragging them into the conflict. He tells Yuta to take Haruto and wait for Haruka to wake up while he goes alone to Onomichi, and when Yuta protests Kiryu says that he considers Haruka like a daughter and wants someone to be at her side. Yuta refuses again and wants to go down to Hiroshima to clear Hirose's name, but Date steps in and arrests Yuta for arson and plotting Lo's murder right in front of him (and so he can keep an eye on him while Kiryu's in Hiroshima).
Upon arriving in Onomichi, Kiryu finds a welcoming committee of Yomei Alliance waiting for him with a message from Chairman Kurusu: leave Onomichi and never come back. Kiryu refuses and fights off the Yomei Alliance, heading over to the Hirose offices once he's finished. The guys are watching a news report saying that Minoru Daidoji has been hospitalized and is presumed in critical condition when Kiryu arrives, and he fills them in on what happened in Kamurocho. None of them (especially Nagumo) can accept Lo's information on Hirose, and while Kiryu agrees he just wants them to be prepared. Nagumo gives his and Matsunaga's history with Hirose: their fathers died as part of the Yomei Alliance, and Hirose took them in and gave them purpose- to accept what Lo said at face value would be to betray everything Hirose did for them. Nagumo goes as far as to reject Kiryu as his aniki, and while Kiryu accepts that he asks what they'll do if/when Hirose acts concerning the secret of Onomichi. Nagumo says they'll do what they're told and keep their mouths shut, and when Kiryu persists Nagumo orders him outside so they can settle their grudge once and for all.
Kiryu and Nagumo fight, but Matsunaga and Tagashira interrupt when more members from the main family arrive looking for Kiryu. Kiryu suggests Nagumo tell them the Hirose family has cut ties with him, but Nagumo isn't one to back down from a fight. After they defeat the Yomei, Kiryu uses this as proof that Kurusu will stop at nothing to keep the secret of Onomichi from being revealed; Nagumo agrees, but counters that it doesn't prove that Hirose's in on it as well. Kiryu tells him he'd be better off proving that Hirose is innocent or not rather than just believing so. Nagumo agrees to help Kiryu expose the secret, if only to clear Hirose of any wrongdoing. Kiryu reveals the code to them, and asks for their help in cracking it so they can determine the location of the secret.
The information Lo gave Kiryu is a string of numbers and letters: J, 7, B, 7, R, 36, N, 1, M, 7, E, 9, O, 22, I, 1, K, 1. Tagashira guesses that each number is paired with a letter before guessing that perhaps it's a substitution cypher, a code he read about online where paired off letters and numbers build a phrase of some kind. They'll need the substitution table to solve the code, with Tagashira constructing a sample table to spell "konnichiwa". Kiryu mentions that Lo said someone with a knowledge of the history of Onomichi would be able to solve it, so perhaps the code is tied to some historical landmark around town. Kiryu, Matsunaga, and Nagumo head out while Tagashira looks online for clues. Kiryu notices that some rocks marked with poems have authors and attributions that correlate with the letters in the code, taking pictures of them as evidence before returning to the office. Tagashira confirms that the first names of the authors match the letters in the code, meaning that the cypher is found among the poem stones and they can solve the code. Tagashira gets the words "sea", "army", "water", "soldier", "mountain", "name", "road", "big", and "grave", which in kanji says "Naval soldier Yamano Dodai's grave".
The four go to the cemetery to find Yamano Dodai's grave, guessing the secret might be hidden inside. Nagumo pries it open and finds a cylindrical container, which he hands to Kiryu to open. Kiryu opens it to find a blueprint of the old Iwami shipyard, which was used until World War II and now sits abandoned. Kiryu concludes that the secret of Onomichi is in the abandoned shipyard, and the four head to the dock to borrow Ino's boat once more. On their way there, Nagumo warns Kiryu that the shipyard is huge; if they can't find the secret quickly, they'll be clean out of luck. Fortunately, Tagashira poked around there a few times in the past and knows the layout pretty well, so he can guide Kiryu and the others through and perhaps find something out of place. Nagumo asks what Kiryu thinks the secret is, and he admits he has no idea.
They arrive at the shipyard to find the place crawling with main family men. Kiryu and the Hirose family fight their way through the crowds, with Nagumo and Matsunaga splitting off to take on smaller groups and let Kiryu and Tagashira through. After defeating the Yomei, Tagashira spots an out of place door and goes to open it, but as Kiryu goes to help Tagashira tells him to get out of the way before he's crushed by a pallet of pipes. Hirose reveals himself and attacks Kiryu, even pitching a kitchen knife into Tagashira's leg to prevent him from interfering. As Nagumo and Matsunaga work their way down to help, Hirose tells Kiryu that he shouldn't have stuck his nose in things like this. Tagashira recovers and manages to open the door, stepping in even as Hirose tries to tell him to leave. Hirose moves to deal with Tagashira, but Kiryu steps up and blocks Hirose, demanding that the Patriarch come clean with his men. Hirose orders Kiryu to step aside and the two fight, Hirose using his expert knife skills and guerilla tactics to keep Kiryu at bay.
Kiryu defeats Hirose, with Nagumo and Matsunaga arriving soon after. Just then, a warning siren rings out through the shipyard and the entire place starts shaking, Tagashira stumbling back outside saying he found a large lever and pulled it. As Hirose mutters that he failed, the four watch as a massive battleship rises from the harbor. And not just any battleship- Matsunaga identifies it as the Yamato. Chairman Kurusu steps out of the shadows to correct Matsunaga that the ship isn't the Yamato- it's the Yamato Mark II, a bigger and more heavily armed version of the battleship and Japan's most classified military secret. Officially, the Mark II was commissioned but never made it off the drawing board, but the Japanese military secretly contracted Iwami Shipbuilding to construct the Mark II. Due to the war Iwami had no workers, so they contacted the Saio Triad to smuggle poor Chinese laborers into the country to build the ship, and that was how the Saio learned of the secret of Onomichi. Unfortunately the war ended before the Mark II was completed, and Iwami was set to suffer immeasurable financial losses as a result. But then a man came forward and offered to cover the company's debt- Minoru Daidoji, then a high ranking officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy. Daidoji felt the Mark II would be needed to ensure the survival of Japan, so he embezzled millions in war funds to repay Iwami Shipbuilding, a fact that would destroy his career and reputation if it ever came to light. When American occupational forces arrived, Kurusu chose to hide the battleship rather than turn it over as part of demilitarization, and Daidoji gave him more money to cover up the Mark II's existence.
Once the Americans departed, Daidoji began amassing political power, which he used to funnel money into Iwami Shipbuilding and passed legislation that assisted Kurusu's ventures. Through Daidoji, Kurusu found other unscrupulous politicians to leverage, building a vast support network that poured money into Iwami Shipbuilding and the Yomei Alliance. The only indication of Kurusu's government collusion was the Mark II, which Daidoji and his administration would do anything to keep from coming to light. The Yomei Alliance was founded by Kurusu and other Iwami board members who were privy to the Mark II's construction, each one closely monitored to ensure they did not leak any information. And with all their focus on keeping the Mark II a secret, the Yomei had no need or want to expand beyond Hiroshima. But one day 30 years ago, Daidoji approached Kurusu and made him swear the Mark II would remain a secret for all eternity. By that point most of those that knew of the secret were getting old, so Kurusu ordered Hirose to kill them all.
Kiryu asks Hirose why he would accept such a monstrous order, and Hirose begins his story. At the age of 14, he formed a gang with other survivors of the nuclear strike on Hiroshima, and one day one of the guys got the idea to break into Iwami Shipbuilding. Hirose wasn't interested, but when you're the leader of a gang you have to step up to maintain power, so they went ahead and broke in. They were captured almost immediately and one of Kurusu's guards beat on Hirose, but Hirose maintained his cocky attitude until he managed to steal the man's gun when Kurusu intervened. Impressed by Hirose's determination, Kurusu offered to take him in as a member of the Yomei Alliance.
Hirose joined up, but his rough behavior meant he didn't fit in with the rest of the yakuza. He was always getting in to fights and being sent on the hardest jobs, but whenever he came back Kurusu was there to comfort him. Kurusu paid Hirose generously and treated him to lavish meals, but Hirose admits he always felt best about himself whenever Kurusu complimented him. In a way, though he was proud of his fighting skills, Kurusu's praise gave Hirose a reason to live and keep on moving. But then one night Kurusu called Hirose to a meeting and told him about the secret of Onomichi (though he didn't tell Hirose about the Mark II), and asked just how far Hirose would go to keep that secret safe and thus prevent the Yomei Alliance from collapsing. Hirose of course said he would do anything, and Kurusu decided to demonstrate just what kind of loyalty he was looking for by inviting one of Hirose's aniki in and shooting the man dead.
Hirose was terrified, but agreed to do whatever Kurusu asked to keep the secret safe as he felt it made him important not just to Kurusu but to Japan as a whole. He followed every order to the letter, killing everyone from Kurusu's business associates to his own aniki, and the secret remained safe... until now. Kurusu says Kiryu's actions have rendered their deaths meaningless, and now he must die. Hirose grabs his knife and goes to stab Kiryu, but Nagumo jumps in the way and causes Hirose to hesitate. Kurusu amends his order that Hirose kills everyone present, but Nagumo pleads that Hirose can't do this. Hirose continues to hesitate, ultimately admitting he can't bring himself to harm his surrogate sons like this. He first tries to convince Nagumo to step aside and forget this ever happened, but when Nagumo refuses he asks Kurusu if perhaps this one time he could spare his targets. Kurusu shoots Hirose for hesitating, and as Nagumo rushes to help the dying patriarch Matsunaga steps up and disarms Kurusu.
As the Hirose family comforts their patriarch, Kurusu turns to leave but offers Hirose one last bit of information: Daidoji's actual orders were to destroy the Mark II, not keep it hidden. Murdering anyone that knew was also his idea, not Daidoji's, meaning that Hirose killed all those people on false pretenses. Kurusu departs, and while Nagumo wants to go after him Hirose tells them to leave him alone: with the secret out, Kurusu won't have long in this world anyway and vengeance would be hollow. Instead, he marvels at the Mark II, happy that he got to see what the secret was before he died. Hirose calls Nagumo and Matsunaga over and confesses he actually hoped one of them would be the one to kill him, as during his time as Kurusu's personal hitman he killed their fathers for learning the secret of Onomichi. He apologizes to the two of them just before he dies, and Kiryu (no doubt remembering his own father figure Kazama confessing his hand in the death of Kiryu's parents eleven years ago) can only look on as the Hirose family mourns their patriarch.
Kurusu returns to his office to call Daidoji, but Iwami informs him Daidoji isn't in any position to respond. According to Iwami, Kurusu is finished now that the secret is out, but his prospects are looking up as he and Daidoji renegotiate. Iwami asks what excuse Kurusu was going to use to make up for his failure, which Kurusu feigns ignorance to. Iwami then reveals that he's known the secret of Onomichi all this time, and was merely playing dumb whenever it was brought up- 40 years prior when he was a kid, Iwami was approached by an officer named Matsunaga, who told him everything about the secret in the hopes Iwami would speak to Kurusu and perhaps spare him from Hirose's knife (he died that night, though it's doubtful Iwami would have told Kurusu anyway). Iwami calls Kurusu's actions sloppy, as if he really wanted to keep the Mark II a secret he should have silenced everyone at once instead of piecemeal and allowing for potential leaks.
Iwami continues on, saying that 70 years worth of politicians and allies are dirtied by association with Kurusu- if word gets out now about the collusion it could mean the total collapse of order in Japan. To keep that from happening, they want Kurusu silenced, which Iwami will be happy to do. Before he does, though, he asks Kurusu why he never trusted Iwami with the secret. Kurusu tells Iwami that if he did, Iwami would be forced into a life of crime, a fate Kurusu did not want for his son. Instead he arranged for Iwami to inherit the shipbuilding company, a respectable job he could leverage for future gains and influence down the line. Iwami tells Kurusu that he would decide what he'd be pleased with, not Kurusu, and expresses that he wants not just Iwami Shipbuilding but the Yomei Alliance as well. When he realized he wasn't getting that, he took matters into his own hands and launched his plot to subvert the Triads and take over the Tojo Clan. Kurusu notes that Iwami has done much, but bringing Lo to Japan was what allowed the Mark II to be revealed to the world. Iwami counters that Kurusu has been against him from the beginning, citing the failed oath between Koshimizu and Someya as an attempt to rein him in, but if he had let it go through they'd have Kamurocho and could have silenced Lo as well, therefore making the Mark II's reveal Kurusu's fault, a fact that Daidoji agrees with.
Now with the Mark II revealed, it's Iwami's time to step up and claim his destiny. Koshimizu enters and aims a gun at Kurusu, and as Iwami leaves he does his own Battle Strip (revealing his Bai Ze tattoo) before declaring he now has Daidoji's confidence, money, and all the power that comes with being leader of the Yomei Alliance. Kurusu warns him that he won't be able to handle the pressure and should quit while he's ahead, but Iwami doesn't listen and leaves before Koshimizu executes Kurusu.
Iwami goes to visit Daidoji and informs him of Kurusu's "suicide". He tells the ailing politician that he'll take care of the battleship and cover any trace to Daidoji- all he asks for in return is that Daidoji extend the same courtesy to him that he did to Kurusu. Daidoji tells Iwami that the arrangement and name "Takeru Kurusu" is all his if Iwami kills Kazuma Kiryu before Daidoji dies, which Iwami accepts.
Meanwhile, Yuta, Haruto, and Date are watching over Haruka for any change. Yuta tells her that Hirose is dead, but he is not going to give up on her no matter what. He pleads for her to wake up, but as Haruto reaches out and takes his mother's hand Haruka gives a small gasp and opens her eyes. Yuta tells Date to go and call Kiryu as Haruka shakes off her coma.
Finale: The Unforgiven
The Hirose family gathers at their office with Kiyomi and Matsunaga's hostess, mourning their fallen patriarch. A report on the Mark II plays on the news, with Iwami shipbuilding denying all involvement pending an investigation. Kiryu arrives and informs them all that Haruka has regained conciousness and is even talking a little, an update that lifts the others' spirits. Kiryu asks Nagumo how he's feeling and he admits he's torn: on one hand he can't get over Hirose's confession that he killed Nagumo's father, but on the other he can't bring himself to want revenge (a sentiment Matsunaga shares). Kiryu comments on how strong their bond was, how Hirose probably took them in out of guilt at first but grew to love them as his own sons as time went on- if he hadn't, they would probably have died at the shipyard. In a way, they should be proud that they released Hirose from his "curse", which drives Matsunaga and Nagumo to tears.
Just then, Kiryu gets a phone call: it's Someya, and he's in Onomichi and would like to speak with him. Kiryu heads to the docks and finds Someya waiting for him, and Someya informs Kiryu of Kurusu's death (noting that only Iwami is calling it a suicide). He also tells Kiryu that Iwami knew about the secret all along and with Kurusu dead now stands to inherit the Yomei Alliance. Someya says he had planned to usurp Sugai while Daigo was still out of the picture, but if Sugai is in deep with Iwami that task becomes infinitely more difficult. Kiryu asks what that has to do with him, and Someya tells Kiryu of Daidoji's orders to kill Kiryu, something that Someya would rather not happen. The Yomei will continue sending men to kill Kiryu and the Hirose family as long as they remain in Onomichi, and though he's the Dragon of Dojima Someya expresses doubt Kiryu can take them all down without falling himself. Someya is actually in town on orders from Sugai to kill Kiryu, but Someya does not want to as it would be the last obstacle preventing Sugai from bending the knee to Iwami, thus dooming the Tojo to wither and die as vassals to Hiroshima. Someya suggests that Kiryu go back to Kamurocho, get Haruka and Haruto, and then disappear until all this dies down, and with that he takes his leave. Unbeknownst to either of them, Koshimizu was watching the two and departs to alert Iwami.
Kiryu runs back to the Hirose family offices to warn them about the threat from the Yomei and the Tojo Clan. While Tagashira and Matsunaga call Kiyomi and Moreno to warn them, a group of Yomei Alliance men arrive to kill them. Kiryu and the Hirose family charge in while the Yomei blow up the Hirose offices with a rocket launcher, fighting off wave after wave of yakuza to defend themselves. Once the Yomei Alliance have been driven off, Kiryu calls Yuta to warn him that the Tojo Clan is gunning for Haruka, telling to speak with Date about moving Haruka out of Kamurocho. Yuta says that might be difficult as Haruka's still recovering, but he'll see what they can do while Kiryu heads to rejoin them. Nagumo tells Kiryu that he and the guys are coming with to help protect Haruka, as that's what Hirose would have wanted.
They return to Kamurocho and Kiryu sends Nagumo and the others to New Serena while he goes to the hospital to see Haruka. When he arrives at Haruka's room, Yuta tries to leave to give them some space, but Kiryu says he's family now so he can stick around. Facing Haruka, Kiryu says that he thought he would chew her out for running off and leaving him and the orphans with no way of contacting her, but now that he sees her alive and well he can't find anything to say. Haruka apologizes for running off and Kiryu has to step away to maintain his composure. Akiyama arrives after things have calmed down and tells Kiryu that he and Date are narrowing down a few places to hide Haruka, warning them that with the Tojo Clan hunting them down they may have to move her a few times to ensure her safety. Haruka asks if this is her fault, but Kiryu replies that they're trying to get to him after everything that happened while Haruka was comatose. He is going to make things right, so Haruka can live in peace with Haruto and Yuta (and yes, Haruka wants Yuta to be in her life going forward).
Kiryu steps outside and calls Someya, asking where Iwami and Sugai are. Someya can't say anything regarding Iwami, but Sugai should be in his office in the Millennium Tower. He warns Kiryu that Sugai and Iwami want to kill him to please Daidoji, and won't be willing to negotiate anymore. Kiryu says he has no intention of negotiating, with Someya asksing if that means he intends to kill Sugai and Iwami. Kiryu doesn't deny it, and Someya warns Kiryu that Sugai's got plenty of escape routes through the Millennium Tower- confronting him might not necessarily mean Kiryu will be able to finish him. Kiryu thanks Someya for the tip and hands up, telling Yuta to head back to New Serena so they can plan their attack. Akiyama says he'll join them, as the police can protect Haruka and he's not allowing Kiryu to march into battle alone.
As Akiyama and Yuta head to New Serena, Kiryu goes to talk with Haruka, promising that he and Yuta will come back in one piece. Haruka assures Kiryu that Yuta is a good guy, and Kiryu agrees despite the whole "punched Yuta through a door" thing. He goes on to say he's proud of how good a mother Haruka has become, and wishes her goodbye before leaving for New Serena.
Yuta filled in Nagumo and the others on their plan before Kiryu arrives back at New Serena. Kiryu tells them that they must catch Sugai no matter the cost before the six of them march on the Millennium Tower. A large group of Tojo Clan associates is waiting for them outside, but Kiryu isn't interested in pleasantries and the group charges in. The fight up the Millennium Tower is fierce, with the Tojo Clan throwing everything from gunmen to attack helicopters at Kiryu to keep him from reaching Sugai, but the Dragon of Dojima cannot be stopped. As Akiyama and the Hirose family peel off to deal with the Tojo men, Kiryu finally makes it to the top floor of the Millennium Tower. Before he enters, Sugai gives a call to Kiryu informing him he's not there, but he left someone there to keep Kiryu busy and will enjoy watching him die.
Kiryu bursts through the door to find a high-class bar instead of an office. Someya is there armed with a katana, while Sugai and Koshimizu watch from a large video screen. Sugai tells Kiryu that Someya informed him Kiryu was on his way to kill him, and says that once Someya finishes Kiryu he'll hunt down and kill Haruka and Haruto, regardless of what Daidoji's orders were. Kiryu asks Someya why he betrayed him, but Someya says Kiryu will find out in hell and attacks. Even armed, Someya cannot overcome Kiryu and the Dragon of Dojima emerges victorious. Sugai expresses disappointment in Someya's failure, and reveals what they did to ensure his cooperation: he, Koshimizu, and Iwami have kidnapped Kiyomi and are holding her hostage. Iwami informs Kiryu that the deal was that if Someya killed Kiryu, he'd let Kiyomi go free, but since that hasn't happened Someya must be punished. However, Iwami is willing to trade: he gives Kiryu to the count of three, and if Someya isn't dead by then he'll have Koshimizu kill Kiyomi. As Iwami begins his countdown, Someya hands Kiryu a dagger and begs him to kill him, but Kiryu hesitates. Nagumo bursts in just as Iwami hits "three", and in desperation Someya draws the dagger and commits seppuku. As he bleeds out, Someya tells Kiyomi that he never lifted a hand against their daughter Hiromi, which Kiyomi tearfully accepts. Iwami notes that the scene is touching, leaving with Sugai while Koshimizu readies his gun. Kiryu demands to know what Koshimizu is doing, and he replies that Iwami said time was up before turning off the camera, a gunshot ringing out as the screen goes black. Someya cries out in anguish while Nagumo rushes to his side, helping him back to his feet to find him a doctor. Someya, though, asks Nagumo to swear to him that he'll take care of his and Kiyomi's child when he's gone. Nagumo agrees, and as Someya succumbs to his injuries Kiryu smashes the video screen in a rage.
The group returns to New Serena, and Kiryu fills the others in on what happened with Someya. He says they have to keep moving, as the Tojo Clan will be searching for them next to silence them. Nagumo steps out for some fresh air, telling the others that they best be gone by the time he gets back. Matsunaga leaves with Tagashira, and Kiryu instructs Akiyama to take Yuta (who was stabbed during the storming of the Millennium tower). Akiyama informs Kiryu that Date found a place for Haruka to hide and should have her out by sundown, and Yuta tells Kiryu he shouldn't blame himself for what happened to Kiyomi. As they leave, Akiyama asks Kiryu what he would have done if he had caught Sugai in the Millennium Tower, as killing either him or Iwami would risk tarnishing his reputation as the Dragon of Dogima. Kiryu laments that he's consistently failed at protecting his friends and family, but Akiyama is not losing faith and encourages Kiryu to think of his legacy.
After Akiyama and Yuta leave, Kiryu goes up to the roof to talk with Nagumo. Once there, Nagumo informs Kiryu that Iwami will be at the shipyard for Kurusu's funeral, which will be officially marked as a Yomei succession ceremony. Hundreds of Yomei Alliance men will be there, and rumor has it Sugai will be there as well. Nagumo wants vengeance, but he says that none of the other family members or Akiyama will come with them. The two share a smoke and Nagumo gives Kiryu some time to tie up any loose ends in Kamurocho, and once that is complete they head for Onomichi. The next day, however, Akiyama returns to his hideout to find Yuta missing.
Kiryu and Nagumo share one last drink at Snack Kiyomi before heading to the funeral. They punch their way through the ranks of Yomei and confront Iwami, Sugai, and Koshimizu. Koshimizu taunts Kiryu with Kiyomi's death, and Iwami warns Kiryu that he won't win here. Kiryu doesn't care- he's ending Iwami and Sugai, one way or another. Koshimizu and his men attack, but Kiryu and Nagumo triumph over the Yomei soldiers. They prepare to move on to the two leaders, but Iwami and Sugai reveal their trump card- they have captured Haruka and Haruto. Iwami tells Kiryu that he manipulated the Tokyo PD to send Honjo to prevent Date from moving Haruka (and to cover the action up, Tojo men disguised as cops killed Honjo and shot Date to prevent him pursuing). Iwami tells Kiryu not to move, or his men will kill Haruka.
With Kiryu unable to fight back, Sugai steps up and begins beating Kiryu with a pipe while venting how the Tojo Clan always overlooked him despite his years of service. When that does nothing but piss Kiryu off even more, Iwami steps up and staggers Kiryu with a punch, taking his time to express his frustrations with his father always ignoring his ambition. But while the two leaders are busy with their Evil Gloating, the other Hirose family members arrive and rescue Haruka, giving Kiryu and Nagumo a chance to recover. Now unrestrained, Kiryu tells "little baby Iwami" that he's about to learn exactly what happens to those that mess with the Dragon of Dojima's loved ones. While the Hirose family deals with Sugai and his mooks, Kiryu destroys Iwami in single combat.
Iwami begs Kiryu for mercy, but Kiryu has no patience for the man as he moves in for the kill. In a desperate attempt to save his own life, Iwami yells at Sugai to kill Haruka, the Tojo associate shooting at her several times with his revolver (it works, but Kiryu still knocks Iwami out cold with a punch). Yuta jumps in front of Haruka and Haruto to act as a human shield, but at the last moment Kiryu steps between Yuta and Sugai and takes a bullet to the stomach. Sugai shoots Kiryu twice more, but fails to drop the Dragon of Dojima. He attempts to reload but gets punched out by Tagashira, and only then does Kiryu's strength fail him. As Yuta calls for an ambulance, Kiryu tells Haruka to hold Yuta and Haruto close, eventually slipping into unconciousness. Sugai attempts to escape but is cut off by the other Hirose members, and as he concedes defeat he turns his gun on himself and takes the easy way out. Meanwhile, Daidoji finally succumbs to his illness and dies, meaning Iwami will not receive his pardon.
One month later, Nagumo comforts Someya's daughter Hiromi after his funeral. He tells the girl that she should be proud of her father, that at the end of all things he still looked out for her. It's then revealed that Kiyomi is alive- Koshimizu (either impressed by Someya's sacrifice or to set up some blackmail against Iwami later) loaded his gun with blanks and spirited her away when Iwami was distracted. Outside Snack Kiyomi, Haruka discusses the future with the Hirose family: Nagumo, Tagashira, and Matsunaga are going to work with future Chairman Koshimizu to rebuild the family and stabilize the Yomei Alliance, while Haruka and Yuta will go to Okinawa to raise Haruto in peace. They all wish that Kiryu was there to see it, but they can do nothing more but move forward.
Meanwhile, Daigo is released from prison and returns to Tojo headquarters. On the way there he is debriefed by Majima and Saejima on the current state of affairs: with Kurusu dead and Iwami in prison, the Yomei Alliance is reeling and in no position to fight. Many of the Tojo Clan are braying for vengeance on account of Kiryu's death, but they won't march on Hiroshima without Daigo's orders. Daigo, though, reveals he received a letter from Kiryu (written while he was in Kamurocho with Haruka), in which Kiryu apologizes for not being there to support Daigo as he faced the trials of being Chairman and asks that Daigo not seek vengeance for his death. Daigo intends to honor his father figure's last wish, and instead plans to send a delegation of peace to Koshimizu and perhaps forge an alliance between Kamurocho and Hiroshima.
In a hospital at an undisclosed location, Kiryu wakes up and finds a government offical waiting for him with a suitcase full of money. The man explains that Kiryu's actions have been quite the embarrassment, and people will be coming to ask questions. The money is a bribe so Kiryu won't tell anyone about the government's involvement with the events in Onomichi, and in return the government will pardon Kiryu of any crimes he's comitted and send him on his way. Kiryu refuses to take the bribe, though, knowing that down the line someone will come to him seeking vengeance or some other violent request. He has a counter offer: in exchange for Daigo's release from prison, Kiryu will fake his death and disappear from the government's sight. Date (whom Kiryu intends to use as a witness to his death) protests that if he does this Kiryu will never be able to see Haruka or his family again, and Kiryu says that if it protects her and the others from danger then so be it. But he warns the government official that if they go back on their deal in any way, he will return and take his vengeance, and there will be nothing they can do to stop him. Later when Date returns alone to New Serena, Akiyama arrives to discuss Kiryu's "death", hinting that he knows fully well that the Dragon of Dojima survived. Date maintains his story for appearances sake, though he does grumble once again about how far he's sticking his neck out for Kiryu.
At the Morning Glory orphanage, Haruka, Yuta, and the orphans are encouraging Haruto to take his first steps. Unbeknownst to all except Haruto, Kiryu is watching from afar, taking one last chance to watch his family before he moves on. As Haruka gives Haruto more encouragement and as the baby takes his first steps, Kiryu turns and walks off, wandering to parts unknown and ending the story of the Dragon of Dojima.
The End
Just then, Kiryu gets a phone call: it's Someya, and he's in Onomichi and would like to speak with him. Kiryu heads to the docks and finds Someya waiting for him, and Someya informs Kiryu of Kurusu's death (noting that only Iwami is calling it a suicide). He also tells Kiryu that Iwami knew about the secret all along and with Kurusu dead now stands to inherit the Yomei Alliance. Someya says he had planned to usurp Sugai while Daigo was still out of the picture, but if Sugai is in deep with Iwami that task becomes infinitely more difficult. Kiryu asks what that has to do with him, and Someya tells Kiryu of Daidoji's orders to kill Kiryu, something that Someya would rather not happen. The Yomei will continue sending men to kill Kiryu and the Hirose family as long as they remain in Onomichi, and though he's the Dragon of Dojima Someya expresses doubt Kiryu can take them all down without falling himself. Someya is actually in town on orders from Sugai to kill Kiryu, but Someya does not want to as it would be the last obstacle preventing Sugai from bending the knee to Iwami, thus dooming the Tojo to wither and die as vassals to Hiroshima. Someya suggests that Kiryu go back to Kamurocho, get Haruka and Haruto, and then disappear until all this dies down, and with that he takes his leave. Unbeknownst to either of them, Koshimizu was watching the two and departs to alert Iwami.
Kiryu runs back to the Hirose family offices to warn them about the threat from the Yomei and the Tojo Clan. While Tagashira and Matsunaga call Kiyomi and Moreno to warn them, a group of Yomei Alliance men arrive to kill them. Kiryu and the Hirose family charge in while the Yomei blow up the Hirose offices with a rocket launcher, fighting off wave after wave of yakuza to defend themselves. Once the Yomei Alliance have been driven off, Kiryu calls Yuta to warn him that the Tojo Clan is gunning for Haruka, telling to speak with Date about moving Haruka out of Kamurocho. Yuta says that might be difficult as Haruka's still recovering, but he'll see what they can do while Kiryu heads to rejoin them. Nagumo tells Kiryu that he and the guys are coming with to help protect Haruka, as that's what Hirose would have wanted.
They return to Kamurocho and Kiryu sends Nagumo and the others to New Serena while he goes to the hospital to see Haruka. When he arrives at Haruka's room, Yuta tries to leave to give them some space, but Kiryu says he's family now so he can stick around. Facing Haruka, Kiryu says that he thought he would chew her out for running off and leaving him and the orphans with no way of contacting her, but now that he sees her alive and well he can't find anything to say. Haruka apologizes for running off and Kiryu has to step away to maintain his composure. Akiyama arrives after things have calmed down and tells Kiryu that he and Date are narrowing down a few places to hide Haruka, warning them that with the Tojo Clan hunting them down they may have to move her a few times to ensure her safety. Haruka asks if this is her fault, but Kiryu replies that they're trying to get to him after everything that happened while Haruka was comatose. He is going to make things right, so Haruka can live in peace with Haruto and Yuta (and yes, Haruka wants Yuta to be in her life going forward).
Kiryu steps outside and calls Someya, asking where Iwami and Sugai are. Someya can't say anything regarding Iwami, but Sugai should be in his office in the Millennium Tower. He warns Kiryu that Sugai and Iwami want to kill him to please Daidoji, and won't be willing to negotiate anymore. Kiryu says he has no intention of negotiating, with Someya asksing if that means he intends to kill Sugai and Iwami. Kiryu doesn't deny it, and Someya warns Kiryu that Sugai's got plenty of escape routes through the Millennium Tower- confronting him might not necessarily mean Kiryu will be able to finish him. Kiryu thanks Someya for the tip and hands up, telling Yuta to head back to New Serena so they can plan their attack. Akiyama says he'll join them, as the police can protect Haruka and he's not allowing Kiryu to march into battle alone.
As Akiyama and Yuta head to New Serena, Kiryu goes to talk with Haruka, promising that he and Yuta will come back in one piece. Haruka assures Kiryu that Yuta is a good guy, and Kiryu agrees despite the whole "punched Yuta through a door" thing. He goes on to say he's proud of how good a mother Haruka has become, and wishes her goodbye before leaving for New Serena.
Yuta filled in Nagumo and the others on their plan before Kiryu arrives back at New Serena. Kiryu tells them that they must catch Sugai no matter the cost before the six of them march on the Millennium Tower. A large group of Tojo Clan associates is waiting for them outside, but Kiryu isn't interested in pleasantries and the group charges in. The fight up the Millennium Tower is fierce, with the Tojo Clan throwing everything from gunmen to attack helicopters at Kiryu to keep him from reaching Sugai, but the Dragon of Dojima cannot be stopped. As Akiyama and the Hirose family peel off to deal with the Tojo men, Kiryu finally makes it to the top floor of the Millennium Tower. Before he enters, Sugai gives a call to Kiryu informing him he's not there, but he left someone there to keep Kiryu busy and will enjoy watching him die.
Kiryu bursts through the door to find a high-class bar instead of an office. Someya is there armed with a katana, while Sugai and Koshimizu watch from a large video screen. Sugai tells Kiryu that Someya informed him Kiryu was on his way to kill him, and says that once Someya finishes Kiryu he'll hunt down and kill Haruka and Haruto, regardless of what Daidoji's orders were. Kiryu asks Someya why he betrayed him, but Someya says Kiryu will find out in hell and attacks. Even armed, Someya cannot overcome Kiryu and the Dragon of Dojima emerges victorious. Sugai expresses disappointment in Someya's failure, and reveals what they did to ensure his cooperation: he, Koshimizu, and Iwami have kidnapped Kiyomi and are holding her hostage. Iwami informs Kiryu that the deal was that if Someya killed Kiryu, he'd let Kiyomi go free, but since that hasn't happened Someya must be punished. However, Iwami is willing to trade: he gives Kiryu to the count of three, and if Someya isn't dead by then he'll have Koshimizu kill Kiyomi. As Iwami begins his countdown, Someya hands Kiryu a dagger and begs him to kill him, but Kiryu hesitates. Nagumo bursts in just as Iwami hits "three", and in desperation Someya draws the dagger and commits seppuku. As he bleeds out, Someya tells Kiyomi that he never lifted a hand against their daughter Hiromi, which Kiyomi tearfully accepts. Iwami notes that the scene is touching, leaving with Sugai while Koshimizu readies his gun. Kiryu demands to know what Koshimizu is doing, and he replies that Iwami said time was up before turning off the camera, a gunshot ringing out as the screen goes black. Someya cries out in anguish while Nagumo rushes to his side, helping him back to his feet to find him a doctor. Someya, though, asks Nagumo to swear to him that he'll take care of his and Kiyomi's child when he's gone. Nagumo agrees, and as Someya succumbs to his injuries Kiryu smashes the video screen in a rage.
The group returns to New Serena, and Kiryu fills the others in on what happened with Someya. He says they have to keep moving, as the Tojo Clan will be searching for them next to silence them. Nagumo steps out for some fresh air, telling the others that they best be gone by the time he gets back. Matsunaga leaves with Tagashira, and Kiryu instructs Akiyama to take Yuta (who was stabbed during the storming of the Millennium tower). Akiyama informs Kiryu that Date found a place for Haruka to hide and should have her out by sundown, and Yuta tells Kiryu he shouldn't blame himself for what happened to Kiyomi. As they leave, Akiyama asks Kiryu what he would have done if he had caught Sugai in the Millennium Tower, as killing either him or Iwami would risk tarnishing his reputation as the Dragon of Dogima. Kiryu laments that he's consistently failed at protecting his friends and family, but Akiyama is not losing faith and encourages Kiryu to think of his legacy.
After Akiyama and Yuta leave, Kiryu goes up to the roof to talk with Nagumo. Once there, Nagumo informs Kiryu that Iwami will be at the shipyard for Kurusu's funeral, which will be officially marked as a Yomei succession ceremony. Hundreds of Yomei Alliance men will be there, and rumor has it Sugai will be there as well. Nagumo wants vengeance, but he says that none of the other family members or Akiyama will come with them. The two share a smoke and Nagumo gives Kiryu some time to tie up any loose ends in Kamurocho, and once that is complete they head for Onomichi. The next day, however, Akiyama returns to his hideout to find Yuta missing.
Kiryu and Nagumo share one last drink at Snack Kiyomi before heading to the funeral. They punch their way through the ranks of Yomei and confront Iwami, Sugai, and Koshimizu. Koshimizu taunts Kiryu with Kiyomi's death, and Iwami warns Kiryu that he won't win here. Kiryu doesn't care- he's ending Iwami and Sugai, one way or another. Koshimizu and his men attack, but Kiryu and Nagumo triumph over the Yomei soldiers. They prepare to move on to the two leaders, but Iwami and Sugai reveal their trump card- they have captured Haruka and Haruto. Iwami tells Kiryu that he manipulated the Tokyo PD to send Honjo to prevent Date from moving Haruka (and to cover the action up, Tojo men disguised as cops killed Honjo and shot Date to prevent him pursuing). Iwami tells Kiryu not to move, or his men will kill Haruka.
With Kiryu unable to fight back, Sugai steps up and begins beating Kiryu with a pipe while venting how the Tojo Clan always overlooked him despite his years of service. When that does nothing but piss Kiryu off even more, Iwami steps up and staggers Kiryu with a punch, taking his time to express his frustrations with his father always ignoring his ambition. But while the two leaders are busy with their Evil Gloating, the other Hirose family members arrive and rescue Haruka, giving Kiryu and Nagumo a chance to recover. Now unrestrained, Kiryu tells "little baby Iwami" that he's about to learn exactly what happens to those that mess with the Dragon of Dojima's loved ones. While the Hirose family deals with Sugai and his mooks, Kiryu destroys Iwami in single combat.
Iwami begs Kiryu for mercy, but Kiryu has no patience for the man as he moves in for the kill. In a desperate attempt to save his own life, Iwami yells at Sugai to kill Haruka, the Tojo associate shooting at her several times with his revolver (it works, but Kiryu still knocks Iwami out cold with a punch). Yuta jumps in front of Haruka and Haruto to act as a human shield, but at the last moment Kiryu steps between Yuta and Sugai and takes a bullet to the stomach. Sugai shoots Kiryu twice more, but fails to drop the Dragon of Dojima. He attempts to reload but gets punched out by Tagashira, and only then does Kiryu's strength fail him. As Yuta calls for an ambulance, Kiryu tells Haruka to hold Yuta and Haruto close, eventually slipping into unconciousness. Sugai attempts to escape but is cut off by the other Hirose members, and as he concedes defeat he turns his gun on himself and takes the easy way out. Meanwhile, Daidoji finally succumbs to his illness and dies, meaning Iwami will not receive his pardon.
One month later, Nagumo comforts Someya's daughter Hiromi after his funeral. He tells the girl that she should be proud of her father, that at the end of all things he still looked out for her. It's then revealed that Kiyomi is alive- Koshimizu (either impressed by Someya's sacrifice or to set up some blackmail against Iwami later) loaded his gun with blanks and spirited her away when Iwami was distracted. Outside Snack Kiyomi, Haruka discusses the future with the Hirose family: Nagumo, Tagashira, and Matsunaga are going to work with future Chairman Koshimizu to rebuild the family and stabilize the Yomei Alliance, while Haruka and Yuta will go to Okinawa to raise Haruto in peace. They all wish that Kiryu was there to see it, but they can do nothing more but move forward.
Meanwhile, Daigo is released from prison and returns to Tojo headquarters. On the way there he is debriefed by Majima and Saejima on the current state of affairs: with Kurusu dead and Iwami in prison, the Yomei Alliance is reeling and in no position to fight. Many of the Tojo Clan are braying for vengeance on account of Kiryu's death, but they won't march on Hiroshima without Daigo's orders. Daigo, though, reveals he received a letter from Kiryu (written while he was in Kamurocho with Haruka), in which Kiryu apologizes for not being there to support Daigo as he faced the trials of being Chairman and asks that Daigo not seek vengeance for his death. Daigo intends to honor his father figure's last wish, and instead plans to send a delegation of peace to Koshimizu and perhaps forge an alliance between Kamurocho and Hiroshima.
In a hospital at an undisclosed location, Kiryu wakes up and finds a government offical waiting for him with a suitcase full of money. The man explains that Kiryu's actions have been quite the embarrassment, and people will be coming to ask questions. The money is a bribe so Kiryu won't tell anyone about the government's involvement with the events in Onomichi, and in return the government will pardon Kiryu of any crimes he's comitted and send him on his way. Kiryu refuses to take the bribe, though, knowing that down the line someone will come to him seeking vengeance or some other violent request. He has a counter offer: in exchange for Daigo's release from prison, Kiryu will fake his death and disappear from the government's sight. Date (whom Kiryu intends to use as a witness to his death) protests that if he does this Kiryu will never be able to see Haruka or his family again, and Kiryu says that if it protects her and the others from danger then so be it. But he warns the government official that if they go back on their deal in any way, he will return and take his vengeance, and there will be nothing they can do to stop him. Later when Date returns alone to New Serena, Akiyama arrives to discuss Kiryu's "death", hinting that he knows fully well that the Dragon of Dojima survived. Date maintains his story for appearances sake, though he does grumble once again about how far he's sticking his neck out for Kiryu.
At the Morning Glory orphanage, Haruka, Yuta, and the orphans are encouraging Haruto to take his first steps. Unbeknownst to all except Haruto, Kiryu is watching from afar, taking one last chance to watch his family before he moves on. As Haruka gives Haruto more encouragement and as the baby takes his first steps, Kiryu turns and walks off, wandering to parts unknown and ending the story of the Dragon of Dojima.
The End
