KANTO ORWA YAKU SAK NO
ARANKEP SINEP KA ISAM
"NOTHING COMES FROM HEAVEN WITHOUT PURPOSE"
Hidden somewhere in Hokkaido,
there's a huge amount of gold that was hidden by the Ainu people.
I'm the Immortal Sugimoto!
I have to do right by Toraji.
I want Ume's eyes to work again.
After surviving the deadly Russo-Japanese War,
Saichi Sugimoto heads to Hokkaido.
Do you want to hear an interesting story?
Back in the day, there was a ton of these gold pieces the size of beans
found in rivers all over Hokkaido.
Y'know, a real gold rush.
A group of Ainu secretly gathered funds so they could start building an army.
20,000 kan, in gold?
Then, one night, one man stole it all
by murdering every single Ainu there.
But right after hiding all of that gold somewhere in Hokkaido,
the man was captured and thrown into prison.
Noppera-Bo.
He inscribed parts of a code to the buried treasure's location
onto his fellow convicts' bodies.
He tattooed them all.
After that, he told the convicts,
"Break out of here, and I'll give half of the gold to the one who finds it."
Sugimoto learns that the only way to find the hidden gold
is to gather the tattoos of those who escaped Abashiri Prison.
Soon, he was joined by Asirpa, an Ainu girl,
and Shiraishi, an escapee, in collecting the tattoos.
- I know it sounds silly, but… - I believe his story.
Aca was one of those Ainus who was killed there.
I'll find out why Aca had to be killed that day.
What really happened.
We'll find the gold, I promise you.
Right.
Kiroranke nispa!
- He was an old friend of Aca's. - It's about Abashiri Prison.
I know what happened.
Noppera-Bo is… Asirpa's father.
The man intended to give the gold to you, Asirpa.
Aca…
Is it your father that you're looking for?
How do you know Aca?
I won't follow any divinations. Because I'm a modern Ainu woman.
But Sugimoto and Asirpa weren't the only ones who were after the gold.
Toshizo Hijikata had begun gathering the escapees.
Always remember that old men are survivors!
Are you planning to create another Republic of Ezo in Hokkaido?
I think you could use a bodyguard, like me.
And the Seventh Division, led by Tsurumi.
We'll take over the Seventh Division and gain control of Hokkaido.
We'll form a military government.
This is your new leg.
Hunting for the gold,
these two forces also began to chase after the tattoos.
We'll continue on to Abashiri and meet up with Sugimoto's group.
I suppose we should get moving as well. To Abashiri!
If Noppera-Bo is Aca, then I need to see for myself.
If he really is my father, he'll tell me everything that we need to know.
She deserves to know the truth, no matter what it is.
To uncover the true identity of Noppera-Bo,
Sugimoto's group heads to Abashiri Prison, where a fateful confrontation awaits.
So, when all of this is finally over… that gold is ours.
KUSHIRO, 1907 (MEIJI 40)
Mm.
Bright red, fully ripened beach roses can be eaten just as they are.
Although, traditionally, we Ainu will also simmer them and serve them with fish oil.
We call this time of year mawtachup, "the month for gathering beach roses,"
because they're such an important food source.
Sour.
So hungry!
I'm gonna need a little more than beach roses.
Asirpa, hey! Where'd you go?
She's catching a sunfish.
A sunfish?!
Apparently, in the summer, they take naps floating on the surface,
so they're easy to catch.
I've sewn it back together nice and tight for you.
Thank you.
God of needles, I humbly thank you for your help.
You've taken such good care of us.
Both me and Cikapasi.
I should thank you.
When there's a man around, I feel a lot safer.
Tanigaki nispa, even though you're sometimes cold,
you reveal your kindness when it truly matters.
Are you two married?
Want some meat?
It's a sea otter. I just caught it.
But I live alone, so I can't eat it. Here.
- He's offering us the sea otter. - This is sea otter?
I don't think I've ever eaten one.
Huh. Thank you.
The two of you must eat it alone.
What'd he say?
Uh… I… I'm gonna go find some more beach roses.
Weather's turning. You should head back.
Okay.
Thanks.
Whoa!
Pretty rough out here.
There's a fisherman's hut over there!
Where's Cikapasi?
Went back to the inn. Don't worry, Inkarmat was with him too.
Stop talking! Let's go already!
I do hope Asirpa's all right.
Inkarmat!
Come here!
I hope they're all safe, Tanigaki nispa and the others…
Well, we should stay put for now.
Y'know if you keep working when the thunder rolls,
it's bad luck and something awful will happen.
- That's how the old saying goes. - That sea otter, though…
I just hope they haven't cooked it yet.
So this is sea otter.
The odor sure is distinct.
Mmm! It's a gamey scent.
Doesn't taste bad, though.
It's kinda lighter than I thought. This is hinna, though, right?
According to Ainu belief, whenever sea otter meat is simmered,
there should always be an equal number of men and women in the room.
This is getting weird.
No matter how I look at him,
Shiraishi is… infatuating.
The smell of simmering sea otter
is said to arouse sexual desire so strongly
that a person left alone might even faint.
Inkarmat…
a while ago, you said… you said some things about my dad.
Do you know Aca?
I know him well.
I was still a little girl when I met your father.
The first time I encountered him,
your father, Wilk, had just recently come to Hokkaido.
He spoke with a Karafuto accent when he talked.
And just like you, he had blue eyes.
He told me he was born to a Polish father and a Karafuto Ainu mother.
Before the Russo-Japanese War, Karafuto was Russian territory.
I heard there were many Poles there who had been oppressed by Imperial Russia
and exiled from Europe to the Far East.
Wilk, together with the ethnic minorities along the Amur River,
waged a liberation movement against Imperial Russia.
He fought, was wounded, and fled to Otaru in Hokkaido.
Back then, I was telling fortunes, wandering from village to village.
And he spent every day with me.
Wilk took in everything I taught him.
The beliefs of the Hokkaido Ainu, the land, the language…
he embraced all of it.
Yuk.
But I don't understand. My father never once mentioned you to me.
He said my mom was the one who taught him everything that he knew.
Why should I believe anything you say?
I could see why he would say that.
Asirpa, your mother was a very beautiful woman.
And after all, I'm sure Wilk saw me as nothing but a little girl.
I wonder if he forgot about me over time.
Are you all right? Hey, Sugimoto! Ah!
Ah!
This Matagi hunter… is way too sexy.
Why is my head going in circles?
Are you all right? Are you all right, Ogata?!
You should lie down. We'll help you.
Ogata, let's unbutton your shirt.
I think you'll feel much better.
- Get his pants too! - Ah!
No! Strip him all the way!
Kiro's so…
Hey, you… it's been a while.
I got separated from Hijikata and the others in Asahikawa.
I went around the kotans asking about you, then tracked you down here.
That's… quite a smell coming from that pot.
The inmate called Noppera-Bo is not your father. That is impossible.
Wilk is not the kind of man who would kill Ainu and steal that gold.
But I'm sure of one thing… Kiroranke killed your father.
That can't be. What you're saying is insane.
This is not a divination. I have proof.
Sugimoto… hey, man.
I know it's been a while since I've seen you…
…but you've suddenly become quite the looker, huh?
Oh, don't say that.
Kiro, you're more…
You got so… so much more built than before, didn't you?
Ahh. Whatcha think, Tanigaki?
What should I do?
Yeah…
What should I do?
That's it! No more waiting around!
Sumo wrestling.
- Oh! - Oh!
I see now.
THE ABASHIRI PRISON RAID-
Things got… pretty heated back there.
Let's keep this a secret.
Mm, yeah.
Ah! I see her! Asirpa, there you are!
Kiroranke nispa.
Now that we're all here, Abashiri awaits us.
Wait a minute.
Before that, I have something important to tell Asirpa.
I've agonized over when to tell you.
I came after you from Otaru, though, to deliver a message from Huci.
Huci had a dream that she would never see you again.
She's worried.
Ryu.
Huci.
It was only a dream, though. Send her a postcard or something.
The Ainu have long believed that…
that dreams are messages sent by the Kamuy when they want us to know something.
Huci told me once about a dream she had.
In her dream, many Kimun Kamuy gathered around her daughter to send off her soul.
Then right afterward,
that was when my mom died of a terrible illness, or so Huci said.
So… she knows that dreams tell us the truth.
Hey, Asirpa…
should we go back, then?
Huci might feel okay if she sees your face again.
I need to ask one thing.
It's just something I wanna know.
No, something I need to know
to move forward for the sake of my future.
Kiroranke nispa…
were you the one who killed my father?
What's all this?
I have proof.
On these gambling tags, your fingerprints.
Uh? Fingerprints?!
The pattern of the fingerprints of each person is different.
They've been used
in criminal investigations overseas for a while.
Come here!
I collected fingerprints from the men
at the gambling house in Sapporo and requested a comparison.
It turns out
your unique fingerprints were a match for the ones taken from a certain place.
The scene where seven Ainu were killed.
Wait, hold on.
Then who is the Noppera-Bo who's in prison right now?
I don't know!
Could it be one of your little comrades trying to fund the independence
of the Russian Far East with the Ainu gold?
Hold it right there.
This woman's been in league with Lieutenant Tsurumi--
Wait!
Genjiro Tanigaki, did a honey trap really win you over?
Tsurumi was the one who gathered the evidence left at the murder scene.
Which means Tsurumi is the only one who'd have had the fingerprints.
Though I may have used the lieutenant, it was only for my own ends.
She's quite the woman, isn't she, Tanigaki?
So the prints were consistent, then?
And that information was from the lieutenant?
If we start killing each other now, we play right into his hands.
Shiraishi, you're the only one here who's seen Noppera-Bo in person so far.
Was it really true, like Toshizo Hijikata said,
that he had blue eyes, just like Asirpa?
I can still picture that creep. But I never got a good look at the guy.
Everything was always relayed through Hijikata.
Even the escape plans.
I guess there's nobody left to trust, then.
So, what do you suggest we do now?
We need to go on.
Whether Noppera-Bo is Asirpa's father or not,
once we find him… it should all become clear.
And if anyone here betrays the rest of us,
then I'll just have to kill them myself.
Hey, rookie.
Let's go. What about that man has you so curious?
Well… it's not too often that you see a man with a face that terrifying.
Some advice I can give you as your senior.
When you start here, the first thing anyone learns is…
"Noppera-Bo is not a man you get involved with."
Just as I thought with that rookie. He's an agent of the Seventh Division.
But this is my prison.
Anybody acting out of line will get fed to the pigs as lunch.
I leave it to you, Chief Guard Kadokura.
So you want me to take care of the guy?
ABASHIRI PRISON CHIEF GUARD TOSHIYUKI KADOKURA
Hey, rookie.
Over there in the back is a wooden box that needs to be taken outside.
Understood, sir.
Oh, and leave your sword over there.
You're liable to trip and fall. And then you'll be covered in pig shit.
Sir.
Chief Kadokura?
Chief Kadokura!
Where are you?!
If you don't wanna suffer, then stay put, and this'll--
Chief Kadokura?
Where did you go off to?
SEVENTH DIVISION TOKISHIGE USAMI
Well, my cover's blown.
I must have underestimated the chief.
Tsurumi's gonna be furious with me!
Just as you ordered, I've fed him to the pigs.
I've noted our rookie as "missing,"
and the records show that the inmates were all killed in a violent brawl.
For the last seven years,
I've thought of you as little more than a weak,
gutless little weasel with no balls.
Though today, I think… I may have to slightly revise that opinion.
Well then, today is a special occasion.
Being honored like this calls for red bean rice!
LAKE KUSSHARO
INN
I'm heading to the bath.
I've touched bodies of all kinds in my day,
but I've never felt muscles as soft as this before.
My hands sink right in.
The body of a wild tiger must feel just like this, I imagine.
A natural gift. It's remarkable. Wow!
Though what's even more strikingly unusual
is all this scar tissue that's covering your whole body.
How is it that you're even able to walk?
Y'know, mister, in Ainu culture, when someone dies,
they break their tools and damage their clothes.
This practice is said to release the soul,
enabling the owner to use them in the next world.
Really now? That's fascinating.
If you want my soul to go on, you better start carving deeper than this.
A person's soul only leaves when this life's objective is fulfilled.
Sugimoto, the reason you can't be killed when you're wounded,
is because your purpose here is left unfulfilled.
- There are bandits? - Yeah.
The landlady warned that around here recently,
there are tons of bandits acting out.
She was saying that they tend to come at people in groups,
in complete darkness, without any lights.
And how do they do that, exactly?
Because these bandits are all blind.
I've heard that a bunch of blind inmates from Abashiri Prison
banded together and started causing problems.
Seems coincidental. Why were there so many blind prisoners in Abashiri?
Forced laborers from Mount Io.
Sulfur is a profitable resource, you know?
Inudo secretly lent the prisoners to the mining company.
But… the gas spewing out all over the mountain
apparently destroys the miners' eyes.
Many went blind, and many lost their lives.
And those who went blind were left in the mountains,
maybe because the prison couldn't take care of them anymore.
The ones who survived resented the mining company,
and they're said to still wander the area.
Also… and this is the real important detail of the whole thing,
the leader of these survivors is covered in strange tattoos,
and I don't mean Yakuza ink.
- Do you remember what his name was? - Yeah.
His name is… Anji Toni.
Among the miners, he alone had coded tattoos,
meaning he wasn't thrown out even after he went blind.
He broke out of prison with the rest of us.
So wait, if he's blind, though, how can he still be a bandit?
Anji Toni is uniquely skilled for that.
Through echolocation. He's able to see anything.
- Echolocation? - Yeah.
Will you be okay on your own?
Yes, thank you. I'm better at walking in the dark than you, young lass.
Because we cannot see, there are things that only we can see.
Oh, and… take care if you think you hear geta at night.
Geta?
That's the sound of the blind bandits who attack in the dark.
Everyone thinks it's the sound of wooden sandals, but that's not it.
It's the sound of their tongues.
They see things from the echoes of their clicking tongues.
"Their clicking tongues…" what do you mean?
Hmm?
Yoshitake Shiraishi! I know you're there.
Talking about the mining company, huh?
They must have hired you to get rid of us, didn't they?
No, no, no, it's not like that!
Gotcha!
ABASHIRI PRISON ESCAPEE ANJI TONI
Everyone out!
What the hell! What is that guy?!
Just run!
Oh no! Which way was the inn aga--
Only Superior Private Ogata brought a gun.
We'll never hear the end of that.
Inkarmat!
Tanigaki nispa! I heard a gunshot.
Over this way.
Let's go. Cooperation's our only choice right now.
Sugimoto?
- Put out your light. - Don't be seen in the torches!
Damn it. Even in the bath, he brought a gun.
I found this earlier.
If we get onto the lake, they can't follow us.
Get on, hurry. What's wrong?
I apologize. I just… I can't swim.
And also, I have a very bad feeling about this.
If I wanted you to be dead, I'd just leave you here
and let them kill you, okay? Get on!
It's me.
- Have you been shot? - It's all right.
If it wasn't dark, those guys…
The air reeks of blood.
They're checking the range!
Tanigaki nispa!
This was my mother's. I want you to have it.
After you grow up, as long as you're wearing this,
I'll recognize you right away when we next meet.
Isn't it important to you?
Because you're an important friend.
Thank you.
But… I know that I will never set eyes on your face again.
That is my fate.
That's what my dream divination says.
Goodbye, Wilk.
I hope you and your wife will be happy together.
- You'll be okay, Inkarmat. - Tanigaki nispa.
Come on.
Doing great. You'll be okay. Just a little further.
How do they know our location?
Damn it all! It's already that hour.
If it gets any brighter out, we'll be the ones with the advantage here.
Tanigaki nispa! You were shot, weren't you?!
No, I'm fine.
It just grazed my ass.
Huh? Hey, are you laughing?!
If you were using my feelings to protect your own,
I would say it was effective.
It still does hurt pretty bad, though.
It turns out that fate can change.
Sorry to kill the moment. You need to run, though.
- We'll be the ones exposed this time! - Ugh!
Sugimoto!
The mining company and Inudo deserve to be punished.
Don't kill him, Sugimoto!
You sure as hell don't have any noble cause.
Just a gang of thieving murderers.
We've never attacked anyone who's not involved.
You'll stop making that distinction, soon enough.
Of course, you would know. You're a killer, isn't that right?
I know it's true, I can smell the murder coming off of you.
Oh… who are you?
It's been a while, hasn't it, Anji Toni?
I know that voice. What the hell are you doing here?!
Warden Inudo and I are at odds.
Young lady, we meet again at last.
Professor Penis!
Sugimoto. Would you leave him to us?
We'll handle the disciplining of Anji Toni.
Only if I'm allowed to copy his tattoo for our share.
You shouldn't only do bad things under the cover of nightfall.
You'll never manage to escape the endless darkness, if you keep going at this rate.
Oh man, gimme a break.
This girl… who is she?
Noppera-Bo's only daughter.
Huh.
He has a daughter?!
Huh? Achoo!
Russian rifles were distributed to all the guards at Abashiri Prison,
and they seemed to have plenty of spare weapons and ammo.
Inudo ordered that the inmates work at the sulfur mine,
and this seems to have been the source of funds for the guns.
And, before you could find out where the weapons were,
you went and blew your cover.
That's what it was, Private First Class Usami?
Tsukishima, sit him down.
Fake papers to get you in there as a prison guard…
do you know how much effort we went through for that?
Look at this mole… right there.
Right there. Right there. Right there.
I'll draw a body on it and have it run!
I… I can see her running!
I can make the other mole run too.
Look at it run!
The two little moles run as hard as they can.
But… they'll never get any closer.
The distance between the two is always the same.
How sad!
I hear you got new intel on Sugimoto and his group on the way here, though.
So tell us, Usami!
Oh! I overheard something at the inn. Although it seems they'd left already.
The Ainu girl was with them too?
Yes! Absolutely!
Well done, Usami.
Hurry up and wash your face right now!
Is there a mirror around?
There are acorns on the ground
Nisew means acorn.
So, how do we eat this?
They become sweet once they're boiled and dried.
Around this time of year, brown bears eat them a lot.
Sugimoto! You should get those. Kutci. They taste wonderful.
Hmm.
And I think if I remember right, you can use the vines for snowshoes?
That's right! Well remembered.
Mmm! Kutci's amazing. Very sweet.
There's plenty to eat!
But if you eat too many, your butthole will get itchy.
Oh, really?
The more of them you eat, the more itchy your butthole will get.
Look at that, Sugimoto.
- A brown bear's claw marks. - You're right.
Cise sirosi. Hunters call it a "house mark."
It's a sign that there's a den nearby.
This time of year, they eat almost nothing but kutci.
So sometimes there are bears whose meat tastes just like fruit.
Shall we hunt one?
No, just kutci is fine.
When it starts to snow,
brown bears start eating stuff like the tough skins of kutci vines.
It's to plug up their butts.
That way, they're all ready to hole up in their dens.
You really do know a lot about nature, Asirpa.
Aca taught me everything.
About the mountains and the Ainu as well.
Sugimoto…
I am feeling… afraid.
Ainu were murdered, and the gold was stolen by Noppera-Bo.
What if he really was my father?
Asirpa, look,
we've come too far to stop things here.
And I'll stay with you, right by your side, until the end.
There are five watchtowers on the premises.
And there were guards patrolling all over.
Abashiri is surrounded by mountains on three sides.
In those mountains are 20 watchtowers.
And all the guards are armed with Russian Mosin-Nagant rifles.
Defenses have gotten even tighter since we made our escape from there.
Noppera-Bo is probably well guarded against those who would come to take him.
The only way to get to the prison is across the bridge, right?
Yeah, and the only way inside is through the front gate.
Not quite!
The only way to get in is the spot where security is light.
This wall facing the Abashiri River.
How do we get over the wall?
We're not gonna go over it.
We'll tunnel through underneath.
It's about time for the salmon to come up from the sea,
so it's a common sight every year to see the Ainu building huts
and fishing along the Abashiri.
We'll hide the entrance to the tunnel with an Ainu hut.
- Here! - Right.
Got it!
Okay.
- Here! - Thanks.
Kiroranke is a combat engineer.
He has experience digging tunnels at 203 Meter Hill.
We'll load the dirt we dig out onto the boat,
dumping it bit by bit in the river while fishing, so we won't get caught.
This plan only works now, while salmon is still in season.
A plan to bust into the jail, incorporating Ainu culture.
- It's a flawless idea! - Shiraishi.
You really are amazing.
Hats off to ya.
Pew.
Escape King, it was the right call to bring you with us. That's a great idea!
Pew.
Pew, pew.
Hey, you. You can't be doing that out here, okay?
Just clean it up, all right?
Did you really have to go out of your way to do this here? What were you thinking?
- More salmon, is that what you're saying? - What are you talking about?
For allowing us to fish here.
We made a deal. I'm supposed to give you three salmon a day.
Ask this guard here.
- Huh? - Really now.
Have you been taking bribes?
Well, you know…
- Five salmon, new deal. - What?
You understand?
Let's go.
Please don't tell Warden Inudo about this.
Of course I won't, you moron.
Look at the size of it.
Thank goodness Huci's baby sister lives close to here.
It helps that the young lady has so much family.
By tomorrow, the tunnel will be done.
Before we battle, let's get some good rest while we can.
I need food!
Salmon sounds good.
For the Ainu, salmon is sipe.
It's such an important staple that it's called "the true food."
That's why it's always very important we use every part of the salmon.
We even eat the part in the middle of the upper jaw,
the head cartilage called kakaw.
There's a dish that uses all of this I know. Sugimoto…
Do you know what it is?
Huh?
Oh my God, is it…
Citatap.
Yes, of course it's citatap!
Citatap was first made from salmon before anything else.
The citatap that started citatap!
You citatap the kakaw and the gills.
And the more you citatap it, the better it tastes.
Say "citatap," Kantaro.
Asirpa's house has rules, you know?
C… citatap, citatap.
Can I citatap it using this?
Using what?!
Citatap. Citatap.
- Citatap, citatap. - Citatap citatap.
- Citatap. - Citatap.
Ogata! We're all saying "citatap" now.
Citatap, citatap, citatap.
That's so strange. I can't hear anything.
If you don't say "citatap" when you're making the real thing,
when will you say it?
Well, I thought we would all work together as a team by now, but…
Citatap.
He said it!
You heard that?! We got a "citatap" out of Ogata!
Add the milt and mince it even more finely,
then finally, mix in the crushed grilled kelp and season with salt.
And that's how you make this meal.
We grill the meat on skewers.
We serve it with rice and millet porridge, with salmon roe, ciporsayo,
mashed potatoes boiled in salted water, mixed with salmon roe, and cipor rataskep.
Those are all delicacies of the season.
Mmm.
Mmm! It's so soft and smooth.
This is the real citatap, huh?
Mmm! It's not fishy at all. Delicious!
When they're freshly caught, they don't smell.
Hinna, hinna.
These skewers are real nice and fatty too!
Mmm. Mmm.
It's really delicious.
Ienaga, do you want the salmon eyeball?
You like licking eyeballs, don't you?
chuckles softly]
Inkarmat.
Do you… have a special someone? Hmm?
Here.
What are you doing, Cikapasi?
When a woman goes to a man's house and cooks for him,
the man gives her the bowl after he's eaten half of it.
If she finishes all of it, their marriage starts right then.
So why not become a real family?
Cikapasi. Give it back.
Whoopsie!
A bit in the delicate stages still.
Um… Tanigaki nispa.
You've always been looking at Abashiri Prison
from across the river, right?
I heard that you have a history with Asirpa's father.
Asirpa must have told you that, right?
Even though you said that Noppera-Bo is not Wilk,
somewhere in your mind you still hope you'll see him again.
That's why you came here, right?
Yes, you're right.
Even though my divination told me that I would never see him again.
And that's because
what I saw was my death.
I will die in the east of Hokkaido, before I can see him again.
When I was drowning in the lake,
I knew that my divination was coming to pass.
That I was destined to die.
Yet, somehow…
Tanigaki nispa, you were able to overturn my divination.
Now I believe again… that fate can be changed.
It might sound quite strange, and you may not understand, but…
right now, the thing I want the most is to meet with Wilk once again.
But it isn't that I'm wanting to see someone I love.
I was stuck in my beautiful past.
I want to bring closure to the journey I've been on until now.
If I could see Wilk one more time,
it would be proof that my fate really has changed.
And then whatever the future will bring,
I want to find out with you by my side.
I still have a duty left to fulfill.
And that is to return Asirpa safely to Huci.
But when the time comes,
I will properly hand you my bowl after I've eaten half of what's in it.
Ugh!
He's eating Tanigaki nispa's food from his bowl!
Ugh!
Mr. Kadokura.
Is that guy Noppera-Bo?
There's a rumor going around that the Seventh Division is after him.
They say, "When the soldiers attack the prison,
they'll kill all the prisoners to wipe out the evidence."
Then, I'll give you guns when that happens,
so you boys can go ahead and fight back.
Hey, Kiroranke. Where the hell does this go?
If we pop our heads out in the middle of a party of prison guards,
we're screwed.
We've dug where Hijikata told us to.
We just need to trust him.
Huh?
Hello there.
You're right on time.
The warden position is typically held
by people from the Fukuoka or Chōshū domains.
In other words, they're people from the new Meiji government.
But someone like myself, on the other hand,
a local, will only get hired as a guard.
Back in the day,
Hijikata and my father fought together in the army of the old shogunate.
Though, if our plan fails,
this tunnel will be discovered immediately,
and you'll end up a wanted man.
If and when that occurs, I'll come with you.
I think my late father would be pleased.
If you had an insider like this all along, you should have told us sooner.
Noppera-Bo is under the warden's orders,
transferred every day to a different solitary cell.
Though I can accurately guess where he'll get transferred.
So, when do we go?
A dark, unlit night.
The night of the next new moon.
On the night of the next new moon,
Noppera-Bo will get transferred to a cell right here.
Block four, cell 66.
And this, right here, is the key.
Yeah!
Well, since we're not breaking out this time,
it's way easier.
We just simply sneak in without anyone noticing,
and Asirpa meets up with Noppera-Bo.
Now, supposing he really, truly is your father,
we can just have him tell us where the gold is.
That's just a perk, though. The real reward?
We finally get to see him.
And then, if we quietly slip out… Great success!
- Won't it be hard to get him out? - He has a severed Achilles tendon.
He can probably barely stand.
If he really is the man who killed all those Ainu,
then we shouldn't risk it,
trying to get him out of prison where he belongs.
Quit eavesdropping and make yourself known.
That Seventh Division commander who killed himself,
I hear you're the son of his concubine.
And that you deserted just to get your hands on some gold bars.
Your background, I have to say, is concerning.
You think that I'd go through all this trouble to screw with the army?
That sounds like too much effort.
Are you telling me that you suddenly trust one another implicitly?
Don't worry about it, Asirpa.
I swear to you, we'll make sure you get to see him.
Inkarmat, Cikapasi, Nagakura, and Ienaga will wait in the kotan.
Ogata will be positioned in the mountains to provide sniper cover
if anything goes wrong.
- Five of them. - Uh-huh. Yeah.
Kantaro and Tanigaki will wait by a canoe set for our escape,
just outside the tunnel.
We've got two more dugout canoes prepared upstream and downstream as backups.
Kiroranke, Ushiyama, and Hijikata will wait in the quarters.
Asirpa, Shiraishi, and I will push through the darkness
and infiltrate the main cellblock.
Guiding our group… is Anji Toni.
The sound of the wind is strong,
but I can still tell where the surrounding buildings are located.
It should also drown out the echo of my tongue carrying off in the distance.
Okay. Let's go.
- Oh! - Who are you?
Toni, you ass. Have wax in your ears?
We were exposed right away!
Not my fault you guys immediately stepped into the light!
I'll handle things here. You go.
- Not off to the best start here. - Sh!
Where's block four?
Pew.
The five-winged, radial, single-story cell house.
It can hold over 700 prisoners.
At its center is a guard post,
from which the entire block can be seen from a single point.
There are three guards on duty at night.
Lucky that one of them is Mr. Kadokura.
- The wind is quite strong tonight. - I made some tea.
Ah.
- What happened? - Oh dear!
I've dropped my tea! Mm.
- Did it get on you? - I'm so sorry.
My precious teacup!
CELL 66
Aca…
Aca?
Aca, is that you?
It's me. Asirpa.
Here to see you from Otaru.
A… Asir…
That's not him.
That's not Aca.
- Intruder! - Sir!
Ow, hot!
- Emergency positions! Hurry! - Right!
There's an intruder! Arm yourselves!
Into position!
Intruder in block four. Go tell Warden Inudo.
- Hurry! - Yes, sir!
- Hey, have you seen Hijikata? - He's not here?
Could it be that we were all… tricked by that old man?
What the hell?!
Asirpa!
Sugimoto!
So it looks like we'll be stuck here for a while then.
Warden Inudo! Intruder in cellblock four!
So I guess the little alarm I set up went off then.
Argh!
Quiet!
If he's not Asirpa's father, then Inkarmat was probably…
Were you working with Kiroranke?
Ugh! All right, who are you, then?
Are you some lookalike?
I really don't know. We've definitely all been tricked, though.
Inkarmat, what's going on?
Tanigaki nispa, you need to run!
If you stay, you're gonna be caught up in all of this!
Hold on! What about Sugimoto and Shiraishi!?
- I'm taking you to the real one. - What are you saying?
Oh! Th… They're here! They're here!
No way. The Seventh Division is really here!
Moving in formation this way! From the other side of the river!
The Seventh Division? They're marching with torches!
Go report to Warden Inudo!
Right!
Intruder in the cellblock! Hurry!
Let's go!
Urgent report! Urgent report.
Hundreds of lights are closing in on the bridge, sir!
It's the Seventh Division!
Calm yourself.
Just do it the way that I trained you to.
- Move out! Machine guns forward! - Weapons at the ready!
Hurry with the detonator! Look out for the wires!
Hurry with the machine guns! Get the ammo too!
- Rifle squad, assemble! - Sir!
They've finally come to claim Noppera-Bo.
Ready charges?
Ignite!
What the…
The bridge!
Are we really under attack by the Seventh Division?
Hey! What's going on?
The Seventh Division's here to kill us!
They're going to wipe us all out!
Open the door!
Inkarmat. How did you know?
I told them.
I was the one who was relaying today's plan
to Lieutenant Tsurumi.
With the bridge out of commission, we should be able to buy some time now.
Once their soldiers break through, start a crossfire. Let them have it.
Yes, sir!
We'll turn the Seventh into ground meat.
They've detonated the bridge, sir.
That's what I've been waiting for.
The torches on the riverbank…
were just decoys.
So they knew what we were doing all along.
The intelligence officer shouldn't be underestimated.
All this time, you have been feeding information to the lieutenant?
Tsurumi was hopeful
that Sugimoto and the others would be successful in their plan.
That plan seems to have failed.
Now that it's come to this,
Noppera-Bo and Asirpa's only hope of getting out of here safely
is Lieutenant Tsurumi.
- Cannon to the right. - To the right! Aye aye!
Load high-explosive shells!
Aye aye!
Hey! Something is coming!
Target! Center, outer wall of the prison!
Two-two-two-five. Fire!
Run to the tunnel!
Salute!
Fire!
- Fire! - Fire!
Fire!
- Fire! - Ah!
- Fire! - Aye-aye!
- Fire!
Hey, it's coming down!
Sugimoto!
Don't you wanna see your father?
Fire!
At the back of the prison, they have a destroyer!
These men have come to wipe this place out.
If we don't fight, then no fate awaits us but the god of death.
Take them on!
Yes, sir!
The other two are missing. Where are they?
Inkarmat!
Please just run!
I'm not letting you die here.
- Hey! - No!
Ushiyama.
- Hurry, let's go! - Ushiyama, get over here!
Please, just… take care of… one another.
Ushiyama!
One, two, three!
Oh.
Dirtied my suit, unfortunately.
Amazing!
One, two!
- One, two! - Lieutenant Tsurumi.
The people at Central, what will you tell them about tonight?
This will be our account.
A report was received that a riot broke out.
We heard that the prisoners had overpowered the guards
and barricaded themselves inside Abashiri Prison.
A request was made for the assistance of Rear Admiral Koito…
Fire!
…Commander of Aomori's Ominato Guard District.
Understood!
We brought the situation under control after rushing to the scene.
If witnesses from the prison side testify,
that report won't hold up, will it?
What prison-side witnesses?
Stop right there!
- Hands up! - Huh?
Fire!
Right flank!
Return fire!
Counterattack!
They may be well armed, but guards are guards.
They're no match for those who know true battle.
Sergeant Tsukishima, now!
Sir.
Capture Noppera-Bo and Asirpa!
The Seventh Division is coming! Open the doors!
We have to push through!
Quit joking around! We're not all immortal!
What are you doing now?
There's a little narrow space down here for ventilation!
Ah, ah!
"Ah!" Seriously, I'll make you be quiet!
Ah, ah!
Ah, keep a lid on it, you bastard!
Ah! Ah!
- Ah! Ah! - Ah! Ah!
Did you know the Noppera-Bo they hid in the cell was a fake?
Did Kadokura know too?
You knew and let Sugimoto and Shiraishi go in anyway?
Follow me, Asirpa.
Your chance is now.
Move up!
- Go! - Fire!
What are you doing? Hurry, fall back!
Forward!
They're here!
Where is Noppera-Bo?
Usami.
Immortal Sugimoto.
I'm not going unless Sugimoto's with me.
If he sees his only daughter,
Noppera-Bo would reveal the location of the gold.
We all started this journey expecting that.
Sugimoto too.
Asirpa. I'm sure he wants you to see your father again.
Hijikata, where is Aca?
Stay right there!
Including the ones I have slaughtering the guards outside,
I brought 63 subordinates with me.
Do you plan to escape from all of us?
I was thinking I'd give it a shot!
So, just put down your weapons, and--
Nikaido!
Let me go!
You said that I would get to kill him!
You idiot! If you hit Noppera-Bo, what then?
I'm gonna blow his brains out if you don't go!
You okay with that?
Chief Guard Kadokura?
- It's been too long! - Ah!
Those moles, what the hell?
Don't they look good? I think they're nice. I got them tattooed.
Rookie.
I haven't explained this to you yet, have I?
This device was designed at Kabato Prison.
In the event of a fire, it's used to let all the cells open at once!
Seven hundred vicious criminals.
Do you think that you're ready… hm? …to take them all on?!
Guns up!
Now exterminate them all!
Push them back!
Run them down!
Forward!
Agh! Eh, oh, ah.
Old man Hijikata must have screwed us here!
He had us infiltrate the cellblock with the fake Noppera-Bo,
causing a commotion.
Then Inudo would head to where the real Noppera-Bo is hidden.
This was all Hijikata's plan from the start.
While Kadokura has us pinned in the hall,
he'll reunite Asirpa with her dad,
force the gold location out,
and get out.
He's planning to use this as a chance to separate us.
Why do that?
Because eventually, I'm gonna get in the way.
There he is.
So it was the Lecture Hall, as expected.
Since he goes there daily for training, I had suspicions that it was there.
Even after searching, Kadokura couldn't find it.
There's a hidden room in there.
He's in there, right?
He's moving your father now. We'll catch him in the act.
Don't shoot! Take them alive!
Where has Asirpa gone off to?
Uh?
Did she run back to find Sugimoto?
She disappeared as soon as she found out where Noppera-Bo was.
She's a shrewd girl.
Okay, Sugimoto. You just need to dislocate both your shoulders.
How do I do that?!
Shiraishi!
- Asirpa! - Where's Sugimoto?
Asirpa! Are you all right?
Take my hand, Sugimoto.
The real Noppera-Bo is in the Lecture Hall.
There she is! The Ainu girl!
Asirpa, go! I'll be okay on my own.
I'll find my way to the hall.
- Wait for me at the main gate. - I'm not going. I can't leave you.
Oh, man! We gotta go!
Come on!
I'll find Noppera-Bo, I swear.
Shiraishi!
Huh? Uh, what is it?
Oh!
Asirpa's in your hands.
Okay.
I understand.
Let's go!
All units, stand down!
I am…
the Immortal…
Sugimoto!
Argh!
A-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!
Argh!
I can hear something from down below.
As I thought.
Come out.
If I hear Inudo, I'll shoot out both his eyes.
Noppera-Bo.
In death,
will the two of us part ways?
Argh!
Argh! Oh!
Ah. Ah. Oh.
Ah, ah, ah, ah, ah. Ah-ah-ah-ah!
Ha-ha-ha!
Hey.
Whoo! Eh!
Yeah!
Yohei! Sugimoto's on his way to you now!
There he is!
Takeaki Enomoto, a man I fought alongside at Hakodate,
now a noble viscount.
Toshizo Hijikata, on the other hand, is an aging escaped convict.
If you had accepted a position in the new Meiji government,
you never would've spent over 30 years in chains, you scum.
You and your so-called "new government" that renounced the shogun,
repaying any loyalty with betrayal of the highest order.
Now you preach devotion to the nation and to the people?!
How do you reconcile that?
Fool someone else with that wisdom.
Noppera-Bo… Asirpa needs to meet you.
Asirpa needs to…
What's wrong?
We're not done having fun tonight!
Beg for your life!
Attend to your duty and submit to me.
Polish my shoes every morning.
Serve your lord.
Afraid. Always afraid.
It terrifies you how the shogunate samurai kept their honor,
always meeting death head-on in the battlefield.
The way even I, a warrior with lowly peasant roots,
could maintain what you've forgotten, loyalty,
until drawing the last breath, back then and even now.
You and your kind never could stand that.
Isn't that right, Shirosuke Inudo?
Even if I have to sever your limbs, you will submit!
I have but one master.
I will not serve another.
Hijikata and Inudo are in the Lecture Hall right now?
We have to go and back him up, Ushiyama!
Whoa, hey, wait a second!
Asirpa, I can't let you go.
I made a promise to Sugimoto.
We might get a better view from higher up.
Inkarmat!
Do it.
The last of the samurai.
Huh?
Noppera-Bo.
Wait!
Do you recognize this?
Asirpa's makiri.
How did you get that?
Asirpa really is your daughter, then.
Wait… she's here?
Really here?
Come with me.
You're going to tell me everything.
Listen, the gold…
I'll tell you if you bring Asirpa here.
The gold?
Sure.
You'll tell me about that too, but…
I've had something to say to you for a long time.
Honestly…
I don't think Asirpa should ever meet you!
That girl…
she was terrified her father could be Noppera-Bo,
the thief of all that gold and the murderer.
You could have just told Hijikata where the gold was hidden.
You could've gone ahead with independence or anything else on your own.
So why did Asirpa need to be involved?
To entrust the future with her.
Asirpa was brought up to fight in the shadows of these mountains.
I would see my daughter lead the true people to their victory.
Asirpa! Noppera-Bo and Sugimoto nispa are there!
An Ainu victory?
Don't be ridiculous!
A war for an Ainu-free state?
That's how you planned to use your daughter?
Do you want her to be a murderer, no better than you or I?
The fight requires someone to lead it.
But why does your daughter have to lead it, though?!
Asirpa should be…
…in the mountains hunting deer,
cooking up their brains,
and pounding citatap.
Saying "hinna, hinna," not leading a revolution!
Sisam…
my girl seems to have taken quite a liking to you.
That kimono…
Inkarmat!
Asirpa!
You've grown so much since then.
Congratulations, Asirpa.
You were fearless, and your movements were precise.
Even though you're still so small,
you fought bravely and took down a brown bear.
You've made me proud today.
- Asirpa. - Asirpa.
- You really are my girl. - You really are my girl.
The future of the Ainu is in your hands.
So, Asirpa,
that man is your father?
That's Aca.
You're sure that it's Wilk?
Aca…
How could you?
Did Asirpa see you?
What did her expression look like?
Does she know who you are?
I never killed any of the Ainu.
I wasn't the one who did that.
Huh?
Just tell my daughter, the gold--
Wilk just got shot!
Sugimoto!
Asirpa, run. Run away and don't look back.
Now, the key to the gold lies within you alone.
The murders will begin over you. A wave of killing.
- Aca! Sugimoto! - They're gone! Give it up.
They're not dead! Let me go!
They're right there!
- I can't leave them! - Let me go.
Shiraishi, you stay with Asirpa.
- Go wait with the spare boat. - Got it! All right, Asirpa!
Tanigaki nispa! You can't go out there!
- You'll get shot too! - I'll come back for you!
It was you.
You gave the sniper the signal.
Keep it down!
If we don't act now,
then none of us are going to survive through the night.
How could you murder Wilk?
Ah! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…
Let go!
Why did you do it?
In Karafuto… he deserted his comrades and abandoned us.
Wilk arrived in Hokkaido…
he was a changed man.
A little further to the left.
Matagi asshole.
Inkarmat!
Kiroranke.
Private First Class Genjiro Tanigaki.
All right, there's the spare boat.
Huh? Where's Inkarmat?
Now you see why the Seventh Division
seemed to be aware of our every move, don't you?
We can't bring that woman with us.
Get the boat out. We're leaving.
Tanigaki was taken by Lieutenant Tsurumi and his men.
What about Aca and Sugimoto?
I got close to check, and they were both already dead.
Sugimoto's death, was that really unavoidable?
Noppera-Bo verified that he was her father.
And then he said something to Sugimoto right after.
Was it the location?
Does Asirpa know the key to a code only she can crack?
Or could it have been about you?
How's it feel now that you're missing a part of your head?
The two of us are like a pair of brain-damaged brothers.
Immortal Sugimoto.
I'm shocked.
Imagine a criminal like you being such a skilled doctor.
Well then, let me tell you.
I've performed many craniotomies as part of torture experiments.
Gradually, I cut up, roast, and eat their brains, you see.
With soy sauce and ginger!
Also,
Sugimoto has incredible resilience.
That's really how he's here now.
Henmi Kazuo.
Nihei Tetsuzo.
You managed to collect them all.
Noppera-Bo and I were shot by Ogata.
The moment I was shot in the head, I knew he was the guy.
How is he?
He's conscious.
But we could starve to death before he improves.
Hmm. The soldiers'll have fewer numbers once things upstairs settle down.
We have to hold out a bit longer.
So are these Inudo's records?
SHINZO DOI
More escaped convicts.
Ones we didn't know before. These names are new.
At last, a small glimmer of hope.
Once we get out… we're moving south.
Where'd the others take Asirpa while I was out?
Karafuto.
With Asirpa secured, Kiroranke now has the key.
He'll join guerrilla soldier friends
he knows from his activity in the Russian Far East.
Get me to Karafuto, then.
If we can rescue Asirpa and manage to crack the code,
I'll just take the 200 yen. That's all I ask.
I'm going with you.
I know Asirpa, and we trust each other.
If Sugimoto falls and is unable to go on, I'll return her myself.
And what about Inkarmat?
I did promise her that I'd come back, so she's not allowed to die yet.
Just do all you can to bring her back, okay?
Asirpa!
You nibbled on my brain a bit, didn't you?
We still have things to finish here at Abashiri,
so I can't be leaving here just yet.
I will be sending an elite advance unit to Karafuto.
Sergeant Tsukishima,
Second Lieutenant Koito, you will accompany them.
Gah!
Why do I need to abandon the great Lieutenant Tsurumi
at such a critical stage?!
He asks why he needs to abandon the great Lieutenant Tsurumi
at this stage.
Rear Admiral Koito, your father requested it.
Mr. Sugimoto.
When you love your kid, you make them face hardship, sir,
do I have that right?
He might come back in a box, you know.
I'm prepared for my son's death, whenever that may be.
In a war started by my generation,
so many sons of the people of this country were sent straight to their end.
Just because I love my son, I can't just shield him from danger.
I can't face the parents of those who died in the war.
Mr. Sugimoto,
I think Noppera-Bo was exactly that kind of father too.
If he had to tell the Ainu to fight and die for their cause,
he would have sent his own child to the frontline first.
I also know there's a world of difference between raising a daughter just to use her
and raising her with genuine care.
Let's go, Asirpa.
Asirpa's father told me that night
that he never killed a single one of the Ainu.
Kiroranke and the others were traitors.
And despite it all, I'm still alive.
There's still so much
that I have to tell Asirpa when I see her again.
GOLDEN KAMUY