Go Up Against the Immortals: Season 1

A recap of events at the beginning of the series produced in 2008. It shows the death of Manji's sister Machi, and Manji killing the entire band of ronin responsible; the slaughter of the Asano family; Rin Asano meeting Yaobikuni for the first time and then seeking Manji; Manji's decision to help Rin; and Rin's encounter with Sabato Kuroi and his slaying by Manji.

Manji and Rin visit the famous swordsman and artist Master Sori to enlist his aid for revenge on the Ittō-ryū. Rin tries to convince him to join her, revealing that she is aware that he is a spy for the shogunate. Manji storms out of the house, but Rin stays, and wakes to find herself attacked by followers of the Ittō-ryū. Manji returns and slays many of them but is trapped against spikes on a tree. Rin unsuccessfully tries to fight off their leader, but just as he is about to kill her, Sori awa

Makie approaches Manji in an alleyway and tries to seduce him, but he realizes it is a trap and they fight. She reveals that she is from Ittō-ryū, but Manji easily defeats her. Later, In a quiet moment on a bridge, Makie meets Anotsu and asserts that he only interested in her fighting ability, but Anotsu says he also desires her as a woman and kisses her. After Anotsu leaves, three swordsmen who have been sent by her former employer attempt to take Makie back by force, but she cuts her hair shor

When Kagehisa Anotsu was a child, Makie saved him from wild dogs, but his grandfather Saburō Anotsu berated him for cowardice. He beat Makie and tied her to a tree because she was the daughter of a rival clan even though she displayed great fighting skills. In the present, Rin encounters Kagehisa Anotsu training with an axe in the nearby forest. Realizing that she has been detected, she throws all of her knives, but only one lands in his shoulder and she realizes how poor her skills are. He then

Manji and Rin stop at an inn to rest and Manji encounters Eiku Shizuma disguised as a monk, who offers to help Manji to find Anotsu, as he is also seeking him for his own purposes. After Manji declines, Shizuma suddenly attacks Manji and they fatally stab each other. Shizuma reveals that he is also immortal and leaves, but that night Manji cries out in pain as blood spews from fissures his body from his old wounds. Manji realizes that Shizuma's dagger was poisoned and is killing his sacred blood

Rin has frustrating encounter at a food stand where young boy named Renzo Kawakami tests her patience, however she recalls what he grandfather said about the futility of revenge and ignores his rude behaviour. Meanwhile, Manji encounters Araya Kawakami at a mask shop who reveals that he was a member of the Ittō-ryū. Later, an arrogant samurai unfairly blames Renzo for breaking one of his sandals, but Rin defends the boy and offers to fix the sandal. She mentions she is from the Asano dojo and th

While being carried in a Kago, Magatsu is ambushed, but he kills his two attackers, although not before one reveals his employer was Akagi. Magatsu arrives at the Ittō-ryū dojo by foot just as Kagimura Habaki, a member of Daimyo's guard, is leaving. Anotsu reveals that soon the Ittō-ryū will be retained by the Shogunate, so Magatsu decides to leave Ittō-ryū because of his hatred of the samurai. Meanwhile, Chogo Morozumi of the Ittō-ryū is attacked by Giichi who extracts from him number of master

Rin and Manji meet with Shira and Hyakurin at the Mugai-ryū to discuss plans to defeat the Ittō-ryū, Meanwhile, Magatsu returns days later to find O-Ren dead. Hyakurin learns through Makoto, her spy at the Ittō-ryū, that Anotsu is dressing as a geisha to enter the Kobotoke gate. They keep watch and Rin helps them identify him, but after Shira and Rin follow the figure for some distance, they realize that they have been duped and led into a trap by a hired prostitute. They are attacked by the Itt

Rin encounters a ronin carrying a severed head who only says he is from the Shingyoto-ryu, Ibane School, and to be beware. At the Ohara tea stop, Rin sees a wanted poster for her and Manji. Rin asks the Nakamaya couple living near the Kobotoke gate to help her pass as a member of their family. They refuse and tell her the story of a desperate prostitute they helped three years earlier who was caught and beheaded. Nevertheless, she convinces them to help her, and Nakamaya takes her to the gate. R

As Rin makes her way to Kaga, living off the land. Meanwhile, Manji encounters a man who offers to help him obtain a pass and at the same time comes across Magatsu. Shira returns to Hyakurin and Shinriji, saying that he is looking for Giichi, but soon leaves. Immediately, they are attacked by Kinuka and the Ittō-ryū who were led there by Shira. They capture Hyakurin and kill Shinriji when he comes to her aid. Later, they savagely beat, torture and rape Hyakurin, seeking information about the mug

Manji and Magatsu approach Uenohara, and are attacked by Shina who has bleached his hair white and hired some swordsmen. Shira severs Manji's hand, but he reattaches it and then withdraws so that Magatsu can take his revenge for O-Ren's death. Shira cuts Magatsu with the bones of his right forearm which he has sharpened into points, so Manji decides to fight him, but Shira escapes again. While Manji deals with the swordsmen, Magatsu follows Shira to settle his debt. They fight a bloody battle, b

Rin and Anotsu are found by members of the Shingyoyo-ryu dojo, who challenge him, but he easily disposes of them with his axe. He walks off with Rin vainly trying to follow behind. As they shelter in a cave he explains that was travelling to Kaga at the request of the Shingyoyo-ryu dojo who were seeking to join him. However, they were trampled by the Shogunate and after the leaders suicided, their followers blamed Anotsu for their misfortune. They continue on to a village where Anotsu seeks out

At the Mugai-ryū banquet held for ten dojo leaders of the Ittō-ryū by Kagimura Habaki, nine of them are slaughtered and only Sosuke Abayama survives because he was outside relieving himself. Later, Giichi accepts payment from Habaki for the killings at the banquet, and asks that Hyakurin be extracted from the Mugai-ryū, but Habaki refuses. After hearing about the massacre, Anotsu plans his revenge on Habaki, but he blames himself for becoming complacent. The remaining Ittō-ryū leaders still supp

Habaki assigns the surgeon Ayame Burando to examine and test Manji's immortal qualities within 8 days. He plans to use Manji's organs and bones to create another immortal the prisoner Dewanosuke. Meanwhile, Rin agrees to let the Ittō-ryū fighters Doa Yoshino and Isaku Yasonokami stay with her in the hut, although tensions are high. She then goes in search of Manji and finds Hyakurin who tells her that Habaki has disbanded the Mugai-ryū. Back at the prison, Burando attempts a live dissection of M

Asaemon Yoshihiro Yamada is engaged to sever the limbs and organs of Manji and Dewanosuke so they can be exchanged. After eight days, it appears that Dewanosuke is acquiring some level of immortality, and Kagimura grants Burando a stay of execution. However, Kagimura demands a final test and runs his sword through Dewanosuke's heart. Dewanosuke, dies, but Kagimura insists that Burando commence the immortality experiment with another prisoner. Burando, tries again with more subjects, but he canno

Rin takes Doa to the prison in an effort to locate Isaku, and while watching, Doa recalls how she met Isaku and they became travelling companions. Doa manages to learn about the experiments and prepares to infiltrate the secret Fukiage facility. Meanwhile. Burando informs Kagimura that his experiments have been successful. Elsewhere, Hyaku tries to abort the child that she is having with Giichi, but he stops her insisting that she will eventually regret her decision. Doa leads Rin in a murderous

Rin finds Manji in the underground prison, but she is caught by Burando. Using her new fighting skills, she savagely beats him and frees Manji. Meanwhile, Toraeman allows the anxious wives and mothers to enter the prison gates to find their loved ones. As Rin begins to free Manji from his shackles, Kagimura arrives at the cell. Rin momentarily distracts him while Manji throws a hairpin into Kagimura's eye which has been contaminated by his bodily fluids and shortly poisons Kagimura to death. Yam

Following the Fukiage incident, Habaki Kagimura is ordered to take his own life, but as leader of the Rokki-dan and in the Bushido way, intends to follow the and eliminate the Ittō-ryū within 30 days. His illegitimate daughter Ryo recalls how her father became an assassin for the Shogunate to elevate his status. Hanabusa Ugen is appointed to Kagimura's former position and meets Anotsu, giving the Ittō-ryū seven days to leave Edo or be eliminated. Anotsu surprisingly agrees. To cover himself for

Anotsu is pursued by the Rokki-dan and again encounters Rin who helps him to escape them. Anotsu had told the officials that he would go to Satsuma, but it was a ruse. He offers to take Rin with him, but only if Manji accompanies him as he prepares for a showdown. Meanwhile, Sōsuke Abayama leads a band of Ittō-ryū recruits on a mission to lead the Rokki-dan away from Anotsu. Rokki-dan spies, Meguro and Tanpopo, encounter a group of Shogunate troops and Tanpopo is wounded by a poisoned shuriken.

As Meguro and Tanpopo return to Lord Habaki they are confronted by Shira who is searching for Manji, and they divulge his location. Shira attacks the palanquin carrying Rin and carries her off and ties her to a wharf, half-submerged in a freezing lake. He then challenges Manji, to a duel to the death. As they fight, Manji realizes that Shira has attached his severed forearm, giving Shira a degree of immortality. When Manji sees Rin in the water being guarded by Renzo, Manji breaks off the fight

Meguro, Tanpopo and Magatsu shelter from the snow in a hut while Rin and Manji recover from their ordeals. However Renzo still seeks revenge against Manji and proposes to sever both of his arms. Both Rin and Magatsu stop him, and Magatsu suggests that Renzo find out more about his father before blindly seeking revenge for his death. Meanwhile, Ryo volunteers to accompany Lord Habaki's man Ban in a dangerous pursuit of a small band of Ittō-ryū led by Koji. Ryo realizes that Ban is preparing to de

The Rokki-dan fighters, Shishiya Arashino, Tarieshin Hasshu, and Shozo Murasaki arrive at Sōsuke Abayama's Ittō-ryū camp in Mitoji with the severed head of the new recruit Yatsushiba. Abayama prepares to fight him, but Giichi arrives on horseback with Hyakurin, and draws out Abayama himself. Amon sends the three stronger swordsmen Arisus, Koda and Yatoin to back up Abayama. The fight commences and the one-armed Abayama manages to sever one of Giichi's ears. Hyakurin causes a distraction by attac

Arrows are fired from ships offshore which shower everyone on the wharves and they run for cover. Rin slips and falls behind, but Anotsu appears and saves her, instructing her to follow him. Kagimura assigns some of his fighters to target Manji and Rin, others to attack Makie, while he prepares to fight Anotsu Kagehisa alone. Meanwhile, Magatsu finds the badly wounded Ryo in the snow and rescues her. Arashino cuts Manji to pieces, but Rin pleads for his life. This provides enough time for Manji

The people shooting at the group on the wharves are revealed to be working for Hanabusa, including the shinobi Meguro and Tanpopo. Although, badly wounded and dying, Makie attacks Hanabusa's small force, killing them all. Hanabusa flees through the snow, but is captured by Anotsu and sliced in two, with the tacit approval of Kagimura. Anotsu and Kagimura then face off to continue their duel, but Kagimura is killed in Anotsu's first attack. Manji then attacks Anotsu to fulfill his promise to Rin