1 The Beginning

During the Sengoku period, a young boy

named kotaro escapes from mysterious

pursuers with his dog, Tobimaru. The Monk helping Kotaro, shouan, asks him to seek help

from Master Zekkai at the Mangaku Temple

in the Akaike Province. Meanwhile, a group of

Ming Dynasty warriors under the command of the eldery Bai-Luan is escorted to Akaike by local soldiers. They are ambushed by the Ming's expert swordsman,lou-Lang.