Barefoot Gen 2

Barefoot Gen 2

Year: 1986

Runtime: 85 mins

Language: Japanese

Director: Toshio Hirata

WarAnimationDrama

Three years after the Hiroshima bombing, a teenager helps a group of orphans to survive and find their new life.

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Timeline – Barefoot Gen 2 (1986)

Trace every key event in Barefoot Gen 2 (1986) with our detailed, chronological timeline. Perfect for unpacking nonlinear stories, spotting hidden connections, and understanding how each scene builds toward the film’s climax. Whether you're revisiting or decoding for the first time, this timeline gives you the full picture.

1

Three years after the bomb

Gen, his mother Kimie, and his adopted brother Ryuta scavenge for food and scrap metal to sell in the black market while Hiroshima struggles to rebuild. The family relies on each other to endure the harsh postwar environment. Their daily routine establishes the grim context in which future events unfold.

Three years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima Hiroshima, Japan
2

Schooling in ruins and first contact

Kimie begins working at a geta factory, while Gen and Ryuta attend school in a ruined building. In that shattered setting, they encounter Masa and his gang of orphaned children in a hostile first meeting. The encounter foreshadows the complexities of survival in postwar Hiroshima.

Three years after the bombing Ruined building in Hiroshima
3

Shoe-shining venture disrupted

Gen and Ryuta start a small shoe-shining business hoping to earn money. Masa's gang disrupts their efforts, drawing the attention of policemen who intend to place the orphans in an orphanage. The brothers fend off the police and seek refuge with Masa's group in their shelter.

Soon after the initial encounters Hiroshima streets and Masa's shelter
4

Joining Masa's gang

Gen learns that Masa's orphans survive by pickpocketing in the black market to endure. Seeing Masa's desperation for a better life, Gen and Ryuta decide to join his gang, seeking a sense of belonging and protection in numbers.

Shortly after joining the group Masa's shelter
5

New bonds form

Gen befriends Katsuko, one of the burned orphans, and Masa's gang invites Suekichi, a retired journalist who lost his family in the bombing, to live with them. These relationships deepen the makeshift family among the survivors. The compound becomes a tenuous but hopeful home.

Soon after joining the group Masa's shelter
6

Building a home for the orphans

Gen rallies the orphans to construct a new home from wood and other materials scavenged from abandoned buildings. They raid and repurpose debris around town to create a sense of stability and belonging. The effort marks a shift from mere survival to rebuilding a community.

Early in their efforts Around town, Hiroshima
7

Raid on the potato field

The orphans raid a potato field at night to supplement their meals, but the farmers catch them. In the confrontation, Katchin, a member of Masa's gang, is killed, highlighting the dangers and costs of their desperate scavenging lifestyle. The group retreats, leaving the field behind.

Later that night Potato field near Hiroshima
8

Signs of Kimie's illness

Gen notices he can carry his mother on his back, a sign that her health is failing. Doctors later inform Gen and Ryuta that Kimie is suffering from radiation sickness caused by the bombing, a condition that will progressively worsen with time. The family confronts an uncertain future.

Around the time health issues emerge Gen's home and medical setting
9

Kimie's prognosis

Kimie is told by a surgeon that she has only four months to live. Gen resists accepting her death and offers to work in her place, but Kimie insists she continues to work out of love for Gen's late father. Her determination underscores the stubborn resilience that defines the family.

Following the diagnosis Hospital and geta workshop
10

Penicillin plan and shipyard attempt

Gen, Ryuta, and Masa attempt to steal copper from a shipyard to buy penicillin for Kimie. Their plan fails when their boat sinks on the return journey, leaving them with nothing and intensifying the sense of futility in their struggle. They press on despite the setback.

Some time later Shipyard and sea
11

A chilling burial and a chase

The trio witnesses an improper burial of bombing victims by American soldiers and is chased away from the scene. The scene reveals the ongoing indignities and trauma faced by survivors in the postwar landscape. It hardens their resolve to find meaning amid loss.

Not long after the shipyard incident An area near Hiroshima
12

Copper bullets found

They locate copper bullets in an abandoned firing range and, with Masa's gang, collect them into a wheelbarrow. The find becomes a potential resource for trade and survival, illustrating the improvisational economy of the era. It foreshadows further risky moves for their group.

Shortly after the burial incident Abandoned firing range
13

Homeward with hope and Kimie's decline

Gen and Ryuta return home with money for penicillin, only to discover Kimie is dying. They carry her toward a hospital, torn between hope for a cure and the impending loss. The moment marks a profundamente painful turning point for the brothers.

On the way home after collecting copper Home and path to hospital
14

Kimie dies on Gen's back

As they push toward the hospital, Kimie dies on Gen's back, urging him to live on. Her death leaves Gen and Ryuta to confront a future without their pillar. The loss crystallizes the fragility of life in a postwar world.

Moment of death Along the road to the hospital
15

Legacy and memory

Gen has Kimie cremated and then plays with Ryuta, Masa, and the other orphans, reminiscing about the influence his parents had on his life. The scene emphasizes resilience, memory, and the shaping of Gen's identity through adversity. The orphans continue to cling to family bonds in a fractured era.

After Kimie's death Cremation site and subsequent gathering

Last Updated: October 09, 2025 at 14:39

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