Battles Without Honor and Humanity

In 1946, war veteran Shozo Hirono shoots a sword-wielding yakuza who attacked his friend, earning a 12-year prison sentence. The act pulls him into a brutal prison world where his fate will intertwine with powerful criminals.

Inside the prison's solitary wing, Hirono befriends Hiroshi Wakasugi of the Doi Family. They exchange stories and vow to protect each other as sworn brothers through a blood oath.

Wakasugi attempts harakiri to secure an early release, promising Hirono that if he survives, he will arrange for Yamamori to bribe the warden. The vow cements their bond and foreshadows future loyalties.

Hirono is released and, at a ceremonial pledge, his ex-soldier group swears loyalty to the Yamamori Family, drinking sake to seal the bond. Doi and Okubo serve as witnesses to the new alliance.

In 1949, Hirono performs yubitsume to Okubo as apology for a fight with Ueda. Okubo accepts but asks Yamamori to absorb Ueda's family and help eliminate a vote for Kanamaru, linking criminal power to political influence.

Sakai kidnaps and threatens one of Kanamaru's allies to sway the vote, enabling Nakahara's side to win. The act demonstrates the reach of Yamamori's network and the widening political-criminal web.

Six months later, Doi moves to confront Yamamori and plans an alliance with the Kaito Family. Wakasugi stops him in the name of loyalty to Hirono, and a deal is brokered: Wakasugi becomes a guest of Yamamori while Kanbara takes Doi's place in the Doi Family.

Hirono volunteers to address the Doi threat and assassinate Doi during a meeting with the Kaito Family. When Kanbara helps him escape, a setup ambush unfolds; Hirono realizes Yamamori betrayed him and he surrenders to the authorities for the murder.

Wakasugi visits Hirono in prison, then murders Kanbara in revenge before going on the run. An anonymous tip—allegedly from Yamamori—leads police to his girlfriend's home, and a gunfight ensues during his attempt to escape, leaving Wakasugi dead.

During the Korean War, the Yamamori Family prospers from war contracts and expands its reach. Yet internal strife grows as members traffic philopon for kickbacks, threatening the clan's unity and power.

Arita kills Ueda in a barbershop, triggering a wider feud between Sakai and Shinkai loyalists and Yamamori factions. Shinkai is stabbed to death before he can flee, and Arita receives a life sentence after a police confrontation.

Paroled Hirono is drawn back into Yamamori politics when Yamamori asks him to kill Sakai, who intends to form his own empire. After tensions mount, Sakai is killed by Makihara's hitmen at a toy shop; at Sakai's funeral, Hirono arrives with a gun, fires at the funeral display, and threatens Yamamori before departing, signaling a new vendetta.