Casshern

The fifty-year war ends with the Eastern Federation taking control of Eurasia. A resistance movement grows in Zone 7 as the Federation mobilizes its forces. The war and heavy industry exhaust the Federation and poison the environment.

Dr. Azuma unveils Neo Cells, a potential way to regenerate human tissue. He notes the cells derive from a primitive ethnic group, but the idea is met with denunciation. Kaoru Naito from Nikko Hairal Inc. offers sponsorship, and Azuma accepts hoping it might also help his wife Midori.

A photo shoot at the Azuma residence celebrates Tetsuya's engagement to Luna and foreshadows a debate over his military service. Tetsuya and Luna argue about his joining the Federation's army. The moment underscores the personal stakes behind the wider conflict.

One year later, Tetsuya is deployed to Eurasia Zone 7. During his deployment, he kills civilians under wartime pressures. He dies in combat when a booby trap destroys him.

Azuma invites Dr. Kozuki to his lab to discuss rivalries over armor research. Neo Cells have produced organs, but they are not usable in practice. The tension highlights the conflict between scientific promise and military application.

Midori, now nearly blind, is visited by Tetsuya's ghost who confirms his death. Tetsuya's body is delivered to Azuma's lab. A lightning strike hits the facility, triggering the Neo Cells to restructure into living form.

The resurrected Neo humans escape from the lab and encounter Midori in her car, which they hijack. Naito orders the military to kill them, deepening the ethical crisis around Neo Cells. This sequence marks the first major confrontation with the new hive of beings.

Azuma carries Tetsuya's revived body into Kozuki's residence, where he is placed in prototype battle armor. The revived Tetsuya becomes a bridge between science and war, raising questions about humanity and control. The stage is set for a broader conflict with Zone 7 and beyond.

The Neo humans travel to Zone 7 and shelter in a derelict castle, discovering a robot army. They declare themselves Neo-Sapiens and vow revenge by reactivating the robots to wage war on humanity. The threat shifts from medical experiments to a full-scale insurgency.

Kozuki's residence is attacked and Tetsuya is awakened. He kills Saguree, a female Neo-Sapien, but cannot save Kozuki. He escapes with Luna, defeats a robot battalion, and battles the leader Burai, losing consciousness; he later travels to Zone 7 as Luna falls ill.

In Zone Seven, a doctor reveals the locals aren't terrorists but victims of discriminatory policies. The legend of Casshern resurfaces as Tetsuya fights Barashin and adopts the name Casshern, defeating him but suffering a personal loss. The mythic identity mirrors the human-cost of the war.

A coup reveals Neo Cells were harvested from the original Zone Seven victims to prolong the rulers' lives. A stone lightning bolt crumbles the lab and Casshern falls; Burai abducts Luna and Casshern and reveals his hatred for humanity. Casshern stops Burai's self-destruct machine, the General's son kills Burai revealing he was human, and Luna is revived by Burai's blood after Casshern kills his father; the souls of the dead join Casshern as he embraces Luna, before a pillar of light carries a montage to happier times.