City Hunter

Private investigator Ryo Saeba and his assistant Kaori Makimura are hired to find Kiyoko Imamura, the runaway daughter of a newspaper CEO. They’re told she’s in Hong Kong, but Kaori’s jealousy over Ryo’s flirting complicates the mission. The case sets up the mix of danger and romance that drives the cruise sequence.

Ryo locates Kiyoko at a skateboarding park and a tense pursuit ensues. She evades him and, in a bold move, steals a boarding pass for the Fuji Maru cruise liner. The pursuit escalates as Kaori’s frustration grows.

Ryo sneaks onto the Fuji Maru to keep tabs on Kaori, who has boarded with her cousin Rocky. Kiyoko also boards, unaware of the others’ presence, turning the cruise into a floating battleground. The ship’s luxury facade hides a hijacking plot beginning to unfold.

Onboard conversations reveal the hijackers’ plot as Kiyoko overhears a covert exchange. MacDonald’s men close in to silence her, and a tense confrontation leads Ryo into action. The danger tightens around the ship’s passengers and crew.

Ryo intervenes during the officer’s assault, saving Kiyoko from lethal danger. They flee to the ship’s theater where Game of Death plays on screen, providing a surreal backdrop for their escape. Ryo uses Bruce Lee-inspired techniques to handle the oncoming threats.

MacDonald’s gang storms the casino, murders the captain, and terrorizes the guests. They lure the rich passengers into a brutal card game to test their nerve. Kao Ta and Saeko counter the assault, helping to turn the tide of the hijacking.

Kim kidnaps Kaori, forcing Ryo into a high-stakes chase through cabins and corridors. Kaori escapes and crosses paths with Kiyoko, Saeko, Kasumi, and Kao as they rally to mount a rescue. The group edges closer to freeing Ryo and neutralizing the hijackers.

Ryo is captured and brought before a firing squad, but his allies interrupt the execution in a dramatic rescue. He is strapped and forced into a Street Fighter II arcade game, and a shock induces a hallucinatory fight as he battles his captor in a dreamlike version of the game.

A Taiwanese counter-terror unit, the Thunderbolts Squad, arrives and takes out MacDonald’s men as bombs across the ship are detonated. MacDonald grabs Kaori for a final hostage confrontation in the casino. Ryo and Saeko rush to intervene in the escalating chaos.

In the climactic moment, MacDonald is thrust into the stage and dies after stepping on his remote, triggering bombs behind TV panels. The hijacking is stopped and Kaori is freed, though the mission leaves emotional scars. Ryo and the others secure Kiyoko and ensure she can return to her father.

Kiyoko’s father privately indicates he sees Ryo as a future husband for his daughter, signaling a potential alliance. Kaori, overhearing their conversation, storms off in anger, misreading the situation. Ryo attempts to smooth things over with a rose, only to be interrupted by Saeko’s flirtation.

Ryo offers the rose to Saeko, provoking Kaori who reacts with a hammer and storms off. The film closes with Ryo waking from a recurring dream of beautiful women at a swimming pool, hinting at the unresolved romantic tension that punctuates his life.