Crying Freeman

While painting on a hill in San Francisco, Emu O'Hara sees a Japanese Yakuza member murdered by a masked assassin. The killer, though emotionless, sheds tears from his eyes, an eerie clue to his humanity. He introduces himself as Yo, setting the tone for a strange bond between hunter and witness.

Days later, Shido Shimazaki arrives at the Vancouver police precinct to announce a war between the Hakushin Society and the Sons of the Dragons. Interpol detective Netah links the Dragon faction to a centuries-old monk lineage and designates the killer as Freeman. Shimazaki warns that Emu is Freeman's next target because she witnessed the first murder.

Shortly after the meeting, Freeman and Koh ambush Shimazaki's guards outside the precinct. Shimazaki is killed, and Freeman slips away, passing Emu and letting her glimpse his eyes through the mask. Netah and Forge scramble to interpret the chaos as the pursuit for Freeman begins.

That night, Emu is interrogated by Netah and Forge about Freeman's identity. Lacking concrete evidence, she is released and returns to her mansion as the investigation stalls. Netah begins a perimeter watch while Emu contends with the mounting danger surrounding her.

Inside Emu's mansion, Yo appears in her room and instead of killing her, he makes love to Emu, breaking his own code in the process. The moment is interrupted by an attack from Ryuji's gang, and Yo fights them off, killing the thugs and wounding Ryuji while Emu is shot in the melee.

Against his creed, Yo carries Emu to the nearest hospital to save her life. Netah and Forge pursue, but a tractor-trailer crash eliminates Forge and derails the chase. Emu recovers, while Yo vanishes into the night, his next move unseen.

In Japan, Yo explains that he was Yo Hinomura, a renowned pottery sculptor who uncovered a torturous murder during an exhibit. The trauma was exploited by the Sons of the Dragons, who implanted subliminal commands via acupuncture. His first mission, the killing of a Mafia boss, coincides with the moment he begins shedding tears, earning him the name Crying Freeman.

Koh informs Yo that Ryuji's gang has attacked a soya factory in Shanghai protected by the Sons of the Dragons. This act triggers Yo's resolve to strike back, and he and Koh set their sights on wiping out the enemy from within the Hakushin power structure. The warning signals a broader war that will pull Emu into the crossfire.

Yo and Koh arrive at Shimazaki's funeral outside Tokyo to mete out justice against the rival faction. Kimie reveals that Shimazaki was manipulated by the Hanadas to seize control of the clan. The duo wipes out the clan, but Koh is shot by Ryuji and the facility explodes in violence.

Yo returns to his home, arming a self-destruct mechanism to confront Netah and Kimie. He is wounded but defeats the henchmen and kills Netah and Kimie in a brutal confrontation. Kimie betrays Netah with a final act of mercy that allows Yo and Emu to escape, though Netah is killed in the ensuing chaos.

With their pursuers defeated, Yo and Emu flee the battleground aboard a speedboat, cutting a stark silhouette against the open water as they head toward an uncertain future. The sunset paints the horizon as a symbol of their fragile freedom. Their bond becomes the last thread connecting them to a world of violence.