Dead or Alive 2: Birds

Mizuki is hired by an organized gang amid a yakuza-triad turf war to assassinate a police officer from the rival faction. While he sets up his shot, someone else beats him to the target, and the hit is foiled. He returns to his base of operations and lies, claiming the job was completed and pocketing the payment. He begins to investigate who the other assassin might be, unsure of the killer's identity.

Back at his base, Mizuki tells the contractor that the target is dead and accepts the money. The lie protects his cover and keeps the contractor from suspecting a double-cross. The brief victory is hollow once he realizes the other killer remains at large. He sets out to uncover who this rival Mizuki Kohei might be.

Mizuki conducts research and discovers that the other assassin uses the name Mizuki Kohei. Realizing he has become a target himself, he begins tracking Kohei to uncover his identity and motives. The pursuit intensifies as the two names become entangled with a shared past. He prepares to confront this dangerous rival.

While making a booking over the phone, he is assaulted by his contracting gang, forcing him to go underground. He makes the decision to retreat to his childhood home, an island off the coast of Japan, to lie low and regroup. The move marks a shift from the mainland to a secluded sanctuary tied to his past.

The other killer also seeks concealment from the heat of their actions and purchases noodles, a reminder of trips they took to the mainland as children. Each man uses small comforts to steady nerves as they hide from pursuit. The quiet interlude sets the stage for a fateful reunion on the island.

Mizuki recognizes the other assassin onboard a ferry bound for the island and tails him. The pursuit brings him to Shuuichi's island hideout, where the man lives under an assumed identity. The encounter rekindles a shared history and raises the stakes for both.

Confronting Shuuichi, the two men reveal their real names and acknowledge their long history. They decide to pause their operations and instead reminisce about their past, choosing a path away from immediate killing. The reunion shifts their relationship from rival assassins to tentative allies with unresolved feelings.

A flashback reveals Mizuki, Shuuichi, and Kohei as children playing on a beach and growing up in an orphanage overseen by a devout Roman Catholic head. Mizuki is adopted to the mainland, while Shuuichi and Kohei remain friends, continuing a long connection. Letters from Kohei arrive and later stop, and it’s revealed many messages were faked after Mizuki’s adoptive parent commits suicide, prompting Mizuki to run away from the system.

Kohei brings Mizuki and Shuuichi to his house on the island and introduces his pregnant wife, Chi. They decide to visit the orphanage's head guardian, who has become immobile after a terrible accident. The reunion with the guardian ties their present to a painful, unresolved past.

On the island, they visit the guardian and watch old Super 8 films of their childhood adventures. A traveling theatre group arrives but suffers an accident, preventing them from performing for the children. Shuu offers his and Mizuki's services to the troupe, attempting to salvage the day and restore a sense of normalcy.

The yakuza-triad war becomes increasingly violent and unsustainable. Kohei’s wife sees a newspaper clipping linking Shuu to the initial killings, while an observer watches the orphanage head react to news that identifies the two assassins. The weight of their past presses down as the present demands action.

Reflecting on their past, the two assassins decide to join forces again to fight the yakuza and triads, funneling money into water and medical aid for children in Africa. Shuu reveals a deteriorating medical condition, intensifying the urgency of their mission. They embark on a coordinated effort to confront the remaining danger.

The duo confronts the last of the gang’s men and manage to kill them, but both are severely wounded. They decide to return to the island one final time and share a quiet moment over noodles before the end. Mizuki dies in Shuuichi’s arms on a hillside overlooking the harbour, closing their intertwined story.

An insert reads 'WHERE ARE YOU GOING?', hinting at a future beyond the protagonists' choices. Kohei and Chi return from the hospital with their newborn baby, suggesting hope remains despite the losses. The image of the two friends lingers as the closing moment of the story.