Fist of Legend

In 1937, thugs from the ultranationalist Black Dragon Clan burst into Kyoto University and threaten Chen Zhen for being Chinese. Mitsuko and Chen's professor and classmates defend his presence as they try to restrain the attackers. Chen uses controlled Qin Na to subdue the intruders, ending the clash with the thugs defeated.

Funakoshi, Mitsuko's uncle and the thugs' sensei, arrives to take control of the situation and apologizes for his students. Chen learns that his master Huo Yuanjia has died after a match against Akutagawa, which unsettles him deeply. The news prompts Chen to leave Kyoto for Shanghai to seek answers.

Chen arrives back in Shanghai and finds that Huo Yuanjia's mantle has passed to his master's son, Ting'en, who is now the new Jingwu master. The shift in leadership creates tension as Chen is seen as a rival and potential threat to the new order. Chen must navigate a rival faction while considering his own future with Mitsuko.

Chen travels to the Japanese dojo where Akutagawa trains and accepts the challenge. The duel ends with Chen defeating Akutagawa easily, revealing that Akutagawa could not have defeated Huo Yuanjia under normal circumstances. Chen suspects foul play in his master's death and seeks the truth.

Against Ting'en and other Jingwu members wishes, Chen has Huo Yuanjia's corpse exhumed for an autopsy. The examination reveals that Huo was poisoned and weakened before the match against Akutagawa. This discovery fuels Chen's resolve and deepens the rift within Jingwu.

News of Chen's victory against Akutagawa spreads and he becomes a local celebrity in Shanghai. Jingwu members start to look up to him as the new instructor, which fuels Ting'en's jealousy. Ting'en retreats to a brothel for solace and forms a romantic attachment there.

General Fujita confronts Akutagawa over suspected rigging and kills him by breaking his back in front of the Japanese ambassador. Falsely, Fujita places the blame on Chen, inflaming tensions between China and Japan. Akutagawa's death intensifies the feud and prompts retaliation against Jingwu.

Akutagawa's students lead an assault on Jingwu, which is halted by local police. Chen is arrested and put on trial for the murder of Akutagawa. Bribed witnesses provide conflicting accounts, and the court resists accepting Chinese defense.

Mitsuko appears at the trial and testifies that Chen spent the night with her, asserting his innocence. The court accepts her testimony because she is Japanese, despite it being false. While Chen is exonerated, his relationship with Mitsuko strains Chinese perceptions of loyalty.

Ting'en uses Chen's relationship with Mitsuko as a pretext to challenge him, hoping to regain control of Jingwu. Chen defeats Ting'en in combat, leaving Ting'en humiliated. Ting'en relinquishes his position as Jingwu master and departs with his lover.

Ting'en gives up his role as master of Jingwu and leaves the school with his lover. The act underscores the fractures within Jingwu and the power struggles surrounding leadership and loyalty. The departure creates an opening for Chen and Mitsuko to seek stability elsewhere.

Jingwu members later discover Ting'en's relationship and reprimand him for his actions. Realizing his mistakes, Ting'en resolves to return to Jingwu and rebuilds his standing within the school. The incident highlights the tension between personal desires and martial duty.

Chen and Mitsuko take shelter in an abandoned hut near Huo Yuanjia's grave as hostility from locals intensifies. Funakoshi arrives from Japan, sent by Fujita to eliminate Chen, and the two prepare for a confrontation. Funakoshi warns Chen to adapt to his opponent and hints at deeper political schemes.

Huo Ting'en visits Chen in the hut to apologize for his earlier behavior and informs him that Jingwu accepts Chen and Mitsuko's relationship. That night, Huo teaches Chen the Mizong Fist, and Mitsuko quietly leaves, promising to wait for him in Japan.

Chen and Huo confront Fujita at his dojo. Fujita reveals a traitor in Jingwu who helped orchestrate Huo's death and shoots him. Huo fights desperately and is gravely injured; Chen defeats Fujita in a long, exhausting duel. Japanese soldiers prepare to fire, but the Chinese ambassador intervenes and arranges a fake execution to avoid all-out war.

Rather than let Chen be executed, the ambassador stages a fake death and substitutes the traitor's body for Chen. The Jingwu school is saved and eventually expands across China. Chen then secretly travels from Shanghai to Manchuria to reunite with Mitsuko, continuing their complicated journey.