Goemon

In the Sengoku era, Goemon watches his family be assassinated for political reasons. He escapes with his caretaker as bandits close in. Oda Nobunaga arrives at the last moment and saves him, taking the boy under his protective wing.

Nobunaga brings Goemon to his castle and appoints Hattori Hanzō to train him, alongside Kirigakure Saizō. The young ninja-in-training learns stealth, swordwork, and the basics of espionage. The bond with his mentors forms the core of his early years.

Goemon is assigned to protect Nobunaga's niece, Chacha, who grows to like him. When Chacha leaves, she gives Goemon her fan as a memento. Nobunaga rewards him with a double-bladed sword for protecting his family member.

Nobunaga is murdered by his generals Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Akechi Mitsuhide. In the chaos that follows, Hideyoshi betrays and kills Mitsuhide to consolidate his own power and becomes the ruler of Japan.

Goemon and Saizo part ways: Saizo remains with the Oda clan while Goemon seeks his own freedom. As a parting gift, Goemon splits his double-bladed sword and passes one half to Saizo.

Years pass as Goemon becomes an outlaw, traveling with Sarutobi Sasuke. At a festival, he robs a treasure repository containing a mysterious box known to outsiders as Pandora's Box. Ishida Mitsunari arrives to destroy it, but Goemon escapes with the box.

Goemon discards the box upon finding it empty. It is picked up by a young pickpocket named Koheita, who becomes entangled in the box's fate.

Goemon learns the box's value from Sasuke and returns to the city. In the slums, he discovers Koheita and his mother murdered by a local samurai. He frees Koheita and retrieves the box, reigniting his quest.

Saizo, now serving Mitsuhide, and his ninja squad confront Goemon over the box. Goemon evades most of them, but Saizo remains for a brutal duel until Hattori Hanzo intervenes, causing Saizo to withdraw.

Goemon and Sasuke follow the map to a ruined Buddhist temple, where they uncover a hidden contract bearing the signatures of Hideyoshi and Mitsuhide. From it, Goemon learns Hideyoshi's involvement in Nobunaga's death.

Hanzo reappears and offers a bag of gold for the contract. Seeking vengeance for Nobunaga, Goemon infiltrates Hideyoshi's palace and kills him, then briefly reunites with Chacha.

Goemon hides after reuniting with Chacha, only to discover Hideyoshi enters Chacha's room and destroys his fake double. The deception shocks him and feeds his resolve for a larger fight.

Tokugawa Ieyasu arrives as Hanzo's new liege and asks Goemon to assassinate Hideyoshi to save the country. The plot to restore balance gains a new urgency as the warlords maneuver.

During Hideyoshi and Chacha's wedding aboard a royal ship, Goemon contemplates killing Hideyoshi but refrains. Saizo's team detonates explosives, destroying Hideyoshi's escort ships and seemingly killing him; Mitsunari betrays Saizo and shoots him, though Hideyoshi and Saizo survive.

Goemon storms the palace wearing Nobunaga's armor and wields his repaired double-bladed sword. He defeats Mitsunari during a solar eclipse and is nearly upon Tokugawa when Sasuke mortally wounds him. He dies shortly after, still clinging to Chacha's fan, having fought for peace.