Let’s Get Tough

The gang watches a military parade and is stirred into wanting to join the war effort. They desire to enlist in the Army, Marines, or Navy, but are turned away for being too young. Undeterred, they resolve to contribute to the war in other ways and keep their spirits high.

When denied enlistment, the boys throw fruit at a shop they believe is Japanese-owned, hoping to provoke a reaction. They confront the shop owner, Keno, who wields a short sword to defend himself. The gang plans a return at night, only to discover Keno dead upon their reentry.

Police Lieutenant Pops Stevens chastises the boys for their actions, insisting they should be ashamed. He explains that Keno was Chinese and an ally of America, and notes that Danny’s brother is currently in military service. The rebuke underscores the seriousness of their misguided violence.

The boys buy flowers and visit the widow to apologize for the earlier incident. A Japanese man takes a pen from a locker she opened, and Glimpy slips it away, uncovering a message written in Japanese. The discovery hints at hidden directions behind the facade of ordinary life.

Seeking translation of the pen’s message, they go to Mr. Matsui’s shop. Matsui tries to steal the note, and in a chilling moment, commits hara-kiri in their presence. The boys flee in alarm and alert the authorities to the shocking spectacle.

Back at the police, Matsui’s son pretends to be his father to discredit the boys and sway official suspicion away from the saboteurs. The ruse compounds the danger and pushes the gang to uncover the truth themselves.

The gang learns that Matsui is allied with German saboteurs operating as the Black Dragon Society in their neighborhood. The group’s reveal heightens the stakes as the saboteur network comes into sharper focus.

Danny’s brother Phil is said to be undercover, infiltrating the Black Dragons. Nora, active in the Naval Aid Auxiliary and seeking translation help, learns that Matsui’s son leads the spy ring and eventually becomes entangled in the plan. Tensions rise as loyalties blur between ally and traitor.

Matsui’s son disguises himself as a translator and traps Nora, locking her in a basement cell beneath the shop. The kidnapping tightens the grip of the spy ring and raises the urgency for the gang to act.

The gang breaks into Matsui’s shop, navigating haunted-house style passageways and trapdoors. They uncover the Black Dragon Society members dressed in hooded costumes that Glimpy quips resemble 'Japanese Halloween'. Nora’s fate and the saboteurs’ plans come into sharper focus.

The gang frees Nora and delivers a beating to the saboteurs in retaliation for the Casablanca-style betrayal and the Pearl Harbor sabotage. The operation exposes the spy ring and brings a sense of justice to the neighborhood.

Nora and Phil marry in a ceremony that is celebrated with a sabre arch held by the East Side Kids. Police confiscate the swords at the end of the ceremony, and Phil is told to report back to base as soon as possible. Muggs and the gang pile into a car, offering to accompany the newlyweds on their honeymoon, blissfully unaware of what such a trip may entail.