Shogun Assassin

The film opens with a brief montage of Ogami Ittō's past as Shogunate Decapitator and the murder of his wife by ninja, narrated by Daigorō. This prologue establishes the vow of vengeance that binds father and son. It sets the tone and stakes for their relentless pursuit of independence from the Shogunate.

Two hooded samurai ambush Ogami as he pushes a cart carrying Daigorō. Ogami fights them off with brutal efficiency and kills both attackers, underscoring his deadly skill. The attack signals the constant danger that will dog their flight.

By a roadside fire, Ogami recalls offering Daigorō a life–death choice: join him for vengeance or die so he can be with his mother in heaven. Daigorō chooses the sword, binding his fate to his father. The moment crystallizes the sacrifice that will define their journey.

The next day, Shogun officials demand either formal loyalty or seppuku with Daigorō. Ogami refuses and chooses to fight his way free with his son. Their defiance marks the start of a restless flight from the Shogunate's guards.

Ogami is challenged by the leader of the Yagyu clan to duel his son Kurando. In a dramatic exchange, Ogami uses a mirror bound to Daigorō's forehead to blind Kurando with sunlight and decapitates him, winning their freedom.

On the run, Ogami lures Lord Bizen into a stream, concealing his sword underwater and drawing Bizen's attack away with a hidden blade, killing him. The Yagyu daimyo watches from afar, vowing to crush Ogami and his kin.

The Supreme Ninja, a female assassin, is ordered to kill Ogami and Daigorō. Lord Kurogawa doubts the women and pits eight of them against his strongest ninja, Junai. Junai fights fiercely, and while maimed, presses on until the decisive coup de grâce.

Ogami and Daigorō meet a client and agree to kill Lord Kiru in exchange for gold. They are told Kiru is escorted by the Masters of Death, a feared three-brother team. The mission marks a new escalation in their pursuit.

During the journey, the Supreme Ninja's women continue to harass Ogami and Daigorō. Ogami defeats them again and again, and finally confronts the Supreme Ninja herself when she uses a weighted net with fishhooks. He cuts free and she flees.

Later that night, Lord Kurogawa's entire ninja force closes in. Ogami pushes Daigorō to safety in a deserted hut and fights with the cart's hidden spear blades, leaving him wounded and exhausted. The Supreme Ninja watches from a distance.

Daigorō is lured outside and captured by Kurogawa and the Supreme Ninja, suspended over a deep well. Ogami refuses to surrender, defeats Kurogawa and his two ninjas, and rescues his son; he spares the Supreme Ninja, leaving her to face her fate.

Ogami and Daigorō board a ship carrying the Masters of Death toward Kiru. Rebels strike and a fire erupts; Ogami cuts through the deck, throws Daigorō and the Supreme Ninja overboard to safety, and leaps after them. He battles the Supreme Ninja underwater, then brings them to shore and shares body heat, realizing she cannot kill them.

The Masters of Death escort Kiru through a desert, where rebels emerge from beneath the sand. They are defeated by the Masters of Death until Ogami finally arrives to confront Kiru and claim his own vengeance. He cuts Kiru down and asserts his independence from the Shogun's world.

As Ogami and Daigorō walk away from the carnage, Daigorō looks back and speaks the film's closing line about wishes. The scene ends on a freeze-frame close-up of Daigorō's face, leaving their uncertain future in view.