Taro the Dragon Boy

A Tengu appears in the distant past and gives Taro a special potion that grants the strength of a hundred men, but only when he is helping others. The rule binds his power to acts of kindness, shaping his future choices.

With the potion to empower him, Taro confronts Akaoni and defeats him. This battle saves Aya, a young girl gifted with the flute, and marks a turning point in Taro from a lazy boy to a helper of others.

Empowered by the potion, Taro assists his village in collecting firewood, showing himself useful to those around him. The act signifies the beginning of his ongoing commitment to the community rather than personal pleasures.

One night, Taro's grandmother tells him that his mother has transformed into a dragon. Shocked, he vows to search for her and understand what happened to his family.

Before his search begins, Taro learns Aya has been captured by Kurooni, the Black Oni. He confronts Akaoni again, and the Red Oni agrees to help in the rescue of Aya from Kurooni.

After besting Kurooni, Taro discovers that his actions have also freed a village terrorized by the oni. Akaoni is drawn into their service, bullied into obedience by the more dangerous foe.

To aid the greater good, Taro helps Akaoni by throwing him into the clouds to serve the thunder god. The act removes Akaoni from immediate trouble and aligns him with celestial duties.

The village celebrates Taro's deeds, recognizing his contributions to their safety and well being. Encouraged by the reception, he resumes his search for his mother with renewed determination.

Taro is tricked into servitude in the old woman's rice paddies, bound to honest labor rather than adventure. The forced work marks a setback in his quest, forcing him to understand the toil of ordinary villagers.

During a harvest year, a giant serpent living in the lake shares a truth about the world. Taro, after learning the truth, distributes the harvest to the old woman's former employees and others, leaving the old woman with little.

The serpent also tells Taro that a yamanba lives nine mountains away who could point him in the right direction. Armed with this knowledge, Taro sets out to find her.

Taro locates the yamanba, who reveals what he seeks and inadvertently hints at her own role in the serpent's appearance. After narrowly escaping her, she is followed by an attack from yukionna, a snow spirit.

Aya finds Taro near frozen, and revives him with her aid. Together they locate the lake where his mother, Tatsu, now lives.

Tatsu explains why she was transformed and the toll it took on the village. Taro proposes to build a new home with large rice paddies to improve village life, and they begin to plan to break the dam that keeps the lake.

They succeed in breaking the dam, but Tatsu's body is broken and she seems to die. Mourning for his mother, Taro is relieved to see her life returned and she becomes human again. The newly flooded lands bring prosperity to the villagers.