BAKI-DOU: THE INVINCIBLE SAMURAI
The paleontologist, Dr. Albert Payne,
made an emergency trip to Japan.
It's Pickle. I've no doubt about it.
What do you make of the giant creature? The one that Pickle took as prey?
It seems giant to us,
but for Pickle, I'm afraid it was nothing more
than a sitting duck just waiting to be eaten.
If you're convinced it's Pickle,
how do you explain his disappearance in the past?
How has he survived all of this time?
By living in the sewers.
Uh... the sewers?
The extensive sewage systems beneath a city as large as this one
are comparable to his jungle habitat.
There is a consistent flow of warm water passing through,
and the temperature and humidity are quite stable
regardless of the seasons above.
Exotic pets purchased on a whim often grow far larger than expected
and become overwhelming for the owner.
And with no other options, they often turn to discarding their pets in the sewers.
Animal cruelty? Hardly.
These creatures actually thrive in those conditions.
Alligators.
Lizards.
Turtles.
Giant serpents.
Indeed, a vast number of tropical creatures
call the tangled network of underground Tokyo their home.
Now that we've confirmed Pickle lives underground,
what's your suggestion for the best course of action?
There is no need to discuss or debate this.
That man is a unique specimen in human history.
It should be plainly obvious.
He must be captured immediately.
A suggestion the government took seriously
as they issued an order to the police.
The department assembled a unit of 91 riot officers.
Under Dr. Payne's direct orders, as might be expected,
they prepared over five tons of chloroform.
Pickle's last known location was the focal point of the operation.
Within a radius of over half a mile,
they released the chloroform into the sewers all at once.
It didn't take long
before the surrounding passageways were filled with the gas.
Yes, I can see him now. It is Pickle!
It's the primitive man!
And I can confirm from experience,
this is the same man that I saw the other day.
It's said he can kill a tiger with his bare hands,
the fiercest fighter of the Cretaceous!
They're going to transport him, but where?
The authorities involved remained firmly tight-lipped,
and seem unwilling to speak to the media.
I've never smelled anything like it.
He's a sewer-dwelling transient who's almost seven feet tall.
It's not surprising at all that he'd come with an odor.
Yes, of course.
You're right, sir. Sorry.
There's no need to apologize.
I must say, this is an amazing facility.
It is located 366 meters below Skytree,
which means we're 1,000 meters from the apex.
It may not be officially recognized, but I think it's the best in the world.
I have to agree.
Apologies for the delay.
Tokuga...
Musashi Miyamoto!
Oh, hello, Tokugawa.
Huh? They... they know each other?
Uh-huh.
So he's been hunting in the sewers to survive?
That's very Pickle, isn't it?
Roaming through all those pipes and canals...
Now he's king of the urban jungle.
You're strangely quiet, Musashi?
So he's famous? This primitive man?
Yes, in fact, he's well-known all over the world.
According to some, he's known as the strongest man on Earth.
Huh...
Musashi...
What?!
What in the hell do you think you're doing, Musashi?
Why would you do that?!
Is he crazy?
Look at him.
I slapped him square in the face with full force,
and yet, he's still asleep.
Hmm...
Ah, now that's reassuring.
That strike should have taken his head clean off.
- But the blade was stopped. - You mean you cut him?
He has the most impressive neck.
Once, in a display for the Shogun, I cut through eight corpses in one slash.
My strength carried the blade through six arms,
and even split the execution platform in the process.
In my time, I was showered with endless praise and acclaim.
I was on top of the world.
But here, in the modern era,
I was unable to sever Yujiro Hanma's collarbone.
And now this man,
who managed to stop my blade with the bone in his neck.
A veritable fortress of muscle.
Pickle, was it? I think you understand,
It was me who cut you.
But I couldn't end your life...
He's quite the beast. He might just make for a proper rival.
Typically my sword slash can cut through even the toughest armor with ease.
I sensed it the moment the blade touched his skin.
There's something different about the way his muscles respond.
My attacks can't penetrate deep enough to reach his organs or bones.
Just look.
I was convinced I'd dealt him serious wounds.
But all he's left with are shallow bruises.
In that moment, Pickle recalled his past...
...his world...
There, he'd often face prey over a hundred times his weight.
Doubtless formidable foes all,
but among them, one was particularly troublesome.
Small in stature, but fast,
and agile to boot.
But this creature's most dangerous attribute
were the enormous claws on its hind legs.
And Pickle knew them well.
The T-Rex, while a predator, was also known to scavenge.
But not this dinosaur.
It was only satisfied
with the most vigorous, most ferocious prey.
Quarry so large and menacing
that it often put itself in mortal danger in pursuit.
Hmm.
The memories of this creature came flooding back to Pickle.
Known as Deinonychus, this man reminded him of that monster.
This is our testing lab.
After the clones' birth, we test their motor functions here.
The floor is made of rubber, and the walls duralumin.
They can hold nothing back in here.
Now wait a minute.
You can't be serious!
We have a scientific marvel standing before us
in the form of a clone of Musashi Miyamoto.
Hmm?
And then we have Pickle,
a primitive man extracted from a rock salt layer a half a mile thick!
He's said to have hunted dinosaurs during the Cretaceous period.
He's nothing short of a paleontological miracle!
Gentlemen, you are about to make a grave mistake.
You stand to lose at least one, if not both
of these scientifically historical wonders!
Musashi Miyamoto or Pickle, which of them is stronger?
Are you really willing to sacrifice something so irreplaceable
to satisfy such a childish bit of curiosity?
It's time for all of you to wake up!
Doctor, there's no need to raise your voice.
I couldn't be more cogent.
We have two highly honored guests,
the mightiest warrior of the Cretaceous and the world's greatest swordsman.
The swordsman wants to know who of them is stronger,
while the warrior wants to eat the swordsman.
I consider myself very lucky to be here.
If you have no interest in watching,
then may I suggest that you see yourself out.
Let me be clear.
I will not allow anyone to interfere with this experiment.
I suppose you were expecting some logic-spouting old man
with no fangs to bite back with?
From the moment I heard Tokugawa would be attending,
I was concerned.
Knowing what I know of you,
I was able to deduce what you might be planning.
And it seems my hunch was correct.
As an envoy invited into the country by the state,
customs didn't even bother inspecting my luggage.
Now, let's all just calm down and put an end to this silliness.
Forget about this ridiculous fight.
Is this a short-barreled gun?
Like this, right?
Whoa!
Incredible accuracy, and with less effort than a shuriken.
How frightening.
But it's not the way of the warrior.
All right, Pickle, now we're free to fight without interference.
Don't I look tasty?
Heh...
Let's go!
I was cut down.
Musashi Miyamoto...
Somehow, with his bare hand,
he slashed me into pieces.
I remember it all so vividly.
I could feel the cold blade as it slid effortlessly through my skin.
It passed through each layer of fat and muscle with ease,
and even split the sturdiest of bones.
Finally, it tore through my internal organs
like a hot knife through butter.
Even though my head had been cloven clear off, still I felt it.
I felt the warm blood that gushed out in spurts,
painting the air like a crimson geyser.
I was dead.
I had been killed.
My brain knew it.
Hell, every single one of the 37 trillion cells in my body knew it.
In that moment, I was utterly and totally dead.
He was trying to gather what wits he had,
trying to shake off this gaze,
and the immense power he felt behind it.
And the fact that this man reminded him of one of his fiercest enemies.
He put it out of his head and attacked.
I'm still only hitting flesh. I can't get through to the bones.
Who is this man?
Hmm.
And still only flesh.
I don't see his organs spilling out.
Just what kind of man is this?
He's not at all like the other fighters.
How did he get like this?
What has this man been fighting?
Oh-ho-ho!
Well, look at this!
When I look at Pickle, I see
boisterous praise and rich rewards!
And no small amount. A king's ransom!
Now I understand.
You are no ordinary man.
You are monstrous.
A monstrous form that bears witness to an extraordinary past.
You're a strong one, aren't you?
You're even stronger than I anticipated.
You should know I'm pleased with your strength.
I'm thrilled with your notoriety.
And I'm elated by how you came into your power.
Because, Pickle, all this that makes you you,
I will take it all for myself.
Hmm?
You have a profoundly unique power, Pickle.
Are you just going to let me take it?
In a bizarre coincidence,
both men shared the same thought at the same time.
"I've got you now."
They're locked in a show of strength. Who will it be?
On the one hand, we have the grip strength
of the man who earned the title of the strongest in the Cretaceous Period.
And on the other, the legendary grip
that can splinter whole stalks of fresh bamboo in an instant.
Which will prove stronger?
Oh!
The suspense is too much!
It's incredible!
- Which one is it? - Who's it gonna be?
Pickle thought,
"Have I ever been grabbed like this before?"
Pickle was a ferocious hunter.
Grabbing was his day to day.
Gripping was a part of his everyday life.
Catching was his key to survival.
But now that he thought about it, none of his prey could grab like this.
And with that, Pickle was convinced,
in the same way he had reverence for his prey,
"This man," Pickle thought,
"is crazy about me!"
Now then...
Tokugawa, look at the wall!
The wall?
It's been damaged.
The duralumin is almost a foot thick, and yet it's dented.
And from that one move.
Any normal person would've been killed by the pressure.
I suppose you're right.
That truly is the body of a legendary ancient warrior.
Tokugawa, I propose that we should have a rematch.
What?!
My invisible sword...
I swung it numerous times, and yet,
this Fortress of Muscle, this Pickle,
he stopped every one of my strikes with the power of his muscles.
I couldn't sever any bones and his organs remained protected.
You've done well, Fortress of Muscle.
Now I want to try a real blade.
Again, I'm impressed with his strength.
Even a wild, unsaddled horse couldn't buck me like that.
However, had I been using a real sword instead of my invisible one,
I'm not sure you would've had the strength left to throw me like that.
Hmm.
Yes, I think he's right.
I doubt Pickle would have much strength left at all
if Musashi were using his real sword.
Even if Pickle were able to stop the blade's advance with his bones,
he'd still be wounded.
And even with his primitive body, he wouldn't be able to stop the bleeding.
He'd bleed out and die before long.
I won't know for sure until I try.
Don't be foolish!
Don't you understand what Pickle means to the world?
He's a piece of our heritage, a treasure of history!
Your Western values are confusing.
But, man from the West,
you've no reason to fear the outcome.
Values...
Their values may as well have been on opposite sides of the universe.
The Nobel Prize-winning scientist, Dr. Albert Payne,
was left speechless by this vast difference
and could offer no rebuttal.
Oh by the way, Tokugawa, I have a question for you.
My most precious blade, is it still around somewhere?
Mumei Kaneshige?
It is resting peacefully in the province of Higo.
I want to show it to the world, share its unparalleled sharpness.
The next battle had been decided.
Musashi versus Pickle. Weapons allowed.
I knew you were lying.
All this talk about staying home, thinking it over.
Your skin is tighter. Your muscles have grown.
Even your fists have too. You're just bigger than you were.
Funny I should hear that coming from you.
Because if I'm not mistaken, you've ramped up your training as well.
Kinda comforting, isn't it?
Two losers complimenting each other.
I don't have a problem with it.
If we can grow stronger from praise, why not have a full buffet?
Well, in any case...
We were about to say the same thing.
It's about the match.
It won't be a sparring session.
At the end of this battle, at least one of them will be dead.
It's not a test of strength, but a battle to the death.
Uh-huh.
But fighting Pickle, should that be allowed?
You fought him. You faced Pickle in the ring.
Yeah. Damn right, I did.
Isn't that a little hypocritical?
It's acceptable for you to fight Pickle, but not Musashi?
Yeah, cause he's not serious. He's shallow.
Oh?
Do you have to be serious?
Well, Baki?
Is purity required to be a fighter?
You know what? It's like you're trying to sound like Musashi.
Huh?
Now I'm embarrassed. Don't say that.
Look, man, I just know what my dad said.
And he wasn't ashamed about it either.
Not good enough. Purity? Don't need it... I want to be successful.
I want to be praised, applauded, commended by everyone.
He said that? Really?
It's like he was finally himself.
Huh...
Hmm...
Listen, Baki,
when someone's desire for praise and fame go that far...
Then it comes full circle?
Exactly.
That's precisely it, Baki.
If taken to the extreme, even chaos begins to take on a semblance of order.
Uh... But, Doppo, are you sure?
He's a pure man. I have no doubt.
Uh...
This just became a lot more interesting.
Pickle's body is built like a tank, but he has the heart of an innocent child.
Then there's Musashi, who operates purely
on his unquenchable thirst for worldly desires.
Baki, this match will be a battle of purity.