01x24 - Exquisite Skill

[bunniefuu]

[Japanese theme music playing]

BAKI-DOU: THE INVINCIBLE SAMURAI

[lyrics in Japanese]

[music fades]

[suspenseful music playing]

[dramatic music sting]

[tense music playing]

[wheels rattling]

[Gaia] Aren't we a little far away?

[Motobe] No.

Their faces,
their spirits, their thoughts…

I can read them all from here.

So this is enough for you.

[Motobe] Mm-hmm.

Just wish they'd let me smoke in here.

- Katsumi, look at that.
- [Katsumi] Mm?

Hmm.

[Doppo] Two Japanese swords,
one long and one short.

Looks like he plans on using them.

So maybe the fact that they're here means
he won't come out with his regular swords.

What do you think?

Who's to say?

Our generation gap is too wide
for me to get a read.

[music fades]

[Shiba] Why the hell am I here?

[dramatic music sting]

[Shiba] Maybe it's revenge
for what happened to the boss.

But I still can't bring myself
to hate him.

[gasps]

- Hmm?
- Look there.

[gasps]

- [gasps]
- [gasps]

[man 1] What's he doing?

[spectators gasping, murmuring softly]

[Oliva] Hmm.

[daunting music playing]

[Oliva] The rumors of this man
are what drew me to Japan.

And just as the rumors said,
he's even greater than they suggested.

How… how can a man like this
even come into being?

Isn't he a little early?

Yeah, looks that way.

[chuckles]

What are you planning now, Samurai?

[spectators gasping, murmuring]

- [man 2] Is he meditating?
- [man 3] Catching the enemy off guard!

- [man 4] I can't read him!
- [man 5] A real veteran warrior.

- [man 6] He's a sly one.
- [man 7] Clever, ain't he?

[man 8 gasps]

- [hushed whispering]
- [gasps]

- [man 9] Is he here?
- [man 10] Baki!

[man 11] He's coming out.

- [man 12] Yeah, he's coming!
- [man 11] It's Baki! He's here!

- [dramatic music building]
- [crowd cheering]

What the…?

[crowd cheering, whistling]

[crowd noise fades]

[Musashi] Boy, what have you been doing?

I don't like being made to wait.

[Baki chuckles]

[Musashi] Huh?

Hmm?

[tantalizing music playing]

[narrator] A feast that stretched
as far as the eye could see.

One where you could eat beyond your fill

and drink to your heart's content.

What once appeared
as a never-ending banquet…

[desolate music playing]

…had now been consumed,

leaving not even a single dish behind.

A barren wasteland.

It reminded him of Sekigahara.

- You little brat. Did you eat it all?!
- [Baki] Hmm?

Huh? Eat what now?

[Musashi] Hmm?

[chuckles]

- I think I understand.
- What?

You're telling me I won't eat.

Huh…

You've left nothing behind,
not even a grain of rice left to enjoy!

You intend to deny me my feast!

Well, I eat when I please,

Baki Hanma!

Mm-hmm. Well, I, uh,

wish that I could help you,
but… the hell are we talking about?

[Musashi] I will be satiated.

If you eat poison,
you may as well eat the plate.

Are you familiar with this saying, boy?

I'll feast on your flesh if I have to!

[spectators murmuring]

[Musashi] This changes nothing.

My intentions are as firm
as the consequences are brutal.

Baki,

I'm going to savor
every last drop of your blood.

[Baki gasps]

For tonight's match,
all weapons except firearms are allowed.

These swords standing in the center
may be used or left unused

at the discretion of the fighters.

[dramatic music sting]

And I bear a message
from Mitsunari Tokugawa himself.

"This is a battle to establish
which one of you is the victor."

"You are to agree that all fair play is,
at best, secondary to this goal."

Those were his words.

- [Baki chuckles]
- Huh?

[chuckling]

Yes?

Sorry, it's just, I find that funny.

This whole seeker
of enlightenment thing's an act.

Musashi is the single worst cheater
in history.

It just doesn't matter
how much you try to police the man.

He doesn't give a sh*t about fair play.

[Musashi chuckles]

[Tokugawa groaning softly]

Your help isn't needed, Tokugawa!

The kid understands it
far better than you!

[chuckles uneasily]

[Baki] I've been wondering about this
since I stepped into the ring.

What the hell am I seeing?

I mean, what is this?

It's a… It's a what? A palace?

Made out of…
[chuckles] Is that whipped cream?

[referee] To your corners!

[suspenseful music playing]

It looks awfully sweet though.
Probably make me sick.

[shocked gasping, murmuring]

[Baki] Well, I have no choice now.

I have no choice,

but that is where I thrive.

I have to use everything I've cultivated.

Everything is on the line,

which means

nothing is off-limits.

[dramatic music stabs]

[Tokugawa growling softly]

- Begin!
- Huh!

[spectators cheering, clapping]

[tense music playing]

Whoa!

- [man 1 gasps]
- [man 2] Huh?

[man 3] You see that?

[Oliva] Even from here,

even from way back here,
'm struck by how strong he is.

Huh? Hmm.

And as if that strength weren't enough,
it looks like he's got swords.

[Baki chuckles]

[Oliva] Just amazing.

What a talent. Incredible.

Look, Katsumi.

That is Musashi.

[Baki] Well, well.

You've already whipped those out.

Maybe we didn't need the real ones.

[Musashi] What insolence.

You think as long as you keep me
from my swords, you're safe.

I will not abide such arrogance,
especially from you.

This would be easier
if things were that simple.

If all I had to do was
keep your swords at bay,

this would almost be effortless.

No.

Armed or not,
Musashi should never be underestimated.

I know you think
some of us are that foolish.

But…

none of us are stupid enough to think
that you can't be taken out either.

- [dramatic music sting]
- [air whooshing]

[Baki giggles]

f*cked that one up good, didn't I?

Well, it worked out well enough for me,

and my sword.

Huh? His…

Whoa!

[groans]

- [sword slicing]
- [Baki grunts painfully] He cut me!

My hit landed!

[pained groan]

[Musashi] Hmm.

[shocked gasping]

[spectators chuckling, murmuring]

[Musashi chuckles]

Thought I'd try a kick.

It seems disadvantageous
to make yourself unstable

by standing on one leg during a fight.

[Baki grunts softly]

Didn't you say
kicking techniques were a waste of time?

[Musashi laughs]

I've learned a little myself.

Of course, I won't be kicking
above the waist.

No fancy Ryukyuan techniques here, boy.

But it can be effective against a man
who's already been down.

And there is one more thing.

I suffered a bitter humiliation
at the hands of a man of strength.

His groin strike is more effective
than a sword.

I hear that you once defeated
this man of great strength,

Yujiro Hanma, in single combat.

Well accomplished, boy.

I'd never admit to that.

[Musashi] Really?

Many won't admit to their own failures.

But in your case,
you won't admit to your victory?

Your modesty won't make you a man.

A win is a win, Baki.

[coughs, clears throat]

That's enough jabber.

[tense music playing]

I'm coming for you.

And I'm ready.

[Motobe] This match is
something else entirely.

It spans generations now,

a spectacular continuation
of that previous match.

Don't worry, Musashi.

I won't get in your way again.

[narrator] He unlocked his knees

and let the accelerating descent
of his body

drive his heel.

He pivoted towards the enemy's position.

And all of this happened
in a fraction of a second.

[Musashi gasps] He's gone?

[impact thud]

[shocked gasping]

[man 1] I couldn't see him.

[man 2] Was it a jab?

[man 3] He took him down in one hit!

Not quite.

Exactly. It was three rapid hits.

It was a rapid barrage of strikes
performed so fast

that three hits were heard
and registered as just one.

[Shibukawa] I wonder how many people
in this arena could recognize

that the kizami-zuki we just saw
was three distinct blows?

BUTTE, MONTANA

[intriguing music playing]

[narrator] Bob Munden was
a legendary g*nman and exhibition sh**ter.

By trade, he was a gunsmith.

He could burst two balloons
placed two meters apart

in 0.2 seconds.

The two shots rang out as one,

indistinguishable from a single bang,
even upon close listening.

He was quicker than the blink of an eye,

rivaling the firing rate of a Gatling g*n.

During his quick draw,

the gravitational force on his arm
would reach a full ten G's.

Ten G's is equivalent
to the physical limit

a fighter pilot can endure.

The only reason
he could withstand the force

was due to his incredible grip
and pinch strength,

with which he could tear
a deck of cards in half.

[dramatic music playing]

Baki's jab was a three-hit combination,
striking high, middle, and low.

The face.

The solar plexus.

The groin.

Three rapid shots within a single beat.

Using his c*ck dash,

he reached top speed instantly
from a standstill,

keeping Musashi from closing the distance.

And on top of that,

he focused on relaxing his muscles,

and perfectly controlled his form
from the wrist to the palm.

The first impact gouged the space
between Musashi's brows.

And these modern fighting techniques
were all employed at the same time.

Incredible.

Magnificent control of his extremities.

You're right, but did Baki…

Wait a minute? Did Baki just…

Did he somehow disappear?

[Musashi breathing heavily]

[narrator] A technique that did not exist
in the Warring States period.

Was it too new for Musashi to handle?

[Musashi] Boy,
while I lay there stunned just now,

you had the chance to k*ll me
several times over.

[Baki chuckles]

You take the cheap shots, not me.

I wanna take you moving,
not sh**t some fish in a barrel.

[Musashi chuckles]

- I'm grateful, however.
- [Baki] Hmm?

You had the courtesy
to strike my groin from above.

If you had battered it from below,
it would have been all over for me.

[Baki grunts]

All right, I saw that one.

Well done.

Now then, why don't we grapple?

My testicles have dropped.
I should be ready to fight again.

[Shiba] It's that thing!

[intriguing music playing]

[Shiba] He's gonna use
the same technique as before.

I'll poke my eyes into your two fingers.

And once they meet,
I'll twist your fingers with my eyeballs.

[Shiba] How could he possibly
twist my fingers with his eyeballs?

But he did it. That's how that guy is.

It's his ultimate relaxation
or whatever the f*ck.

I wasn't gonna be the bad guy there,

I was planning on closing my fist
before he could connect,

but he never gave me the chance.

He used some kind
of teleportation or something.

To close the five or six meters
between us in an instant,

and just crushed my fingers.

He crushed 'em with his eyes.

He's that fast! He's that strong!

And that,

he just did it so easily.

Your speed was surprising.

There's no acceleration.

Since it begins from a stationary body,

a step-in consequently
produces acceleration.

Despite that, boy,

when you step in, there's no quickening.

Because you're already at top speed
from the start.

That is something else.

It's impossible to produce
that kind of speed

unless you're quite relaxed.

Indeed.

Relaxed, yet strong,
like the tides of the ocean.

Who is your master?

- [Baki] You're one to talk.
- [Musashi] Hmm?

You countered it well.

Your reaction time
to that step-in was perfect.

[Musashi] Don't give me too much credit.

Just before you make your moves,

I sense the intention emanating from you.

Even though I was the one
who took the initiative,

I was still caught off guard
in the first clash.

- Gaia, listen up.
- Yes, sir?

You have an ability
that I will never be able to replicate.

[Gaia] Huh?

[Motobe] Your super-soldier prowess
when detecting initial movement.

- But, Motobe, you can also--
- Don't lower yourself to flattery.

I can simply read a man.

Just a parlor trick
developed through experience.

The cerebellum doesn't even register it.

From here on, it's just the brain.

This is a battle of reads now, boy.

[dramatic music sting]

This is amazing to witness.

It's become a battle of reads.
Waiting to step in.

Reading each other
before that first movement of the mind.

[Motobe] Hmm.

They're not even cognizant of it.

They're grappling
before the intent even strikes.

It sounds so grand
when you put it into words,

but it won't affect how this unfolds.

[Gaia gasps]

[Motobe] Just watch.

[gasps] Why's he just walking up to… Whoa!

- [blows landing]
- [both gasp]

[intriguing music playing]

[man 1] You see that? What he do?

I suppose you're right.
You definitely saw it.

Three hits sounding as one,
and four hits sounding like two,

that's how fast he went.

Even if you were able
to see what's coming,

it won't make a difference
if you can't take the attack.

You're… you're right, Motobe.

Even if you can see
every detail of a pitcher's form,

an amateur still wouldn't be able
to touch the throw of a professional.

Or a volleyball spike.

A simple straight punch from a pro boxer.

Even when you know that it's coming,

you can't simply deflect any of them.

[Musashi] I've been waiting
for this moment.

It's about time my swords settled in.

[dramatic music sting]

[Musashi grunts]

- [crowd gasping]
- [Musashi grunts]

Hmm…

Feels good.

Now they're carrying some weight.

[chuckling] Holy sh*t!

I can see them so clearly.

I mean, down to the temper lines.
And is that light shining off 'em?

What are those?

His two swords.
He's holding them. What the…?

[Musashi] Slash, thrust,
stab, strike, grapple.

I can do anything.

[chuckling]

I can sense
that my power's fully realized.

[Baki] I remember
something Musashi once said.

Maybe he's thinking it now too.

"When you cross swords
under the blade lifted high,

you tremble at the gates of hell."

"But advance fearlessly,

and there you will find heaven."

[sword slicing]

[Baki grunts]

[choked gasping]

[music fades]

[Japanese theme music playing]

[music fades out]