The Endless Trial!
Kenshiro Crosses The Sea!!

At the North Star army's HQ, someone runs in saying that they've got information about Lin. They reveal that Taiga has taken Lin, and they have crossed the Sea of Death. Rihaku says the Sea of Death is the only ocean left, and beyond it... he can't even finish his sentence. Bat asks Rihaku what's beyond the Sea of Death.

Rihaku says that beyond it lies the Land of Asura. The only law that rules that land is that of the mighty, and he's heard that the North Star, South Star and Source Star all originate from there. Only 1% of the males born there survive, and they all go through over 100 deadly battles by the age of fifteen. Only those who win are given the privilege to survive. Lui asks why Taiga would take her sister to such a place. Rihaku thinks Taiga is trying to pull Kenshiro and the rest of them into more hellish battles. Kenshiro is going to have to follow Lin, and head to the Land of Asura. But the Land of Asura has closed its borders, and nobody is allowed to enter.

Bat then asks where Falco is. Myu walks into the room, and says that Falco has already crossed the Sea of Death. She's just returned from seeing him off...

At the sea, Falco says that nobody has ever crossed this ocean and returned alive. But no matter what kind of hell waits for him, he's going to cross this ocean. Taiga is a Source Star general, so he must settle this with his own hands.

He then tells Myu that he may not come back alive. Myu says she'll wait here forever for him to return. Falco then heads off, and thinks that he'll bring back Lin, even at the cost of his own life.

Back in the present, Lui is surprised that Falco has gone there, given his weakened condition. Sometime later, out on the sea, a large ship sails through the waters. Onboard, a rowdy crew are saying how great it is being a pirate.

One of them spots another boat nearby. They think whoever is on it must be an idiot, as he's heading straight for them. They watch as the boat, which Kenshiro is piloting, starts to pass by them. The pirates think this guy must be too good to say hello to them.

They decide to teach him some manners, and launch many spears that strike Kenshiro's boat.

They think they've got him, so Kenshiro asks them if they caught their prey. One of them says of course they did, but they then realize that someone is on their ship: Kenshiro!

The pirates go to attack, but are very quickly taken down. Kenshiro walks by the helmsman.

He sits down in the captain's chair, and says that thanks to them, his own boat is now useless. So he'll take theirs instead, and asks them to take him to the land at the other side of this ocean. The helmsman thinks he's nuts for wanting to go there, and tries to attack him, but gets booted in the face.

He goes back to sailing the ship. Someone then tells Kenshiro that he's sitting in his seat. Kenshiro turns around and sees the ship's captain, Akashachi. Akashachi says he thought he just heard Kenshiro babble something about crossing this sea. He says he can't do that, as he doesn't want to die yet.

He then attacks Kenshiro with a spear, but Kenshiro blocks it. Akashachi then tries firing his claw...

..which Kenshiro avoids. Akashachi then tries firing several darts from his eye patch, but Kenshiro grabs these before they can hit him.

Kenshiro then yanks the chain from Akashachi's claw arm, sending Akashachi crashing into a door. The pirates realize even Akashachi couldn't take this guy on. Kenshiro tells them to go this way -to where the Land of Asura is!

When the pirates hear where Kenshiro wants to go, they decide they don't want to die with him, and leap off into the sea. Akashachi gets up, and tells Kenshiro not to worry. He can navigate by himself, and will take him to where he wants to go. But there seem to be a lot of strange people these days, as earlier, there was another guy who was crossing this ocean by himself.

Meanwhile, Falco arrives at the Land of Asura. He walks onto a beach, and sees the bodies of several executed people. He realizes these are Taiga's men.

He then finds Taiga, who is barely alive. Taiga says that they're serious about not allowing any intruders here, and they don't listen to begging. Falco asks where Lin is, and Taiga says that she has been taken away, to be made an Asura's bride. He tells Falco to follow Lin -follow her and die. This was his intent, to make both the North Star and Source Star perish here.

Taiga then dies from his injuries. As Falco looks at his body, someone then bursts out of the sand.

Falco turns around to see a man coming right at him, armed with a knife. He manages to stop him, and then defeats him with a Source Star technique. But he wonders how this guy managed to move in so close on him without him being able to realize it until the last moment. Falco says his name to the man, and says he is of the Source Star imperial fist. He's no mere intruder, and wants to know where the woman is.

The guy starts to disappear, but before he does, he tells Falco that he's not strong enough to get her back. The men of this land, the ones called Asuras, are far beyond him. Falco watches his body vanish. Meanwhile, back on Akashachi's ship...

Akashachi cries as he watches the sunset. He tells Kenshiro that when he watches the sunset, he gets bad memories of something that happened with "them". He takes Kenshiro down into the ship, and enters a room full of candles. He explains that these represent the spirits of his men...

He explains that, once before, he attacked the Land of Asura with 100 men. But all 100 men were defeated in an instant, by an incredibly strong enemy.

He says that all 100 of his men were killed, whilst he lost an eye, an arm and a leg. But he then saw something even more shocking: somehow, their enemy was just a boy, who looked no older than 15!

Akashachi says that during the battle, his own son was taken, who was only 15 years old at the time. He doubts he's even alive now. They head back up, as the ship approaches the Land of Asura. Akashachi says he no longer has a place to return to. He couldn't make it to that new land, so now he wanders the ocean as a pirate, together with the souls of his 100 men. The ocean is the only thing that ties him to his son.

He asks Kenshiro what he wants to come here for. Kenshiro says he's here for someone he cannot lose. Akashachi tells him to remember this: what he's about to travel through is hell itself. The earth here is stained with blood, and the warriors here fight fiercely and cruelly. Kenshiro asks Akashachi what the name of his son is. Akashachi asks him why he wants to know. Kenshiro says he knows he's brought him this far because he hopes he'd look for him. When he finds him, he'll tell him about his father.

Kenshiro sets off towards the Land of Asura on a smaller boat. Akashachi waits on his ship, thinking that he'll wait here. He wants to hold onto his desperate hope and wait, but he doubts that Kenshiro could even put a dent in this land.

Elsewhere, Lin wakes up. She finds herself in a small cell, but then senses Ken... she knows he's coming to save her. Meanwhile, Kenshiro arrives at the Land of Asura.

Two Asuras immediately go to attack him, but Kenshiro hits them with projectiles before they can get close to him.

Kenshiro catches one of them as he falls, and asks him where Lin is. The Asura tells him there's no need for him to know, as he'll soon be dead. Kenshiro drops him into the water, but just before he dies, he says that Kenshiro will face the same fate as the last guy who came here.

Kenshiro wonders what that's meant to mean. He continues on into the land, but then sees someone up ahead.

He realizes that the someone is a heavily injured Falco! He sees that Falco's leg is missing, as Falco says that he's been beaten. He tells Kenshiro that this land was far stronger than he had imagined, and even he wasn't strong enough. Kenshiro sees that the wound Falco got during their battle still hasn't healed. Kenshiro can't believe Falco has crossed the ocean when his body was like this.

Falco says this was his duty, as there is an enemy for him to fight, and someone for him to save. His soul will keep moving on, even if his body cannot. He tells Kenshiro that he's a warrior, the successor to the Source Star imperial fist. He'll fight to his last drop of blood. Someone then approaches them.

The person ia another Asura, who is holding Falco's leg. He tosses the leg to the ground, as Kenshiro gets up and asks him if he was the one who did this to Falco.

The Asura says he is, so Kenshiro prepares to fight him.

NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW

Falco, the successor to the Source Star imperial fist, has gone to the Land of Asura, where combat is the law! Next time, on Fist of the North Star 2: "What Is Waiting In the Dark Continent! It Is the Legendary Land of Asura!!"