Genre: Action/Fantasy
Director: Leigh Janiak
Writer: Billy Cruder
Based on the video game series
Cast: Shiori Kutsuna, Mark Dacascos, Kiki Suzekane, Pom Klementieff, Shun Oguri, Nana Komatsu, Jacob Fatu, Mike Moh, Tzi Ma, Tao Tsuchiya, Kelsey Asbille
Plot: It is a stormy night, lightning flashes in the sky and the rain falls violently. Some men move in the shadows as they reach a large house of a well-known very rich family. These men are part of the Manji clan, a group of ninja thieves leading by Yoshimitsu (Mark Dacascos). Yoshimitsu is the last designated heir of the mythical legendary sword of the same name. This sword is capable of corrupting people's souls by making them wicked and subsequently driving them to madness as often happened in previous centuries. The sword was, by its nature, in constant search of blood and to counter this the first Yoshimitsu had founded the Manji clan and started his work of defense of the weak and the innocent, robbing the rich to help the poor, which has been maintained over the centuries. However, this group has a habit of stealing from rich people to give to poor people, such as Robin Hood did. The group intrudes inside the house stealing money and various jewels without the owners noticing anything. The ninjas leave the house and head to their village. On the way home, the rain drops dramatically but lightning strikes some poor people's huts in a small village, causing a fire. Yoshimitsu notices smoke in the distance and rushes there. A hut is burning and an old man says someone is inside. Yoshimitsu hears a little girl cry and call her mother. The ninja enters the flames and finds two little girls crying near their mother, probably dead because a wooden beam hit her in the head. Yoshimitsu and the girls are divided by a lot of smoke and a wall of fire. Yoshimitsu with the help of his sword makes his way through the flames coming from the two girls. The two little girls are picked up in his arms and he manages to save them just before the hut was completely burned down. Unfortunately, however, one of the two girls had had burns on her face, just under her eyes. The other child, on the other hand, did not seem to have had any particular problems on a physical level, even if when she tried to talk she could not anymore. The young girls had lost everything, their home and probably their only family member, their mother. With the help of another ninja from his clan, Yoshimitsu was able to cure the burned child with special healing herbs that took away the pain even though she had ugly scars on her face. Meanwhile, the Yoshimitsu clan was quite reluctant to take the girls with them and voted that as soon as they were better they would leave the young girls there and the clan would continue their mission. Yoshimitsu reluctantly accepts the verdict because he felt sorry for the young lives he had saved. A couple of days later, the ninjas quickly left. Yoshimitsu greeted the girls as they were sleeping peacefully before leaving. When the ninja is coming out the door one of the two wakes up and pulls the other's shirt to wake her up and points to the door. The ninja clan is on their way to reach another house to burglary and has stopped to rest and refresh. Suddenly Yoshimitsu hears noises coming from the woods near the place. He draws his sword until the two girls come out of the woods. Yoshimitsu turns to the other clan members nodding his head. The young girls remained with the group and were subjected to hard training in the following period. Years passed and the girls had grown up and took the names of Kunimitsu (Shiori Kutsune) and Toramitsu (Kiki Sukezane) within the clan. Kunimitsu had her face covered with a mask of a white fox while her sister had a mask that resembled a tiger (The word Tora means tiger in Japanese). It is evening, the two sisters are highly respected within the clan, especially Kunimitsu for which Yoshimitsu had a certain predilection. Besides being respected, the two women are also feared especially by the younger members of the clan. Kunimitsu never takes off her mask and no one has ever seen her without and there is the legend in the clan that she is actually a demon because the legend says that once someone saw her without a mask and immediately went blind. Toramitsu instead shows herself without a mask, but unfortunately she has not been able to fully recover the word and the few times she makes her voice heard it is very disturbing. The two sisters will have to fight and whoever wins will become second in command after Yoshimitsu. From how they behave, we learn that they are no longer united as when they were little but have a certain rivalry between them. Toramitsu seems jealous of the clan leader's higher regard for her sister and she absolutely wants to win. The two prepare for the fight that takes place in isolated grassy terrain. Yoshimitsu is between the two and explains the rules. Kunimitsu is on the right holding her kunai while Toramitsu is on the left holding a pair of Sai knives. The fight begins and Yoshimitsu is very interested and follows the match with his arms folded. The two sisters begin to fight, the fighting style is very similar to each other and despite the attempts to overcome each other they seem to be equal. At one point Toramitsu seems to have taken over the meeting until her sister takes a particular position called Katon. Kunimitsu stands on one leg, ready to attack the opponent as light purple sparks appear and makes a ninja symbol with his hands. Kunimitsu sets off on the attack with a series of spectacular moves that hardly leave Toramitsu time to react. At one point, Yoshimitsu intervenes and declares Kunimitsu the winner of the match. Toramitsu punches the ground and walks off into the greenery as Kunimitsu celebrates victory.
A couple of days later the Ninja group learns that the rich and powerful tycoon Heihachi Mishima has organized a martial arts tournament. Yoshimitsu has the idea of participating as a distraction so that other clan members can try to steal money or something valuable. Kunimitsu agrees and convinces her leader to also participate in the tournament to prove herself. Kunimitsu and Yoshimitsu arrive at the tournament while the other ninjas, including Toramitsu, hide nearby to wait for the story to unfold. Kunimitsu will have to face a certain Michelle Chang (Kelsey Asbille) and watch her closely as she trains while Yoshimitsu will have to face an apparent old Chinese named Wang Jinrei (Tzi MA). Shortly before the match, the Chinese fighter withdraws from the match due to an unspecified physical problem. Soon after, Yoshimitsu sees him talking to a little girl, her niece Ling Xiaoyu as he gently strokes her hair. Yoshimitsu does not understand what he is saying to her but hears the words "tournament, Heihachi, bad person. Yoshimitsu leaves leaving the two. As he walks around he meets a rude and arrogant fighter named Ganryu (Jacob Fatu) who bragged about his illicit earnings from gambling and other illegal activities. Yoshimitsu discovers that his next opponent would be him. Kunimitsu meanwhile had been defeated by Michelle and joined the rest of the ninjas who were still hiding in the shadows to wait for the moment. just to get into action even though his thoughts were on the medallion Michelle was holding around her neck. Toramitsu teases his sister for defeat, who doesn't respond and just shrugs. Meanwhile, Yoshimitsu was about to initiate the match against Ganryu. The start seems in favor of Ganryu using his physical strength and power while taunting Yoshimitsu. At one point Yoshimitsu makes a strange sound with his sword. At that point the ninjas begin to move, that sound was a signal. Meanwhile, Yoshimitsu begins to engage and hits the opponent in the face with the handle of the sword. Then, right after that, he uses his "Triple Roundhouse" move, three kicks in quick succession. Then, as long as Ganryu is turned from the blows, the Ninja blocks him and using his sword leaps into the air causing Ganryu to crash violently to the ground. Ganryu is defeated. Then Yoshimitsu quickly leaves and is reunited with the other ninja, who in the meantime had stolen all of Ganryu's wealth. The group decides to leave the tournament, despite Yoshimitsu having passed the round. Shortly thereafter they find another fighter, Marshall Law (Mike Moh) who is sad because he hasn't gained anything from the tournament due to the first round defeat. He says his business is going bankrupt and he is afraid of letting his wife Kaori and young son Forest Law down. Without the man noticing, Yoshimitsu puts a box full of money in his backpack. Kunimitsu disagrees with Yoshimitsu's decision and says the man did not deserve that charitable gesture. Toramitsu watches this discussion without a mask and shows a half smile. Meanwhile, Ganryu, after the defeat, briefly meets Michelle, who leaves after her defeat in her second match. Ganryu freezes excitedly for the girl's beauty and when he wants to stop her to talk to her he starts stammering and runs off embarrassed to his quarters where he discovers that his wealth has disappeared and begins to destroy his entire room in anger.
A few days later, following another theft of a wealthy businessman Takashi Orochi (Shon Oguri) with many contacts with shady people in the Kyoto area, Yoshimitsu noticed that some money was missing from the loot and found it on Kunimitsu. There was a great argument between him and her, until she was banished and expelled for life from her clan. Toramitsu tried to intervene to defend her but she was blocked by her leader. Kunimitsu is preparing her things to leave when she is approached by her sister. Kunimitsu thanks her for trying to defend her until Toramitsu with a trick of her own does a count out of her sister's dress saying "Are you sure?". Kunimitsu then realizes that she has been framed by her sister. Kunimitsu said nothing and left with a desire for anger and revenge towards everyone. The next few months were tough for her as she moved into a studio apartment in Kyoto and recycled herself by working as a private night guard in a nightclub run by the shady businessman she and the other ninjas had robbed months ago. Unfortunately she had only managed to find that job. Meanwhile, she continued to train and searched for information on the locket Michelle Chang was wearing. She was initially made fun of by the men in the club because of her mask which she never took off but thanks to her strong character and her ability to block fights she became highly respected within the club. A stripper nicknamed Cherry (Nana Komatsu) took an interest in her and they became friends with her despite Kunimitsu's introverted temperament. One night there was a big party in the club where a lot of drugs and alcohol were shot. Kunimitsu was persuaded by Cherry to leave her seat at the club entrance and have fun for a night. Given Cherry's insistence, Kunimitsu accepts. At first she is totally disoriented but after a while with the help of her friend she manages to melt and even dance with a style similar to the one she uses in fights showing great agility and making Cherry laugh. After a couple of hours Cherry, half drunk, asks Kunimitsu to accompany her to one of the rooms above her to rest for ten minutes. The two enter and start talking and Kunimitsu begins to reveal something about her past. Cherry approaches her touching her mask as if to take it off. Kunimitsu blocks her hands instinctively but Cherry tells her to stay calm in a calm and gentle voice. Kunimitsu loosens her grip while still keeping her hands resting on Cherry's. Her mask is lifted for a moment revealing her face full of burns. At that moment Cherry changes her expression whispering "Forgive me .. Go away ..". A moment later many gunmen enter the room. Finally Kenji Masaki enters, slowly applauding, complimenting the moving scene and scornfully commenting on Kunimitsu's ugly scars. The man reveals that he had suffered a theft of a large sum of money months ago and that he absolutely had to recover it because he had to give it to dangerous men. He says that no one had seen anything, it seemed that the thieves were ghosts until several weeks later he was able to retrieve a frame from the security cameras that revealed a figure with a mask identical to that of Kunimitsu. He then tells him that Cherry helped him let her guard down and find out information. After this revelation Kunimitsu looks at Cherry and says he doesn't know where her money is because she no longer has contact with the other ninjas because she had been removed from her clan. Cherry stands up and walks shyly and sadly towards Kenji asking him if now that she has done what he wanted she could be paid so that she has the money to pay for the care of her seriously ill little brother. The woman receives a briefcase full of money and after apologizing to Kunimitsu saying she was forced to go to the door. As she is leaving she is summoned by Kenji to go back for a moment for one last thing. The girl stops for a moment at the door and goes back. The man whispers something in her ear and the girl reacts by stepping back from her yelling "No!". Kenji draws his gun and shoots twice in the chest of Cherry, who falls to the ground holding her hands to her chest while her blood also visibly comes out of her mouth as she tries to say something. Kunimitsu snaps to help her but she is invited to sit down and be calm about her because she would soon join her. Kenji says Cherry tried to warn Kunimitsu to escape just before the raid and that meant the end of their deal. Cherry takes her last breath as a tear falls down her cheek. He orders his men to kill Kunimitsu, who skilfully manages to dodge the bullets and jump out of the window and escape with great skill after swearing revenge. Kunimitsu hides in an alley and sees blood coming out on her arm, she tears a piece of her dress and tying it to her arm to stop the bleeding, however the wound does not seem very serious. A few weeks later Kenji is surprised to find a message from Kunimitsu saying it would bring him something more important than money. Hiratsuka city. The manji clan (like all Japanese people) is celebrating the Tanabata, one of the most important Japanese holidays that celebrates the poignant love story of Orihime and Hikoboshi, two deities represented today by the stars Altair and Vega. The city has entire neighborhoods whose streets are decorated with numerous and gigantic decorations while people are all out on the streets celebrating and having fun. Kunimitsu hides in the crowd recognizing his sister Toramitsu without her mask who is sitting on a sidewalk while she drinks sake, the typical Japanese alcoholic drink. Kunimitsu clenched her fists nervously but managed to calm down immediately. Toramitsu suddenly looked up in the direction where Kunimitsu was but she managed to vanish before being seen. Late at night the long and beautiful fireworks start in the starry sky. Taking advantage of her confusion and skill, the girl manages to steal the sword from Yoshimitsu and disappear without anyone noticing and heads to the city station hiding in the train leaving for Kyoto holding the legendary sword in her hands. Kyoto, it is dawn. The city is silent and a light fog envelops the whole city. Kenji is in bed while he sleeps, next to him a young woman, a prostitute. Suddenly he was awakened by noises and someone forcefully entering the room to warn him. It is one of his guards who falls to the ground dead a moment later. At that point Kunimitsu revealed herself. Kenji immediately takes the gun but Kunimitsu throws her Kunai at him which sticks in the man's hand stopping his run into the wall thus blocking the man's reaction. Kenji insults Kunimitsu as he feels pain. Then she send the scary prostitute away. Kunimitsu tells him that she brought him something more important than money, the legendary sword. As Kunimitsu approaches the man to kill him, Toramitsu reveals himself behind her and with her disturbing voice she tries to dissuade her and apologizes for what she had done because she was just jealous of Yoshimitsu's attitude towards Kunimitsu. Kunimitsu pounces on his sister holding the sword but Toramitsu manages to dodge the blow by jumping backwards. Toramitsu tries to make his sister think as the two begin to fight, Kunimitsu is in clear advantage. Toramitsu is hit several times by Kunimitsu and falls to the ground, even unarmed. Kunimitsu climbs on top of her and plans to kill her but Toramitsu manages to breach her sister's feelings of hatred. The moment she is placing the sword on the ground Toramitsu notices that Kenji has freed himself and is about to shoot. Toramitsu then jumps up and stands in front of Kunimitsu, sacrificing herself by being hit by the bullet in her stomach. Kunimitsu takes her sister in her arms who in a whisper tells her that they will always be together because they are one, like two sides of the same coin. Then she closes her eyes and dies. Kunimitsu screams and runs towards the terrified Kenji who is killed with many blows. Kunimitsu comes out of the house, her dress and her mask are stained with blood. In the garden, under a cherry tree is Yoshimitsu sitting cross-legged. Kunimitsu slowly approaches and plants the sword on the ground beside him. Then she walks away without saying anything thinking back to her sister's words that remind her of the medallion belonging to Michelle. Now Kunimitsu have the goal of trying to retrieve Michelle's medallion, hoping that the object can bring her sister back to life.
Many years later:
It is night, Yoshimitsu comes out of his hut attracted by noises. A little later he hears the melody of a flute. Yoshimitsu starts looking around until he was nearly hit by a knife thrown by someone who stuck in a tree. Attached to the knife was a photograph of Kunimitsu with a small girl, probably her daughter. Yoshimitsu noticed the presence of a masked woman who was sitting on the roof of his hut which reminded him a lot of Kunimitsu because of her mask and dress. Her mask was slightly different as she was smaller and left her mouth uncovered. Yoshimitsu jumped in her surprise and she was very quick to attack by throwing her Kunai knives which the ninja was able to avoid. She jumps down and then runs towards Yoshimitsu taking back her Kunai who were on the ground and attacking the ninja who managed to defend himself thanks to his mythical sword. The two begin to fight with no holds barred. At one point Yoshimitsu was hit several times due to his opponent's speed and agility and fell to the ground defeated. The girl swings her Kunai knives skyward and puts them behind her back. She then approaches Yoshimitsu revealing her to be Kunimitsu's daughter, taking off her mask (Pom Klementieff). She kneels and takes Yoshimitsu's sword. The camera shows the full moon behind the woman as she holds and trains with the sword. Yoshimitsu awakens and realizes that the sword has been stolen. The ninja begins to despair until a female voice draws his attention. She approaches, hands him the sword and tells him that she wants to be called Kunimitsu, in honor of her mother. She then she says that they will have to ally because the world is on the verge of a war.
In the midcredits:
Marshall Law is returning home after losing the tournament. At home, his wife Sakura (Tao Tsuchiya) is training alongside other martial artists in the dojo owned by Law. Marshall arrives with a sad voice and face throwing his backpack on the dojo floor revealing to his wife that they will have to close the dojo. Sakura sees something coming out of the backpack, approaches and sees that there is a lot of money. Marshall has no idea how they got there and lies comically that he won the tournament and that they will move to his grandparents' hometown of San Francisco to open a restaurant. The two embrace.
After the Credits:
A motorcycle whizzes quickly down the street until it reaches a building. The black-clad driver parks and gets out of the vehicle, removing her helmet, revealing that she is Nina Williams (Katheryn Winnick). She then she goes up to her apartment. As she climbs the stairs she meets another tenant of the building, a kind old lady who offers her a piece of cake asking her if the work had been good that day, saying that the children they can be really nasty. Nina smiles and nods as she walks to her door laughing for a couple of seconds to herself because the old lady believes she Nina is an elementary school teacher before returning to having a straight, focused face. She enters placing the cake on the table and looks at the wall where there are some photos of people. Nina removes them saying "Now you won't give anybody more problems ..". She also puts two guns on the table. She then takes off her boots and turns on the TV but a moment later she gets a call from one government agency because she has been selected for an important mission for the next day.
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