Shigurui: Death Frenzy

- Season 1

(2007)

Two warriors share a twisted and violent past. These disfigured legends of the blade must face each other in a brutal samurai tournament arranged to satisfy the bloodlust of a tyrant overlord.

After defeating Gennosuke, Seigen faces a superior foe to earn the right to meet the sensei. The battle is the most difficult of his young life, and a dark secret awaits him at the journey's end.

Kogan emerges from his death-like slumber eager to name an heir. Seigen and Gennosuke are both worthy candidates, so the master himself proposes a devious challenge to determine his successor.

For years, the tormented Lady Iku believed her body was cursed, but now, she has reason to suspect the man who has loved her for so long may hold the key to her deadly secret.

Questions arise about Seigen's past, and Gennosuke vanishes after being passed over as heir. Amid suspicions over Iku's conduct, Kogan summons Seigen for instruction in the Shooting Star Technique.

Seething with betrayal, Kogan begins the systematic destruction of his former heir. Seigen is forced to face off against familiar opponent in a battle where neither samurai emerges unscathed.

A new student, Suzunosuke, slays an unwelcome ronin in a blind rage. Pleased with the young pupil's instincts, Kogan sends Gennosuke to teach the novice a true lesson in the art of the kill.

Gennosuke finds the mangled head of a comrade - a disturbing warning that could bring the dojo shame. When a Kogan mercenary crosses paths with a mysterious shadow of a man, the death toll mounts.

Mie's despair over her cruel treatment eats away at her mind. Her body - starved to the point of near paralysis - is powered only by the deranged fantasies locked inside her head.

A letter arrives summoning the Kogan clan to the palace of Kengyou Shizuhata. Upon arrival, Shizuhata wastes no time in luring Gennosuke into a duel with the barbarian warrior Sekiun.

The tricks of the blind draw Gennosuke and Ushimata away from the dojo at the worst possible time. While the sensei rests unguarded, Seigen and Iku begin the final leg of their quest for vengeance.

With Iku watching, Seigen prepares to make Kogan pay for his many sins. As the sun rises on the final battle, the eyes of the innocent are witness to the gruesome end of at least one mighty samurai.