Battles Without Honor and Humanity

Laying the groundwork for Kinji Fukasaku's crime series, The Yakuza Papers, this first chapter begins by shadowing the central character of Shozo Hirono (Bunta Sugawara). Set in Hiroshima shortly after WWII, the narrative focuses on Hirono's entrance into the yakuza and the bloodshed that follows, as rival families battle for power and loyalties are continually called into question. Relationships between these gruesome groups enable some to rise while others fall, as Hirono learns their cruel code of ethics. By the film's end Hirono has been burned and his furious feelings may get the better of him.