Togainu no Chi

Akira, the series protagonist, is a participant in a fighting tournament called "Bl@ster," after a successful battle, he retires to his quarters. He's awakened from sleep when a group of police break into his room and pin the blame for a recent murder on him, a crime which carries a sentence of life imprisonment. With no way to defend himself against the charges, Akira waits in fear for his life. He's visited in jail by a woman named Emma who offers him the only alternative to a life spent in captivity - join a higher-stakes fighting competition, and defeat the man at the top. Faced with no other option, Akira gathers his things and leaves for the city of Toshima, where the Igura competition is held. He has nothing more than the clothes on his back and the dog tags that peg him as a participant, so when some thugs show up to harass him and take a hit of a drug giving them super powers, he has little recourse. He's only saved by a man dressed in black, who brutally murders his attackers with his sword. The man threatens Akira as well, only letting him leave with his life when Akira shows too much pride to beg for his life.

Akira wakes up and finds Keisuke entering the room he is staying at. After finding out that Keisuke followed him to Toshima and refuses to leave, he gives Keisuke his knife. The go for a walk where they find Rin fighting a man. They leave, but is soon caught up by Rin who claims that they need to pay for entering his area, however he would let them off this once because they are new. Akira asks where he can get a weapon, and Rin gives him his. Rin brings them to one of the neutral zones where they meet Motomi and got to know the drug, Line - on the way they met the executioner and Kau. Rin then brings them to Arbitro's Mansion so Keisuke can sign up. The mansion is filled with "pretty boys" statues. Keisuke leaves the mansion without pulling joining the game.

Keisuke finally gets his tags, and while exiting the mansion is attacked by Takeru. Akira defends them and Takeru runs off. Akira picks up a cross. Akira is dragged off by Takeru. Takeru is revealed to be an ex-Bl@ster and is playing the Igura because he wants to win and be rich. Takeru takes back his cross which is a memento from his dead sister. Takeru calls Akira Lost because after winning Bl@ster, he always seems to be without emotions.

Rin finds Akira after he was dragged off by Takeru. Soon they encounter Tomoyuki, who is someone from Rin's past. But he just ignores him and tells him to shut up. Akira and Rin have a short conversation as they get back to the hotel and meet up with Motomi. There Keisuke sees Akira and is happy is okay. Rin comes with a bag full of solids and water and asks them if they want to do something fun. They all eat and chat on the roof of a building. At nighttime, Shiki appears and slays a group Line addicts. One person yells that he has appeared and Rin jumps at hearing his name. Akira runs after Rin but instead encounters Shiki in a nearby alley. They have a short fight, which Akira end sup on the ground. Shiki picks him up and pins him against the wall, asking if he really wants to die. He then starts choking him, but Akira fights back by folding up and kicking him away. Shiki is amused by this and tells him he'll play with him again soon. As he walks off, Akira is oddly energized by this and states "So that's... Shiki."

A mysterious man offers Takeru the drug Line, which he takes. After waking and finding neither Rin nor Akira with him, Keisuke runs off to look for them while Akira is attacked and injured by a rain influenced group, only escaping (with a tag) when the leader of the group goes insane and collapses when he licks Akira's blood. Shiki meets with Arbitro, and the former gives the latter a black case full what appears to be enhanced Line . After Motomi saves Akira (who was wondering if he did that to the leader of the group) the trouble of an encounter with the Executioners, the two decide to go to the hotel, where they meet up with Rin and Keisuke. Akira, irritated by the way Keisuke always makes light of the situation and puts himself down, yells at Keisuke who, feeling useless, runs away.

A man (in the shadows) murders everyone in a club, meanwhile Takeru drinks Line. Akira goes around the city searching for Keisuke, Rin is back at the hotel, and overhears a conversation between line users. Akira continues to search and discovers the bodies of the men in the club, to which he is sickened. While walking into an alleyway he is attacked and beaten by Takeru; Takeru licks Akira’s blood and begins to choke then slowly retreats. Rin and Motomi have a conversation about drugs/city/life. Takeru thinks about his sister and regrets leaving her, but dreams of winning Igura for his family. He is then discovered by Keisuke, who superpowered on line, crushes Takeru's skull. Keisuke then goes to meet Akira; whom he knocks out and then carries him off.

It is revealed how Keisuke has changed, and why he had taken the drug line. After the flashback, Akira wakes up in the middle of an unknown house with his crazed best friend. After a long talk, Akira is knocked unconscious.

Shiki is revealed to be Rin's half-brother and betrayed Rin by killing all of his friends. After Rin falls of the bridge, he sees a set of tags that is almost a royal flush (only the jack is missing)

Keisuke shows Akira all the tags that he gotten, and stating his desire to see more emotions, particularly the “troubled, agonized, dying” face. They begin to fight, throughout the battle Akira tells Keisuke how he really felt all this time which angers Keisuke even more. Akira gets his weapon knocked out of his hands causing him to get cut and bleed. Some blood gets onto Keisuke’s face and mouth which causes him to suffocate. Akira get some black flashes of his past, and snaps back into reality. He finds out that Keisuke is still alive and brings him to a bed, Akira watches over Keisuke until sun rise where Rin finds them and takes off with their tags in order to fight Il re. Arbitro recognize the jack, but still allows Rin to fight.

Rin prepares to fight Il re which turns out to be Shiki but gets defeated quickly, Akira comes to the rescue as the military begins to bomb the place. Shiki saves Arbitro and questions him about Akira. Rin and Akira takes shelter in a abandoned warehouse where they agree to meet Motomi at the church - at first Rin refuse go and questions why Akira would help him after he betrayed him previously. Rin admits that he would have killed Keisuke to get the tags before. Akira points out that Rin refuse to believe in anyone anymore after Shiki betrayed him (at which Rin denied). Akira promise to not betray Rin and asks for his trust. Rin demands that he prove himself, which Akira counters by saying that Rin needs to trust him so he can prove himself. Rin threatens to kill Akira if he is betrayed. - Gunji and Kiriwar shows up. In order to escape, the two of them splits up, Gunji goes after Akira while Kiriwar goes after Rin. Akira gets beaten up badly and before he is killed, N comes to the rescue and carries him off to where Keisuke is. *Flashback* Akira meets Nano as a younger boy, in exchange for a promise to meet again, N gives him a knife *Return to present* Akira wakes up and finds Keisuke unconscious. Emma and Gwen shows up as they are on a mission to bring Premier (Nano) back with them, Emma admits to framing Akira for the murder and got him stuck in Toshima. She shoots Gwen for getting in her way then before she shoots Nano, he uses his arm to pierce through her body. Shiki shows up while Akira gets Keisuke and prepares to escape.

Shiki fights Nicole Premier, and ends up drinking Nicole's blood, from which Line is made, which would normally drive people crazy or kill them. Shiki survives and goes looking for Akira. All the while, Arbitro, Kau, Kiriwar and Gunji watches from the roof of a nearby building. Shiki finds Akira and Keisuke as they are fleeing to safety. When Shiki tries to force Akira to come with him, Keisuke tries to protect Akira, but is killed by Shiki.

After Keisuke's death, Nicole Premier appear, the fight between Shiki and Nicole Premier continued. When Shiki claims to have surpassed Nicole Premier, he states that Shiki has in fact not won, but lost to himself, lost to his fear. Nicole Premier suffers heavy damages and disappears. Akira moves in to attack Shiki. Rin arrives and tries to help but gets stabbed in the leg. Rin tells Akira to leave, but Akira says he won't leave Rin behind because that would be betraying Rin's trust in him. Nicole Premier suddenly reappears, saving Akira and Rin, then helps them escape. Time Skip: Akira now has a "normal" job. Rin is in a hospital healing when Akira visits him and threatens to kill him if he breaks his promise of coming to visit him the next day. Out side of the hospital, Akira meets Motomi who invites him to go and eat with him. He tells Akira that there is a new Line and that their city may soon be overtaken by it. The episode ends with Akira going to fight Shiki (who is on a mountain surrounded by a open box of Line). Akira emphasize with the rest of society's wish to live. He recognize that value of life only due to Keisuke's death. Akira say that "this is not another person I am fighting. This is me".