Shadow Skill (1995) - full transcript
In a war torn world of deadly conflict, one small group of heroes stand against the forces of darkness, armed only with two weapons - their unswerving dedication to good and the superhuman martial art known as the Shadow Skill... For fourteen-year old Gau, it is time once again for him to return to the graves of his parents, murdered by bandits when he was just ten. In the company of his adoptive sister Ella, Gau quickly comes to realize that his journey is more than a pilgrimage, and that his combat abilities as a student of the Karuda school of martial arts are about to be pushed to the breaking point! Attacked by the demonic Wolfman, left for dead and then forced to fight by Ella and Karuda master Scarface, Gau's dreams of becoming a new generation of warrior are put to the ultimate test - can he face his sister in single combat? Will he be able to match the unearthly abilities of Scarface? And can Gau ever uncover the secrets of the Shadow Skill?
I am invincible. No one can
rival my shadow skills.
My blows cannot be matched!
I finally see.
Elle is the final mountain
I have to surpass...
...in order to grasp the light.
Get strong, Gau! Stronger than
me... stronger than Scarface!
There they go, off on
their annual trip home.
Those two are just
like old people.
They go to visit the
grave of Gau's parents.
Take care!
Every year Elle takes Gau back
to the place he was born...
...to show his parents
how he has grown.
It doesn't fit with the
shadow skill training...
Too sentimental, or too feminine...
Come back soon, Gau!
Are you going to be waving there
all day? Let's go, stupid!
Oh, Elle hit Gau! She's
so mean. So, so mean!
Oh, boy...
Sacrificial blood will be spilled
with the advent of a new Sevalle.
I hope this is not the
last we see of them.
It's been a long time since
we took a trip together.
You must be happy too, Gau.
Traveling with your elder sister.
Yeah.
I thought so, I thought so.
Follow those two!
But we should attack now, when
they're apart from their comrades.
No, we wait for the right time.
That's the 59th Sevalle, Elle
Ragu, a master of shadow skill.
We warriors of the Wolfen...
...kingdom will soon crush the
legendary, invincible Sevalle.
What's wrong with you, Gau?
Does your stomach
hurt or something?
No, that's not it.
Then liven up
and enjoy yourself.
Elle!
How come you fight?
Ow!
Really. How come?
"How come?"
Good question...
Hmm...
Well, us Sevalles,
our job is to fight!
I didn't mean that.
I wondered what you thought
about while you're fighting.
Oh, that question again.
Well, it's fun, I guess.
Fun?!
Yeah, it's great fun!
For fools like us, who
only know how to fight...
...fighting a strong opponent
is the highest form of pleasure.
Fighting a strong opponent...
Gau, you're worrying again, huh?
You can tell?
It's a bad habit of yours. That's
why you're not improving.
So, at times like this...
...let's do some training
and forget about your worries.
Elle, you idiot!
Sorry, sorry!
Here I come!
Smells a little
fishy, but it'll do.
Gau! It's dry!
Come on, stop moping
over there. Here.
It's not going to disappear
if I see it. Be a man!
Don't worry about me.
I don't mind at all.
Stop! Stop!
Well, I mind!
Oh, grow up!
That's what I want to say.
You have two weaknesses.
One - you rely too
much on your strength.
Two - you haven't
mastered the art of the kick.
Stop using your
hands so much!
But my hands are more
reliable than my feet.
My body is stable, my hands
move more freely than my feet...
...my movements are accurate. And
isn't it better to be powerful?
My skills are improving now.
In the Kuruda School of combat, we
use open skills and shadow skills.
Throws and hand moves are
valued as open skills, whereas...
...shadow skills are comprised
of footwork and body maneuvers.
With shadow skills, the
hands are hardly used.
So, in essence you are
questioning the very...
...existence of shadow
skills in the Kuruda School.
You may be right, but, I...
Hmm...
You don't get it yet, do you?
Basically, Gau's in a slump.
He's up against a wall.
I know what it's like.
I went through the same thing
trying to become a Sevalle.
Well, a trip home will be
a nice change of pace then.
Maybe.
But, Faury, why do Elle and Gau
go back on the same day each year?
The 14th day of the blue month is
a special day for the two ofthem.
A special day?
It's the day Elle found Gau...
...wandering alone after his
parents had been killed.
She must have decided then,
that on this day every year...
...they would return to visit
his parents' grave. And...
And?
There is a tree in
front of the grave.
Each year they mark
Gau's height on its trunk...
...so that his parents can
easily see how he's growing.
That's so kind of Elle.
I think she enjoys it, too.
Elle's greatest pleasure
is seeing Gau grow up.
So, she feels like a mother?
More like the owner of a pet.
A pet?
Right. But sometimes a pet
will bite the hand that feeds it.
I wonder how he's doing, Gau...
What shall we do, Commander?
Nothing.
But, the deputy commander is...
The stupid fool. Trying
to gain glory for himself.
Kuruda mercenaries are matchless.
You cannot win until you
rise above self-interest.
Elle!
A shadow skill ofthe Kuruda
School... The Chainsaw!
No matter how many times I
engage in this sort of fight...
...I won't improve.
To make progress, I have to
fight much stronger opponents.
I don't need training... I need
to put my life on the line.
Come on out, Blackwing.
It's been a long time, Scarface.
You sound well. I thought
you bought it a long time ago.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Are you going?
Yeah.
Gau Ban's target is you...
Scarface, the strongest man
in the 2,000 year history...
...of the military
kingdom of Kuruda.
Despite that, you still
want him to grow stronger?
What about you? Aren't you
worried about your sister?
No, not if it's
what Elle desires.
I feel the same way.
If that's what Gau wants...
...l have a duty to allow it.
Is this your fate?
No, it's my pleasure.
That's just what Elle feels, too.
Scarface!
Don't go, Scarface! Where are
you going, leaving me behind?
What do you fight for?
To... to protect the lives and
happiness of the people I love.
If that's the case, then
look what you have done.
That is the price for
what you yourself desired!
No... I... I... it's not true...
It was a dream.
Elle.
What is your goal, Gau?
My goal?
To win the Kuruda combat
skills competition, to be the...
...strongest fighter, and thus to
be allowed to join the Sevalle?
You will do that one day...
...but that wouldn't mean
you had surpassed Scarface.
Elle...
I can see what you're thinking.
You want to reach
the peak before Scarface...
...who was sixteen when
he became a Sevalle.
That's a real challenge.
Even I couldn't achieve it.
Here.
This is last year. And
this is the year before.
I can't believe I was this small.
Elle! Hurry up and
make the mark.
You've really grown, Gau.
Elle...
Your mother and father
have got to be proud, too.
Time really flies, doesn't it?
It seems like only yesterday...
...but it was four years ago
today that I met you here.
You had dreadful eyes then.
Full of anger and hatred...
...your heart was shut
tight like a shell.
No wonder really, since you
alone had been waging...
...a guerrilla war against the
bandits who killed your parents.
And you, just a ten-year-old boy.
Are you coming with me?
Why did you decide to
take me and raise me?
Well, why did you
decide to follow me?
I was going to use you.
I thought I'd flatter you and
learn the secret of your strength.
You little bastard.
But, I'm different
now. Thanks to you.
Because you were so kind.
You're wrong about me.
I wanted to see how strong a
human being could become...
...if I were to raise it. It's
like picking up a caterpillar...
...giving it food and water, and
then watching in anticipation...
...to see if it turns into
a butterfly or a moth.
That's how I felt.
I see.
Show me how
you've turned out.
You want the title
of Sevalle, don't you?
You want to surpass
Scarface, don't you?
You want to fight
me, don't you?
Stand up, Gau!
Fight. And win!
Beat me and show...
...your mother, your father
and me how strong you are!
Elle! Gau!
I'm not fooling around!
I'll kill you if you
don't fight back!
What's wrong, Gau?
Is that all you've got?
That's it... That's right...
But...
An open skill of the
Kuruda School... The Haken!
A shadow skill of the Kuruda
School... The Boomerang!
Now is our chance!
Who the hell are you?
Come, comrades!
Come, darkness!
A Wolfen!
This is trouble...
Take that!
Look at you now!
He's working
you over, isn't he?
You!
Scarface!
It's been a long
time, Elle Ragu.
Leave the rest to me.
Scarface!
A Wolfen, eh!
I'll put you out of
your misery now.
An open skill ofthe
Kuruda School... The Fray!
You'd better not get up yet.
Elle.
I'll give you a halfday's grace.
You'd better think of a way to
beat me by tomorrow morning.
Scarface.
Don't disappoint me, Gau.
Elle!
Elle!
Your wounds aren't bad.
They'll be healed in three days.
Scarface. You...?
Excuse me, but where are we?
We are beneath
an ancient arena.
You didn't know?
That such a
place existed? No.
Ages ago, they kept
the slaves in here.
Slaves?
Slaves used to fight too?
They fought because
they were slaves.
Please tell me, Scarface. Why...
You're asking why
I fight, aren't you?
Because a battle is joy.
You mean to kill one another?!
No, a battle and
killing are different things.
Killing is a rebellion
against God, but a battle...
Gau, I believe that we can get
closer to God through battle.
Closer to God?
Yes. Across a battle lies
the road that leads to God.
Of course, this
is just my opinion.
Just as there are open and
shadow skills in the...
...Kuruda School of combat, in
battle there is a front and back.
It's about time you
discovered this for yourself.
Will I ever be able to
feel the joy of battle too?
Try it again. One more time.
You'll understand if you do.
What the hell am I doing?
It's no good. I'll never...
...beat Elle like this.
Our skills and strength are
practically equal, but...
...l just get
treated like a child.
I don't understand why I
can't use my hand skills.
I don't understand the shadow
skills of the Kuruda School!
It's not that you don't use
your hands in the shadow skills...
It's that you can't.
That's because the shadow skills
of the Kuruda School are...
...the skills used
by female slaves.
Female slaves?
You don't get it yet, do you?
Shadow skills arose from the
sorrow offemale slaves...
...who were ridiculed, tyrannized
and raped. Thus these skills...
...are wielded to destroy
those who take away...
... people's freedom and
trample on their dignity.
The shadow skills of the Kuruda
School of combat originated...
...to preserve the dignity of
human beings. Can you see...
... why they are the greatest
and most feared skills on earth?
The battle is the road to God.
And shadow skills are the way
to build God's world on earth.
You're going to fight, aren't you?
Yes.
The shadow skills are strong.
I know!
Gau.
Good, Gau!
I dedicate this glorious battle
to our hero, the great Scarface.
Let's go, Gau!
Okay!
That's it! I was missing the
foundation ofshadow skills.
I had no will to fight.
Without that, there was...
...no way I could
properly utilize those skills!
Standup, Gau... Get up!
Don't rely on your arms!
Don't rely on your strength!
Fight with your spirit, Gau!
That's it, Gau. Think of the
women, trained to use their...
...feet, because their
hands were in chains.
Not having much strength,
they used their supple...
...bodies as weapons. Their hands
chained, and without strength,
these women came together
to create the secret shadow...
...skills of the Kuruda School!
There's no need to worry.
Those two are probably...
...even tougher than we imagine.
They will both be
back, safe and sound.
Yes.
It's fun.
It's fun fighting with Elle.
I finally see.
Elle is the final mountain
I have to surpass...
...in order to grasp the light.
Get strong, Gau! Stronger than
me... stronger than Scarface!
I am invincible.
I am invincible.
No one can rival...
No one can rival...
my shadow skills!
My blows cannot be matched!
Are you awake?
Elle. I...
I see!
All right, get up.
Let's get going.
Come on.
Okay.
rival my shadow skills.
My blows cannot be matched!
I finally see.
Elle is the final mountain
I have to surpass...
...in order to grasp the light.
Get strong, Gau! Stronger than
me... stronger than Scarface!
There they go, off on
their annual trip home.
Those two are just
like old people.
They go to visit the
grave of Gau's parents.
Take care!
Every year Elle takes Gau back
to the place he was born...
...to show his parents
how he has grown.
It doesn't fit with the
shadow skill training...
Too sentimental, or too feminine...
Come back soon, Gau!
Are you going to be waving there
all day? Let's go, stupid!
Oh, Elle hit Gau! She's
so mean. So, so mean!
Oh, boy...
Sacrificial blood will be spilled
with the advent of a new Sevalle.
I hope this is not the
last we see of them.
It's been a long time since
we took a trip together.
You must be happy too, Gau.
Traveling with your elder sister.
Yeah.
I thought so, I thought so.
Follow those two!
But we should attack now, when
they're apart from their comrades.
No, we wait for the right time.
That's the 59th Sevalle, Elle
Ragu, a master of shadow skill.
We warriors of the Wolfen...
...kingdom will soon crush the
legendary, invincible Sevalle.
What's wrong with you, Gau?
Does your stomach
hurt or something?
No, that's not it.
Then liven up
and enjoy yourself.
Elle!
How come you fight?
Ow!
Really. How come?
"How come?"
Good question...
Hmm...
Well, us Sevalles,
our job is to fight!
I didn't mean that.
I wondered what you thought
about while you're fighting.
Oh, that question again.
Well, it's fun, I guess.
Fun?!
Yeah, it's great fun!
For fools like us, who
only know how to fight...
...fighting a strong opponent
is the highest form of pleasure.
Fighting a strong opponent...
Gau, you're worrying again, huh?
You can tell?
It's a bad habit of yours. That's
why you're not improving.
So, at times like this...
...let's do some training
and forget about your worries.
Elle, you idiot!
Sorry, sorry!
Here I come!
Smells a little
fishy, but it'll do.
Gau! It's dry!
Come on, stop moping
over there. Here.
It's not going to disappear
if I see it. Be a man!
Don't worry about me.
I don't mind at all.
Stop! Stop!
Well, I mind!
Oh, grow up!
That's what I want to say.
You have two weaknesses.
One - you rely too
much on your strength.
Two - you haven't
mastered the art of the kick.
Stop using your
hands so much!
But my hands are more
reliable than my feet.
My body is stable, my hands
move more freely than my feet...
...my movements are accurate. And
isn't it better to be powerful?
My skills are improving now.
In the Kuruda School of combat, we
use open skills and shadow skills.
Throws and hand moves are
valued as open skills, whereas...
...shadow skills are comprised
of footwork and body maneuvers.
With shadow skills, the
hands are hardly used.
So, in essence you are
questioning the very...
...existence of shadow
skills in the Kuruda School.
You may be right, but, I...
Hmm...
You don't get it yet, do you?
Basically, Gau's in a slump.
He's up against a wall.
I know what it's like.
I went through the same thing
trying to become a Sevalle.
Well, a trip home will be
a nice change of pace then.
Maybe.
But, Faury, why do Elle and Gau
go back on the same day each year?
The 14th day of the blue month is
a special day for the two ofthem.
A special day?
It's the day Elle found Gau...
...wandering alone after his
parents had been killed.
She must have decided then,
that on this day every year...
...they would return to visit
his parents' grave. And...
And?
There is a tree in
front of the grave.
Each year they mark
Gau's height on its trunk...
...so that his parents can
easily see how he's growing.
That's so kind of Elle.
I think she enjoys it, too.
Elle's greatest pleasure
is seeing Gau grow up.
So, she feels like a mother?
More like the owner of a pet.
A pet?
Right. But sometimes a pet
will bite the hand that feeds it.
I wonder how he's doing, Gau...
What shall we do, Commander?
Nothing.
But, the deputy commander is...
The stupid fool. Trying
to gain glory for himself.
Kuruda mercenaries are matchless.
You cannot win until you
rise above self-interest.
Elle!
A shadow skill ofthe Kuruda
School... The Chainsaw!
No matter how many times I
engage in this sort of fight...
...I won't improve.
To make progress, I have to
fight much stronger opponents.
I don't need training... I need
to put my life on the line.
Come on out, Blackwing.
It's been a long time, Scarface.
You sound well. I thought
you bought it a long time ago.
Sorry to disappoint you.
Are you going?
Yeah.
Gau Ban's target is you...
Scarface, the strongest man
in the 2,000 year history...
...of the military
kingdom of Kuruda.
Despite that, you still
want him to grow stronger?
What about you? Aren't you
worried about your sister?
No, not if it's
what Elle desires.
I feel the same way.
If that's what Gau wants...
...l have a duty to allow it.
Is this your fate?
No, it's my pleasure.
That's just what Elle feels, too.
Scarface!
Don't go, Scarface! Where are
you going, leaving me behind?
What do you fight for?
To... to protect the lives and
happiness of the people I love.
If that's the case, then
look what you have done.
That is the price for
what you yourself desired!
No... I... I... it's not true...
It was a dream.
Elle.
What is your goal, Gau?
My goal?
To win the Kuruda combat
skills competition, to be the...
...strongest fighter, and thus to
be allowed to join the Sevalle?
You will do that one day...
...but that wouldn't mean
you had surpassed Scarface.
Elle...
I can see what you're thinking.
You want to reach
the peak before Scarface...
...who was sixteen when
he became a Sevalle.
That's a real challenge.
Even I couldn't achieve it.
Here.
This is last year. And
this is the year before.
I can't believe I was this small.
Elle! Hurry up and
make the mark.
You've really grown, Gau.
Elle...
Your mother and father
have got to be proud, too.
Time really flies, doesn't it?
It seems like only yesterday...
...but it was four years ago
today that I met you here.
You had dreadful eyes then.
Full of anger and hatred...
...your heart was shut
tight like a shell.
No wonder really, since you
alone had been waging...
...a guerrilla war against the
bandits who killed your parents.
And you, just a ten-year-old boy.
Are you coming with me?
Why did you decide to
take me and raise me?
Well, why did you
decide to follow me?
I was going to use you.
I thought I'd flatter you and
learn the secret of your strength.
You little bastard.
But, I'm different
now. Thanks to you.
Because you were so kind.
You're wrong about me.
I wanted to see how strong a
human being could become...
...if I were to raise it. It's
like picking up a caterpillar...
...giving it food and water, and
then watching in anticipation...
...to see if it turns into
a butterfly or a moth.
That's how I felt.
I see.
Show me how
you've turned out.
You want the title
of Sevalle, don't you?
You want to surpass
Scarface, don't you?
You want to fight
me, don't you?
Stand up, Gau!
Fight. And win!
Beat me and show...
...your mother, your father
and me how strong you are!
Elle! Gau!
I'm not fooling around!
I'll kill you if you
don't fight back!
What's wrong, Gau?
Is that all you've got?
That's it... That's right...
But...
An open skill of the
Kuruda School... The Haken!
A shadow skill of the Kuruda
School... The Boomerang!
Now is our chance!
Who the hell are you?
Come, comrades!
Come, darkness!
A Wolfen!
This is trouble...
Take that!
Look at you now!
He's working
you over, isn't he?
You!
Scarface!
It's been a long
time, Elle Ragu.
Leave the rest to me.
Scarface!
A Wolfen, eh!
I'll put you out of
your misery now.
An open skill ofthe
Kuruda School... The Fray!
You'd better not get up yet.
Elle.
I'll give you a halfday's grace.
You'd better think of a way to
beat me by tomorrow morning.
Scarface.
Don't disappoint me, Gau.
Elle!
Elle!
Your wounds aren't bad.
They'll be healed in three days.
Scarface. You...?
Excuse me, but where are we?
We are beneath
an ancient arena.
You didn't know?
That such a
place existed? No.
Ages ago, they kept
the slaves in here.
Slaves?
Slaves used to fight too?
They fought because
they were slaves.
Please tell me, Scarface. Why...
You're asking why
I fight, aren't you?
Because a battle is joy.
You mean to kill one another?!
No, a battle and
killing are different things.
Killing is a rebellion
against God, but a battle...
Gau, I believe that we can get
closer to God through battle.
Closer to God?
Yes. Across a battle lies
the road that leads to God.
Of course, this
is just my opinion.
Just as there are open and
shadow skills in the...
...Kuruda School of combat, in
battle there is a front and back.
It's about time you
discovered this for yourself.
Will I ever be able to
feel the joy of battle too?
Try it again. One more time.
You'll understand if you do.
What the hell am I doing?
It's no good. I'll never...
...beat Elle like this.
Our skills and strength are
practically equal, but...
...l just get
treated like a child.
I don't understand why I
can't use my hand skills.
I don't understand the shadow
skills of the Kuruda School!
It's not that you don't use
your hands in the shadow skills...
It's that you can't.
That's because the shadow skills
of the Kuruda School are...
...the skills used
by female slaves.
Female slaves?
You don't get it yet, do you?
Shadow skills arose from the
sorrow offemale slaves...
...who were ridiculed, tyrannized
and raped. Thus these skills...
...are wielded to destroy
those who take away...
... people's freedom and
trample on their dignity.
The shadow skills of the Kuruda
School of combat originated...
...to preserve the dignity of
human beings. Can you see...
... why they are the greatest
and most feared skills on earth?
The battle is the road to God.
And shadow skills are the way
to build God's world on earth.
You're going to fight, aren't you?
Yes.
The shadow skills are strong.
I know!
Gau.
Good, Gau!
I dedicate this glorious battle
to our hero, the great Scarface.
Let's go, Gau!
Okay!
That's it! I was missing the
foundation ofshadow skills.
I had no will to fight.
Without that, there was...
...no way I could
properly utilize those skills!
Standup, Gau... Get up!
Don't rely on your arms!
Don't rely on your strength!
Fight with your spirit, Gau!
That's it, Gau. Think of the
women, trained to use their...
...feet, because their
hands were in chains.
Not having much strength,
they used their supple...
...bodies as weapons. Their hands
chained, and without strength,
these women came together
to create the secret shadow...
...skills of the Kuruda School!
There's no need to worry.
Those two are probably...
...even tougher than we imagine.
They will both be
back, safe and sound.
Yes.
It's fun.
It's fun fighting with Elle.
I finally see.
Elle is the final mountain
I have to surpass...
...in order to grasp the light.
Get strong, Gau! Stronger than
me... stronger than Scarface!
I am invincible.
I am invincible.
No one can rival...
No one can rival...
my shadow skills!
My blows cannot be matched!
Are you awake?
Elle. I...
I see!
All right, get up.
Let's get going.
Come on.
Okay.