Synopsis
1946-1955: While in jail for killing a yakuza, Shozo Hirono does a favor for Hiroshi Wakasugi, another yakuza belonging to the Doi family. When Shozo is released, he joins his new friends (Sakai, Ueda, Makihara, Yano, Yamagata, Kanbara, Shinkai, and Arita) to form their own family under boss Yoshio Yamamori. By rigging an assembly election, Yamamori crosses Doi and, as a result, Wakasugi leaves the Doi to join his sworn brother Hirono in the Yamamori family. Conversely, Kanbara sells out Yamamori and joins the Doi family. Hirono assassinates Doi for Yamamori and return to jail. Wakasugi kills Kanbara and is in turn killed by the cops after being set up by Yamamori. Meanwhile, an internal conflict between Yamamori and Sakai unfolds over the sale of drugs by Shinkai and Arita. Yamamori has Arita kill Ueda, and Sakai wipes out Shinkai and Yano. Feeling threatened by Sakai’s growing power, Yamamori tries to lure Hirono into killing Sakai, but he balks in hopes of restoring the family. Yamamori uses Yano’s men to assassinate Sakai and succeeds. In disgust, Hirono turns his back on the Yamamori family.