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in: Shenmue the Animation episodes

Episode 1

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Series Name
Season 1, Episode 1
S1 Ep1 Title
Air date February 6, 2022
Written by Kento Shimoyama
Directed by Chikara Sakurai
Episode Guide
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Thunderclap (霹靂, Hekireki) is the first episode of Shenmue the Animation. It first premiered on Crunchyroll and Adult Swim on February 5th, 2022.

Plot[]

In Yokosuka, 1986, Ryo Hazuki, the only legitimate heir of the Hazuki Dojo, spends his days training under his strict father Iwao. One day, he returns and witnesses a mysterious man called Lan Di attacking the Dojo.

Summary[]

Within a cave behind a waterfall, Ryo accompanied by Shenhua, places the Phoenix Mirror in the slot of the monument inside the cave, thereby activating it. As Ryo does this, Shenhua narrates a prophecy about a man coming from a far-off land in the east who wields strength that can kill him and bring his dreams to fruition.

November of 1986, in Yokosuka, at the Hazuki Residence, Ryo is seen off by his housekeeper Ine-san and friend Fuku-san. Ryo then sees his father Iwao and his friend Yamagishi admiring the koi fish in the pond in their front yard. Yamagishi wishes Ryo the best of luck in the tournament he's participating in at his university. However, his father warns Ryo that he's still lacking and to be mindful of that. Claiming he's always unable to comprehend his father's advice, Ryo heads off.

Meanwhile, in Bailu Village, Guilin; Shenhua pets a baby goat and notes the beauty of the eastern sky. Back to Ryo, he participates in the Kanagawa Prefectural High School Karate Tournament, he wins his match and is set to face off against the reigning champ. Said person accompanied by his peer disparage Ryo and his school's name. A teacher then calls Ryo over to warn him to not succumb to the person's taunts and suggests keeping a calm level head. Ryo understands and later when it's time for his match, he wins it by striking his opponent with a single punch. Elsewhere, an unmarked black car with two men dressed in black and an elusive man dressed in a green Chinese ceremonial robe with a dragon print drive hastily on the highway.

After school, Ryo separates from his karate club friends to head home so he can train and later enjoy Ine-san's cooking. On his way through Dobuita, Ryo passes by Tom's Hot Dogs and Tom offers him a hot dog, but Ryo politely declines as he has prior commitments and heads off. By Sakura Park, it starts to lightly snow, and Ryo witnesses Nozomi and a child being harassed by Nagashima for spilling his boss Enoki's ice cream. Just then, Ryo intervenes and deals with the two bullies. As they leave, the child thanks Ryo and heads off, while Nozomi is then given Ryo's handkerchief to clean any dirt off of her and Ryo heads off back to his home.

Arriving at his home, Ryo sees an unmarked black car in front of his residence and that the dojo sign is broken. In the front yard, Ryo finds Ine-san lying face front on the ground and she tells Ryo to not worry about her and instead help his father. Heading toward the dojo, Ryo witnesses Fuku-san launched through the dojo doors, and inside of the Dojo, his father faces off against the elusive man. The man demands to know where "the mirror" is, but Iwao refuses and is then knocked to the floor by the man. Managing to break the human barricade made by the man's men, Ryo tries to attack the man, but gets his left cheek sliced in the process and gets flung backward by a single palm thrust. The man then comments how he's not ready yet to face off against him. Asking one final time where the mirror is, Iwao again refuses, hence the man grabs Ryo by the neck and threatens to kill Ryo. Succumbing to the pressure, Iwao reveals the location of the mirror to the man and he releases Ryo from his grasp. While his subordinates fetch the mirror, the man asks Iwao if he recalls the name Sunming Zhao as it's the name of someone he once killed. Realizing the man's identity, Iwao faces off again against the man only to be easily KO'ed by his hand. With the Dragon Mirror in his possession, the man named Lan leaves the dojo, as Ryo hears his father's final words to find trustworthy friends and dies in his arms. Later, at a harbor, Lan orders one of his men to find another mirror, while a skinny bald man attentively watches with glee.

Some days later, the police visit Ryo's home, and Ine-san along with Fuku-san give them some documents that Iwao owned in hopes to figure out who may have killed his father. Despite wanting to go after the men who killed his father, Ine-san and Fuku-san admonish him from doing that. At school, Nozomi stands by Ryo's desk with his handkerchief in hand, and Ryo sits on a bench in Sakura Park and watches a father and son bond together on a swing. He recalls a heart-to-heart he had with his father when he was a child. Later, as Ryo walks through the streets of Dobuita and thinks about how Lan claimed his father once killed someone, Nozomi approaches him and sheepishly returns his handkerchief. Noting she heard about what happened to his father, Nozomi offers her help with whatever she can. Thankful for the offer, Nozomi then offers Ryo a hotdog at Tom's. Nozomi's stomach then growls prompting Ryo to think she's the one who really wants the hotdog, this makes Ryo laugh which pleases Nozomi.

At Tom's Hot Dogs, the two find that the place is closed due to Tom fixing a broken tire that was caused when an unmarked black car smashed into it the day before. Ryo remembers that a car matching that description was at his home the day his father died. Nozomi also recalls getting mud splashed on her by the same car and Tom then gives a description of a man inside of the car that matches the man who killed his father. With hot dogs out of the question, the two settle for some ramen at the Ajiichi Chinese Restaurant. It's there Ryo mentions out loud the name of the man who took his father's life. An old man happens to overhear the name and mention that he doesn't know the person per say, but believes it's a name that belongs to the Chinese underworld or the mafia. He also mentions that they mainly run their operation at the port, but admonish them in going there to investigate. Outside of the restaurant, Ryo promises Nozomi that he'll return to school once everything normalizes with his life.

Back at his home, Ryo contemplates by the withered tree why his father would be involved with the Chinese mafia and then notices that the front door to his house is open. He's then ambushed by the skinny bald man from the harbor, who demands that he hand over the other mirror. Refusing to do so, Ryo tries to attack him, but is easily knocked down by him. Having heard that Ryo's strength is not enough, makes Ryo gets an epiphany of what his father was trying to tell him. Scrutinizing his opponent's attacks and defending against them. Ryo manages to land a counterattack and then finish off his opponent with a single kick. Fuku-san then arrives to see what had gone on and Ine-san then arrives, but before she can contact the police under Fuku-san's suggestion; Ryo announces his plan to uncover his father's past and learn why he was killed. Understanding Ryo's resolve, Ine-san hands Ryo a letter addressed to his father that arrived sometime after his death. The name of the sender was Yuanda Zhu.

Characters and Cast[]

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