Flame of Recca Episode Summaries

Episode Three: The Water Knight, The Sword of Revenge

In the last episode, Recca became involved in a dangerous fight with a longtime rival, Kirisawa Fuko. Just recently, the enigmatic Kage Houshi presented Fuko with an elemental weapon called the Fujin which controls the wind. In his attempt to save Fuko from the control of the Fujin, Recca has called out his flame.

Recca is blown back as the force of Fuko’s wind connects with his flame. Kage Houshi encourages Fuko to end his life. However, when Fuko attacks Recca again, he counters it with his flame and this time, it causes an explosion. Kage Houshi proclaims that since Recca’s flame grows stronger, it causes the wind to disperse and explode. This announcement serves to make Fuko even more enthused. After a few more attacks by Fuko, of which Recca either dodges or counters, the two assail each other with their element, trying to overpower one another. Recca eventually forces his flame through hers and knocks her back. He charges her, intending to eliminate the Fujin. <<He’s got it!>> thinks Kage Houshi happily.

Recca races by and cracks the eye of the Fujin in the process. He circles back meaning to destroy the eye, but Fuko refuses to have its power taken away from her. She summons a huge tornado that throws Recca back. Kage Houshi, Recca, and Domon acknowledge her action with surprise.

"That’s the end," declares Kage Houshi. Recca and Domon turn to her, not comprehending. "Do you really think she can breathe in there? She’s given too much to the elemental. She’ll probably die in two minutes."

Domon and Recca gasp at the information. Domon runs to the tornado intending to break through it and free Fuko, but it tosses him back. He stands painfully and lunges again only to meet the same fate. Recca asks him to stop, but he repudiates the suggestion. Who will save her if he doesn’t?

Recca attempts to shatter the tornado with his flame, it is too powerful. When he begs Fuko to stop the tornado, she merely sticks her tongue out at him. He looks to Kage Houshi for assistance promising to do anything. Before she gets a chance to reply, Domon interrupts. Recca glances at the object Domon is staring at. It’s his cap.

Recca’s cap elevates off the ground and follows the current of the tornado upwards where it drops down into the middle of the storm where Fuko stands. He grins. The calm in the storm.

Domon nods when Recca looks at him. Recca runs toward Domon who launches Recca into the air by boosting Recca with his hands. Recca flies over the wall of the tornado into the center. As he falls down on Fuko, he calls out his flame. He obliterates the eye of the Fujin, landing gracefully on the ground. The tornado disperses.

Turning around, he checks on Fuko… only to find her unclothed with the exception of her underwear. Fuko, wondering where she is, gazes at Recca wonderingly, then down at her own body… POW!!! She slams her fist into Recca’s face. Domon joins her and Yanagi, who finally awakens, yells at Recca for being a pervert. Recca protests against their unjust comments.

When everyone gathers their composure, Recca faces Kage Houshi, asking if she is disappointed. She gives a knowing smile and shakes her head. Now she has seen both Domon’s and Fuko’s potential and she has witnessed the increasing strength of Recca’s flame. What’s there to be unhappy about? Recca, Fuko, and Domon glare at her. Domon threatens to kill her before he’ll allow her to leave. She smirks at him. Not likely.

Kage Houshi takes out her dagger, the same one she had when Recca first encountered her. To their surprise, she stabs herself in the chest. However, instead of falling to the ground, Kage Houshi’s wound heals. She reveals to them that she saved Recca 400 years ago and lived since then, losing many things and wandering alone… but now, she has Recca. With that said, she disappears. The group looks on in shock, not realizing that another person lurking in the shadows has seen the entire fight…

The next day at school, an older student (Mikagami Tokiya) speaks with Recca, questioning about the previous night. Recca evades the questions with other incriminating answers. "Oh no. Please…. Please don’t tell. How did you find out I flicked paint on the assistant principal’s bald head???" Tokiya ignores Recca’s comments and walks away declaring that he will find his answers. Recca sticks his tongue at Tokiya’s retreating back.

The scene changes to Tokiya walking towards a fountain of water. He pulls out a dagger-like object and touches the point to the surface of the water. As he lifts it away, a stream of water obediently follows it, solidifying into the blade of a sword. He turns around and sees Kage Houshi watching him with a thin smile gracing her lips.

"Ensui," she calls the object that can easily slice many things in half. Tokiya seems uninterested in what she has to say, until she pulls out a picture of a young woman who looks uncannily like Yanagi. Mikagami Mifuyu.

Tokiya’s eyes widen as he recalls that brutal day. The day he lost his sister.

Two men loomed before the huddled forms of his sister and himself in the corner of the room. An intimidating man with several earrings in his left ear carried a sharp knife. In an effort to protect Tokiya, his sister threw herself before the knife. Tokiya screamed. The two murderers chuckled.

Returning to reality, Tokiya claims he doesn’t remember that day seven years ago. "Liar," says Kage Houshi calmly. "You have done nothing but think about getting revenge on those men." She tells him that the battle he witnessed last night had taken place because of Recca’s desire for Fuko’s Fujin. He replies that he has no concern in knowing that. But Kage Houshi knows he has already decided to battle Recca.

Recca stares at a picture of a beautiful woman and questions his father whether or not the woman is truly his mother. The father responds by asking if Recca believed that *he* gave birth to him. The two are eventually led into another argument which ends when Recca feels eyes watching them. His father brushes it off as ridiculous and sends Recca out to buy some smokes.

Outside, Recca is positive that someone is following him and begins to run. Tokiya steps before him at the fountain. Recca smirks and they engage in a brief fight. Tokiya steps away for a moment and shows Recca the picture of his deceased sister. "Hime!" cries Recca. Tokiya gives him a deadly smile, assuming that Recca knows his sister and demands that Recca tell him where the men who killed his sister are. Recca responds by assailing Tokiya again (not exactly the next Einstein, huh?). Tokiya dodges and pulls out Ensui. He aims it at the fountain behind him, and Ensui transforms into a sword. Recca is surprised.

Once again, Tokiya flashes back to the memory of his sister being taken away on a stretcher. Before she gets in the ambulance, she imparts Ensui to Tokiya telling him to protect it and telling Ensui to protect him.

He returns to the present and announces that Ensui was the object that the men on Recca’s side wished to obtain. Recca angrily curses him and calls his flame. They charge. Recca’s flame disappears. At his shock, Tokiya mocks, "Water extinguishes fire. Even children know that." Blood spills out of the wound Tokiya inflicted on Recca’s forearm

Back at her house, Yanagi has a sense of foreboding about Recca’s earlier encounter with that mysterious student (Tokiya). She runs out of her house to see if Recca is all right.

At the fountain, Recca brings out his flame again. This time, Tokiya slashes his other arm, turning around to cut a diagonal line down Recca’s back.

Yanagi races to where she hears Recca’s voice. Something is wrong.

Tokiya towers before Recca, demanding to know where his sister’s killers are. Recca answers that he doesn’t know. Tokiya doesn’t accept Recca’s answer. He orders Recca to tell him the truth or the penalty will be death. Recca repeats his previous answer. Tokiya raises Ensui to strike…

Yanagi arrives on the scene crying for him to stop. Tokiya turns to look at Yanagi. Time stands still as both of them stop. The water from Ensui splashes to the ground. Yanagi’s worried face is replaced by his sister’s laughing one. Free from her paralysis, Yanagi runs to the battered Recca and crouches by his side, sobbing…

End of Episode 3