"Beginning" (Kaishi, 開始) is the twelfth and final episode of the anime series. The ending theme for the episode is GRIND "style GR".
Plot[]
After Keisuke's death, Nicole Premier appears, the fight between Shiki and Nicole Premier continues. 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. Outside 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 new Line).
Synopsis[]
The episode begins withNano and Shiki fighting on a rooftop. Shiki, who now moves with a pink glow, lands a blow and knocks Nano from the roof. Shiki leaps after Nano, and the ground bursts with the impact. Nano’s shoulder gushes blood from the cut made by Shiki. Shiki tells him that he’s no longer the same as he was, and Nano can’t get away from him now. Nano stares back at him with glowing purple eyes. Shiki readies his blade again.
Nano closes his eyes, and when they open, the color is blue again. He catches Shiki’s blade with his fingers, but the force of the strike makes the ground crack. Nano jumps back, and his eyes glow purple before his entire body does as he tries to strike Shiki. Shiki catches his hand before it hits, and again tells Nano their fight is futile.
Keisuke’s hand is shown slipping from Akira’s grasp again and he falls to the ground. Akira cries, and asks Keisuke why he had to die. The sky above the city of Toshima shows it’s in the middle of the eye of the storm.
At the church, Motomi wonders what’s going on. Rin arrives, and asks if Akira and Keisuke haven’t shown up yet. Motomi asks if Keisuke is okay, and Rin says Akira is supposed to bring him. He tells Motomi that the military has invaded Toshima. He asks Motomi to continue waiting for them and runs off to check another area.
Rain resumes falling on Akira. Akira touches the tag around Keisuke’s neck and wonders if Keisuke would’ve died if he hadn’t been there. He pulls the tag off and clutches it.
Behind him, Shiki appears with a pink glow, and asks Akira why he grieves. According to Shiki, death simply means a brain has stopped functioning and a heart has stopped beating. He explains that death was decided in the beginning. These words indicate that Shiki has become like Nano.
Akira replies that it wasn’t his decision, and stands as he says he declares he won’t accept this as destiny. He tells Shiki that he killed Keisuke, draws his knife, and attacks. Their blades clash as they fight, and one kick from Shiki sends Akira flying. Shiki comments that Akira’s blood must yearn for battle, and Akira tells him to shut up. Akira’s knife is knocked away. Rin jumps in and blocks Shiki’s next strike. Rin wonders why Shiki seems different. Akira explains that Shiki killed Keisuke, and Akira can’t let that go. Rin stands in front of Akira and tells him they need to go meet with Motomi and emphasizes that Keisuke would’ve wanted him to escape. Shiki says Akira’s blood must be boiling for battle, just like his own. Akira yells that no one is like Shiki. Rin tries to hold Akira back and gets thrown to the ground. Akira and Shiki continue to fight, and Rin intervenes again. He says he won’t let Shiki kill Akira; he won’t let Akira die alone, either, so he’ll fight beside him.
Shiki’s eyes glow red as he calls Rin “trash,” then grabs Rin by the neck and strangles him. During the battle, Shiki stabs Rin in the leg. Rin grabs onto Shiki as Akira charges at him. Shiki raises his blade to cut him down, but is attacked by Nano, whose entire body glows purple. Akira uses his knife to slash Shiki and spill some of his blood. Shiki knocks them both away.
Spreading his arms, Shiki calls for more, and quotes Nano’s words about accepting his blood as a form of trial. Before they can continue, there is a large burst of light as the military begins bombing Toshima. Shiki touches the gash on his chest, before a bullet flies by him. He looks over to see a row of armed soldiers. Drawing his blade, he calls them trash before he attacks.
Nano transports Akira and Rin to safety. Akira apologizes to Rin, who is badly injured. Rin explains he’s not able to move, but urges Akira to get out. Akira says he won’t betray Rin, and helps him up. Akira then asks Nano what he plans to do. Nano says he doesn’t know. Akira then asks him what he wants to do.
Looking to the side, Nano says he doesn’t need a reason to live. Akira says if he were in Nano’s situation, he’d never let the military catch him again, and he’d stop doing as he’s told and live the way he wants to. Nano tells him that’s impossible. Akira tells him it’s not impossible, and suggests he’d be able to smile like a normal person if he hadn’t been a military experiment. Nano questions if he could smile, but an image shows Akira’s younger self smiling at Nano, and Nano smiling back. He tells Akira and Rin to follow him. It begins to snow.
Elsewhere, Shiki walks forward. The massacred the troops sent into Toshima stretch out behind him.
Nano reaches a point where he tells them they’re on their own, and gives Akira his knife when he asks what Nano intends to do. As he walks away, Nano says: “You cannot avoid being dyed in some color.” Akira calls out: “Come with us!” Nano tells them they should go as he gazes at another firing squad of troops. He glows purple and disappears just as the bullets begin to fly. Akira and Rin duck. Nano reappears behind them, and his eyes shine purple as he begins to fight.
A soldier falling transitions the scene to the area where Gunji and Kiriwar have finished taking out soldiers as well. Arbitro notes that Nikkouren as well as the CFC are invading. They ask what they should do, and Arbitro tells them to protect him. They agree, but call Arbitro a bitch. Kau reaches up to grab onto Arbitro, and he pets Kau’s head as he curses.
Akira holds Keisuke's tag
At the church, Motomi’s shoe grinds into a large amount of cigarette butts. He looks up and sees Akira and Rin approach. He tears a strip of cloth to bandage Rin’s wounded leg, and asks where Keisuke is. Both Akira and Rin close their eyes and bow their heads. Motomi understands, and reminds Akira that Keisuke would’ve wanted him to live. He explains that the living have an obligation to never forget the dead. Akira clenches his hand around the tag, and Rin tells them they need to make sure to get out of Toshima alive. They head into Nikkouren territory.
Snow piles up in Toshima, covering the bodies of Keisuke, Emma and Gwen, and countless other corpses. Nano is last seen sitting beside a dead tree with what appears to be a peaceful, almost smiling face. Akira’s voiceover explains that the snow appeared to be covering up the tragedy of Toshima. He says that after their escape, his life became quiet and peaceful. He is shown working in a garage carrying boxes.
After the credits play, the next scene shows Akira visiting an older Rin in the hospital. They talk about how he should be able to walk, soon, after physical therapy. Akira promises to return. Rin asks if he’ll return soon, and tells him he’s been thinking about the promise Akira made. He reminds Akira how he’ll kill him if he’s betrayed. Akira says he understands.
On his way out, Akira meets Motomi in his new car. Akira asks him if he knows about what’s going on in Toshima. A new version of Line has appeared on the market, and it threatens to affect their small town. Akira says Keisuke regretted taking Line until the very end; even though he suffered enough to return to normal, he died. Motomi agrees that must have been painful. Akira states that Line brings nothing but suffering. Motomi agrees, and then asks if Akira wants to get something to eat with him. Akira points out Motomi is visiting Rin, and promises to go another time. Motomi watches him walk away.
Akira in Toshima again
In his apartment, Akira removes his jumpsuit and dons his usual jacket once more. He grabs Keisuke’s tag and a katana before walking into the light. Akira’s narration explains he never valued life or death before, and how he was mystified by the way other people could be so attached to living. He wanders through a hall of pillars as he admits clearing the false charges might not have been the only reason he went to Toshima; he might have wanted to see what killing was like. Losing Keisuke made him realize how wrong he’d been, and the many different reasons people have to live.
Akira wanders through Toshima, theatrically surrounded by blue flames against the blood red sky. The new, red Line spills out of a box atop a pile of corpses. Shiki lifts some up as he asks if Akira has found his answer. Akira explains he’s going to walk his own path while keeping the memories of everything that’s happened.
Shiki asks if Akira can rise up to meet him, and Akira says he’ll show him.Akira emphasizes that he can’t forget the past, and that he knows who he is. Akira draws his katana, and the last image shows their blades crossing as they begin to fight.