About this season
Ogami Itto is a master swordsman who holds a position of high power in the Tokugawa Shogunate. Highly trusted by the Shogun, he serves as the official decapitator, assisting lords and samurai who have been ordered by the Shogun to commit seppuku. One day, Itto’s wife and members of his household are brutally murdered by a clan seeking to avenge their lord’s execution, which had been carried out by Itto. In the wake of the attack, two items are left in Itto’s home: his unhurt infant son, Daigoro, and a symbol meant to signify Itto’s betrayal of the Shogun. Disgraced by the false symbol, Itto is labeled a traitor and forced to forfeit his position. He becomes a ronin, wandering the country with his son, searching for the men who killed his wife, seeking to clear his name and avenge her death.
Episodes (26)
1. The Hojiro Yagyu / Blackfaces of Death
10.0Aired 7 April 1974 • 45 min
With his three legitimate heirs dead, Retsudo Yagyu plots to impregnate his illegitimate daughter while sending her brother to fight Itto.
2. A Dark Southern Wind
Aired 14 April 1974 • 45 min
In honor of a woman who saved his son’s life, Itto goes to assist a group of farmers who have been conscripted by the ruthless Lord Ichige and his brother.
3. The Yagyu Five-Pronged Technique / Yagyu Five-Prong Attack
Aired 21 April 1974 • 45 min
With no warriors left who are capable of beating Itto physically, the Yagyu resort to coercing a ninja to use the secret five prong technique against the Lone Wolf.
4. Waiting in The Rain / The Late Autumn Rain
Aired 28 April 1974 • 45 min
Itto is hired by a Clan Lord to kill a spy who seduced and impregnated his daughter, while Daigoro befriends the woman’s now four year old son.
5. Mid-winter Arrival
Aired 5 May 1974 • 45 min
To carry out an assassination, Itto must pose as a new head clerk… and to do that he must leave Diagoro alone in a cave during the middle of winter.
6. The Camouflage Kid / The Decoy
Aired 12 May 1974 • 45 min
Itto is betrayed by an employer and forced to spend many days on the run before he can return to Daigoro, forcing the three year old to fend for himself.
7. If The Wolf Comes / The Wolf Cometh
Aired 19 May 1974 • 45 min
While Daigoro suffers from an illness that distracts Itto, a group of desperate villages conspire to kill the Lone Wolf and Cub in order to pay off their taxes.
8. Japanese Silver-Leaf
Aired 26 May 1974 • 45 min
A dogged Police officer tries to solve the mystery of why a Samurai’s daughter became a prostitute and hired Itto to kill a loan shark and his wife.
9. A Woman's Castle
Aired 2 June 1974 • 45 min
A prospective employer sends 5 sword masters men in search of the Lone Wolf & Cub. To learn what the actual assignment is, Itto must find and slay all five.
10. The Day To Drive Away Evil Spirits / Exorcism Day
Aired 9 June 1974 • 45 min
Itto faces an ethical dilemma when he is asked to assassinate a beloved local doctor who many believe to be a living incarnation of the Buddah
11. Whistle of the Winter Wind
Aired 16 June 1974 • 45 min
Against the will of her clan, a woman hires Itto to kill three legendary guardsmen who are escorting her brother to Edo for trial.
12. The Bell Ringer, Genshichi Tsuji
Aired 23 June 1974 • 45 min
Genshichi Tsuji wishes to test the dedication of his three successors and hires Itto in secret to cut off their right arms.
13. The Red Cat Beckons
Aired 30 June 1974 • 45 min
The authorities respond to a robbery and capture Itto. Giving a false name, he is quickly tried and sentenced. Why is he so willing to go to prison?
14. The Organization of Terror / Footman's Demise
Aired 7 July 1974 • 45 min
The brazen criminal activities of those under a samurai’s employ can no longer be tolerated. To stop their reign of terror, Itto is hired to eliminate the gang’s leadership.
15. Breaking Heated Stones / Destroy Hot Stones
Aired 14 July 1974 • 45 min
Itto is hired to eliminate a man’s ex-fiancee, but there’s a catch: She must take her own life in penance.
16. Seven-Ri Runner
Aired 21 July 1974 • 45 min
Jinza carries messages of such importance he is authorized to kill those who stand in his way. If Otoshi is so desperate to end his life, why would he spare her?
17. Mamesho The Policeman / The Cop
Aired 28 July 1974 • 45 min
Mamesho and his daughter, Chie, are on a journey. On their travels, they find themselves repeatedly crossing paths with Itto and Daigoro. Is this a sign of things to come?
18. Drifting Lanterns
Aired 4 August 1974 • 45 min
Itto and Daigoro come across a starving Kinpachi on the road. Daigoro offers him food, but could this act set off an unforeseen chain of events?
19. The Winter Dream / Beginning of Winter
Aired 11 August 1974 • 45 min
One does not become an assassin without making enemies. That is the reality Itto faces when a lord issued orders that his life be taken.
20. The Female Inspector
Aired 18 August 1974 • 45 min
Conspirators hire Itto when an attempt on Lady Onami’s life fails. How will they execute their plan with her cunning wits and bodyguards in the way?
21. The Women of Sodeshi / Resolute Women
Aired 25 August 1974 • 45 min
Itto terminates a secret agent, but before the man dies, he asks the Lone Wolf for a request that will take the assassin to a village where only women live.
22. The Zanbato of The Suio School / Suio Style Zanbato Blade
Aired 1 September 1974 • 45 min
The Mito clan have little recourse but to hire Itto to dispose of Mondo Bessho for his political views. But what will Itto do when the clan plans on killing him as well?
23. The Funeral Before Death / The Living Dead
Aired 8 September 1974 • 45 min
The kojunin have a ritual where they bury their best swordsmen alive. For what purpose does this serve and what does it mean for those left behind?
24. The Sick Star
Aired 15 September 1974 • 45 min
When Itto fails to return, Daigoro goes searching for his father. When an old woman comes to his aid, will she end up taking him in as her own?
25. The Thirteen Strings
Aired 22 September 1974 • 45 min
Itto saves the life of a young child by dismounting Lady Kanae from her stampeding horse. When he refuses to apologize for his actions, she vows not to forget the insult.
26. Sayaka
Aired 29 September 1974 • 45 min
Sayaka burns with hatred over the death of her brother, Shobei. When Retsudo orders her to take Itto’s life, she eagerly accepts the vengeful mission.