Recca doesn't know what he is until the moment he has to save Yanagi, and from there the show never stops moving. Every tournament match strips away a piece of what Recca thought about himself, his past, his powers. The madogus aren't just weapons, they're the visual language of how these characters love and fight for each other, and the anime cuts before it gets to explain half of what makes them matter, but what's here burns so hard you don't care until the credits roll.

Recca Hanabishi, son of a fireworks-making family, fancies himself a modern-day ninja and has promised to serve anyone who can beat him, which keeps him in constant fights. When an accident nearly kills him, a gentle girl named Yanagi Sakoshita heals him with her power to mend any wound. Soon a woman tracks the pair down and attacks, urging Recca to ignite his flame. When she hurts Yanagi, he unleashes a powerful blaze. Recca turns out to be a baby from the Hokage Clan of the past, sent to the future to escape death, and the last survivor of that legendary ninja clan. Now leading a new Hokage Clan, he must stop his half-brother Kurei from kidnapping Yanagi, in a blend of action, adventure, comedy, fantasy and romance.