The ending of City Hunter (2024) sees Ryo and Kaori avenge Makimura’s murder while blowing open the Angel Dust conspiracy. It’s a reluctant partnership, with the two learning to work together on the job.
After her brother’s death, Kaori is desperate for answers and wants to work with Ryo. But Ryo would rather she stayed far away from the world he inhabits. His day-to-day includes dangerous fights, visits to hostess bars, and more pornography than one human should consume in their lifetime.
The Netflix movie is the first live-action adaptation of the City Hunter manga by Tsukasa Hojo, and despite its blatant misogyny, it isn’t without its charms, many of which are contained in the third act and climax detailed below.
After the commotion at the Lore event, Saeko takes “Miss Sexy Melons” in for questioning. However, she and, excuse the pun, her melon explodes in the car on the way to the station.
Kaori’s mistake of letting Kurumi go with Officer Ito for protection places the young cosplayer in the hands of the bad guys. Not to worry, the officer gets what’s coming to him when the bag containing his bribe explodes. These Union bad guys have a penchant for making things go boom.
Why doesn’t Ryo Want to Work With Kaori?
At Ryo’s house, he’s still giving Kaori the silent treatment for not listening to him. When she starts beating herself up, Ryo tries to once again tell her to go home and leave this dangerous life behind. He then admits he’s been trying to discourage her from working with him because he’s trying to honor Makimura’s final request to keep her safe.
But Kaori reveals she blames herself for being too scared to hold her brother when he died and that she’s always known they’re not blood-related. She vows to go after the people who killed Makimura and kidnapped Kurumi with or without Ryo’s aid. Instead, Ryo gives her a bulletproof vest and the two go out to avenge Makimuro together.
What is the relationship between Union and Lore?
Poor Kurumi wakes up in a Lore laboratory and is greeted by the CEO herself who’s been involved in the Angel Dust experiments all along. But these Union people don’t play well with others. They must deem anyone without one of those nifty head-exploding devices as untrustworthy. Without a word, the Union member slits the CEO’s throat and kills everyone in the lab, aside from Kurumi, of course.
Meanwhile, Ryo and Kaori are following the tracker he hid on Kurumi’s earrings. On the way, Ryo gets a call from the Old Man who has some interesting info about the mysterious Union Teopi organization. They’re a worldwide secret society from South America and they’ve been using Lore as a front for the Japanese dealings. Of course, Ryo is one step behind as we’ve already watched the Union sever its contract with Lore.
Ryo and Kaori arrive at Lore headquarters
City Hunter | Image via Netflix
The two arrive at Lore headquarters via a cool underground tunnel and find the aftermath of the massacre disturbing, to say the least. Upon going deeper into the facility, Ryo and Kaori are met by a small Union army. But the two work as a team and defeat the many armed bad guys. By team, I mean Ryo does the fighting and shooting while Kaori does the weapon passing.
When the Union guy shows himself, he’s holding poor Kurumi hostage. The man does offer Ryo the chance to join his criminal organization, but our hero politely refuses. That’s when Black Bear, a substantially larger and stronger man on the Angel Dust, jumps out of his box. Ryo instructs Kaori to follow the Union member while he deals with the teddy bear.
What happened to Kaori’s fathers?
As he’s waiting for his helicopter rescue with Kurumi, the Union guy taunts Kaori with her origin tale. Kaori’s biological father was a Union employee forced to become an Angel Dust test subject when he tried to leave. A police officer shot him in self-defense while he went into a rage. That officer was Kaori’s adopted father.
Thankfully, Ryo shows up in time to incapacitate the man and rescue Kurumi. When the union chopper finally arrives, they leave their employee behind. Kaori points a gun at him as she wants revenge for the family she lost, but can’t bring herself to pull the trigger. Thankfully, the man is a Union employee and they do make his head go boom.
By the time Saeko and the rest of the police force pry their way into the building, they’ve missed all the action.
Hammer Time
A few days after saving Kurumi and defeating the bad guy, Kaori visits her brother’s grave to pay her respects. We also learn that Kurumi resumed her career and is doing very well for herself.
When Ryo wakes up from his peaceful slumber, he’s less than pleased to find Kaori vacuuming his apartment. Not only that, but she also got rid of his collection of “babes” and plans on moving in. She pulls out the iconic giant hammer and starts following the lovable perv around the apartment with it.
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