The Samurai Phantoms are specters, who were actually villagers from Onino Village in disguise, that appeared in Operation: Mystery.
History[]
Operation: Mystery[]
In a mountain village called Onino Village, located in Shinshu, an incident occurred where villagers were attacked by a group of fallen samurai. One of the attacked young men, overwhelmed by fear, fell off a cliff and was seriously injured. This incident was reported to the SRI by Inspector Machida, and Misawa was subsequently dispatched to Onino Village by the SRI to investigate.
On his way to Onino Village, Misawa met a boy named Kenichi, who guided him to the village, and the two quickly became acquainted. When Misawa questioned the victim about the situation, the victim, trembling, explained that the villagers had attempted to convert a "cursed grave" into a road, which led to the curse. Recently, plans to construct a highway in the area had come to light, and it was said that a large foreign automobile manufacturer from Detroit was planning to build a car factory in the village, with land acquisition already underway.
Four hundred years ago, the villagers of Onion Village killed the samurai.
The local police officer in the village revealed the legend of Onino Village to Misawa. Four hundred years ago, during the Sengoku period, a group of samurai who had been defeated by Oda’s army fled to this village. The villagers, who were suffering from a drought at the time, killed these samurai and took their armor and horses. Since then, Onino Village has experienced annual natural disasters such as droughts and floods, and the villagers have passed down the belief that these were caused by the "Samurai Phantoms' curse." Not all villagers supported the plan for the car factory, especially the elders, who were mostly opposed.
The young leader who supported the land sale had been trying to facilitate the sale of the land. Kenichi, on the other hand, was the younger brother of this leader. In a conversation between Misawa and Kenichi, Kenichi expressed his desire for Onimura to remain unchanged. Otherwise, the village would be turned into a road, and even the school would soon be demolished.
That night, the young supporters gathered at the community center for a meeting. By the time the meeting ended, a thick mist had already enveloped the area. On their way home, the young men and the local police officer encountered the Samurai Phantoms. Misawa informed Maki of the situation via radio, speculating whether it might be a case of mass hysteria. Maki, however, thought the details Misawa described were too vivid and promised to arrive at the scene soon.
The following morning, when Maki and Machida arrived in the town, Misawa informed them that those who claimed to have seen the ghosts were all supporters of the land acquisition. Considering that the ghosts always appeared in the mist, this was also suspicious. Machida speculated that the perpetrator might be the landowner and had expertise in using mist. The local police officer informed the SRI that since the case had not yet been classified as a criminal investigation, they were unable to officially investigate it.
In the afternoon, Misawa and Kenichi sat side by side, overlooking the village where construction had already begun. Kenichi remarked, "Making such a mess of the mountains, one day the mountains will get angry." Misawa suspected that Kenichi knew the truth about the ghosts, but Kenichi insisted that he didn’t know. That night, the mist appeared once again, and Misawa and Kenichi were attacked by the Samurai Phantoms in the forest. However, Kenichi called for help just in time, and the SRI, along with Inspector Machida, engaged in a fierce battle with the Samurai Phantoms. It was eventually revealed that the Samurai Phantoms were actually played by the elderly villagers who opposed the development.
Inspector Machida concluded that the mastermind behind the incident was a villager Matsumi Okuma, who had lived on Onino Village in Hiroshima during the war. Furthermore, a gas-producing device from World War II was found nearby. It turned out that Kenichi’s grandfather was one of those playing the Samurai Phantoms. Ultimately, all the villagers involved in portraying the Samurai Phantoms were arrested, bringing the incident to a close.
Misawa bid a reluctant farewell to Kenichi and then returned to Tokyo. Later, Misawa asked Inspector Machida how they had discovered that the person from Okunoshima was the culprit. Director Matoya explained that during World War II, there was a weapon manufacturing facility called the Tadanoumi Arsenal on Okunoshima in Hiroshima, which was a poison gas unit of the Imperial Japanese Army at the time. That’s why the villagers released gas into the mist.
Onimura City.
At that moment, Saori ran in holding a newspaper, announcing that Onino Village had been hit by a landslide, resulting in 35 deaths and 73 injuries, nearly destroying the entire village. Everyone was shocked by the news. However, this disaster would ironically make the previously difficult land acquisition proceed more smoothly. In the future, a rebuilt Onimura City would emerge.
Finally, with the highway completed, vehicles sped along the road. The area became filled with factories, loud noises filled the air, and thick smoke billowed from chimneys. Under the red sky, vehicles came and went on the highway, and the air became heavily polluted with exhaust and smoke. On a small hill, a Jizo statue and an elderly man looked down on everything.
Trivia[]
- Actors: Yoshio Yoshida (Old Man Heihachi), Koichi Hayashi (Matsumi Okuma), Hirotaka Ono (Gosuke)
Data[]
- Stats
- Height: Unknown
- Weight: Unknown
- Origin: Earth
- Powers and Weapons
- Swords: Being samurai, their best weapons are swords.
Gallery[]
Operation: Mystery[]
| Operation: Mystery Kaiju | |
|---|---|
| Flesh Eating Moths | Vampire | Murder Dolls | Namakubi | Samurai Phantoms | Frozen Human Okazaki | E-Bat | Snow Woman | |