<span>In the Sengoku period, a rounin called </span>Nanashi<span> (meaning </span><em>nameless</em><span>) saves a young boy </span>Kotarou<span> and his dog </span>Tobimaru<span> at an abandoned temple. Kotarou has no family, is pursued by a mysterious militia organization from China and hires Nanashi as his bodyguard. Among the pursuers is a man called </span>Rarou<span>, a very skilled warrior with blond hair and blue eyes. He obeys an old man called </span><em>Byakuran</em><span> and is a member of the Chinese militia. Unlike his companions in the militia, he is not serving any Emperor and just wants to fight with the strong.</span>