"In 1944, a demon was summoned to Earth to wage war." "But the child of Hell was rescued by good men who taught him honour, kindness and a sense of right." "The scientists and researchers who gathered around the boy became the Bureau of Paranormal Research and Defence, an international organisation that protects the world from occult and supernatural threats." "There are things that go bump in the night." "They are the ones who bump back." " Are you all right?" " You know, water isn't really my element." "We must be somewhere under the temple complex." "Hmm, so the sun worshippers forced the bat guys underground?" "Quite literally, it would seem." " All set?" " Sure." "Can't wait." "Ugh." "Slime." "Do you feel air movement?" "Yeah." "And something dead." "Very dead." "Well, we know what happened to Agent Hamilton." "Mystery solved, I guess." "Did you know him?" "No." "But I understand he has family." "I guess we should..." "Oh." "Cute." "So, what do you think we're looking for?" "Ohh, I hope not." "Yeah, so where is Hellboy, anyway?" "Unh!" "Agh!" "Oh, crap." "Unh!" "Agh!" " Well, this shouldn't be too hard." " Yeah, right." "Uhh, screw this." "Fine, have it your way!" "Liz!" "This isn't working!" "We can do this!" " Liz!" " OK, OK." "Pull it back, Liz!" "Pull it back!" "Liz." "Liz." "Liz!" "It's me, kiddo." "You did good." "It's over." "So, what'd I miss?" "Urrh!" "Uh!" "Beautiful!" "So beautiful!" "As for this, it is something which happened." "The brothers of the dragons," "Thunder and Lightning, brought their wrath upon the lands of a powerful Daimyo, smashing them with their terrible weapons." "The war hammer of Thunder made mountains crumble and the forests tremble in fear." "His brother, Lightning, wielded a flashing spear of white fire which scorched the earth and boiled the sea." "The Daimyo was helpless before these monsters." "To save his lands, he offered them what was most precious to him:" "His daughter, a fragile flower, as pale as the moon, and as beautiful as the stars." "But the Daimyo had a brave samurai in his service who loved the daughter." "Knowing the Daimyo's plan was to sacrifice the girl, the samurai sent her to a shrine deep in the woods where she would be hidden from the monsters." "So when the demons came to collect their prize, they found not the beautiful daughter, but a samurai warrior ready to protect his love." "Thunder and Lightning split the sky with their anger." "Pounding rain fell like daggers upon the samurai." "But he did not weaken." "Aagh!" "Urgh!" "Argh!" "It seemed the demons could not be stopped." "They would break the samurai into pieces." "But the samurai sword had been inscribed with ancient words of great enchantment." "The samurai sword drank deeply of the blood of the storm demons." "Its magic trapped them in its blade forever." "The monsters were gone from his land but the Daimyo was angered by the samurai's trick." "His promise to the demons had been broken." "No matter how onerous the bargain, the Daimyo had given his word." "And the samurai had broken it." "The samurai left to join his love at the shrine and never return." "The dishonour to the Daimyo's house could not be undone." "There could only be retribution." "The Daimyo beseeched the gods to ease his shame, and the gods answered." "Professor Sakai?" " Hiramatsu..." " Professor!" "Just rest a moment, and I'll fetch you some tea." "Thank you, Toshiro." "I can be foolish sometimes." "I get lost in my work." "It's too late." "I can come back." "Nonsense, Professor." "You are here and so are my swords." "You academics, drawing strength from your studies of artefacts." "Sifting through the rice sacks of folklore after a single grain of truth." "I'm sure I know the sword you want to see." "Right here." "I was just polishing it." "A late 16th-century blade that I believe was owned by Musashi Miyamoto." "Please, Professor Sakai." "Fingerprints!" "Uhh!" "Uh!" "Uh!" "Huh?" "Unh!" "Sorry 'bout the turbulence, guys." "It seems like there's a storm building to the east." "Wasn't in the forecast." "Should be settin' down at the Bureau in about 20 minutes." "Hey, kiddo." "How you doin'?" "Great, for a walking napalm strike." "You saved our lives, Liz." "I practically torched you." "Not to mention a couple of dozen Mayans." " Sorry about the burns." " Barely a sunburn." "Come on, they were mummies." "And they were trying to kill ya." "Trust me, there's no upside to cutting the undead any slack." "You did what you had to do." "I lost control is what I did." "If you hadn't stopped me, I would have melted the place, and probably the two of you." "I can handle the little stuff fine, but when I try anything big..." "God, the Bureau should lock me up!" "I'm the real monster." "Hm." "OK, OK." "I get it." "No, no." "You're the monster, all right." "Me and Abe, we..." "I mean, you're lucky we let you be seen with us." "It's true." "You do cramp our style." "The world needs what we can do." "That makes us good guys." "That's enough for me." "Katie, good to see ya!" "I'd hug ya, but, hey, bat-god saliva." "It's the pits." "Thanks for your restraint." "I thought you were in Prague." "All finished." "We discovered the wolf apparitions were actually the hounds of King Vold, the flying huntsman!" "And they weren't wolves at all, but the transformed ghosts of berserker Vikings!" "There's nothing in the literature that hints at it." "I can't wait to start my paper on it." "Sounds wonderful, Kate." "Can't wait to read it." "Sorry." " You OK?" " Sure." "Had to flambé a dozen mummies, but you know the walking dead, can't say no to a party." " We'll talk when we get back." " Back?" "Another mission." "Seems a folklore expert turned agent is considered indispensable." "Well, stay safe." "That's too bad." "Me?" "I'm headed for a two-hour shower and a sauna." " Take care of yourself." " Sorry, Red." "Orders." "You're with me." "Come on." "We're going to Japan." "Tuesday, 11:30am, Japanese standard time," "Special Agent Russell Thorne, BPRD." "Predictions, impressions, and psychic resonances." "Yes, yes." "Something is..." "Beware the umbrella!" "It seems friendly, but really isn't!" "And I sense there was a sudden release of energy here, yes, very powerful." "You're good." "I've worked with psychics before, but you're really something." "And I thought it was just bad feng shui." " I hate psychics." " I know, I know." "But we have to use them." "Come on, sometimes they help." "Yeah, but it's always too little, too damn late." "Excuse me, Agent Corrigan." "This disc from my security cameras will be a much better witness than I." "That's Sakai-san, all right." " You know that guy?" " Yes." "Professor Mitsuyasu Sakai." "I met him at the Ipswich Conference when I delivered a paper." ""Global Interpretations of Troll Legends. "" "Gosh, Kate." "I feel just terrible luring you away from your exciting career of combing through rotting manuscripts." "I mean, you used to research trolls." "That's OK." "Now I get to work with one." "Hm." "The past two days, he's had a teaching assistant handle his classes." "What?" "Here." "Let me freeze it." "OK." "That's never good." "Take your hands off of me!" "Get..." "Let go of that." "I need that!" "Let go, it's mine to use..." "Oh, for Pete's sake." "Russell!" "What are you doing?" "Agent Corrigan, please instruct this person to stop smearing his dirty fingers all over my antique katanas!" "It's him, Kate." "His disruptive chi is ruining a delicate psychic inquiry!" "All right, all right." "Both of you, calm down." "I'm sure Mr Hiramatsu wants to get to the bottom of this, too." "After all, his beautiful home was damaged, and he'll need our help to file an insurance claim." "Oh, I got something!" "Um, never mind." "Something I can do for ya?" "You there!" "Watch where you're stepping, my collection cannot be replaced!" "I appreciate your situation, Mr Hiramatsu, but Russell is one of our best agents, and he'll take great care with your collection." "Hey, can I get a translator over..." "Ah, crap." "Hellboy?" "Unh." "You're not a normal fox." "And you are not a normal man." "Really?" "What gave it away?" "Any idea why I'm here?" "Do I look like a philosopher?" "Nice." "You carry the Sword of Storms." "And it has tasted the blood of demons." "That is all you need to know, for now." "Sure, 'cause that's just so much to absorb all at once." "Don't cut yourself." "My love!" "My love!" "My love!" "Why did you not come?" "Excuse me?" "You sent me here while you faced those terrible demons." "And when the storms ended," "I knew I had been rescued from my father's pledge." "I made ready to receive you and I waited." "But you never came." "Once, I thought I heard you... but I was mistaken." "My father spoke of duty and shame, and death." "Even then, I thought," ""Any moment, my love will arrive." "And he will save me. "" "Why did you not come?" "I'm sorry, but you got the wrong guy." "You have been placed on a dangerous path." "Protect the sword and keep moving east toward the rising sun." "Great." "Which way is east?" "Hungry people are losing their heads." "I..." "Excuse me!" "I sense something that starts with an "S."" "Maybe a "J."" "Look, he disappeared, literally, practically in front of me." " I'm worried about that umbrella." " Shut up, Russell." "Tell me you have him on the satellite display." "They're still running the scan routines." "Just a moment." " What the hell is taking so long?" " Agent Sherman, we're doing everything we can." "Guys, get this crap pile working before I melt it." "Liz..." "I can do the little stuff." "It is working, Agent Sherman." "It's just his tracking beacon is nowhere on the grid." "So he's not on the planet." "This has happened before?" "There was the Marrakech thing." "Oh, jeez." "Do you really think it's something like that?" " How about Prague?" " Bombay, March 1993." "Istanbul, '89." "And that Marrakech thing?" "Hm?" "Oh, Hellboy disappeared and turned up eight weeks later near Glacier Bay, frozen in a block of ice." "Yeah." "He wasn't too pleased about that." "You just made the newbie face." "Well, if he gets out of this with nothing worse than a case of frostbite, I'll be happy." " Kate, he's not on the planet." " Great." "Anything new on your professor friend?" "Well, his study of the origins of the supernatural is highly regarded in academic circles, but his research seems to have led him into some very hazardous territory." "Some of these artefacts are potentially dangerous, nothing too serious, just enough to get him into trouble." "Hold it!" "I need to see that." "I'll have to call you back, Abe." " Ma'am, you'll need these." " Mm-hm." "Ma'am..." "Why don't you boys take a break?" "What is it?" "Kate!" "This is one of the 18 scrolls of the lost monks." "Tokugawa ordered them burned, but every so often you run across one, and it's always bad." "It's always a problem." "I knew something in here carried a charge." "These seem like innocent little fables, but allegedly, arcane secrets and rituals are hidden in the prose." "Here!" "A samurai imprisoned two demons in his sword." "Thunder and Lightning are destined to bring their brothers, the dragons, into this world." "According to Mr Hiramatsu, that's the sword that went missing with Hellboy." "Here." "From what I saw on the security cameras, we're talking about demonic possession." "If Professor Sakai has been possessed, then he went after that sword to release the demons." "Is Sakai hosting these things voluntarily?" "I mean, are we to consider him a villain or a victim?" "Take your pick." "Either way, he's connected to Hellboy's disappearance." "And we are going to find him." "Hey, old man!" "I don't care what your problem is, stay the hell away from my garbage." "Get outta here before I teach you a lesson." "Damn." "Figure it out in the morning." "Hellboy." "Jeez." "What's your problem, pal?" "I was sleepin'." "You can't sleep here." "Too dangerous." " Why?" " Bad things in these woods at night." "You come and stay at my house, OK?" "Sure." "Why not?" "I have other guests tonight." "They will be happy to see you." "Uh, I don't wanna be any trouble." "No trouble." "Big house, lots of room." "That was great." "I loved that." "I'd like another." "Someone's here." "He's a big one." "Don't mind her." "It's the sake talking." "Just travellers, like you." "Good people." " Mr Lu here tells very funny stories." " I love the stories." "Uh, don't let me interrupt." "Maybe you know this one." "A farmer met a ghost woman and she gave him a golden box." "She said, "You must never open this box. "" "So this fellow, he took it home and hid it from his wife." "But one day, she found it and looked inside." "And what do you suppose was in the box?" "It was full of gouged-out human eyes!" "And at the very moment she saw them, the farmer dropped dead in his field!" "And the wife went mad and lived the rest of her days like an animal." "The end." "Wow, that is a funny story." "You know, I just realised I'm awfully tired." "You guys have fun." "This way." "Sleep well." "Very safe." "Yeah, I bet." "Huh." "Clean as a whistle." "Not a spot of blood anywhere." "Where the hell are your heads?" "He must be asleep by now." "Yes." "Good." "I am starving." "A fine meal they've sent us for the price of a broken sword." "But it is the Sword of Storms that holds the brothers of the dragons." "For that, we deserve a feast like him." "He's gone, and he's taken our bodies!" "What?" "Our bodies?" "He has hidden them." "Find him!" "Look around." "He can't have gone far." " Boo." " Agh!" " Ugh!" " Get him!" "You guys were gonna eat me?" "Ow!" "Jeez." "Make him talk." "What have you done with our bodies?" "Talk!" "We're wasting time." "Tell us!" "I've had about enough of this crap." "Uh!" " Where are they?" " Guess." "Oh, please!" "What have you done with our bodies?" "Damn heads." "Appreciate the batting practice, but... the sun's comin' up." "Where did you hide them?" "I dropped 'em in the lake." "You guys didn't look too hard." "Where?" "Bet that hurts." "Great." "Suppose the roof leaks, too." "It's all right." "The scanning array and computer are on a different grid than the lights." "I suppose we can't consider the sudden appearance of these storms a coincidence?" "Maybe if we wish real hard." "Agent Sherman, we've got something else." "Uh-oh." "Let's hear it." "We're picking up tectonic anomalies." "They're localised earthquakes, very intense, but not on any known fault lines." "I can't see how they could be related to the storms, but I thought I should mention them." "But..." "I don't think they're connected." "When have we ever been that lucky?" "With Hellboy gone, Kate could be in way over her head." "We have to go to Japan." "Because we're the good guys." "Right." "Nuh!" "Ohh, you're just in time." "I was about to play one of my own compositions." "Lucky you." "I am, now that you've fallen into my lap." "But you look tired." "A pleasant tune will ease your burdens." "Sit with me and we will enjoy ourselves." "Mm, don't think so." "I got somewhere to go." "Listen to the tone of this koto." "I made the strings from my finest silk." "Is it not beautiful?" "OK, then." "Huh?" "Hey!" "Urh?" "!" "Jeez." "I'm sorry I couldn't share my music with you." "All the same, a mother must feed her children." "Screw you!" "I don't have time for this." "Man!" "Air Force 916, suggest you divert and return to Honolulu." "No can do." "Got a couple of heavyweights that have to get to Tokyo." "Can we go around?" "Negative." "The storm front is spreading too fast." "We see it, Honolulu." "Air Force 916 out." "Holy Mother!" "Look at the size of that thing!" "The radar's picking up hurricane-force winds." " Can we climb over it?" " I don't know if we can fly that high." "Strap in." "This isn't gonna be smooth." "We definitely need a new travel agent." "I'm tired of flying economy." "It's not much better in first class." "It's going to be rough." "No surprise there." "Son of a..." "Not my element." "Thanks..." "Abe." "Not a problem." "Er, let's move away from the shore." "Right." "Right." "Problem is, there's more shore than anything else." "So..." "You gonna turn into a monster and try to eat me?" "No, no!" "The monster is in that lake." "And you're feedin' it." "He has already eaten many of my family." "But, if I write the names of those of us left on these cucumbers, the kappa takes the vegetables and leaves us alone for a year." "He really likes cucumbers." "I could carve one for you." "No, thanks, I..." "Uh!" "What is your name?" "What is your name?" "Too late." "Ooh!" "Yah!" "Spill his water!" "Spill his water!" "Got it." "Come here, turtle boy." "I'll give you something to chew on." "That takes care of you." "Ask it a question." "You have beaten it." "It must answer your questions." "Why is the sword important?" "It holds the demons." "It is your way home." "How do I get home?" "Break the sword and return home." "Break the sword and free the demons." "How do I stop the demons?" "Hey!" "Jerk." "Here." "Keep him away from water." "Ugh." " Can you believe this?" " At least we're out of the rain." " I thought you liked rain." " Not this." "This feels... wrong." "Underwater... that, um, giving me air thing?" "That was... um..." "I didn't know you could do that." "I wasn't sure it would work either." "But I have burped excess air before," " so I thought I might..." " Ugh!" "I was breathing your burps?" "!" "Ugh!" "I mean... ah, thanks." "Good." " Good to know." " You know, it wasn't actually... a burp..." " Sapien." " Good to hear you." "We just picked up your telemetry." "What happened?" "The plane was hit by lightning." "We lost the pilots." "Agent Sherman and I are OK." "Rough." "It's happening all over." "The storms are off the charts." "All commercial air traffic is grounded." "OK." "There's a US sub near your coordinates." "We can divert it to pick you up." "Have there been any more of those earthquake anomalies?" "Let me check." "Yeah, one at every storm centre." "Say, there was one right near you." "You feel it?" "Saw it." "Tell Manning to send agents to check for weird crap wherever there's been a quake." "And have them take guns." "Big ones." "Sherman and Sapien out." "Here." "What?" "In Japanese mythology, a fox is considered a mystical creature." "Japan." "Hellboy." "Then I guess it's here for us." "Come here." "Come here!" "Come here... foxy." "Great." "I guess we follow." "Why doesn't it look wet?" "Yeah, yeah, we're coming." "It's a cave." "At least it's dry." "Yeah." "One mummy and I'm outta here." "Could you give us some light?" " Thank you." " That's not me." "Oh." "Then never mind." " See the fox?" " Someone else." "Come closer." "Do not worry about your friend." "He walks a path of fate's choosing." "Much depends on his success." "Our friend?" "The red one." "OK, didn't want to assume." "Two demons, sons of the storm, seek entrance to this world." "They are Thunder and Lightning." "Their spirits are already here." "These storms." "But the storms are nothing." "Once they walk the earth, the demons will wake their brothers, the dragons." "And when they wake, the time of man will be at its end." "They are already stirring." "The baby!" "Please be careful!" "The steps are slippery!" "Do not rush!" "Head for the bus." "I am sure the rain will pass soon." "Or maybe we head back to town." "Hello." "Hello." " Good morning, swordsman." " We have something to tell you." "Please, come closer... it is a private matter." "That sword does not belong to you." "Why don't you give it to us?" "I don't know." "I like it." "It's a great souvenir." "Come, now." "There are other ways of remembering a journey." "Perhaps a memorable evening with charming company." "No, thanks." "I got places to be." " Ohh..." "Don't go!" " Don't go!" "If you break the sword, you'll return to your friends." "What?" "Try it and see." "Break the sword." "Go ahead." "Break the sword." "Then we can have some fun." "I said, no thanks!" "Ohhh!" "Uhh." "Oh, crap." "They've cleared everybody within an 8-block radius, but there's no stopping that thing." "And they're not having any luck in Guatemala, either." "Luckily, there's nothing but jungle around it." " How did Agent Sherman know?" " You got me." "We can't raise them on the radio and we lost their signal a half-hour ago." "Your friend wanders through lands where you cannot walk." "You have your own challenges to face." "The dragon you have seen is not fully awakened." "You must not let him join his demon brothers." "Any hints on how we might do that?" "How does Hellboy put up with this crap?" "Russell, I'm running out of time and patience as well." "I don't want to hear about talking animals or hungry heads or spiders!" "I need you to just sit there, close your eyes, and concentrate on finding Professor Sakai." "Professor Corrigan, please, I'm not some sort of TV remote that you can just click off and on." "My powers are..." "Where... is... he?" "Too close." "What the hell kind of answer is that?" "Very close." "Amazingly, unbearably close." " We should get out of here." " Not until you find..." "Uh!" "Calm down." "They're called Tsukumogami, artefact spirits." "They're harmless." "Just supernatural fallout from what the professor's been doing." "Not you." " Mh..." " It's like being in a cartoon!" "Konichiwa!" "Ogenki-desuka?" "Chase these things into the closet or something." "We have to find the professor." "Mmm!" "Uh!" "Agh!" "Ah!" "Agh!" "We cannot leave until you come for me." "Why do you stay away?" "She will wait for eternity until the unfinished business is settled." "It's all about the demons." "I take care of them, everybody can go home happy." "Perhaps so." "It won't be long now." "All the actors are here." "The play will begin again." "Take care of the sword." "Only the sword carrier can break it." "Yeah, yeah." "Can't break the sword without freeing the demons." "So, how do I get back?" "Big help." "Very big." "Zurich big?" " Or the thing in Cameroon big?" " Big enough." "Damn." "Anything we can use?" "It likes to eat." "That hardly ever helps." "It's fairly lethargic except around food." "I really don't wanna see it awake." "Maybe it won't wake up." "Maybe Hellboy will do what he needs to, and we can just wait here for a pick-up." "He... could." "So, any plan?" "In case I'm wrong." "Not one that doesn't involve fire." "At least the rain stopped." "Then I just have to lure it up here so you can go to work." "Oh, sure, take the easy job." "Abe?" "No big chances." "Liz!" "Run!" "That's lethargic?" "Wow." "Oh, here we go." "This is just getting better and better." "Ahh!" "No way it was that easy." "This isn't working." "We should hide in the cave." "No." "No hiding." "Anything?" "He's gone to the shrine." "The one from the folk tale." "Felt that, didn't ya?" "Crap." "At least you're solid." "Agh!" "Serves ya right." "Only the sword carrier can break it." "Muhh..." "Hellboy!" "Japan." "I can handle that." "You look awful." "I'll live." "Where's the Sword of Storms?" "That's not good." "Free!" "The land will be dark." "Do you feel them?" "Our brothers are calling." "Then we should wake them and bring an end to this puny world of men!" "Think again, dumbass... cos now..." "I'm pissed." "We only feared one weapon." "And you destroyed it!" "Ha!" "Stupid, ugly monkey demon." "Me ugly?" "Come and get it!" "Aaaghh!" "He's starting to look better." "I know you." "Katherine." "The one with the trolls." "Sakai-san, listen." "How have you been?" "Listen, you've been possessed." "Excuse me?" "Big mistake." "Just go get it." "Don't stay under the tree!" "It's common sense." "Ha-ha!" "Agh!" "Hurts, doesn't it?" "Aaaghh!" "Eagh!" "Uh!" "Nnh." "Nhh." "Ah!" "Uh!" "I guess we need a new definition of, uh... little stuff." "Agh!" "Aaaghh!" "Uhh!" "Uh!" "That worked." "I have a feeling Hellboy is back." "There ya go." "What the hell is that?" "Oh, I feel so..." "The play has begun." "After the samurai imprisoned those demons in his sword, he never returned for the Daimyo's daughter." "He wasn't there to save her." "Unfinished business." "Kate!" "Ah!" "My love!" "Lady, I keep tellin' ya, you got the wrong..." "Oh." "Hey, you can stop this now." "Use your head." "You just have to forgive them or else we'll end up doing this all over again and you're never gonna win." "O" " Oh." "Ow." "I'm gettin' myself some aspirin and some breakfast." "Who's comin'?"