During Japan’s blood‑soaked feudal wars, the Awa clan faced certain extinction at the hands of a rival clan backed by demonic forces. Their salvation turns into a curse when the family dog brings back the severed head of the enemy warlord and insists on marrying the warlord’s daughter. The unnatural union bears children, but the couple is killed; their eight unborn pups are reincarnated as the Dog Warriors, The Hakkenden. Each of the eight souls follows a separate path of violence and vengeance, yet they gradually come together as a formidable group embodying the eight virtues of bushido, destined to slay the demons and redeem their clan.