RAINBOW: Nisha Rokubou no Shichinin

Six delinquents face harsh reform school discipline and a new leader in 1955

In 1955, six delinquents known as Mario, Cabbage, Soldier, Turtle, Uncovered, and Joe are sent to a strict reform school. After undergoing humiliating medical examinations by Dr. Sasaki, they are placed in a cell where they meet Sakuragi. Mario attacks Sakuragi, but Sakuragi defeats all six boys. The sadistic head guard Ishihara then brutally beats Sakuragi as punishment while the others watch. Upon waking, Sakuragi accepts a hidden cigarette from Joe and shares it with the group. His strong yet kind demeanor quickly earns the respect and admiration of the six boys, establishing him as their leader within the harsh institution.

Joe escapes to see his sister before adoption, but fails and returns to solitary confinement.

Seven boys train together in their cell, where Joe shares that his younger sister is his only reason for enduring the school. When the orphanage administrator informs him that she is about to be adopted, Joe fears losing her forever. Sakuragi and the others create a distraction to help Joe escape through an unguarded entrance, resulting in the group being beaten and placed in solitary confinement. While isolated, Turtle explains his motivation for helping Joe by recounting how he lost his entire family in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. Joe reaches the orphanage and tries to leave with his sister, but the police catch him. His sister appears to reject him and sends him away to protect him. Heartbroken, Joe is returned to the school and put back into solitary confinement.

Distrust: Sakuragi faces danger while Uncovered’s past fuels Ishihara’s deadly scheme.

Joe finds comfort in Sakuragi’s words and vows to survive to reunite with his sister. Ishihara reveals to Uncovered that Sakuragi murdered his parents, leading to a near-violent confrontation in the mess hall. Ishihara beats Sakuragi, driven by hatred for Sakuragi’s lack of fear. Uncovered recalls his impoverished childhood and his mother’s exploitation, which bred his deep distrust of others. Ishihara discovers Uncovered’s hidden cigarettes and uses this to frame Sakuragi. A fire started by a discarded cigarette forces an evacuation. Ishihara deliberately discards the key to Cell 6, intending to kill Sakuragi. Horrified, Uncovered watches as Sakuragi realizes the other boys are trapped in the burning building and rushes back inside to save them.

Sakuragi risks his life to save friends while confronting his past trauma and guilt.

Uncovered is shocked that Sakuragi would endanger himself for others, as he believes self-reliance is the only option. Sakuragi reaches the cell but cannot open the door as the building collapses, knocking him down with fire. Outside, Uncovered finds the key and refuses to give it to Ishihara. He enters the building to rescue Sakuragi and the others. After escaping, Sakuragi knocks out Ishihara. At the hospital, Sakuragi reveals his admiration for his soldier father, who returned from the war broken. Sakuragi once told his father he lost respect for him, after which his father committed suicide. Sakuragi feels responsible for this death because he failed to understand his father's pain. He vows not to lose anyone else, considering the other boys his best friends. This confession strengthens the bond among the seven.

Sakuragi endures abuse to protect Mario after Ishihara and Sasaki conspire against him.

Following his hospital discharge, Sakuragi rejoins his cellmates, noting that Kumagai has replaced Ishihara, who remains under house arrest for the fire. During community service, the group shares their aspirations, carving them into a tree and vowing to reunite upon release. Meanwhile, Ishihara allies with Dr. Sasaki to target Sakuragi, who is scheduled for release in a month. They transfer him from cell 2-6 to a cell with aggressive inmates who beat him nightly. Sakuragi endures the violence with a smile, frustrating his tormentors. When Mario offers to swap places to save Sakuragi, the bullies crush Mario’s right hand with a stone. Upon learning of this attack on his friend, Sakuragi punches the ringleader, declaring that while he tolerated their abuse, they crossed a line by harming Mario.

Ishihara attempts to break Sakuragi by targeting his friends, but the boys protect him.

Ishihara leaves Sakuragi in a cell, expecting the bullies to kill him by morning. Instead, he finds the attackers beaten and refuses to believe Sakuragi did it. Dr. Sasaki advises Ishihara to force Sakuragi to break rules by harming his friends. The boys endure the abuse to protect Sakuragi, who then attacks Ishihara and is placed in solitary confinement. Ishihara plans to starve Sakuragi to death because of what he knows. A flashback reveals Sakuragi’s former roommate Ei'ichi committed suicide after being molested by Dr. Sasaki. Guard Kumagai informs the boys in 2-6 about the starvation plot. Turtle sneaks food into the cell to help Sakuragi survive.

Mario and friends plot to rescue Sakuragi from abusive staff despite severe risks.

Ishihara is furious that Sakuragi survived over two weeks of starvation, unaware that Turtle and Guard Kumagai have been secretly providing food. Kumagai reveals Dr. Sasaki’s role in Sakuragi’s mistreatment to Mario and Nurse Setsuko, not knowing Sasaki is listening. When Kumagai brings food later, he finds Sakuragi enduring water torture and is ambushed by Ishihara while trying to help. After Kumagai fails to return, Ishihara tells Mario he died in an accident. Mario informs the group about Sasaki and Kumagai’s fate. Realizing Sakuragi cannot leave alive under their watch, Mario and the others devise a plan to free him and escape, fully aware that capture will result in juvenile prison sentences.

Uncovered orchestrates a complex rescue plan to free Sakuragi from captivity.

Uncovered devises a strategy to liberate Sakuragi and shares it with the group. Joe volunteers to retrieve a key from Dr. Sasaki, feigning illness to enter the doctor's office. There, he manipulates Sasaki into stripping before strangling and binding him with a cloth rope. Joe returns to the cell to release the other boys. At Sakuragi's cell, Mario knocks Ishihara unconscious to carry Sakuragi away. A guard discovers the tied-up doctor and raises the alarm. Uncovered sacrifices himself to distract the guards, cutting the electricity and search lights. At the gate, Cabbage and Soldier hold off pursuers. Outside, Ishihara ambushes the group and attempts to stab Sakuragi, but Mario knocks him out again. After escaping, Mario feels depressed about losing the others, but Joe and Turtle reassure him that his determination saved Sakuragi's life.

Setsuko aids Sakuragi while Joe leverages suicide evidence to free captives and Mario fights an American boxer.

Nurse Setsuko helps Turtle hide Sakuragi in a farmhouse to treat his injuries, honoring a promise to Mario. Meanwhile, Ishihara tortures Uncovered, Soldier, and Cabbage with water at the school. Sakuragi wakes and urges them to return. Joe confronts Dr. Sasaki and Ishihara, revealing knowledge of Ei'ichi's suicide and possession of the note. This leverage forces the release of the captives and ends their abuse. Sakuragi recovers while Mario trains. In the market, promoter Lilly directs Mario to box an American soldier at a base. Mario is defeated by the opponent's superior size and strength. Lilly pays him, prompting Mario to vow to repay her tenfold after feeling ashamed of his loss.

Sakuragi trains Mario for boxing while Setsuko’s confession and Dr. Sasaki’s plot unfold.

Sakuragi trains Mario for an upcoming boxing match, while Turtle sells black market goods. Soldier learns he will join the Japanese Defense Force and leave the reformatory early. Setsuko borrows a camera to take a photo with the boys and confesses her feelings to Sakuragi. Dr. Sasaki overhears this, sends Ishihara to follow them, and discovers their location. Turtle is arrested by police after being caught selling goods, a setup by Ishihara. Lilly informs Sakuragi and Mario of Turtle’s arrest, prompting Sakuragi to find a phone. Mario begins his determined match. Meanwhile, Dr. Sasaki plots to eliminate both Sakuragi and Ishihara, who has become a liability due to his use of speed.

Sakuragi confronts Ishihara who draws a gun while Mario fights an American boxer

Turtle informs Sakuragi about Ishihara, prompting Sakuragi to leave the school amid cheers to end his conflict. He confronts Ishihara, who reveals hatred and pulls a gun, threatening to kill Setsuko and others. Sakuragi disarms him, turning the weapon on the terrified Ishihara before handing him Ei'ichi's suicide note and departing. Ishihara chases him and stabs Sakuragi in the abdomen. Sakuragi stares him down and walks away, causing Ishihara to believe he cannot kill him. Meanwhile, Mario continues his match against an American boxer, promising Lilly he will win. He knocks the opponent down, but the boxer rises before the count ends. Lilly attempts to stop the fight, but Mario persists. Sakuragi removes the knife and heads toward the boxing match despite severe blood loss, only to be intercepted by Dr. Sasaki and the police.

Mario confronts the broken Ishihara while friends target Sasaki's mayoral campaign

Mario defeats his opponent as police order Sakuragi to drop his knife, but military MPs shoot him dead while he thinks of boxing. Mario informs Setsuko of the death, leading to her breakdown at the morgue. The six survivors reunite at their tree, where Mario shares Sakuragi’s wish for them to achieve their dreams. They vow revenge against Sasaki and Ishihara for the murder. The group targets Sasaki, who is running for mayor, while Mario hunts Ishihara. He finds Ishihara, a mentally unstable speed addict who mistakes Mario for Sakuragi and begs for death. Furious that Sakuragi died for such a weak man, Mario prepares to execute him.

Mario recounts past events through a series of personal flashbacks

This segment serves as a recap of prior episodes, presented exclusively through a sequence of flashbacks. The narrative is filtered through the perspective of Mario, allowing viewers to revisit key moments from his personal point-of-view. By focusing on his memories, the story provides a condensed summary of previous events without introducing new plot developments or external commentary.

Sasaki faces a terrifying nightmare of burial while the boys execute their revenge plan.

Sasaki locks himself in his office after an unsettling encounter, then leaves for a motel to meet a lover. There, Joe confronts him with a gun and transports him to a beach where the boys have dug a hole. They bury Sasaki up to his neck as the tide rises, ignoring his bribes and pleas for mercy before leaving him to confess. Sasaki wakes in the motel, unsure if the event was real. Meanwhile, Setsuko meets Mario, who reveals he spared Ishihara. The next day, during Sasaki’s campaign address, the boys play a recording of his confession regarding Ei'ichi and Sakuragi’s deaths in the sound booth. Exposed, Sasaki withdraws from the mayoral race and loses his hospital. Setsuko prays at Sakuragi’s grave, and Mario gives each friend a bullet from Sakuragi’s body. Satisfied with their revenge, the group departs to pursue their dreams, with Mario seeing Sakuragi’s smiling image at the tree.

Annoyance

The narrative focuses on the concealed secrets and hidden aspects of the story.

The characters experience a moment of separation and departure from one another.

The bond remains unbreakable

Characters reunite in this episode

A narrative centered on the concept of vocation

The character is blinded

Emergence

Chance

A desperate situation unfolds in this episode