Kohinata Minoru quits the gymnastics club at Reinan University, a sports school on the outskirts of Tokyo, after the upperclassmen there make his first year unbearable. The student who steps in to rescue him is Mutou Ryuuji of the Second Karate Club, a compulsive brawler who trains in Kaburagi-ryu, a full-contact style that permits face punches and elbow strikes. Minoru follows him into the club, where a gymnast's spring and body control turn out to be rare assets in a training regime built to break people.