GARO

After having a dream of herself as a child, reading a picture book titled The Black Flame and The Golden Wind, being attacked by demonic creatures as a golden knight saves her, Kaoru Mitsuki prepares for her debut tomorrow as an artist. Meanwhile, a man named Kouga Saezima just finished his training when his butler Gonza gives him a document that directs him to the art gallery Kaoru is at. After seeing the girl not to be possessed, he follows the frighten girl to the art dealer Taisuke Taniyama, offering to play one of Kaoru's pieces early and asking for the girl to take it to his manor. Once alone, Kouga attempts to kill Taniyama who runs off and put the entire building on lockdown. After taking out Taniyama's traps, with Kaoru in the crossfire, Kouga battles Taniyama until the demon possessing him, a woman-eating Horror named Anglay, bursts out of his host and uses another painting to assume another physical form. Telling Kaoru to run, Kouga transforms into the golden knight from Kaoru's dreams. Though Garo manages to kill the Horror, some of its blood splashes on Kaoru's face and arm. Though he has to kill her for being stained with the blood of a Horror, Kouga spares her life to use her as bait for attracting Horrors. When she comes to, Kouga apologizes for ruining her big break before walking off with her painting.

After having another Horror-related dream, and attempting to dodge her landlord, Kaoru attempts to make some money as a melon bread salesgirl to make ends meet. But seeing Kouga, she runs after to get the money he owes her when she loses him. Entering the chamber of the Eastern Watchdogs to purify his blade, Kouga receives orders to get after the Horror Istarb who possesses the body of Azusa Kujo. Finding Kaoru waiting for him, Kouga gives her a ring as he promises to get her money soon. Meeting with her best friend Asami, Kaoru learns of the IT business proposal Kujo that was doing prior to becoming a Horror's vessel. Kujo instantly develops an interest in the girl as she is about to eat her when after scamming $50,000 yen from her. However, a combination of dumb luck and Garo stopping Kujo with Istarb slain. After learning of Kujo's scamming the next day, Kaoru is relived when Kouga brings back her money. From there, Kouga explains that the Horrors are demons from ancient times that target people with darkness in their hearts, telling Kaoru that hers is pure as he explains the ring given to her is a protective charm. As he leaves, Kaoru questions why Kouga has saved her life.

After finding the victim of a Horror, with the demon nowhere in sight, Kouga brings the dust remains to the Watchdogs who reveal it to be the work of Morax, a Horror that takes the form of timepieces which Kouga has never faced before. Working in a bicycle delivery service, Kaoru is tricked into finding the Saezima estate where Kouga wears her to stay away from any time piece for the day. By then, Kaoru learns of Kouga's Madogu Zaruba, who reveals the ring she wears as actually a part of him to the girl's disgust. Soon after, to further insure her safety, Kouga had Kaoru occupy the guest room with Gonza paying delivery fee as compensation. By nightfall, Kouga finds Morax as he devours a high school girl named Ayano, jump onto another girl to evade the Makai Knight through various hosts. However, taking a delivery for her shrink, Kaoru ends up being taken hostage by Morax as he assumes the form of an old clock tower. Fighting the Horror's defenses, Garo manages to rip out Morax from his vessel and kill him. With Morax dead the building fell apart and Kouga carries the unconscious Kaoru to safety before she comes to. Giving Kaoru back her watch, she attempts to demand answers when she realizes she is behind on deliveries.

Arriving to a hospital once noted of a Horror sighting, Zaruba cannot seem to detect anything out of the unusual. The next day, after being evicted, Kaoru forces her way into Asami's place, unintentionally getting her sick as she is taken to the hospital the same time Kouga attempts a second look over, uneasy about Zaruba inability to sense their surroundings. He then up with the wife of one of Dr. Tategami's patients, who she last saw going to see the doctor to thank him. Interested why a Horror would spare human lives to eat them, Kouga meets Tategami who reveals himself as a host to the Horror Pazuzu who explains he is preparing his meals for finer taste. Learning he cannot summon his Soul Metal Armor, Kouga is forced to fall back with Pazuzu summons his Horror staff to kill him. After refueling his Madoubi, Kouga decides to use Kaoru to take out the source of the anti-Makai barrier Pazuzu erected. As Kaoru is forced into it, Kouga battles the Horrors until he can become Garo, slaying Pazuzu after defeating him as a response to his final wish to taste Kaoru.

Remembering Kouga's words to her during the Morax incident, Kaoru decides to live in the Saezima manor's guest room to his dismay. Meanwhile, a pharmacist named Shitoshi Morino is one the run after being made a suspect in the murder of a woman named Reiko Sagashi. Kidnapping a high school girl as his hostage, he is confronted by his old rival turned cop Hanasawa. As Morino and Hanasawa get into an argument over the matter, they and the girl soon realize they are not alone in the warehouse. Arriving in the area, Kouga encounters a moth which embodies a heart-broken woman's final thoughts prior to becoming a Horror's vessel. Following the moth, Kouga learns the Horror is Lunarken, a sadistic glutton who corners her prey in order to feed during a full moon. Arriving to the warehouse and knocking the three humans out, Garo battles Lunarken and slays her. By the time the three humans came to, with no memory of the night's events, Morino is cleared of all charges against him.

Kouga hunts Horrors at a local cemetery, losing one when he is wounded by a dagger from an unknown assailant. Running into a middle aged prostitute named Kotomi, who just beat up a man and hurting two younger girls for their money, Kouga runs off after he checks her for possession and finds her clean, just as Kotomi is quickly possessed by the Horror. The next day, after getting his injury tended to and negating the poison, Kouga learns from the Watchdogs that the weapon is a Dagger of Haja which only Makai Knights would use. Meanwhile, forming a pact with the Horror inside her, Kotomi regains her youth as she starts killing off men. Meanwhile, while looking for a job, Kaoru is saved by a couple of seedy guys by a mysterious young man, whose words put her not at ease. Kaoru shows up for the job of bartender before witnessing Kotomi killing up her employer, Kotomi chases Kaoru to the harbor as Kouga appears. By then, another dagger appears belonging to the man who saved Kaoru earlier, telling Kouga he is also a Makai Knight. Annoyed, Utoque attacks as Garo battles and slays the Horror. Kotomi asks for help as she dies, but Garo says it is impossible as she allowed the Horror to possess her in the first place. Soon after, Rei formally introduces himself, before confusing Kouga and Kaoru and taking taking his leave.