Lycoris Recoil begins with an intelligence organization “DA,” which employs young orphaned girls known as “Lycoris”. They covertly eliminate criminals and terrorists, which is at the heart of Japan’s long period of peace. After disobeying orders and endangering the lives of fellow Lycoris Erika, Lycoris Takina Inoue is expelled from the DA. She is then partnered with Chisato Nishikigi. She reports to Café LycoReco, one of DA’s front operations run by Mika and former DA agent Mizuki Nakahara.
Lycoris Recoil HQ
The DA investigates a hacker called “Walnut” who breached their systems. Chisato informs Takina that their job is to help others in need in any way they can. While protecting Saori Sanohara from a stalker, they realize she accidentally caught the ongoing arms deal in a picture she took. Takina uses Saori as a ruse to draw the terrorists who are following her, but Chisato subdues them before she can kill them. Meanwhile, after bombing Chisato’s apartment, a man from the Alan Institute who hired Walnut to spy on him is presumably killed. Takina officially becomes LycoReco’s newest waitress the next day, and a man from the Alan Institute visits Mika.
Walnut is revealed to have survived the attempt on his life and discovers fellow hacker Robota has sold him out. Walnut then contacts Mizuki. Meanwhile, it’s revealed the man from the Alan Institute is Mr. Yoshimatsu, who is a regular at the café. Chisato and Takina are then tasked to rescue Walnut from assassins hired by Robota and escort him to safety.
They meet Walnut, who hides his identity by wearing a squirrel suit. Chisato and Takina fight off his assassins, with Chisato even aiding those they have injured. However, Walnut is gunned down by another team of assassins as they escape. Robota then reports his success to Yoshimatsu.
Fury Hacker
Meanwhile, as Chisato and Takina prepare to remove Walnut’s body, Mizuki emerges from the suit, having acted as Walnut’s body double in a bulletproof vest. She and Mika devised a complex plan to fake Walnut’s death, and the real Walnut appears as a young girl named Kurumi. Kurumi decides to take refuge in LycoReco for her safety in exchange for assisting Chisato and Takina on their missions. Chisato then asks Kurumi to assist him in tracking down the arms dealers captured in Saori’s photograph.
Even though Takina has worked at LycoReco for quite some time, she is still distant from the rest. She then decides to accompany Chisato to DA HQ for a physical exam to petition Commander Kusunoki to reinstate her.
On the other hand, Takina is bullied by the other Lycoris upon her arrival at HQ due to false rumors that she enjoys firing on her teammates. To her dismay, Takina’s previous team leader Fuki Harukawa has already replaced her with SakuraOtome, and Kusunoki has no intention of bringing Takina back to DA HQ. Chisato is enraged because she has discovered that DA’s advanced AI Radiata was hacked during the mission, and Kusunoki used Takina as a scapegoat to conceal the hack.
Lycoris Recoil Chisato
Chisato then tries to encourage Takina by suggesting she try life outside of DA first. Takina and Chisato then engage in a mock battle against Fuki and Sakura, which they win thanks to their teamwork and Chisato’s near-superhuman ability to predict bullet trajectories. Takina has a newfound respect for Chisato and decides to join her and the café regulars for a game session when they return to LycoReco.
Afterward, Takina decides to aim for nonvital organs with regular bullets after proving ineffective with Chisato’s nonlethal bullets. Chisato decides to take Takina shopping and then to a restaurant and aquarium so that she can get used to her life outside of work. When Takina questions her, Chisato explains that she does not kill voluntarily and left the DA to look for someone who helped her 10 years ago.
Takina begins to enjoy her life outside the DA after spending time with Chisato. Meanwhile, Mika and Yoshimatsu meet again, and Mika wonders why Yoshimatsu has never admitted that he was the one who inducted Chisato into the Alan Institute, but Yoshimatsu says it’s against their policy. As Takina and Chisato return to LycoReco, a terrorist named Majima opens fire on a subway train, only to be ambushed and killed by a Lycoris team inside.
Lycoris Recoil Majima
Majima, when cornered, detonates explosives to cover his escape. Robota then contacts him and offers his assistance in combating the Lycoris, but Majima declines. After the government covers up his attack as a train derailment, a frustrated Majima decides to hit an even bigger target that the government will be unable to cover up.
A month after Majima’s terrorist attack, Chisato informs her coworkers of their new mission: escorting a terminally ill, wheelchairbound magnate named Matsushita around Japan. They then take him on a tour of Tokyo, during which Chisato confirms to Takina that she has an artificial heart.
Meanwhile, two investigators discover evidence of a terrorist attack in the subway. Kurumi identifies an assassin, Jin, following Matsushita, who Mika remembers working with 15 years prior. Takina attempts to intercept Jin as Matsushita breaks away from Chisato. Matsushita reveals Jin killed his family, and their real mission is to kill him in revenge. Chisato immobilizes Jin after he injures Takina, but Matsushita appears and orders her to kill him. Matsushita’s machines suddenly stop working after she refuses, killing him. Mika explains in the debriefing that “Matsushita” was simply the body of an elderly drug addict used as a puppet by the machines in his wheelchair.
Matsushita
The person in control of him is revealed to be a member of the Alan Institute, who decides to alter their plans. Majima and his men ambush and kill a Lycoris that night, with him proclaiming that she will be the first of many.
After several more violent attacks on Lycoris agents and the government declaring martial law against terrorism, Takina decides to live with Chisato to ensure their safety. Meanwhile, a disgruntled Majima barges into Robota’s apartment, giving him 3 more days to find the DA headquarters. He locates Chisato’s home with his drone and records her stopping the assailants he sent. Majima arrives to kill Robota for failing his initial mission but spares him after seeing Chisato’s footage.
Kurumi reveals at LycoReco that she is the hacker responsible for the DA ordeal and Takina’s dismissal, but she is not responsible for the arms deal. She then shows them Chisato footage from Robota. Later, Majima ambushes her and compromises her eyes during their fight. Majima is then drawn to her Alan Institute necklace, which piques his interest.
Kurumi
Takina arrives and saves Chisato; however, as they flee, Kurumi crashes her drone into an RPG-wielding lackey, causing him to blast Majima, who survives. Takina returns to LycoReco and accepts responsibility for her own actions, refusing to blame Kurumi for what happened. Kurumi assures her allegiance while revealing Majima’s name. Meanwhile, Majima confronts Robota once more and orders him to find out more about Chisato.
Chisato happens to spot an anonymous text being sent to Mika’s phone by chance. Fearing that Kusunoki plans to close down LycoReco, Chisato convinces her coworkers to help her spy on the meeting. Meanwhile, Robota provides more information on Chisato to Majima, discovering her involvement in the mission that destroyed the old radio tower.
Majima, who is responsible for that attack, finally realizes Chisato defeated him. He then assaults a police station. Fuki and Sakura show the surveillance footage, which finally identifies Majima. Chisato and the others then tail Mika to a high-class bar where they find out he is meeting Yoshimatsu. Realizing the meeting is a date since Mika is a homosexual, Chisato decides to leave but discovers it was Yoshimatsu who saved her life 10 years prior. She breaks her cover and thanks Yoshimatsu, but he denies his involvement before leaving.
Third Wheel
Mika threatens Yoshimatsu to leave Chisato alone, but he cannot bring himself to stop him. He later apologizes to Chisato for hiding the truth from her. The next day, Chisato returns to LycoReco as usual, relieving Mika and Takina. Later, it is revealed that Majima left a USB at the station during his assault, allowing Robota to hack DA’s database.
Yoshimatsu explains to Himegawa, his secretary, that the Institute determines the future of people with special abilities. He then asks her to take care of Chisato. As LycoReco is incurring monetary losses, Takina takes over the finances. She creates a new menu item, encourages the usage of fewer resources during missions, and attends charitable causes with Chisato.
However, due to the café’s success, Chisato can’t assist with her medical checkups. She finally does but is cornered by Majima at her house. He retells his assault on the Radio Tower and how she stopped him, revealing he possesses supernatural hearing. A shocked Chisato says the AI supports people for good purposes, but Majima reveals they only support people whose abilities may be used for killing. As he leaves, he is engaged by Takina but manages to escape.
Lycoris Recoil Takina
Back at the café, Takina and Chisato reflect on what has happened since Takina’s arrival. She gifts Chisato a dog keychain, and she learns Chisato’s reluctance to attend checkups is due to her fear of needles. She attends her checkup but is instead immobilized by Himegawa, who prepares to remove her artificial heart, just as a worried Takina rushes to her aid.
Takina manages to force Himegawa to flee, but she still applied a high-voltage discharge into Chisato’s heart, making it unable to be recharged, giving Chisato only two more months to live. This devastates Takina, but Chisato returns to her daily life, unfazed. Kusunoki then recruits Chisato for a raid on Majima’s hideout, but she only agrees if she reinstates Takina.
Kurumi has Mika reveal that ten years ago, despite her talent, Chisato suffered from a congenital heart disease that only gave her six months to live. Seeing her potential, Yoshimatsu arranged for Chisato to receive an artificial heart, under the condition that Mika raises her like their own daughter, and ensured she used her talent for killing.
Lycoris Recoil Artificial Heart
However, Chisato saw Yoshimatsu as her “savior” and thus used her abilities for good. Takina and Mizuki overhear the story, and they all agree the best way of tracking down Yoshimatsu is through Majima. Meanwhile, Majima learns about Yoshimatsu and comes up with a new plan.
Takina decides to return to the DA to help Chisato and arranges for a day off to spend time with her. After visiting the park, she thanks Takina and gives her her scarf as a present before leaving. Meanwhile, Yoshimatsu and Himegawa are ambushed and captured by Majima.
Chisato decides to close down LycoReco. As such, Mizuki and Kurumi both decide to leave for foreign countries. At DA, Kusunoki reveals Enkuboku, or the new radio tower, as Majima’s target, and explains their mission to raid his hideout. Takina confirms the Alan Institute’s involvement with Majima after interrogating one of his men.
Lycoris Recoil “Interrogation”
Meanwhile, Majima has taken Yoshimatsu hostage and tells him he will target the AI after dealing with the DA. The Lycoris raid the hideout, but Majima has relocated, boasting to Kusunoki that he plans to expose Japan’s false peace. The next day, Majima uses Robota’s USB in the tower’s antenna to broadcast to all of Japan that he’s hidden a thousand guns all over Tokyo for anybody to find. Seeing that Majima wants to expose the DA’s existence, DA superiors order Chisato’s intervention.
Meanwhile, Mika tells Chisato the truth about Yoshimatsu and apologizes for hiding it. However, she does not blame either of them, being thankful for the time she was given. Kusunoki then calls to deploy Chisato, just as they receive a call from Robota telling her where Yoshimatsu is being held, saying he will be killed if she heads to Enkuboku. Trusting Takina and Fuki’s abilities, Chisato and Mika prepare to go rescue Yoshimatsu.
As the Lycoris prepare to assault the Enkuboku control room, Takina becomes aware that Chisato has gone missing, but doesn’t have enough information to act on. Meanwhile, Kurumi continues to investigate Yoshimatsu, tracing him through the doctor that developed Chisato’s artificial heart and learning that an improved version had been developed for her.
Lycoris Recoil Kurumi Spying
Kurumi meets back up with Mizuki and hacks Chisato’s phone, learning Yoshimatsu is being held at the ruins of the old radio tower. Realizing Chisato is going into a trap, Takina abandons the operation to head for the old radio tower. The Lycoris proceed with their assault, but it turns out to be a trap when Robota hacks Radiata and broadcasts the fighting live to all of Japan, exposing DA’s existence. At the old radio tower, Chisato fights her way through Majima’s men and finds Yoshimatsu, who is able to escape.
However, Majima traps Chisato in a closed room with no light, neutralizing her prediction ability while allowing him to exploit his advanced hearing. While Majima initially has the upper hand, Takina breaches a hole through the wall, allowing light to enter the room and putting Chisato back on equal footing with Majima as they prepare to continue their battle.
After Chisato deafens Majima with her guns, she and Takina are able to incapacitate and restrain him. Chisato then finds Yoshimatsu, who reveals he has implanted the new artificial heart into himself, meaning she has to kill him to access it. However, Chisato refuses and prevents an enraged Takina from killing him and Himegawa.
Lycoris Recoil Chisato and Takina
An upset Takina asks why she did not kill Yoshimatsu, so Chisato explains that while she may have prolonged her life, she would not have wanted to trade another person’s life for it. Mizuki and Kurumi pick them up and inform them that LilyBell agents have been deployed to dispose of the Lycoris at Enkuboku for being exposed.
Chisato and Takina help Fuki’s team in seizing the control room, and Chisato plugs in an override USB Kurumi gave her. With it, Kurumi readopts her Walnut persona and counter hacks Robota, getting him arrested and reactivating Radiata, which broadcasts a message explaining the gunfight at Enkuboku was an elaborate publicity stunt. With DA’s secret safe, the government calls off the LilyBell. As Takina and the other Lycoris prepare to leave Enkuboku, Majima suddenly arrives, having freed himself from his captors. With the Lycoris absent, Chisato and Majima face off again.
Majima shuts down the power to Enkobou to prevent anybody from interfering with his duel with Chisato and reveals that he holds the detonator for a bomb that will destroy the tower in one hour. Meanwhile, because the elevator can only run on auxiliary power, Takina decides to scale the tower to help Chisato while Fuki takes an injured Sakura for treatment. Chisato and Majima prove to be equally matched until Chisato’s heart begins to malfunction.
Broken Heart
Wanting a fair battle, Majima calls for a temporary truce and the two briefly discuss their motivations. Majima sees himself as an equalizer who must tear down DA and its lies, while Chisato simply wants the help the people close to her. Unable to reconcile their differences, they resume their battle. Back at the old radio tower, Mika confronts Yoshimatsu and Himegawa and easily defeats Himegawa in combat, revealing he had been faking his leg injury the entire time. He then reluctantly kills Yoshimatsu to obtain the new heart.
In Enkuboku, Majima manages to injure Chisato due to her focusing on trying to get the detonator. Takina then intervenes, giving Chisato the opportunity to throw Majima off the tower and to his apparent death while Takina is narrowly able to prevent Chisato from falling off herself. After the Enkuboku incident and the martial law was lifted to maintain peace, society mostly accepted Radiata’s cover story and life has gone back to normal.
DA continues to track down the guns Majima had hidden throughout the city and Majima himself is revealed to still be alive. Takina later tracks down Chisato, who had run away from the hospital thinking she was going to die. Takina explains that Mika recovered the new heart, which was implanted into Chisato, extending her life.
Does Lycoris Recoil have a Happy Ending?
Mika, on the other hand, kept the fact that he killed Yoshimatsu for the heart a secret, leading Chisato to believe Yoshimatsu lied about implanting the heart inside himself. Takina asks Chisato what she wants to do next, and she decides to visit Hawaii. Chisato, Takina, and the rest of the LycoReco staff travel to Hawaii in a mobile cafe truck in a post-credits scene, where Chisato continues to offer her services to help others. There the anime ends.
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