and fight in the Gathering, the final battle for the Prize: enough power to enslave humanity. According to the Game, "In the end, there can be only one." Determined that a corrupt person must not win the Prize, Tak-Ne battles and kills several evil immortals throughout history. One enemy he is never able to defeat is the murderous immortal known as the Kurgan (Clancy Brown). He and Tak-Ne battle each other in Babylonia, Greece, and ancient China. They encounter each other during the Battle of Plataea, when Tak-Ne fights alongside the Spartans. During this fight, Tak-Ne shatters the Kurgan's sword. Tak-Ne marries three different times during his life. In Japan, less than six centuries before the beginning of the Common Era, he marries Shakiko, a Japanese princess. Shakiko's father, a great swordsmith named Masamune, gives Ramírez a katana in 592 BC. The sword is unique for the time, forged with a technique that Japan will not see again until the Middle Ages. After Shakiko dies, Tak-Ne is emotionally shattered and decides he will not form such connections with mortals again. He likewise advises other immortals against forming romantic connections with mortals. By the 16th century, Tak-Ne lives in Spain under the name Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez and spends time working as the Chief Metallurgist to King Charles V. Ramírez leaves for the Scottish Highlands when he learns the Kurgan is there. After he arrives, he discovers the Kurgan targeted Connor MacLeod, a young Highlander who was banished from his clan after he inexplicably recovered from death in the battlefield. Ramírez tracks down MacLeod and the man's wife Heather, explaining the secrets of immortality and the Game. Wishing to make sure MacLeod can defend himself and hoping he will be an ally against evil such as the Kurgan, Ramírez trains the Highlander for over a year. In 1542, while Connor is away hunting, the Kurgan finds Ramírez and Heather. A duel ensues and Ramírez nearly decapitates his foe. Though he fails, the Kurgan will carry the scar from the wound and a damaged voice for the rest of his immortal life. The Kurgan then kills Ramírez, bringing an end to their centuries-long conflict, and leaves. Connor buries Ramírez in Glencoe, near the home he shares with Heather. Decades later, Heather dies of old age. Connor leaves Scotland to wander the Earth, now adopting Ramírez's sword as his own. In 1985, the Gathering