Character Relationship Map: The Stare

Characters

• Ayano Mishima (played by Tomomi Itano) — protagonist

  A television reporter investigating the death of university student Yutaro, initially treated as an accident. Her inquiries connect other deaths to the legend of the peeping eye and lead her to the su...

• Shinji Tsuda (played by Shunya Shiraishi) — supporting

  A man whose fear grows as he becomes convinced that the peeping eyes are everywhere. His worsening condition gives Ayano a personal reason to seek a way to end the curse, and she resolves to uncover i...

• Kazuyo (played by Mari Iriki) — supporting

  A university student who behaved strangely after an encounter during a group exercise in the mountains. She shuts herself away in her room, where Ayano finds her distressed. Kazuyo is later killed aft...

• Kazuyo's Mother (played by Chizuru Azuma) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Kazuyo's Mother → Kazuyo (mother)
• Ayano Mishima → Kazuyo (Professional Reporter And Interview Subject) — Ayano seeks information from Kazuyo about the strange behavior following the mountain group exercise.

  While investigating the deaths, Ayano visits Kazuyo, who has shut herself away in her room, and finds her distressed.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Ayano Mishima → Shinji Tsuda (Alliance Investigator And Person At Risk) — Ayano pursues the curse's origins partly to help Shinji, who believes the watching eyes are everywhere.

  Ayano says she is going to uncover the truth and help Shinji as his condition worsens and he becomes increasingly frightened.

Story Analysis

A reporter investigating deaths linked to a watching presence follows local folklore toward a submerged village and resolves to confront the mystery.

Plot Progression

1. An Accident Under Suspicion — Ayano is assigned to report on Yutaro's death, officially described as an accidental fall. A former classmate's claim about a curse draws her into investigating other possibly connected deaths.
2. Kazuyo and the Mountain Clue — At the university, Ayano learns that Kazuyo and two others behaved strangely after a mountain group exercise. She visits Kazuyo, who has withdrawn to her room and appears distressed.
3. The Village Beneath the Reservoir — Ayano follows the investigation to the mountain area associated with submerged Lu Lei Village. Local folklore links a peeping eye and murdered pilgrims to a curse passed down through generations.
4. The Curse Closes In — Kazuyo is killed after being struck by a truck, while Shinji's fear of the eyes intensifies. Ayano finds violently damaged bodies near the pass and begins to believe the phenomenon is real.
5. A Resolve to Confront the Origin — Ayano hears that the presence may be seeking help and that the dead's suffering and unspoken regrets could be important. She decides to go to Six Mountain Pass to seek the submerged village, uncover t...