Character Relationship Map: I, the Executioner

Characters

• Haruko (played by Chieko Baisho) — supporting

  Haruko is one of the women connected to the victims and their shared past. Years earlier, she killed an abusive family member who terrorized her parents and siblings, and served a sentence under proba...

• Keiko Hashimoto (played by Sanae Nakahara) — supporting

  Keiko Hashimoto is one of the women murdered during the series of killings. Investigators learn that she attended Seiwa High School and had been sexually involved with men, connecting her to the other...

• Misa Mori (played by Kin Sugai) — supporting

  Misa Mori is another of the women found dead as the investigation expands beyond Takako Yasuda. Police discover that she attended Seiwa High School and had been sexually involved with men, linking her...

• Takako Yasuda (played by Oh Ranfan) — supporting

  Takako Yasuda is the first named victim in the murder investigation. Police initially examine the many men in her life, then discover that she attended Seiwa High School and shared a past with the oth...

• Kyoko Tominaga (played by Yuki Kawamura) — supporting

  Kyoko Tominaga is one of the women linked to the victims’ shared past and was present at Takako Yasuda’s apartment shortly before the first murder. The killer reaches her near the end, accuses the wom...

• Detective (played by Keijirō Morozumi) — minor
• Keiko's Husband (played by Shinji Takano) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Keiko's Husband → Keiko Hashimoto (husband)
• Detective → Takako Yasuda (Professional Investigator And Witness) — The detective's investigation examined Takako's connections and the gathering at her apartment.

  Investigators initially examined the many men in Takako's life, and her apartment gathering became central to the inquiry.

• Detective → Kyoko Tominaga (Professional Investigator And Witness) — The detective's investigation centered partly on the women's accounts, while police response placed Kyoko at the heart of the final crisis.

  Detectives questioned the women's accounts of the night at Yasuda's apartment, and police hurried to the scene when the suspect reached Kyoko.

Story Dynamics

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

• Misa Mori → Kyoko Tominaga (Social Gathered Together) — Misa and Kyoko were among the women whose gathering and shared past became important to the investigation.

  Five women, including Misa and Kyoko, had gathered at Yasuda's apartment shortly before the first murder.

• Keiko Hashimoto → Kyoko Tominaga (Social Gathered Together) — Their accounts of the gathering became part of the inquiry into the women's shared connection.

  Five women, including Keiko and Kyoko, had gathered at Yasuda's apartment shortly before the first murder.

• Takako Yasuda → Kyoko Tominaga (Social Gathered Together) — Their gathering at Takako's apartment became central to investigators' effort to determine what connected the women.

  Five women, including Takako and Kyoko, had gathered at Yasuda's apartment shortly before the first murder.

• Haruko → Kyoko Tominaga (Social Shared Secret) — Kyoko was among the women connected to Haruko's past and the possible secret surrounding the old killing.

  The women had helped Haruko after she killed an abusive family member, and the circumstances suggest they may have kept a secret together.

• Haruko → Misa Mori (Social Shared Secret) — Misa was among the women connected to Haruko's past and the possible secret surrounding the old killing.

  The women had helped Haruko after she killed an abusive family member, and the circumstances suggest they may have kept a secret together.

• Haruko → Keiko Hashimoto (Social Shared Secret) — Keiko was among the women connected to Haruko's past and the possible secret surrounding the old killing.

  The women had helped Haruko after she killed an abusive family member, and the circumstances suggest they may have kept a secret together.

• Haruko → Takako Yasuda (Social Shared Secret) — Takako was among the women connected to Haruko's past and the possible secret surrounding the old killing.

  The women had helped Haruko after she killed an abusive family member, and the circumstances suggest they may have kept a secret together.

Story Analysis

A murder investigation links a group of women, a worker's death, and a suspect apparently seeking revenge.

Plot Progression

1. Murders and a Growing Inquiry — Brutal murders frighten bar hostesses, and investigators first examine Takako's connections. The deaths of Keiko and Misa reveal a possible link through Seiwa High School.
2. The Apartment Gathering — Police form a joint investigation and focus on five women's gathering at Takako's apartment. Their accounts become central as detectives search for a common connection.
3. A Death and a Buried Past — The dry-cleaning worker's suicide prompts investigators to question whether his death is connected to the murders. Haruko's past and the women's possible shared secret deepen the mystery.
4. The Suspect Reaches Kyoko — A television recognition identifies a long-missing suspect, and police infer a revenge motive linked to the worker's death. The suspect reaches Kyoko before officers arrive, and she confronts his accu...