Character Relationship Map: Hard-Core

Characters

• Ukon Gondo (played by Takayuki Yamada) — protagonist
• Sakon Gondo (played by Takeru Satoh) — supporting
• Ushiyama (played by Yoshiyoshi Arakawa) — supporting
• Taeko Mizunuma (played by Kei Ishibashi) — supporting
• Mizunuma (played by Suon Kan) — supporting

Canonical Relationships

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

• Mizunuma → Taeko Mizunuma (Family Father And Daughter) — Mizunuma discusses Taeko's troubled past and difficult relationships as she becomes involved with the artificial being.

  The plot identifies Taeko as Mizunuma's daughter and says she returned to her father after her marriage ended.

• Ukon Gondo → Sakon Gondo (Family Brothers) — The brothers enter the criminal organization and take part in its investigations and later efforts to conceal a killing.

  The plot identifies Sakon Gondo as Ukon Gondo's younger brother and shows them working together throughout the story.

Story Dynamics

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

• Sakon Gondo → Ushiyama (Alliance Involved Associates) — Sakon joins Ukon in the events surrounding Ushiyama and later reports that nothing has gone wrong.

  The plot says Ukon and Sakon later become involved with Ushiyama and search for him and his silent companion.

• Ukon Gondo → Ushiyama (Alliance Involved Associates) — Ukon's involvement with Ushiyama leads him into the search connected to the abandoned factory and its hidden occupant.

  The plot says Ukon and Sakon later become involved with Ushiyama and search for him and his silent companion.

Story Analysis

Two brothers' criminal assignments intersect with a hidden artificial being and a dangerous order to conceal a killing.

Plot Progression

1. From Halloween to Gang Work — Ukon and Sakon meet during Tokyo's Halloween celebrations and are drawn into a criminal organization. Their first assignment takes them to Silvia's workplace, where they discover she is being pressure...
2. Secrets at the Factory — The brothers find Ushiyama in a disturbing condition and are told to keep it secret. Their search leads to an abandoned factory, gang conflict, and the discovery of a silent figure identified by a cod...
3. A Strange New Attachment — Ukon and Sakon begin treating the artificial being as a companion. The story also follows Taeko's return to her father, while Ukon tries to teach the being language and social behavior.
4. The Body and the Cover-Up — A report that the chairman killed a person with a sword leads to Ukon's order to hide the body in the factory. The group stops mining and waits while the artificial being is instructed to keep the ope...
5. News from the Sea — A news report announces two gunshot victims aboard an illegal boat on the East China Sea. A week later, Sakon says nothing has gone wrong, and the recovering chairman repeats that he trusted Ukon.