Character Relationship Map: Collision Course

Characters

• Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo (played by Pat Morita) — protagonist

  Natsuo is a Japanese investigator sent to America by Kitao to pursue the hidden turbo charger. After initially concealing his true purpose, he joins Costas and helps investigate Oshima's death, surviv...

• Detective Tony Costas (played by Jay Leno) — protagonist

  Costas is the detective assigned to investigate the junkyard manager's murder and Oshima's death. Although removed from the case and later suspended, he continues with Natsuo, tracks Scully and Madras...

• Philip Madras (played by Chris Sarandon) — supporting

  Madras is a corrupt crime boss who financed Jarryd and uses Scully to control him and protect his investment. He orders the deaths of Costas and Natsuo, pursues them with armed men, shoots Costas, and...

• Scully (played by Tom Noonan) — supporting

  Scully is an armed enforcer who brokers the turbo charger deal with Kosnic and tortures Oshima after the sale collapses. Working for Madras, he guards Jarryd, attacks Costas and Natsuo, and dies when...

• Kosnic (played by Randall 'Tex' Cobb) — supporting

  Kosnic is one of the two goons brokering the turbo charger transaction with Scully. He is involved in the violence surrounding Oshima and later confronts Costas and Natsuo with armed men after they tr...

• Shortcut (played by Ernie Hudson) — supporting

  Shortcut is Costas's police partner and supports him after Costas is ordered to abandon the investigation. His police work helps identify Scully's address, giving Costas and Natsuo a lead into the arm...

• Dingman (played by Al Waxman) — supporting

  Dingman is a racist homicide lieutenant who refuses to seriously investigate Oshima's murder because the victim is Japanese. He reports to the inspector with Costas, is assigned to escort Natsuo back...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Philip Madras → Scully (Power Crime Boss And Enforcer) — Madras directs Scully's violent operations and treats him as an armed instrument of his criminal control.

  Scully works for Madras, who uses him to guard the auto maker and later orders him to kill Costas and Natsuo.

• Detective Tony Costas → Shortcut (Professional Police Partners) — Shortcut supports Costas outside official authorization and provides the lead that sends Costas and Natsuo to Scully's fortified home.

  After Costas is ordered to abandon the case, he enlists the help of his police partner Shortcut. Shortcut's police work identifies Scully's address.

Story Dynamics

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

• Kosnic → Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo (Conflict Armed Opponents) — Kosnic's armed intervention makes him a direct obstacle to Natsuo's mission.

  Kosnic confronts Natsuo and Costas with armed men at the auto shop when they follow the turbo charger's trail.

• Kosnic → Detective Tony Costas (Conflict Armed Opponents) — Kosnic attempts to stop Costas from recovering the hidden turbo charger.

  Costas and Natsuo encounter Kosnic and armed men at the auto shop after tracing the hidden device there, and a brief gun battle follows.

• Scully → Kosnic (Alliance Criminal Partners) — They jointly manage the initial criminal deal, with Scully handling intimidation and Kosnic later participating in the armed confrontation.

  Scully and Kosnic broker the turbo charger transaction together and are both involved in the violence surrounding the failed sale.

• Scully → Detective Tony Costas (Conflict Armed Enemies) — Scully directly attacks Costas while protecting Madras's criminal operation.

  Scully discovers Costas in his fortified residence, and Madras's order is for both investigators to be killed. Scully then fights them during their es...

• Scully → Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo (Conflict Armed Enemies) — Scully becomes one of Natsuo's most immediate physical threats during the investigation.

  Scully discovers Costas and Natsuo in his fortified home, attempts to have them killed, and engages them in a gunfight before dying in the grenade exp...

• Philip Madras → Detective Tony Costas (Conflict Targeted Enemies) — Costas's investigation directly challenges Madras's criminal interests, making Costas a primary target.

  Madras orders the deaths of Costas and Natsuo, later pursues them with armed men, and shoots Costas during the final pursuit.

• Philip Madras → Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo (Conflict Targeted Enemies) — Madras repeatedly attempts to eliminate Natsuo because the investigation threatens his control of the turbo charger transaction.

  After Scully calls Madras, Madras determines that Natsuo and Costas are to be killed. Madras later pursues Natsuo during the final chase.

• Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo → Dingman (Conflict Adversaries) — Dingman attempts to remove Natsuo from the case, while Natsuo evades his supervision to keep pursuing the turbo charger.

  Dingman is assigned to ensure that Natsuo returns to Japan, but Natsuo and Costas outwit him and continue their investigation.

• Detective Tony Costas → Dingman (Conflict Opposed Investigators) — Dingman's prejudice and institutional obstruction place him against Costas's determination to investigate the murders.

  Dingman refuses to seriously investigate the murder of a Japanese national, while Costas continues pursuing the case. Costas and Natsuo later outwit D...

• Investigator Fujitsuka Natsuo → Detective Tony Costas (Alliance Partners Turned Friends) — Their initially distrustful cooperation develops into a strong investigative partnership, culminating in Costas arranging for Natsuo to receive the turbo charger.

  Natsuo initially hides his purpose, but later joins Costas's investigation after revealing that he is searching for the hidden turbo charger. They con...

Story Analysis

Two investigators overcome institutional obstruction and criminal violence to recover a hidden turbo charger.

Plot Progression

1. The Hidden Device — A criminal transaction collapses when the turbo charger is hidden. Violence at the junkyard creates the investigation that brings Costas and Natsuo into the same case.
2. Reluctant Investigators — Costas is pushed away from the case while Natsuo searches independently for the device. Their confrontation at the hotel leads to a reluctant partnership.
3. The Fortified Trail — The investigators follow Scully after discovering his connection to the criminal operation. Their search reaches his fortified home, where Madras orders their deaths.
4. Grenades And Orders — Costas and Natsuo escape the exploding house and defeat Scully with a grenade. The victory is temporary because Madras retaliates and official pressure tries to end their investigation.
5. The Final Pursuit — The investigators evade Dingman, trace the device through an auto shop, and survive a chase led by Madras. Natsuo kills Madras, allowing the turbo charger to reach the airport.