Character Relationship Map: Popran

Characters

• Akira Tagami (played by Yoji Minagawa) — protagonist

  Akira is the successful founder of the manga app Rashimban and the story's central character. When a mysterious part of his body disappears, he searches for the creature he believes is connected to it...

• Kyosuke Yoshida (played by Hidenobu Abera) — supporting

  Kyosuke is someone Akira visits during his search. Their conversation about respecting an artist's original work reflects conflicts surrounding Akira's own career and prompts him to consider his choic...

• Nao Deguchi (played by Eri Tokunaga) — supporting

  Nao is Akira's former wife and runs an inn. Akira travels there while investigating Skyfish sightings, bringing him face to face with the family and past he left behind. Her preserved old room and the...

• Hajime Deguchi (played by Sakutarō Yamakawa) — supporting

  Hajime is Nao's husband and lives with her at the inn she runs. Akira encounters him when he visits, claiming to investigate Skyfish sightings for a manga project. His presence connects Akira's search...

• Osamu Tagami (played by Hiroyuki Watanabe) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Akira Tagami → Kyosuke Yoshida (Professional Acquaintances) — Their conversation about artists' original work echoes conflicts surrounding Akira's career.

  Akira visits Kyosuke, and they discuss respecting an artist's original work.

• Akira Tagami → Osamu Tagami (Family Father And Son) — The plot establishes Akira's childhood bond with his father, but does not explicitly identify Osamu as the father; this relationship is therefore not asserted.

  Akira remembers childhood trips to a shrine with his father. The character list identifies Osamu Tagami as a Tagami family character, but the plot doe...

• Nao Deguchi → Hajime Deguchi (Family Spouses) — Hajime is Nao's husband at the inn Akira visits.

  The plot says Nao runs the inn and introduces Hajime as her husband.

• Akira Tagami → Nao Deguchi (Family Former Spouses) — Their marriage has ended, but Akira's visit reconnects him with the family life he left behind.

  The plot identifies Nao as Akira's former wife. Akira visits the inn she runs and stays in his old room.

Story Analysis

Akira's search for a missing part of himself brings him face to face with neglected relationships, old memories, and recurring Skyfish encounters.

Plot Progression

1. A Career Interrupted — Akira recounts his career and becomes uncomfortable when asked about the former partner and family he left behind. He then discovers a mysterious bodily loss and seeks medical advice.
2. Searching for the Lost Popran — Reports of Skyfish lead Akira to search with a net. A musician's account of a Popran that escaped prompts Akira to face the people and ambitions he abandoned.
3. The Inn and the Stolen Catch — At Nao's inn, Akira encounters the creature he has been seeking and catches it. A rival hunter takes it away, leaving Akira to learn of the departure after waking.
4. Memories at the Shrine — Akira stays in his preserved old room and recalls childhood shrine visits with his father. At the shrine, a new Skyfish encounter brings an unverified claim, a poison warning, and the children's expla...