Character Relationship Map: Professional Killers

Characters

• Baian Fujieda (played by Jirō Tamiya) — protagonist

  Baian is an Edo acupuncturist who secretly works as a professional killer, accepting jobs only against people he judges harmful to others or society. He kills Oteru and later confronts the corrupt off...

• Tamekichi (played by Kohji Moritsugu) — supporting

  Tamekichi is the young successor to the deceased boss of the San-no-Matsu territory. With the territory’s affairs and threats unsettled, he faces danger from within its ranks. After the disputes are r...

• Gozamatsu no Magohachi (played by Tamio Kawachi) — supporting

  Magohachi is an assassin whose actions contribute to danger and unrest around the San-no-Matsu territory. He confronts Tokujiro over Oteru’s killing and the violation of the thieves’ code. Because his...

• Oteru (played by Akane Kawasaki) — supporting

  Oteru is the second wife of the candle merchant Bunkichi. A fellow assassin asks Baian to kill her, and Baian accepts the job despite finding the killing of women especially difficult. Her death draws...

• Bunkichi Tsujiya (played by Takanobu Hozumi) — minor

  A candle merchant whose second wife becomes the subject of a killing assignment.

• Tokujiro (played by Torahiko Hamada) — minor

  Tokujiro is connected to Oteru’s killing and is confronted by Magohachi over the death and the violation of the thieves’ code. The summary places him amid the conflict among killers that follows the j...

• Matajûrô Mineyama (played by Hideo Murota) — minor

  Matajûrô Mineyama is a city officer who uses his position to extort money and intimidate people, including street vendors. He offers a struggling man an officer’s position in exchange for a large brib...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Bunkichi Tsujiya → Oteru (Family Husband And Wife) — Oteru's killing takes place within the household relationship established by her marriage to Bunkichi.

  The plot identifies Oteru as the second wife of candle merchant Bunkichi.

Story Dynamics

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

• Matajûrô Mineyama → Bunkichi Tsujiya (Unknown Unspecified Connection) — No direct interaction between these characters is established in the plot reference.

  The plot identifies Bunkichi as Oteru's husband, but does not describe an interaction or relationship between him and Mineyama.

• Tamekichi → Matajûrô Mineyama (Conflict Political Adversaries) — Mineyama's extortion and intimidation create pressure on the territory Tamekichi is left to manage.

  Mineyama abuses his authority against street vendors connected to the San-no-Matsu territory, whose affairs Tamekichi manages after its boss dies.

• Tamekichi → Gozamatsu no Magohachi (Conflict Territorial Adversaries) — Magohachi's criminal operations contribute to instability as Tamekichi tries to take over management of the territory.

  After the territory's boss dies, Tamekichi is left to manage its affairs, while Magohachi is described as a source of danger and unrest; the plot also...

• Gozamatsu no Magohachi → Tokujiro (Conflict Accuser) — Magohachi challenges Tokujiro over the killing, bringing the underworld's code and its disputes into the conflict.

  Magohachi confronts Tokujiro over Oteru's killing and the violation of the thieves' code.

• Baian Fujieda → Tamekichi (Alliance Protective Ally) — Baian's actions against Mineyama contribute to resolving dangers affecting Tamekichi's succession, though the plot does not establish a direct personal bond.

  The plot says Tamekichi faces threats from within his territory, and that those handling the requests seek to remove Mineyama and Magohachi; Baian is...

• Baian Fujieda → Matajûrô Mineyama (Conflict Moral Adversaries) — Baian judges Mineyama by the same personal code that guides his killing work and confronts the corrupt officer directly.

  Baian tells Mineyama that he intends to kill him because he harms people and society, and they fight.

• Baian Fujieda → Oteru (Conflict Contract Killer And Target) — Baian carries out the killing despite finding it especially difficult to kill women; Oteru's death draws him into wider conflict.

  A fellow assassin asks Baian to kill Oteru, and the plot states that Baian accepts the job and Oteru is killed.

Story Analysis

An Edo assassin follows his private moral code as criminal violence and official corruption threaten a territory's fragile succession.

Plot Progression

1. The Healer's Hidden Work — Baian is introduced as an Edo acupuncturist who secretly accepts killings according to his own moral judgment. He takes the assignment to kill Oteru, and her death draws other killers into dispute.
2. Corruption and Succession — Mineyama's extortion and abuse of office weigh on people and vendors connected to the territory. After its boss dies, Tamekichi must manage the territory amid Magohachi's destabilizing presence.
3. Targets Multiply — Those handling the dead boss's request doubt that killing Mineyama alone will restore peace, so Magohachi is also named as a target. Baian refuses Mineyama's offer to join the officer system.
4. Confrontation and Spring — Baian confronts Mineyama over the harm he causes and survives their dangerous fight. The disputes are closed, Tamekichi can succeed his father, and the story ends with hopes for peace and a wedding.