Character Relationship Map: The Eternal Zero

Characters

• Kyuzo Miyabe (played by Junichi Okada) — protagonist

  A highly skilled Zero fighter pilot regarded by his comrades as timid because he repeatedly returns alive from missions and openly says he does not want to die. He promises Matsuno and Kiyoko to survi...

• Kentaro Saeki (played by Haruma Miura) — protagonist

  A twenty-six-year-old man repeatedly failing the national bar examination and uncertain about his future. After learning that Kenichiro was not his blood grandfather, he investigates Kyuzo Miyabe's wa...

• Matsuno (played by Mao Inoue) — supporting

  Matsuno is Kyuzo Miyabe's wife and the grandmother whose funeral begins Kentaro's investigation into his family's wartime history. She receives Miyabe's promise that he will return alive and later bel...

• Kenichiro (played by Isao Natsuyagi) — supporting

  Kenichiro is the man who raised Kentaro's family as a grandfather despite not being related by blood. He shares a deep wartime promise with Kyuzo Miyabe, later agrees to exchange planes with him, and...

• Saeki's Friend (played by Yuki Furukawa) — supporting

  Saeki's Friend appears during a blind dinner date attended by Kentaro and several companions. When this friend compares kamikaze pilots to suicide bombers, Kentaro becomes enraged and leaves, making t...

Canonical Relationships

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

• Kenichiro → Matsuno (Family Husband) — Kenichiro's later family role is connected to Miyabe's final wartime choice.

  The plot states that Kenichiro becomes a loving husband and father for Matsuno's family after the war.

• Kyuzo Miyabe → Kentaro Saeki (Family Maternal Grandfather) — Miyabe's past becomes the central mystery that Kentaro tries to understand.

  Kentaro learns that Kyuzo Miyabe was his real grandfather and investigates Miyabe's wartime history.

• Kyuzo Miyabe → Matsuno (Romantic Husband) — Their marriage gives Miyabe a personal reason to reject pointless death.

  Miyabe makes a promise to his wife Matsuno that he will return alive from the war.

• Matsuno → Kentaro Saeki (Family Grandmother) — Matsuno's death triggers Kentaro's discovery of his real grandfather.

  The story begins after Kentaro attends the funeral of his grandmother Matsuno.

Story Dynamics

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

• Kenichiro → Kyuzo Miyabe (Alliance Comrade) — Their wartime connection culminates in a decisive exchange of aircraft.

  Before Miyabe's final mission, Miyabe asks Kenichiro to change planes with him.

• Saeki's Friend → Kentaro Saeki (friend)

Story Analysis

A grandson investigates a wartime pilot's apparent cowardice and discovers that survival, love, and sacrifice are bound together by a promise.

Plot Progression

1. A Grandson Seeks the Truth — After Matsuno's funeral, Kentaro discovers that Kenichiro was not his blood grandfather. He begins investigating Kyuzo Miyabe, the grandfather whose wartime identity was hidden from him.
2. The Pilot Who Wanted to Live — Miyabe is remembered by comrades as timid because he repeatedly returns alive from missions. His promise to Matsuno explains why he values survival over glorious death.
3. War Against Despair — As Japan suffers major battlefield defeats, Miyabe continues arguing that survival has value. His refusal to retract this belief brings repeated punishment and inspires hope among his men.
4. The Promise Before Sacrifice — Kentaro's investigation reaches Kenichiro's account and clarifies the promise connecting Miyabe's family and wartime choices. The apparent contradiction between Miyabe's survival instinct and his fina...
5. The Last Flight — Miyabe asks Kenichiro to exchange planes before the final mission. Engine trouble saves Kenichiro, while Miyabe continues alone toward the ship in a calm final approach.