Character Relationship Map: Serpent's Path

Characters

• Nijima (played by Show Aikawa) — protagonist

  A schoolteacher and Miyashita's friend who assists in the vigilante search for the perpetrator behind his friend's daughter's kidnapping and murder. He actively participates in the warehouse interroga...

• Miyashita (played by Teruyuki Kagawa) — protagonist

  Former low-level yakuza member who enlists his friend Nijima to track down the person who kidnapped and murdered his daughter. He obsessively watches home video footage of his daughter while participa...

• Otsuki (played by Yûrei Yanagi) — supporting
• Hiyama (played by Shirō Shimomoto) — supporting
• Nijima's Daughter (played by Mizuho Tanaka) — supporting
• Ariga (played by Kaei Okina) — supporting
• Emi (played by Ayami Oda) — minor

Canonical Relationships

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

• Nijima's Daughter → Nijima (daughter)
• Miyashita → Emi (Family Father And Daughter) — Miyashita's grief over his daughter's kidnapping and murder drives his participation in the search and revenge.

  Miyashita's character profile identifies him as the father of the daughter who was kidnapped and murdered, and says he obsessively watches her home vi...

• Miyashita → Hiyama (Professional Former Criminal Associate) — Their former criminal connection becomes relevant when Nijima learns Miyashita may have been targeted over suspicion that he would betray Hiyama.

  The plot says Miyashita had been connected to Hiyama and the same criminal circle a year earlier.

Story Dynamics

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

• Nijima → Ariga (Conflict Pursuer And Accused Killer) — Nijima confronts Ariga at the place associated with Emi's filming and death, making him the focus of the pursuit's final confrontation.

  At the factory, Nijima confronts a man he identifies as Ariga and says Emi was his child and that they killed her there.

• Miyashita → Ariga (Conflict Pursuer And Suspected Assailant) — Miyashita follows the gang's lead to Ariga, who is identified as the man Nijima confronts at the factory.

  Gang members say Hiyama ordered an attack on Miyashita and that Ariga acted on his own; the search eventually leads the pair to Ariga.

• Nijima → Hiyama (Conflict Pursuer And Suspected Instigator) — Nijima pursues the people connected to Emi's death and encounters claims that Hiyama's order concerned Miyashita rather than Emi.

  Gang members tell Nijima and Miyashita that Hiyama ordered an attack on Miyashita, although Ariga supposedly acted independently.

• Miyashita → Otsuki (Conflict Interrogator And Suspect) — Miyashita participates in the coercive questioning and continues pursuing Otsuki's leads despite his deception.

  Miyashita helps restrain Otsuki during the confrontation, and Otsuki later tries to mislead the pair with a false address.

• Nijima → Otsuki (Conflict Interrogator And Suspect) — Nijima pressures Otsuki for information about the killing, but Otsuki denies responsibility and attempts to misdirect the search.

  Nijima and Miyashita lure Otsuki out with a fake delivery and confront him about Emi's murder. Otsuki later gives them a false address.

• Nijima → Miyashita (Alliance Friends Turned Revenge Partners) — They cooperate in interrogating suspects and following leads, becoming increasingly dependent on one another as their pursuit escalates.

  The plot describes Nijima as Miyashita's friend and says Miyashita stays with Nijima as they pursue the people connected to Emi's murder.

Story Analysis

Two men pursue those connected to Emi's murder, while grief, uncertain responsibility, and old criminal ties complicate their search.

Plot Progression

1. A Trail of Denials — Nijima and Miyashita lure Otsuki into a confrontation and question him about Emi's murder. Otsuki denies responsibility, while the killer's identity remains uncertain.
2. Old Ties and New Doubts — The story revisits Miyashita's connection to Hiyama's criminal circle. Nijima learns Miyashita may have been targeted over suspected betrayal, but Miyashita denies knowing of a plan against Emi.
3. Following the Gang's Lead — Nijima and Miyashita continue together as their dependence deepens. Gang members distinguish Hiyama's order from Ariga's alleged independent actions and offer to take them to Ariga.
4. The Factory and Its Aftermath — After Otsuki gives a false address, the pair use another delivery call to continue the search. At the factory, Nijima confronts Ariga at the place associated with Emi's filming and death, and the purs...