Introduction Arc

Taro Sakamoto's peaceful life running a convenience store is disrupted when his past as a legendary hitman is revealed, forcing him to protect his family.

Taro Sakamoto stands as a legendary figure in the underground world of professional assassination, commanding reverence and fear throughout criminal networks across Asia. Once considered the greatest assassin alive, his decades-long career was marked by flawless contracts executed with supernatural precision and an uncanny ability to eliminate targets in circumstances other operatives deemed impossible. Every operative in the business knew his name, understood his legendary reputation, and grasped the terrible price of confronting him directly. Yet this apex predator inexplicably abandoned everything—substantial wealth, professional prestige, immense power, and peer respect—to build a peaceful suburban life. The pivotal moment that transformed Sakamoto's trajectory was meeting Aoi, a woman who saw him not as a lethal killer but as someone capable of genuine love and redemption. Their relationship transcended his violent past, and when their daughter Hana was born, Sakamoto made a solemn vow to protect her innocence and shield his family from his dangerous former existence. This opening arc establishes the fundamental contradiction of Sakamoto Days: a legendary assassin desperately maintaining the facade of an ordinary convenience store owner in quiet Urawa, Tokyo. By day, Sakamoto stocks shelves, assists customers, and plays the role of an utterly unremarkable middle-aged shopkeeper seamlessly blending into suburban life. His wife Aoi remains entirely unaware of his past, a necessary deception preserving their family's normalcy and allowing her to raise Hana without knowledge of her father's violent history. His daughter Hana, energetic and innocent, knows her father only as a slightly clumsy but genuinely loving parent who makes ordinary household mistakes. This constructed world includes Shin, a mysterious young man with telepathic abilities working at the store and serving as Sakamoto's only true confidant regarding his actual nature. The dynamic between these four individuals forms the emotional core of the series, representing the peaceful life Sakamoto deliberately built as recompense for decades of violence and killing. The introduction arc also introduces Lu Xiaotang, a beautiful young woman arriving in Urawa with her own violent background and mysterious criminal underworld connections. Her obvious combat training and weapon expertise suggest her arrival is no accident but somehow connected to his past. The daily routine established throughout the series—featuring comedic moments of Sakamoto's clumsiness, family dynamics, shopping scenes, mundane neighborhood interactions, and slice-of-life humor—creates a strong sense of normalcy that makes violent intrusions profoundly jarring. Despite appearing as a soft, out-of-shape store owner, Sakamoto's instincts never fully dormant. When danger first appears on the horizon and rival assassins emerge from his past, Sakamoto confronts the horrifying realization that his past cannot remain buried forever. What distinguishes Sakamoto Days is its exploration of how Sakamoto adapts his legendary combat abilities through creative, unconventional means that defy expectations. Rather than relying on traditional weapons—firearms, blades, poisons—Sakamoto demonstrates an almost artistic ability to weaponize his mundane environment with remarkable ingenuity. Common convenience store items become lethal instruments: wire from product displays, shelf items, even the store's structure itself becomes an extension of his will. This creativity reinforces that Sakamoto's deadliness stems not from specialized tools but from his mind, instincts, and decades of accumulated skill. His physical abilities remain superhuman despite his shopkeeper cover, maintaining combat effectiveness that contradicts his middle-aged appearance. The arc's conclusion introduces Nagumo Ryuuichi, another legendary assassin from Sakamoto's past hunting him with single-minded determination. Nagumo represents both the violent world Sakamoto escaped and a mirror of what he might have become. Nagumo's obsession stems from pure professional admiration—he views Sakamoto as the ultimate opponent testing his own worth. This establishes the series' central tension: Sakamoto's desire for peace conflicts directly with the assassination world's violent code, where respect derives from kill counts and legendary status requires constant combat validation. The arc concludes with a compelling question: can someone with Sakamoto's history truly escape his nature, or does his peaceful attempt represent merely a temporary reprieve before violence inevitably catches up? The answer drives the entire narrative forward through subsequent arcs and escalating complications that test every aspect of his carefully constructed domestic life and his ability to remain detached from the criminal underworld that forged him. The action-comedy balance that defines Sakamoto Days becomes apparent in this arc as Suzuki introduces comedic elements alongside serious threats. Sakamoto's attempts to hide his dangerous past while maintaining a normal family life create recurring gag opportunities: he fumbles with ordinary tasks despite superhuman combat abilities, his clumsy convenience store worker persona contrasts sharply with legendary assassin reputation. Yet these comedic moments never undermine the genuine stakes of family protection or threat seriousness. The tonal balance establishes that the series can deliver both laugh-out-loud humor and emotionally resonant drama within the same scenes. Sakamoto's actual family dynamics with Aoi and Hana receive significant development as foundation for all later emotional conflicts. Aoi's knowledge of Sakamoto's past combined with her choice to remain provides series' emotional anchor, showing that genuine love transcends criminal history or occupational violence. Hana's innocent childhood interactions with her father create poignant contrast as readers see what Sakamoto fights to protect: genuine domestic normalcy and innocent family happiness. These family moments transform Sakamoto Days from action series into something genuinely touching. Shin's introduction as telepathic assistant carries potential for exploring superhuman ability integration into mundane life. His unusual talent makes him valuable during combat but also creates psychological burden from constant psychic contact with surrounding minds. The arc establishes that enhanced abilities carry emotional and psychological costs, not purely tactical advantages. Nagumo Ryuuichi's introduction as genuine antagonist and admirer creates series' core dynamic. His singular focus on challenging Sakamoto suggests that the assassination world operates partially on professional respect and competitive honor rather than pure profit motivation. Nagumo's obsession foreshadows that Sakamoto cannot avoid the industry because figures like Nagumo will continue seeking him out regardless of withdrawal. The action-comedy balance that defines Sakamoto Days becomes apparent in this arc as Suzuki introduces comedic elements alongside serious threats. Sakamoto's attempts to hide his dangerous past while maintaining a normal family life create recurring gag opportunities: he fumbles with ordinary tasks despite superhuman combat abilities, his clumsy convenience store worker persona contrasts sharply with legendary assassin reputation. Yet these comedic moments never undermine the genuine stakes of family protection or threat seriousness. The tonal balance establishes that the series can deliver both laugh-out-loud humor and emotionally resonant drama within the same scenes. Sakamoto's actual family dynamics with Aoi and Hana receive significant development as foundation for all later emotional conflicts. Aoi's knowledge of Sakamoto's past combined with her choice to remain provides series' emotional anchor, showing that genuine love transcends criminal history or occupational violence. Hana's innocent childhood interactions with her father create poignant contrast as readers see what Sakamoto fights to protect: genuine domestic normalcy and innocent family happiness. These family moments transform Sakamoto Days from action series into something genuinely touching. Shin's introduction as telepathic assistant carries potential for exploring superhuman ability integration into mundane life. His unusual talent makes him valuable during combat but also creates psychological burden from constant psychic contact with surrounding minds. The arc establishes that enhanced abilities carry emotional and psychological costs, not purely tactical advantages. Nagumo Ryuuichi's introduction as genuine antagonist and admirer creates series' core dynamic. His singular focus on challenging Sakamoto suggests that the assassination world operates partially on professional respect and competitive honor rather than pure profit motivation. Nagumo's obsession foreshadows that Sakamoto cannot avoid the industry because figures like Nagumo will continue seeking him out regardless of withdrawal.