Sumith Prasad
In the eighth episode of Max’s crime drama series ‘Tokyo Vice’ season 2, Sato understands the threat of Hayama’s presence in the life of his brother Kaito. Hayama traps Kaito in Chihara-kai to use him as a mere body to kill Shinzo Tozawa’s men. Despite Sato’s requests to leave his brother alone, Hayama forces Kaito to work for him. When Gen reminds Sato of the threat of Hayama, he sets out to meet his former leader, who currently serves as the master of Chihara-kai after the demise of Hitoshi Ishida. Sato then makes a significant decision concerning the fate of Hayama to safeguard his brother! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Sato Kills Hayama
When Sato realizes that Kaito will get killed by Tozawa’s men if he remains a part of Chihara-kai, he meets Hayama to plead to get his brother back. Hayama, however, makes it clear that Kaito is no longer Sato’s brother but a “property” of Chihara-kai for him to use any way he chooses to, regardless of the latter’s life getting threatened. Hayama’s words convince Sato that the former has already issued a death warrant in the name of his sibling, which motivates him to fight his former leader. In a bathhouse, a fight ensues between Sato and Hayama with several members of Chihara-kai surrounding them.
Sato caused immense pain to his parents after he left home to join Chihara-kai. He even fails to remain beside his father when the latter dies. After his father’s death, Sato doesn’t want to cause any threat to Kaito’s life, which will severely hurt their mother’s feelings. He feels responsible for leading his sibling to the dangerous world of yakuza clans and their rivalries, which makes him fight Hayama if it’s necessary to protect his brother. That’s the reason why Sato stands against his former leader despite the latter’s position in their clan. When Kaito perceives that his brother needs a helping hand, he reveals how Hayama killed Ota, who was a part of their gang.
The realization that Hayama killed one of their own without any credible reason unsettles the other Chihara-kai members, who team up with Sato to kill Hayama. They must have gotten tired of dealing with Hayama’s authoritarian nature and disregard for the lives of people he is supposed to protect as the new “oyabun.” With the help of his former clan members, Sato eliminates the threat of Hayama and frees his brother from the clutches of Chihara-kai.
Yōsuke Kubozuka’s Exit From Tokyo Vice
Even though neither Max nor Yōsuke Kubozuka has announced the actor’s exit from ‘Tokyo Vice,’ Hayama’s death indicates that we have seemingly seen the last of Kubozuka in the crime drama. The show doesn’t rely on flashback scenes or dreams/visions for dead characters to continue to appear. Since Hayama’s death concludes his arc for good, without leaving any scope, it is unlikely that his past will be significant enough for him to remain a part of the narrative. Furthermore, Hayama’s death is a much-needed development to potentially depict Sato’s ascend to the throne of Chihara-kai.
Hayama’s murder must have become an inevitability for the progression of Sato’s storyline. Sato ruling Chihara-kai has been teased long enough for Hayama to occupy the position, which explains his death. Since neither Jin Miyamoto nor Hitoshi Ishida appears in the series after their deaths, it is safe to predict the same fate as far as Hayama’s future in the crime drama is concerned. Although Kubozuka will most likely not appear in the upcoming episodes of the show, he is still in touch with his co-stars as they are actively promoting the series in Japan ahead of the sophomore installment’s premiere in the Asian country.
