My Home Hero (Japanese: マイホームヒーロー, Hepburn: Mai Hōmu Hīrō) is a Japanese manga series written by Naoki Yamakawa and illustrated by Masashi Asaki. It has been serialized in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine since May 2017, with its chapters collected in 22 tankōbon volumes as of September 2023. An anime television series adaptation produced by Tezuka Productions aired from April to June 2023. A live-action television drama premiered in October 2023. A live-action film is set to premiere in Japanese theatres in March 2024.
Plot
A normal salaryman, Tetsuo Tosu, discovers that his adult daughter Reika is being physically and emotionally abused by her new boyfriend, a young man named Nobuto. Soon after discovering that Nobuto has a history of murdering other girls that he has dated in the past and is currently trying to get money from Reika's grandparents before planning to dispose of her as well, Tetsuo murders Nobuto. He then resolves to commit "the perfect crime" and hides the body with the help of his wife, Kasen. However, Nobuto was the only son of Yoshitatsu Matori, who runs a powerful yakuza branch in the city. While Tetsuo wishes to protect his family, he must now deal with Matori's men as they threaten his family to find out what happened to Nobuto.
A 47-year-old manager for a toy company who enjoys reading and writing mystery novels in his spare time. After murdering Nobuto, he uses his knowledge gained from mystery stories to dispose of the corpse, and then to counter the syndicate that surveils and directly threatens his family.
Tetsuo's 41-year-old wife and accomplice. She is a housewife but her father is the head of a rural cult she managed to leave. She and her mother pretend to speak for the spirits of departed cultists and their families. She and Tetsuo have another son later.
Reika Tosu (鳥栖 零花, Tosu Reika)
Voiced by: Chihiro Shirata[3] (Japanese); Kelly Greenshield[4] (English)
An 18-year-old college student trapped in an abusive relationship with Nobuto at the start of the story, until he is murdered. She offers to help her parents with their garden, unaware of their role in Nobuto's disappearance. She becomes a police investigator in the 3rd arc of the manga after a time skip.
Kyōichi Majima (間島 恭一, Majima Kyōichi)
Voiced by: Kent Itō[3] (Japanese); Nazeeh Tarsha[4] (English)
A member of the syndicate who works under Kubo. Incredibly skilled at surveillance and detection, as well as taking countermeasures against both. He entered the Yakuza to settle a family debt.
Nobuto Matori (麻取 延人, Matori Nobuto)
Voiced by: Keita Tada[3] (Japanese); Jordan Dash Cruz[4] (English)
A loud young man who boasts about extorting girls for money and "accidentally" murdered at least two of them. When Tetsuo murders him at the start of the story, his remains become a focal point of the plot from then on.
Nobuto's father, the head of a local yakuza branch who makes a lot of money for the family. He seeks to find out what happened to his only son, to the point that he threatens to leave the syndicate if they do not come up with an answer.
Yoshitatsu's trusted lieutenant and Majima's superior. He swears vengeance on Tetsuo's family and turns into a serial killer after seeing all his men die.
My Home Hero, written by Naoki Yamakawa and illustrated by Masashi Asaki, began in Kodansha's seinen manga magazine Weekly Young Magazine on May 29, 2017.[8][9] In February 2021, it was announced that the series would reach its climax.[10] Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on September 6, 2017.[11] As of September 6, 2023, twenty-two volumes have been released.[12]
The manga is licensed in France by Kurokawa,[13] in Spain by ECC Ediciones,[14] and in North America by Kodansha USA.[15]
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume. They were originally serialized in Weekly Young Magazine from May to July 2023.
Taisei Kobori (小堀大成)
Talent (才能)
The Evil Protagonist (悪の主人公)
The First Proposal (第1回目のプロポーズ)
The Convenient Man (都合のいい男)
New Life (新生活)
Misjudgment (判断ミス)
Sudden Incoming Call (突然の着信)
Anime
An anime television series adaptation was announced on June 19, 2022.[51][52] The series is produced by Tezuka Productions and directed by Takashi Kamei, with scripts written by Kōhei Kiyasu, character designs by Masatsune Noguchi, and music composed by Kenji Kawai. It aired from April 2 to June 18, 2023, on Tokyo MX and BS NTV.[3][53] The opening theme song is "Ai no Uta" (愛の歌, "Song of Love") by Chiai Fujikawa, while the ending theme song is "Decided" by Dizzy Sunfist.[54]Crunchyroll licensed the series outside of Asia.[55]Medialink licensed the series in South, Southeast Asia and Oceania, except Australia and New Zealand, and streams it on their Ani-One Asia Youtube channel.[56]
Tetsuo Tosu meets his daughter Reika for lunch and discovers that her boyfriend Nobuto is physically abusing her. While tailing Nobuto and his friends one day, Tetsuo is seen and beaten up by a man who threatens to kill him if he talks to the police. Tetsuo spends the night in an internet cafe, then returns to Reika's apartment the next day seeking clues about Nobuto. However, Nobuto arrives so Tetsuo hides in a closet where he hears Nobuto talking over the phone about killing other people and how he plans to get money out of Reika before getting rid of her. About to be discovered, Tetsuo bursts from closet and beats Nobuto to death with a rice cooker. Tetsuo's wife, Kasen, arrives at the apartment and after rationalizing that Tetsuo killed Nobuto in self-defense, the two of them decide to clean up the mess and get rid of the body. Reika returns to the apartment and Kasen convinces her daughter to stay with her so Tetsuo can deal with the body. However, Kubo, another of the gang members enters the apartment looking for Nobuto while Tetsuo is still there and Nobuto's corpse is laying in the bathtub.
2
"'Cutting the Cake'" Transliteration: "Nijūnenme no Kyōdō Sagyō" (Japanese: 20年目の共同作業)
Shintarō Matsui
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
April 9, 2023 (2023-04-09)
When Kubo enters the apartment looking for Nobuto, Tetsuo pretends to be a cleaner called Suzuki on his regular duties and convinces him to leave. Tetsuo uses his technical knowledge to boil Nobuto's body in the bathtub and then when it has reduced in size, transports it home in a large suitcase provided by Kasen. Meanwhile, Reika is followed to her parents' home by Kubo and Kyoichi accompanied by Shingo. When Tetsuo goes to buys garden supplies to quickly decompose the body, Kubo opens his car boot and the suitcase only to find it packed with clothing, although Tetsuo deduces, he has been followed. Back at home, Shingo pretends to be an estate agent and offers to appraise their home, while Kubo enters the house but finds nothing. Later, Tetsuo and Kasen find a listening device in their home and act out a staged conversation about someone stalking Reika who may have harmed Nobuto, prompting Shingos' group to quit their surveillance. Tetsuo and Kasen then successfully bury Nobuto's remains in their garden. However, that night, some of Shingos' gang break in and capture Kasen while Tetsuo is grabbed on his way home.
3
"The Correct Path" Transliteration: "Seikai e no Michi" (Japanese: 正解への道)
Shintarō Matsui
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
April 16, 2023 (2023-04-16)
A flashback shows Tetsuo and Kasen are aware that Nobuto's gang are investigating them, meanwhile Kyoichi plans to question them about Nobuto. In the present, Tetsuo is bound with his head covered by a bag while Kyoichi beats and threatens to kill him. In desperation, Tetsuo says that he hired a man called Suzuki to investigate Nobuto. The crew with Kasen also questions her, and she tells the same story which Tetsuo had developed earlier, convincing them that she knows nothing about Nobuto's disappearance. Kyoichi reports the results to Kubo, but with nothing to show for his risky operation, Kubo demotes Kyoichi and puts Takeda in charge. In frustration, Kyoichi prepares to kill Tetsuo and blame him for Nobuto's death. However, Tetsuo suggests that if Nobuto returns it will look bad and offers to do everything he can to help Kyoichi locate Nobuto.
4
"The World of Violence" Transliteration: "Bōryoku no Sekai" (Japanese: 暴力の世界)
Daisuke Shimamura
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
April 23, 2023 (2023-04-23)
Kyoichi agrees to work with Tetsuo to find Nobuto, but threatens to kill him and frame him for murdering Nobuto if they cannot do so by the deadline of Friday, however Tetsuo does not share this information with Kasen. After considering his options, Tetsuo decides to create the impression that Nobuto is still alive. They interview Nobuto's girlfriend Hibiki at the club where she works and she mentions Nobuto's exploitation of Reika, enraging Tetsuo, however he manages to extract some useful information from her - Nobuto ripped off his gang by carrying out a pre-planned robbery himself. As Tetsuo and Kyoichi are about to leave they are coerced into carrying out a job for the club owners, to intercept a transaction between two violent gangs, the Ryuken-gumi and the Ouko-tai. At the meeting point on a deserted road, Kyoichi realizes that they are doomed and tries to drive off, but he is shot and wounded as they try to escape.
5
"Are You Happy?" Transliteration: "Shiawase?" (Japanese: 幸せ？)
Hiromichi Matano
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
April 30, 2023 (2023-04-30)
The leader of Kyoichi's gang painfully removes the bullet from his chest. He then films Tetsuo as he is forced to confess killing one of the other gang members as insurance against him divulging the gang's actions. Back home, Tetsuo tells Kasen that his only chance to survive their predicament is to convince the gang that Nobuto is still alive. He suggests using their old college friend Bin Tabata who is currently involved in video production, and Kasen convinces Tabata to act out a small scenario wearing Nobuto's clothes. Meanwhile, Tetsuo tries to unlock Nobuto's phone but it requires a pet's name which Tetsuo cannot guess. He goes to the bar which Nobuto frequented searching for clues, and strikes up a conversation with a man who is despairing about his son's disappearance and says his name is Yoshitatsu Matori and Tetsuo blurts out that his name is Tabata. After the man leaves, the bartender reveals to Tetsuo that he is Nobuto's father.
6
"Entertaining the Guest, Kasen Style" Transliteration: "Kasen-ryū Omotenashi" (Japanese: 歌仙流おもてなし)
Fumio Maezono
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
May 7, 2023 (2023-05-07)
Tetsuo and Kasen manage guess Nobuto's password and unlock his phone. They post the video they made with Tabata showing Nobuto from the rear and then add a comment from Nobuto's phone indicating he is still alive but in hiding. However, Kyoichi's gang suspect the video is a fake as Nobuto's gait is uncharacteristic. Kyoichi drags Tetsuo back to his home to investigate a large pot that he recalled filled with earth but had nothing planted in it. He forces Tetsuo to tip it out but it only contains earth - Kasen had overhead Kyoichi through the phone in Tetsuo's bag and removed the evidence. As Kyoichi rummages through the dirt, Kasen surprisingly returns and invites them in for coffee, After drinking it, Kyoichi rushes to the bathroom as Kasen had added a laxative, however it also effects Tetsuo preventing him from accessing Kyoichi's laptop. Reika unexpectedly arrives home and Kyoichi asks her about Nobuto.
7
"Mother and Mother" Transliteration: "Haha to Haha" (Japanese: 母と母)
Yuri Uema
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
May 14, 2023 (2023-05-14)
As Kyoichi leaves the Tetsuo house, he leaves a note in Reika's shoe for her to contact him. While Kyoichi was in the bathroom, Kasen had secretly installed a keylogger on Kyoichi's laptop, enabling her to access his emails. When she checks via her phone, she finds that he plans to kill Tetsuo and then frame him for Nobuto's disappearance and possible death. Kasen decides to implement plan "B" and goes to Kyoichi's family home to plant a bag of evidence pointing to Nobuto's demise. She meets Kyoichi's mother who has had a hard life herself, and so she decides not to leave the evidence. Meanwhile, Tetsuo slips out of Kyoichi's handcuffs and meets Kasen. Together they devise a plan to leave the bag of evidence at Kyoichi's apartment. However, just as Tetsuo arrives in the foyer with the bag, Kyoichi emerges from the elevator.
8
"The Spider's Thread" Transliteration: "Kumo no Ito" (Japanese: 蜘蛛の糸)
Takuo Suzuki
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
May 21, 2023 (2023-05-21)
Tetsuo avoids being seen by Kyoichi in the foyer. He then tries to enter Kyoichi's apartment to leave Nobuto's remains, but he cannot pick the lock and returns home just before Kyoichi arrives back. When Kyoichi discovers an email was sent from his account, he is perplexed so Tetsuo suggests that he may be being investigated by Takeda who suspects Kyoichi of killing Nobuto. He suggests that Takeda may have planted evidence in his apartment, so Koichi drags Tetsuo with him to his apartment to investigate. They find nothing amiss, but Tetsuo begins to realize that Kyoichi is more clever and ruthless than he anticipated, making his situation more precarious.
9
"The Fateful Day" Transliteration: "Unmei no Hi" (Japanese: 運命の日)
Daisuke Shimamura
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
May 28, 2023 (2023-05-28)
Kyoichi takes Tetsuo with him to report back to Takeda that he has not found evidence of Nobuto's disappearance. While there, Takeda receives a provocative email suggesting that the yakuza are incompetent and that Nobuto and Koichi masterminded an armored car robbery 18 months ago. They search Nobuto's apartment and find a lot of cash and then call in Kubo to supervise a search of Koichi's apartment. They find some money, however there is also a bag containing human skeletal remains which Koichi has never seen. Koichi tries to blame Tetsuo and Takeda but he has no proof, and Kubo decides that Koichi has to take the blame for Nobuto's demise. It is then revealed that Tetsuo arranged for Kasen to place Nobuto's remains there and also sent the email to frame Kyoichi.
10
"One Thing I Did" Transliteration: "Boku ga Shita Hitotsu no Koto" (Japanese: 僕がした1つのこと)
Shintarō Matsui
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei Shintarō Matsui
June 4, 2023 (2023-06-04)
Tetsuo leaves Kyoichi to his fate with Kubo and heads to Reika's apartment where he collapses from exhaustion. A flashback shows Kasen following Tetsuo's plan to enter Kyoichi's apartment from the rooftop and plant Nobuto's remains in the safe after using a combination of technology and guesswork to discover the combination. Meanwhile, in a desperate bid to survive, Kyoichi breaks free from his captors and manages to escape although re-opening his bullet wound. He then pieces together the events leading up to the discovery of Nobuto's remains in his safe and concludes that Tetsuo must have somehow planted the evidence to frame him. He then telephones Matori and says that Tetsuo killed Nobuto.
Kyoichi tries to convince Matori over the phone that he is innocent, believing that Tetsuo killed Nobuto and collaborated with Kasen to plant the evidence against him. Later, Matori enters Reika's apartment with an ALS torch and finds what he believes are traces of Nobuto's blood. Fearing being discovered, Tetsuo emerges from hiding in the closet and confesses his guilt to Matori who threatens to kill him after he tortures and kills his family. Tetsuo snaps and attacks Matori, even after being hit with pepper spray. The noise of the ensuing violent struggle causes the downstairs neighbors to call the police who arrive outside the building as Matori begins to strangle Tetsuo with a cord.
12
"The Current Happiness" Transliteration: "Ima no Shiawase" (Japanese: 今の幸せ)
Takashi Kamei
Kōhei Kiyasu
Takashi Kamei
June 18, 2023 (2023-06-18)
As Matori strangles Tetsuo, they both think about their children. When Matori thinks of Nobuto, he relaxes his grip allowing to Tetsuo break free. Acknowledging his failures as a father, a business man, and as a person, Matori suddenly stabs himself in the stomach with a kitchen knife. However, he reminds Tetsuo that if he fails to return, his gang will know Tetsuo was the culprit all along and kill both him and his family in revenge for his death. Just then, the police knock on the door to investigate the disturbance. Tetsuo manages to convince them to leave while he prevents Matori from speaking, and the yakuza bleeds to death. Tetsuo cleans up the apartment, putting Matori's body in the bathtub. When Kubo comes to investigate, he finds nothing amiss and reports to Tatsumi that Matori has left, closing the chapter. Later that night, Tetsuo buries Matori's corpse in the woods and returns home the next morning. Kasen is angry that he did not come home for dinner but Tetsuo does not tell her what happened. The Tosu's family life returns to normal in spite of the recent dramatic events which threatened to destroy their family.
Live-action
A live-action television drama and live-action film was announced on August 21, 2023. Both adaptations are directed by Takahiro Aoyama. The television drama premiered on MBS and TBS' Dramaism programming block on October 24, 2023. The live-action film is set to premiere in Japanese theatres on March 8, 2024.[5][59]
Reception
By June 2022, the manga had over 2 million copies in circulation.[51]
Erwan Lafleuriel of IGN France called the first volume of My Home Hero a "very effective thriller" and compared its premise to the American television series Breaking Bad.[60]
