Tokyo Vice Season 2’s Shocking Death Hints 1 Major Character Can’t Be Trusted

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Tokyo Vice season 2, episode 5!

The shocking character death in Tokyo Vice season 2, episode 5 raises questions about who betrayed the Chihara-Kai and Oyabun Ishida. Once one of the most captivating and formidable characters in the series, Ishida now appears to be dead after a surprise attack from two armed assassins. Ishida (Shun Sugata) had been meeting with Samantha (Racehl Keller) and the architect/Club Polina regular Masa (Takayuki Suzuki) to discuss future real estate opportunities when the attackers entered the club. It appeared that they were specifically there for Ishida, although Masa was also shot and killed in the crossfire.

The sudden loss of Ishida at the midpoint of the immersive Tokyo Vice season 2 creates a clear path for Hayama, the reckless second-in-command leader of the Chiahra-Kai, to take on the position of the oyabun. This occurs only one episode after the change in power of the rival Tozawa clan, as Tozawa himself (Ayumi Tanida) stages a revolt against the leader of the Tozawa clan or the “Kaicho”, Nakahara (Renji Ishibashi). With two major power shifts on both sides of the board, Tozawa and Hayama could potentially face off in an all-out gang war over the second half of Tokyo Vice season 2 despite Sato (Shô Kasamatsu) receiving Ishida’s blessing as oyabun.

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Ishida’s Sudden Assassination Implies That A Chihara-Kai Member Ratted Him Out

There are multiple avenues to explore in who was responsible for Ishida’s death, as it is certainly the biggest mystery following Tokyo Vice season 2, episode 5. One of the most plausible scenarios is that a member of the Chihara-Kai revealed his location to a member of the Tozawa clan, who sent two armed assassins to take him out. Under the presiding rule of Nakahara, the Tozawa clan likely would not have been so bold or dishonorable as to sneak up on Ishida and murder him in cold blood. With Tozawa now in charge of his clan, he is most likely the one who called the hit on Ishida despite an alliance appearing to be formed between them earlier in the season.

Tozawa would most likely have had to have a mole in the Chihara-Kai in order for him to know about Ishida’s meeting at Club Polina that night. The biggest Chihara-Kai traitor of season 1, Gen (Nobushige Suematsu), tried and failed to kill Sato before running to the Tozawa for protection. It’s completely possible that Yabuki, who ran Tozawa operations during his absence, worked out a deal with Gen before returning him to Ishida. Sato had the opportunity to kill Gen but shockingly decided to spare his life. Then, of course, there is Hayama, who has already demonstrated his capability for unhinged violence and could have orchestrated the hit to become oyabun.

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Why Hayama Would Betray The Oyabun, Sato, & The Chihara-Kai

Hayama seems to be another plausible character who could have betrayed Ishida to advance his own political gains. There is undoubtedly tension between Sato and Hayama, especially after things went sideways during their mission to retrieve weapons from the former yakuza Ota. It is interesting in retrospect to consider why Hayama simply couldn’t complete the objective as Ishida had instructed, instead getting drunk with Ota before killing him, setting his house on fire, and keeping Ishida’s money without purchasing the weapons. Fortunately, Sato has been stockpiling weapons at Club Polina, which got both of them off the hook.

Hayama is an untrustworthy and spontaneous character, hinting that there is more to his recklessness than it simply being a character flaw. It’s completely plausible that Hayama has some type of ulterior motive despite serving a 7-year prison sentence for the Chihara-Kai, a scenario that has not been given much detail thus far in Tokyo Vice season 2. There could be some unresolved issue that Hayama had with Ishida, or potentially he made a new alliance while in prison with the Tozawa clan. Hayama, who frequented Club Polina with Sato, wasn’t there on the night of Ishida’s assassination, which could be a major clue to his involvement.

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Tozawa Also Likely Played A Role In Oyabun’s Assassination

It would be shocking if Tozawa had no involvement whatsoever in Ishida’s death, especially since it would coincide with his new rise to power. Tozawa claimed that he wanted to be seen more as the President of the clan than the oyabun, painting a grand vision of the Tozawa clan as a corporation rather than a criminal organization. There is one character, however, who could prove to be Tozawa’s mole at Club Polina: an unnamed bartender who characteristically drops glasses and does other shady things while apparently eavesdropping on conversations pertaining to the Chihara-Kai. Future episodes of Tokyo Vice will hopefully provide clarity and justice for Ishida’s murder.

Tokyo Vice

Based on the novel and the true experiences of Jake Adelstein, Tokyo Vice is a drama thriller series that sees the first American journalist ever to join a Japanese newspaper, forced to start at the bottom of the totem pole to earn his place. Set loose under a vice detective’s close tutelage and supervision, Jake steps into the Yakuza-led underworld of Tokyo and learns what it means to ask too many questions.

Cast

Ansel Elgort , Rachel Keller

Release Date

April 17, 2022

Seasons

2

Writers

Destin Daniel Cretton

Directors

Josef Kubota Wladyka , Michael Mann , Alan Poul , Hikari