Who is Asaki in Sakamoto Days? Identity explained

Sakamoto Days is an animanga series that has offered a unique story in the world of the shonen genre, and fans are loving it. Interestingly, it has masterfully blended intense action with humor and psychological drama; few characters are as deeply twisted and narratively impactful as Sei Asaki.

Sei Asaki is the former chairman of the Japan Assassins Association (JAA), a powerful organization in the underground world of hitmen and killers. His identity remained in the shadows for a large portion of the series, with readers gradually learning that he was not just any villain, but the mastermind behind many of the darkest events that shaped the assassin world and its key players.

More chillingly, Slur's (real name: Uzuki) elder brother, the current figurehead antagonist of the series. While Slur in Sakamoto Days wages open war against the assassin world and aims to tear down the JAA, it is Asaki who initially sets him on that path.

Through cruel manipulation, emotional betrayal, and sadistic schemes, Asaki quite literally broke his own brother and created the monster known as Slur. His reign as JAA chairman was built on lies, bloodshed, and calculated betrayal; earning him a reputation not for physical strength, but for psychological terror and a willingness to sacrifice anyone, even family, to achieve power.

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The Past: Rise to power through blood in Sakamoto Days

To understand the true extent of Asaki’s evil, we need to revisit the most crucial period in his history, that is, his rise to the position of JAA chairman. Years before the events of the main story, Asaki was already an executive within the JAA, working under the then-chairman.

At this time, he oversaw the Al-Kamar Orphanage, a facility that raised children to be assassins. This alone paints a picture of his moral depravity; he used children as pawns in his long game. His opportunity came when he manipulated his own younger brother into attempting the assassination of the chairman’s wife and daughter.

Asaki in Sakamoto Days ultimately orchestrated the chairman’s death anyway, likely through direct or indirect assassination, and then framed Satoru Yotsumura, the chairman’s right-hand man. He even used Yotsumura’s wife, Shino, in the scheme, revealing she married him and had a child solely to use as leverage.

With the chairman gone and Yotsumura disgraced, Asaki claimed the throne as the new JAA chairman.

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Skills and abilities of Asaki

While Sakamoto Days is full of physically dominant assassins, Asaki is dangerous for a different reason: His mind. He may not be a brawler, but his intellect and manipulation tactics are second to none.

1) Master Manipulator: Asaki understands people. He studies their movements, motivations, and emotions. He once correctly identified an ambush just from someone's blinking and walking patterns. Yet, he still walked into the ambush, calmly believing he could talk his way out.

2) Psychological Warfare: Few can match Asaki when it comes to breaking others emotionally. Whether it is grooming orphans to be tools or turning brother against brother, Asaki thrives in the psychological realm.

3) Endurance: In a shocking display, he survived a bomb explosion that went off right next to him, planted inside a corpse. The blast left a crater in the floor, but Asaki walked away unharmed, further shrouding him in mystery.

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Legacy and impact on the story

Even after his death, Asaki's influence remains. Slur, now unhinged and driven by hatred, continues his war against the assassin world not just because of trauma, but because of Asaki’s lies, cruelty, and schemes. Every major character in Sakamoto Days has been affected in some way by Asaki’s actions, directly or indirectly.

His manipulation of the JAA in Sakamoto Days led to a corrupt leadership structure. His treatment of the orphans set off generational cycles of violence. And his destruction of Uzuki and Rion’s bond fueled the central conflict of the series. He didn’t need to be the strongest to be the most terrifying.

Asaki's legacy is one of fear, betrayal, and broken lives.