Satoru Fujinuma has the unique talent of “revival” in Erased Season 1. His unique ability enables him to go back in time before terrible events occur and undo whatever harm was committed. He keeps going back in time till the incidents come to an end.
To find out who killed his mother 18 years ago, Satoru Fujinuma travels back in time. Satoru Fujinuma is confident that his mother’s passing is connected to a series of homicides that took place 18 years ago and had young children as the victims.
Cast of Erased Season 1
- Satoru Fujinuma – Voiced by Benjamin Diskin, main character, a 29-year-old manga artist who moonlights as an Oasi Pizza delivery guy
- Kayo Hinazuki – Voiced by Stephanie Sheh, is a former elementary school classmate of Satoru’s and one of the initial victims of the serial kidnapping case that took place 18 years ago
- Airi Katagiri – Voiced by Cherami Leigh, is a friendly coworker at Oasi Pizza who is in high school and is Satoru’s friend
- Sachiko Fujinuma – Voiced by Sara Cravens, is a former news anchor and Satoru’s mother
- Jun Shiratori – Voiced by Max Mittelman, is a stammering food delivery man who frequents lone students near his home in Satoru’s hometown.
- Kenya Kobayashi – Voiced by Xander Mobus, is one of Satoru’s primary school classmates with a strong sense of justice
- Gaku Yashiro – Voiced by David Collins, is the closest thing Satoru has to a father figure and served as his homeroom teacher during his formative years
- Hiromi Sugita – Voiced by Kyle McCarley, is a primary school classmate of Satoru
Episode 1 - Flashing Before My Eyes
Satoru Fujinuma (Benjamin Diskin), a 29-year-old struggling mangaka in Chiba in 2006. He periodically experiences a phenomenon he calls “Revival,” in which he is sent back in time to stop a fatal incident from happening nearby. He uses it to save a youngster from a speeding truck, so he must spend a few days in the hospital.
As he recovers, Airi Katagiri (Cherami Leigh), a coworker, commends him for saving a life. Later, when his mother Sachiko (Sara Cravens) pays him a visit, she reminds him of an incident that took place in their Hokkaido hometown 18 years prior: an adult by the name of Jun Shiratori (Max Mittelman), also known as “Yuuki”, who Satoru had trusted, was apprehended for the kidnapping and murder of three local children, including two of his classmates. The following day, when Satoru undergoes another Revival, Sachiko notices a man who appears to be attempting to abduct a child.
After more investigation, Sachiko concludes that the man was the actual murderer from 18 years ago. Still, she is assassinated at Satoru’s apartment before she can tell anybody. When Satoru is accused of murdering Sachiko after finding her death, his Revival transports him back to 1988, when he was a 10-year-old Hokkaido elementary school student.
Episode 2 - Palm of the Hand
Satoru finds solace in being able to visit his mother once more. At the same time, he grows confused by the circumstances of his situation. Satoru notices a bruise on Kayo Hinazuki’s thigh, one of his classmates slain by the serial kidnapper, and realizes that being transferred to this period by Revival is related to Sachiko’s eventual death.
On the advice of his friend Kenya Kobayashi (Erica Mendez), Satoru reads an essay written by Kayo (Stephanie Sheh) that provides more insight into her difficult home life. Satoru chooses to invite Kayo to his birthday celebration to better understand her and hopefully prevent her from being killed.
Episode 3 - Birthmark
Satoru holds back from winning an ice skating competition against a classmate to prevent accidentally trying to alter the future, upsetting the classmate, and disappointing Kayo. Satoru surmises that Kayo will be kidnapped on March 1 because her birthday is on March 2, the same day as his. The kidnapping occurred in March but before her birthday.
While still adamant that Yuuki is not the kidnapper, Satoru spends some time with him. After that, Kayo’s abusive relationship with her mother, Akemi (Carrie Keranen), is revealed to Satoru when he discovers her battered in her home’s shed. The following day, Satoru conversed with his teacher, Gaku Yashiro (David W. Collins).
The teacher describes how he has been looking for evidence to convict Akemi of abuse for almost a year but hasn’t been successful. Later, after Kayo is suspected of stealing the lunch money from the class, Satoru defends her before bringing her up a mountain to show her a frost-covered “Christmas” tree.
Episode 4 - Accomplishment
Sachiko assists Satoru in getting Kayo to agree to go with him to the neighborhood science museum. Satoru experiences déjà vu while on the excursion and becomes concerned because he keeps saying the same things. Satoru and Kayo can enjoy their birthdays the next day after March 1, when Kayo was first reported missing, goes by without incident.
Satoru is convinced he has changed history at this point. But when Kayo doesn’t show up for class the next day, Satoru is surprised.
Episode 5 - Getaway
Another schoolgirl vanishes a few days after Kayo’s disappearance, and Satoru is furious that he is powerless to stop it. After seeing Akemi discard Kayo’s possessions, Satoru finds himself unexpectedly back in 2006, still wanting for Sachiko’s murder and having to flee from the authorities. Soon after, Satoru meets Airi, who accepts his innocence and invites him to stay at her home.
There, he discovers that his actions did alter the facts of Kayo’s disappearance just a little bit. The following day, when Satoru conducts his best investigation, Airi prevents her manager from calling the police and reporting Satoru. After assisting Satoru in finding another place to hide, Airi receives a text from Sachiko’s phone later that evening, just before getting caught in a house fire.
Episode 6 - Grim Reaper
After seeing it, Satoru runs to save Airi from the burning house, but not before she puts her phone into his pocket. The manager then takes over the rescue effort. Satoru calls the number Sachiko left behind after discovering the message on Airi’s phone and sets up a meeting with Sawada (John DeMita), a journalist friend of Sachiko’s. Satoru is informed by Sawada of Sachiko’s last phone contact.
She asserted that she knew the genuine kidnapper’s identity but could not tell him before she was killed. Additionally, he provides an explanation for the information that has been made public regarding Kayo’s death. He does this by pointing out Yuuki’s framing of Sachiko’s murder and another kidnapping occurrence in the same area.
When Sawada visits Airi at the hospital to meet with her, she learns that Airi’s mother has switched places with her to demonstrate Satoru’s innocence. As Satoru researches Sawada’s findings on the kidnapping incident, including a list of prior suspects, she finds that Satoru has been set up. Satoru meets with Airi, who tells him about a mystery man named Nishizono (Michelle Ruff) who might have started the fire.
Still, the police show up and take Satoru into custody. Satoru sees the man he spotted leaving his apartment the night of Sachiko’s murder as he is being taken away.
Episode 7 - Out of Control
Satoru uses all of his willpower to successfully activate his Revival. He travels back to February 28, 1988, because he is determined that things will not finish as they are. The following day at school, Kenya confronts Satoru about Kayo’s predicament at home, saying that he has been aware of the domestic abuse for some time, and offers to help.
On March 2, after the birthday celebration, Satoru throws a rock through Yuuki’s window, calling the police and giving him a plausible excuse for his whereabouts. Then Satoru goes looking for Akemi and almost knocks her down some stairs before Kenya stops him and persuades him to take a different action. Instead, with Kayo’s consent, Satoru chooses to “abduct” her.
He takes her to an abandoned bus where they would hide out for a few days until it is determined that she is safe. But on the evening of March 3, an unidentified intruder breaks inside the bus as Kayo is dozing.
Episode 8 - Spiral
When the trespasser leaves the bus, Kayo can flee, leaving his footprint on a box he kicked. The following night, Kayo informs Satoru and the others about the intruder from the previous night as Yashiro investigates Kayo’s home with several members of the Child Consultation Center. They discover a briquette thought to be the murderer’s and tools Satoru recognized as the ones used to accuse Yuuki of killing Kayo in a bag that was left behind.
Satoru brings Kayo to spend the night at his house, where Sachiko had been waiting for them. That is after realizing he is still caught up in the cycle of killings involving kidnappings. The following morning, Kayo eats her first ever homemade breakfast, which causes her to break down in tears.
Later, Satoru and Sachiko follow Kayo home to confront Akemi.
Episode 9 - Closure
Yashiro and the consultants catch Akemi in the act as she retaliates violently to Satoru and Sachiko’s charges, and they recommend that Kayo be placed in detention. As Akemi is about to run off to the police, her estranged mother approaches her. She apologizes for not being able to help her after forcing her to leave her abusive husband and raise Kayo on her own.
It causes Akemi to second-guess her actions. Kayo has moved in with her grandmother, so Satoru now concentrates on the other two victims: Hiromi Sugita (Christine Marie Cabanos), a classmate, and Aya Nakanishi (Corina Boettger), a pupil at the nearby school. Yashiro gives Satoru a lift home, and while keeping an eye on both Hiromi and Aya, Satoru finds a stash of candy in his car.
Later, Satoru visits the bus to investigate what is now empty along with Kenya and Hiromi.
Episode 10 - Joy
Aya first rebuffs Satoru and his pals but eventually agrees to join them in their hiding place. Later, Misato Yanagihara (Mela Lee), who has remained quiet ever since being suspected of framing Kayo, is followed by Satoru. She appears to vanish after using the restroom.
When Satoru sees a truck belonging to Yuuki’s family leaving the area, he calls Yashiro to drive his automobile to pursue it. Along the way, Yashiro comes clean about being the murderer and admits he knew it was Satoru who was getting in the form of his ambitions. He reveals that he lured Satoru into the stolen automobile using Misato as bait, then rolled the car into a frozen lake with Satoru still inside.
Episode 11 - Future
Satoru wakes up in 2003 after spending fifteen years in a coma due to Yashiro’s attempt to kill him. His mother gave him everyday care as his body continued to develop. He no longer remembers what happened in the past, though.
Kenya, Hiromi, and Kayo, now Hiromi’s wife and the mother of their child, all pay Satoru a visit. The visits from his buddies trigger specific memories for Satoru. Later, he runs across Yashiro, who has changed his name to Nishizono and is now a politician.
As well as Kumi (Erica Mendez), a leukemia sufferer due to surgery. Yashiro takes Satoru to the rooftop two days before Kumi has surgery, where he confirms Yashiro’s concerns that he has retrieved his memories.
Episode 12 - Treasure
In the final episode, a flashback reveals that following Kayo’s visit, Satoru’s memories came back, and he informed Kenya and Hiromi that Yashiro was the murderer. Yashiro boasts, “My prior offenses have long exceeded the statute of limitations, and I cannot be arrested,” back on the rooftop. He admits that he planned to have Satoru falsely accused of killing Kumi and killed her with a tampered IV drip.
Yashiro threatens to throw Satoru off the roof and make it appear like he committed suicide. Satoru, who claims that Yashiro can’t survive without him, calls Yashiro’s bluff. This seems to be the case when Yashiro initially prevents Satoru from sliding his wheelchair over the roof.
In the season finale, Yashiro lets Satoru go and gets ready for his own suicide. When Yashiro is ultimately taken into custody for attempted murder, he finds out that Satoru has been captured by his companions without incident. After some time, Satoru achieved popularity as a manga artist.
One day, Satoru unexpectedly runs into Airi beneath the same bridge where they once sat and where he vanished during his previous Revival.
Erased Quick Facts
- a Japanese manga series adapted into anime series TV show
- Kei Sanbe is the author and illustrator
- serialized in Kadokawa Shoten’s Young Ace magazine from June 2012 to March 2016
- is licensed in English by Yen Press
- Erased, known in Japan as Boku Dake ga Inai Machi
- an anime adaptation by A-1 Pictures aired on Fuji TV’s Noitamina programming block from January to March 2016
- The live-action drama series was released by Netflix in December 2017
- a spin-off manga was published from June to November 2016
- the spin-off novel series by Hajime Ninomae was released in Kadokawa’s Bungei Kadokawa magazine from November 2015 to March 2016
- available on Netflix