Human Vapor (2026) s01e05 Episode Script

- [jolly music playing]
- Hey, everyone!
Can you guess what this summer is?
Yeah! It's the children's expo! Hooray!
Now, come on! Follow me.
Let's have an adventure!
Welcome to the city of the future
in Yamanashi!
If we all hold hands and work together,
a bright future awaits us all!
- The World Children's Peace Exposition…
- [man 1] Hey! Get the hell back!
- Spit that out right now!
- [music becomes dramatic orchestral march]
You think you can
just grab food off our plates? Huh?
- [man 2] You're a sucker for punishment.
- [man 3] Hey, hold up!
- [man 1] You think you can play with me?
- [man 2] I'll rip it out of your mouth!
[announcement] Make sure
to wipe off excess sweat and dirt
before reentering the facility.
Personal hygiene is
of the utmost importance,
not only to you
but to others and the staff.
So make sure to get cleaned up.
If you do notice any changes
in your physical condition,
please notify
a member of staff immediately.
- [music ends]
- [man grunting]
Hey.
- You see that shooting star the other day?
- [girl] Mm-hmm.
You wish for anything?
[woman] Why not? That's what you're
supposed to do with a shooting star.
Well, I wished that I was rich enough
to never have to work again.
- [banging]
- [man 2] You there!
Stop fooling around
and get your ass back to work!
Don't make me come in there.
I'll break your jaw!
[gentle acoustic guitar music playing]
[siren blaring]
All right, everyone!
We are recruiting additional workers
for an environmental cleanup project.
The compensation for this will be
five times the standard rate.
If you're interested in taking part,
then you should raise your hand.
- I am!
- [woman 2] Over here, me! I'm interested!
You don't want to? Let's do it together.
- [man] Any other takers?
- [woman 2] Me!
[man] The long-haired lady in 105!
You're in!
- [people shouting]
- [man] Anybody else?
Okay, you, the bald guy in 204.
I have you down.
- Anyone else?
- [woman 2] I need the money!
Huh.
The woman and kid in 303.
Thank you. Okay, who else we got?
Great! You see that?
My shooting star wish came true!
[man] Okay, you, the woman
with the short hair. Perfect.
Oh, and the man right below her.
We've got you down.
Yes, ma'am, I see you.
Is that it? No one else?
[music fades out]
WHITE CENTER
[truck rumbling outside]
[resident snoring]
[resident sleep-talking]
[snoring continues]
[mysterious music droning]
[latch clicks]
- What are you gonna do?
- What do you think? Bury them!
What, right here?
Are you serious? We can't do that.
- What other choice do we have, huh?
- It's just that, uh…
The meteorite is way too dangerous.
Let's cut ties right now. Maybe--
Just shut up!
No one'll give a shit
if these people disappear anyway! Come on!
- Hey, Satsuki! How'd it go?
- [Obata] Let's call the police…
- Did you make a lot of money?
- [man] How stupid are you?
If we go to the police,
we're back at square one!
Satsuki?
- [Obata] Are they really all dead?
- [man] You can't tell by the smell?
- [man] There's no other choice…
- Satsuki?
[Obata] That's gonna take forever.
[man] We probably shouldn't waste time
talking about it, should we?
I'm taking the car out.
[man breathes heavily]
[Obata] The sun's coming up soon.
You think I don't know that?!
You gotta keep this closed.
[mysterious music building]
Satsuki.
[music fades out]
Satsuki!
Satsuki, wake up!
[singing erratically]
- [brakes screech]
- Oh!
- [people laughing]
- [woman 1] Don't be lame. We have time.
Hey! Outta the way!
[woman 1] Let's go to one more place!
You know you want to!
- Who is this guy, in his big truck?
- [man 1] Where'd you get those glasses?
- [driver grunts]
- [woman 1] Oh my God!
Hey! Stop what you're doing!
Get off of him!
[driver] Wanna step in front my car?
[woman 2] Somebody help!
He's attacking our friend!
Stop! You're gonna kill him!
[man 2] Calm down! We're gonna go!
- [driver] You wanna die?!
- [woman 2] I think he broke his nose!
- [melancholy music playing]
- [indistinct chatter]
[indistinct chatter and laughter]
- [man] Let me see your bag. What you got?
- [woman] Get over here!
[melancholy music continues]
BUNKO RAMEN
[music fades out]
[person slurping]
- [man] Two spicy pork ramens, table two.
- [woman] Got it.
[customer slurping]
[woman] Here, spicy pork ramen.
[poignant music playing]
BUNKO RAMEN AFTER A FESTIVAL
IS THE BEST!
I LOVE YOU, MOM
THE MISO RAMEN
AND SALT GREEN ONION RAMEN ARE SO TASTY
Wow, amazing. You can feel the love.
- [man] You wanna get a picture?
- Oh, no, no. I'm by myself, it's sad.
- I'll be in the picture with you.
- That's worse. Your face is terrifying.
- Sorry?
- [woman laughs]
Shave that beard. It's intimidating.
I don't wanna be in a picture with that!
He'll never shave the beard off.
It's a lost cause!
- [customer] Excuse me.
- Yeah?
- [customer] Another order of gyoza.
- You got it.
[customer] Instead of white rice,
can I do fried rice?
Fried rice, got it.
[customer 2] Actually, boss,
I'll take a half order of fried rice too.
[man] Two orders of fried rice.
Ren, want your usual?
Uh, yeah.
I'll take two, actually.
Really?
[girl gasps]
[Ren] Wait, it's okay!
Stop! J… Hang on a second.
Wait, are you hungry? You want some food?
Uh…
Right?
'Cause, uh,
I ordered way too much.
Maybe you can help me eat it?
I'd really appreciate it.
I saw you wandering around before.
Everything okay?
Huh.
Look at that cool stone.
[chuckles]
So where'd you come from?
Hmm.
Oh.
[chuckles]
Look, you wanna see?
It's cool.
[chuckles]
It's a rice ball!
[chuckles]
No, huh?
[sighs]
So, uh, want some ramen?
It's up to you.
We can pig out and chat? That'd be fun.
Hey, Ren. Should I call the police?
Oh, wait! Don't go!
Wait, stop!
Hang on a second, it's okay!
Hey, calm down. It's all right.
It's okay, don't worry.
We're not gonna call the police,
all right?
I promise.
Uh…
Uh, I'll make you a deal.
Tell me where your home is,
and I'll help you get back there.
You just gotta
eat some ramen with me first.
Okay?
It's really good!
[man] Here we are,
miso ramen with butter and corn.
[Ren] Oh, that looks delicious!
- [man] Enjoy!
- Ah! Perfect! Thank you!
[radio] This is Chris Peppler.
- You're listening to Radical Paradise!
- It's on!
[DJ] So I don't know
what you've all been up to lately,
but I was lucky enough
to go to Céline Dion's concert…
[Ren] Mmm. Mmm, mmm.
What's wrong? Dig in.
[DJ] It almost looked
like the bow of a ship…
[Ren] Mmm, mmm. Mmm.
[DJ] But enough about my weekend.
Without further ado, I say we dive into
the segment you all been waiting for,
or at least,
the messages I get indicate that.
It's "Please Make a Wish!"
The theme we set up for the week was,
"A thank-you I could never say until now."
All righty, so today's lucky listener
is from… drum roll, please… Tokyo!
They go by the radio name
Miso Ramen Lover Bunko!
Let's see what they've got to say, huh?
- "Hey, Chris, my long-awaited thank-you…"
- Oh! Oh!
Oh my God!
- [man] You wrote in?
- I send one in every week!
[DJ] "I found myself
on the verge of collapse
in front of this ramen shop."
- "The owner took pity on me."
- This is my letter!
[DJ] "He gave me ramen on the house
and took care of me."
"When I asked him
why he was being so generous,
he told me that he was in a good mood
because the song he requested on the radio
got played that day."
"Something about that taste of that ramen
combined with the particular song
spoke to me."
"It's something I'll never forget."
"I'd love to play that same song
for that generous owner…"
- That was great!
- [man] You didn't have to do that!
[DJ] "Thanks for writing in, Bunko."
"Now, how about we honor his request
and play that song?"
["Ellie My Love"
by Southern All Stars playing]
Hey.
You know this song?
I'd never had a request played
before that.
I was really excited.
And the song from back then
is the same one that's on right now,
"Ellie My Love."
I never thought it would get picked today.
[Ren laughs]
You're our little good-luck charm,
I guess.
My love ♪
So sweet… ♪
[girl] Mm.
Mm. Hmm?
Don't call me little.
I'm Kyoko.
Kyoko?
Well, I'm Ren.
But how 'bout you call me Uncle Ren?
[boy] Hey, Mom! Mom!
One of the goldfish isn't moving!
[woman] What? Where? Which one?
- Right there.
- Oh no. Yeah, he's dead.
["Ellie My Love" continues]
[Ren] All right.
You're a Radical Paradise listener,
aren't you?
We thank you for calling in
and now invite you
to tell us what you want.
Make a wish!
Ellie ♪
My love ♪
So sweet… ♪
[Kyoko sobs softly]
[wails]
[Ren] Oh! No, no, no, no, no.
Wait, I'm sorry.
- Whoa!
- [Kyoko continues wailing]
[Ren] Hey, look,
it's the stone from before.
It… it's like a little ball.
You know, like a rice ball! Look!
[intriguing music playing]
Wait, don't run! I'll pay you!
Hey, come on.
You're gonna wanna hear this, trust me.
[dark, dramatic music playing]
HUMAN VAPOR
[suspenseful music playing]
First victim.
The second victim.
This means someone on the force
could be the next target.
So, Otomo's phone
that was recovered at the scene.
[Kenji] What about it?
Well, we were able to determine
that a video was sent from that phone
and then deleted, after Otomo died.
OWNER: SABURO OTOMO
[Kenji sighs] That's interesting.
[Michiko] Who do we think could've…
It must've been Kyoko Kono.
She was chasing him in the car, huh?
[Kyoko] This is the journal the Fujishiro
Syndicate ordered Otomo to steal
from someone involved with White Center.
All the evidence
is written in those pages.
Oh wow.
DIED OF ILLNESS
WHEREABOUTS UNKNOWN
I don't understand, don't you already
have everything you need?
- If you go public with the journal…
- No.
The journal alone…
doesn't directly implicate
whoever authorized the disposal
and cover-up of the meteorite.
[Fujita] Eh?
[Fujita] "February 25th."
"Mufu came to White Center
to check in on the progress
of the meteorite disposal."
So seems like Mufu made them do it, then?
Yeah, well, I looked into that.
But I didn't get a hit on anyone
or anything named Mufu.
It's probably… some kind of code name
for an underground operation
that dealt with this.
[Fujita] "Mufu, Otomo, Sakamoto, and Kai."
Wait… Otomo, I know that name.
Wasn't he the yakuza boss
the Human Vapor just killed?
[Kyoko] Yeah, so we know him and Sakamoto.
That just leaves Mufu
and whoever this Kai is.
If I can expose this Kai person
and bring Mufu to justice
for what they did,
that'll be the end of it.
I won't hurt anyone else,
and I'll turn myself in.
That's why I'm hoping
that I can trust you both.
Here's my proposal.
I want you to forget
about everything you learned today.
In return, I'll give you
twice the amount we agreed on before.
So… two mil?
You'll get the journal as well.
Just hang on to it quietly
till I turn myself in.
Then you can report it.
- Um, are--
- [Kaho] Sorry, no deal.
Because you wanna kill them all, right?
I understand it's revenge,
but murder is still murder.
If you want to expose people
for the atrocities they committed,
then you should do that.
They deserve it.
You just gotta do it the right way.
Report them. Expose them.
- So, suddenly you care?
- [Kaho] You can't sink to their level.
And if you do kill someone again,
I don't care how guilty they are,
I'll expose you
and everything you're doing.
So what now?
You gonna kill me for that?
[pensive music playing]
[pensive music continues]
[sighs]
SEND FAX
SEN
KILL MAMORU SAKAMOTO
THE MAN IN THE PHOTO
CREATE AUDIO
SEND
[man] Sorry, miss? We're here.
[Kyoko] Oh.
Kenji.
What's wrong?
The data from the journal.
You took it.
What did it say? Tell me, Kyoko.
I'm sure you guys got a good look at it
when you recovered it.
[Kenji] You erased everything, didn't you?
[Kyoko sighs] I don't know
what you're talking about.
- [Kenji] What?
- Yeah, I got the data in the journal.
But I didn't erase anything.
[sighs] I already told you, Kenji.
There must be someone working this
from inside the force.
No one on my team would do that.
[Kyoko sighs softly]
[Kenji sighs]
[Kyoko] I respect your confidence
in law enforcement,
but the journal has Superintendent General
Sakamoto's name in it.
Care to explain that?
MUFU'S OTOMO, SAKAMOTO, AND KAI
SABURO OTOMO
MAMORU SAKAMOTO
KAI: NO DETAILS
What would you have done?
If you were me, Kenji, would you share it,
knowing you'd be handing it to the enemy?
Or maybe…
you would meet with him,
and find out what Mufu is.
[Sakamoto] The opportunity to prove
you want nothing to do with her.
That you're over the whole thing.
You're welcome.
[Fujita, on video] We found him.
[Kaho] Is that the Human Vapor?
[Fujita] It must be him. Just look.
His face…
[puffs slowly]
We found him.
[Kaho] Is that the Human Vapor?
[Fujita] It must be him. Just look.
[Kaho sighs]
[Fujita] His face…
Kaho.
We found him.
We might never get
another opportunity like this.
- Maybe we get in touch with her.
- [Kaho] I won't do it.
Come on. Why not? [sighs]
We both know it would go viral.
It would be our biggest story.
[Kaho] Sure, but at what cost?
She's talking about killing people.
Are you seriously okay with that?
I said it before
and I'll say it again now.
I'm perfectly fine
with the way things are.
And yeah, that includes
doing videos with you that never go viral.
I don't care about that.
We do things our way.
And it's really fun.
I mean, you're right.
It's been fun until now, I guess.
But imagine how much more fun
it would be if we made money.
[groans] Money is all you care about.
I guess
I just don't wanna be a nobody anymore.
[Kaho] What's that supposed to mean?
[Fujita exhales slowly]
You're my brother, is that not enough?
Guess not.
That's what makes us different.
That's not what I'm saying.
Kaho,
I just feel that
you and I were chosen, you know?
[Kaho] Oh, great, there you go again.
[Fujita sighs]
[soft, intriguing piano music playing]
[Fujita grunts, then coughs]
All right, well, I'm off
to my exciting part-time job.
[Fujita] What's this?
It's your present.
For your birthday tomorrow.
[Fujita] Seriously?
Ah!
[chuckles]
[laughs]
Kaho!
You've always been there.
Come on, my sister.
Don't be gross.
[Kaho] Oh, if you see any unsold bento,
bring them back.
[intriguing music building]
[music fades out]
Kenji.
If all this turns out to be true…
you think you'll be able
to arrest Sakamoto?
I don't believe he'd ever do this, so…
I'll meet him,
and I'll find out.
[Kenji exhales heavily]
[chilling music rumbling]
[knock at door]
What is it?
It's Kenji.
He said he's stopping by tonight.
- What?
- Why? What's wrong?
[sighs]
Nothing. Sounds good.
[Chieko] I'll set a place for him
at the table for dinner.
["Ellie My Love"
by Southern All Stars playing]
Ellie ♪
My love ♪
So sweet ♪
Ellie ♪
My love ♪
So sweet ♪
Greetings, listener.
Go right ahead,
and make a wish.
[tense music playing]
Uh, uh…
[doorbell rings]
[sighs heavily]
- [Chieko chuckles] Kenji, good to see you!
- [Kenji] Thank you for having me.
Please, we love it.
We wish you'd come over more often!
It gets a little stale,
just two of us. Here.
[Kyoko] I hope you don't mind if I join.
- And who's that?
- Uh, this is…
- [Chieko] Ah.
- [Kenji sighs]
[footsteps approaching]
GRADUATION CEREMONY
[pages turning steadily]
[Sakamoto sighs]
So this Mufu, whatever it is,
included Otomo, head of the Syndicate,
you, the Superintendent General,
and then someone else named Kai.
You were all listed
as the leaders of this thing.
We know that the journal
belonged to Obata.
He and everyone else who pushed back
against this were murdered.
Mufu did that as well. Didn't they, sir?
[Sakamoto breathes slowly]
Tell me it's not true.
It's not.
Right?
Everything
was for the greater good.
- The good of the country.
- [Kenji scoffs]
What?
The White Center people who died
during the meteorite cleanup…
were chalked off as missing persons.
[Kenji exhales slowly]
[chilling music droning]
Was that because the meteorite
wasn't safe?
Yes. It was toxic.
Even deadly.
So all those people called "human fuel,"
who died on your orders,
were all expendable
for the good of the country?
[Sakamoto] Why don't you talk about
the lives we did save with that decision?
200,000 people!
If we had let the damage
from the meteor spread,
it would've reached the children's expo.
I'm sorry,
but it was the only possible choice!
Is that…
really how you feel?
Or is that what you tell yourself?
[Kyoko] "Ren Tsutsumida."
"Mobilized to meteorite disposal team."
"Participated in
environmental cleanup work."
"Processed as missing."
Do you know who this man is?
REN TSUTSUMIDA
You do, don't you?
The Human Vapor.
[Sakamoto breathes shakily]
I would bet
you're his next victim.
So you may as well tell us
who this mysterious Kai person is.
[Sakamoto breathes shakily]
[Sakamoto] I'm sorry.
I can't.
Let's go.
We got what we came for.
[sighs]
I appreciate…
everything you've done for me.
- Oh.
- [Kenji] I'm sorry. Excuse us.
[Chieko] Wait, what?
Oh.
You're not staying for dinner?
[lighter strikes]
THE HUMAN VAPOR
EXCLUSIVE VIDEO OBTAINED!
WHO'S THE NEXT TARGET?
[mysterious music playing]
UPLOAD
UPLOADING
UPLOAD COMPLETE
[Human Vapor] To everyone
out there listening,
the next target is
Superintendent General Sakamoto.
I will kill you tomorrow at noon.
You have been warned.
WHO'S THE NEXT TARGET?
There is, however,
one way you can survive.
Publicly confess your crimes
and reveal the names
of all your coconspirators
involved with White Center.
You must face the music,
Superintendent General.
Do this by noon tomorrow.
If you fail to make
this public announcement,
then you will meet the same fate
as Kyugo Sano
and Saburo Otomo.
You'd better not test me on this.
[Sakamoto breathes shakily]
Do the right thing.
Hold the press conference. Confess.
[pins clattering]
[tuts]
[tense electronic music playing]
This is from Kai.
[Yoshida inhales sharply]
You know…
there's something I need to ask.
My old man,
he really loved bowling.
We would come here a lot back in the day.
You lost someone very dear to you,
didn't you?
Be honest.
You took out Yamazaki yourself, right?
[Yoshida chuckles awkwardly]
No, that wasn't me.
Let's all just breathe, huh?
[clasps locking]
Snake eyes.
If you get those pins, I'll do it.
[Yoshida] Hmm.
[grunts] You'll regret that.
But you got yourself a deal.
Or I can kill you now.
[Yoshida chuckles]
You ever heard of the Hydra? Huh?
It's from Greek mythology.
Cut off one head, two grow back.
Kinda like this organization.
You don't collapse when you lose the head.
You adapt, grow two heads.
Become stronger.
Thanks for the lesson.
Now shut up and bowl.
[pulsing synth-pop playing]
[music fades]
[pulsing synth-pop resumes]
[music ends]
So yeah. The one here.
I'll leave it to you to work out the rest.
What do we do?
Kyoko.
Uh…
Could you maybe…
wait before going public?
[Kyoko sighs]
I think…
everything in the journal
is probably true.
You could tell from the look on his face.
I've never seen him like that.
[Kenji sighs heavily]
He's my family, Kyoko.
But…
[tender piano music playing]
…I'll make sure he and this Kai…
are brought to justice
for everything they've done.
I…
just need you to…
forget about the journal.
[Kyoko sighs softly]
Kenji.
There's something…
Never mind.
- Thank you.
- Course.
Yeah.
- [Kenji] See you later.
- Bye.
[Kenji] Goodnight.
[phone vibrating]
[music fades out]
Kenji.
I think I've made my decision.
I'll go to the press,
and I'll tell them all of it.
Uh, okay.
[Sakamoto] I'll tell them all about Kai
and the terrible things I've done.
Kenji…
there's something else you should know.
Your father…
I'm responsible for his death.
[somber music playing]
What do you mean?
[Sakamoto] I'm sorry. I really am.
I hope you can believe me.
But I just wanted you to hear it from me.
Before it's too late.
[scoffs] Uh, what are you--
[Sakamoto] I'm sorry.
What are you saying?
- [call disconnects]
- Hello?
[sighs]
[music fades out]
[phone vibrating]
[Kyoko] Hello?
Kono, get your ass back here right away.
I just got word
from the Superintendent General.
He's holding some
emergency press conference here.
If I were you, I'd get back.
- What?
- He said something about coming clean.
Okay, thank you. I'll be right there.
[intense music playing]
[deodorant spray hissing]
[intense music continues]
[music ends]
[Sakamoto] Yoshida, I didn't expect…
I'm sorry, but I was worried.
You were.
[Yoshida] Are you sure you wanna do this?
Yes, I'm ready. It's time.
If you say so.
Then I'm gonna stand by your side,
whatever punishment may come.
I'll drive you.
[car doors unlocking]
[newscaster] In response to the video,
in which the Human Vapor announced
that he would kill
the Superintendent General, we're hearing…
- This thing's got 1.5 million views.
- Jesus, really?
- Kyoko.
- Hey guys.
[newscaster] The video was posted by…
All the networks are scrambling
because of that stupid video.
I'll bet they're camped outside
the Superintendent's house now.
[newscaster] It's made waves online
and on social media…
- Hey, Kyoko.
- Hi.
[newscaster] …having been viewed
1.5 million times.
There is, however,
one way you can survive.
Publicly confess your crimes,
and reveal the names
of all your co-conspirators
involved with White Center.
You must face the music,
Superintendent General.
That is the only way.
[newscaster] In the video,
he speaks directly to Sakamoto
and claims the only way
he will spare his life
is if Mr. Sakamoto reveals the nature
of his crimes, and the names of…
KAHO, TERROR ZONE
The man claims the General
has until noon tomorrow.
No other information
is given in the video…
[phone rings out]
In response,
the Metropolitan Police Department
has decided to strengthen security
around the Superintendent.
This is the newest twist
in this incredible and frightening story.
[softly] Regarding
the allegations…
We're here, Superintendent.
What are you talking about?
This isn't…
[reporter 1] I spoke to his wife.
He left a while ago.
It doesn't make sense. He should be here.
[director] Hmm.
You can't get in touch with him?
[reporter 2] I've been trying
for the last hour. He's not answering.
[director groans] Maybe he's spooked.
Doesn't make sense.
[panting] Su…
The Superintendent General… [panting]
…was found dead in the backseat of a car.
The police think… he committed suicide.
- [reporter 3] Bullshit. There's no way.
- [director] Where was the car?
[Tatsuya] Uh… some street in Minato Ward.
[officer] Please, stop, sir! Stop!
[tense, sinister music playing]
[Motoyama] He's over there.
[panting]
[exhales]
[sighs]
[sinister music intensifies]
[music continues]
Superintendent General Sakamoto
of the Metropolitan Police Department
has been found dead in a car
parked on a street in Minato Ward.
This comes after a public death threat
from the man known as the Human Vapor
an hour ago.
For those of you just joining us,
we've received word that the dead body
of Superintendent General Sakamoto
was found in a car parked on…
[speech fades]
[wind blowing]
[suspenseful music playing]
[phone vibrating]
[phone ringing out]
[phone continues vibrating]
[metallic rattling outside]
Fujita?
[toilet flushing]
I didn't hear you come in.
- [grunting]
- [Kaho gasps]
[Riki] Sorry, it was an emergency. Also,
you better restock!
[man shouts] Hey!
[tense music playing]
[dramatic music playing]