Satoru (悟) is one of the main characters in Pet. His memory operation is the "image" of the door and he works with Hayashi and Katsuragi.
Helping to tie up loose ends, Satoru helps Katsuragi enter a person's memories. He is tasked with arranging an assassination later.
Confined to his hotel room, Satoru comes into contact with Jin and learns more about the Company. At the same time he also seeks out Hiroki and Tsukasa.
Personality[]
As a child, he spoke more in his mind than in person where he would watch the same anime show repeatedly. He showed an intense fear of some of his mother's inner dark thoughts, screaming in horror and banging his head against objects.
Being an adult and able to speak and articulate himself, he is generally calm and supportive to those he is working with. He uses colloquial terminology such as "man" and "dude". Whilst he has pity for people, he agrees with Katsuragi's assessment that they are murderers. Generally he is well-adjusted within the cultural norms of society, especially considering his past and profession. Finding himself bored with a game, his curiosity leads him to seeking out Hiroki's store. Willing to help him feel better when he is upset, he tells Hiroki that he dyed his hair and got piercings to take his mind off Hayashi's absence. His shows some consciousness about the piercings, under the impression that woman only flirt to poke fun at him, and being used to that.
He adapts his behaviour to function at ease in tense situations. Upon discovering that Jin was not really under his influence, and she had heard about him from Hayashi, he immediately altered his real state of dread to one of familiarity treating Jin as a friend who knew Hayashi, and cordially asking how he was. Alone in a room with her, he guided the conversation, acting as if her were under the impression that she was here to give him an assignment.
Though generally calm, and even unassertive, Satoru is capable of anger when he needed to know what happened to Hayashi, and this developed into desiring vengeance.
Appearance[]
As a child he had short dark hair and long same colored eyebrows.
Older, he has trimmed bleached blond appearing hair and short, upwards slanting, shorter eyebrows above his small hazel eyes. There is a prominent vertical scar on his forehead that he views as his trademark. Satoru wears multiple facial piercings specifically on his left eyebrow, nostril and having both ears featuring four-helix piercings on each side. He dyes his hair black for a job later on.
For clothing, Satoru opts for casual attire including a raised collar, short-sleeved, gray zipper vest with purple features along the top of the shoulders and along the bottom of the garment. This is worn over a long-sleeved black shirt that is longer at the base as well. His loose-fitting pants are in the same style as the vest, namely gray with a purple zipper pocket on the thigh area, with a piece of cord used for some purpose. These are tucked into a darker purple pair of three strapped boots that have gray soles. He is also seen in a pale purple jumper, and brown trousers.
History[]
Satoru's largely unresponsive state
As a young boy, he is watching the same anime on television seemingly dazed and slightly drooling, before a door opens nearby and he witnesses his mother using a pair of kitchen knives to horizontally cut herself up. Reacting with terror, Satoru bashes his head against the television and continues to scream, where he is taken to a hospital.
With a band-aid on his forehead, he is led by a nurse to a room where he continues to watch a television with a similar expression as before. When Hayashi joins him, Satoru is transported to an open field with a huge rainbow above them.
Taking the anywhere door to Hayashi's peak
He points to a lone door in the meadow. He finds himself in another environment namely submerged up to his head in an ocean of goo like substance where the sky is made of large angry appearing eyes, mouths and dismembered parts of his mother. He sees Hayashi materialize from a human sized hurricane and asks who he is. Hearing Hayashi explain, he asks if he means the Everywhere Door, pointing to a lone wooden appearing door on the surface. Helping himself to a door on the surface of the ocean, he falls back into the meadow-like world. Returning to the room in the real world, Tsukasa appears oblivious to Katsuragi's actions before being led away by Hayashi.[1]
It is remembered that he was with Hayashi and Katsuragi, oblivious to his father and mother having passed away, as well as his grandmother nearby. Taken out the room, he is afforded the means to communicate by Hayashi who he remembers as Mr. Matasa. Not registering that his grandmother's mind has been crushed by Katsuragi, he is led away to be looked after by Hayashi.
He was holding a toy rabbit, watching television when Hayashi was explaining to Tsukasa that he is only able to look after Satoru.[2]
Older, speaking within a Peak
During his mid-teens, in Hayashi's peak Satoru heard from him that the Company's bosses are scared of them which accordingly is why they never meet directly. Asking what he is talking about, he is uncertain of the need for peak defences when he is in Hayashi's right now. He replies why would he manipulate or crush his memories. Being informed that the higher ups of the Company fear them, with that he is quizzed on how he thinks the bosses make sure they stay in line.
His physical body in a room, he registers why they have lookouts keeping tabs on them. Learning it is not just them, the walls in their room have ears as well hence why he is speaking to Hayashi in his peak.
Part of the conversations with Hayashi in their Peak involved Satoru asking why he needed to pretend he has never heard what Hayashi told him, hearing it is because the Company will view him as a threat.[3]
Story[]
Satoru is at the docks night and informs Katsuragi that there is no spare key in the car that Kenji left an item in. Regardless, he addresses Yokota asking how he fancies taking to the skies. He explains the way to a tunnel Yokota can take, unknowingly being observed by Kenji himself.[4]
Pouring his drink away after Katsuragi used the can as an ash tray, Satoru listens to him speak of "Peaks" and "Valleys". He explains having an "image" makes things easier, and one can avoid getting trapped in valleys.
He is remembered joining Katsuragi as he tried to strike a deal with Yokota for the counterfeit bills. As he sees Katsuragi cry out in pain, Satoru realizes that he is stuck in Yokota's valley and that is affecting him in this memory. He told Katsuragi not to make threats and synchronize at the same time.
Rescuing Katsuragi from a tampered valley
Entering through a door into the landscape where Katsuragi has his lower torso crushed by a giant foot, Satoru pulls him to safety. It is too late, Satoru explains the perils of the memory with Yokota seeing Katsuragi as Yokota's younger brother. It is too late to further question Yokota, Satoru inspects him in Katsuragi's memories and explains that Yokota has been crushed.
Group syncing
In the car with Katsuragi, he suggests it is a good thing that they do not need to crush Kenji. Joining the three in the apartment, he syncs up to take Katsuragi and himself in, but tries to put this off with Katsuragi wanting to crush Kenji. Joining Hiroki and Tsukasa in Kenji's valley, he witnesses Kenji's mother before being swallowed by Hiroki in his giant goldfish form, bringing them out of the memory. He is surprised and asks if Hiroki has always been able to do that.
Departing with Katsuragi, and replying to his question on whether he thinks Hiroki and Tsukasa are doing it, Satoru explains someone's peak is given to them by someone else. He understands that someone else going in with Tsukasa is like them stealing his peak and he thinks of Hayashi.
He is waiting outside the diving bar to meet Hiroki and Tsukasa.[5] In the car with them, he shares a view on Katsuragi and that he had been looking forward to this all day.[6]
Seated in an airport arrival with Katsuragi and Tsukasa, he watches as the president of the Chen Group arrives in Japan with his bodyguard, meeting with Satomi as part of the Yakuza, before Satoru rises to his feet.
With Katsuragi, he hears from Tsukasa how posing as Satomi may not work since his supposed lapdog Inui is projecting another person unto Satomi and he is not truly a part of his peak. Satoru clarifies that the person in Inui's memories looks like Satomi but it is really someone else. With Tsukasa leaving to conform who he thinks it is, Satoru offers to join him, before understanding why his help was declined.
Walking out a convenience store, he hands items to Katsuragi and announces he does not get something: Counselor Zhou's memories were altered to get him to work for the company. With him now dead, Satoru concludes all that effort has gone to waste. He is advised that unless he wants to join him, then he should not go looking for answers, to which he knows.[7]
Confined to a hotel room
A memory shows him with Hayashi and his grandmother after his parents passed away. In the present, Satoru is in a hotel having dropped his game controller after dying. Bored, he is aware of and wonders where Hiroki opened his store. Remembering how Katsuragi rejected the notion of seeing it otherwise Katsuragi's head would be on a spike, Satoru considers he has been playing games for three days now. Contemplating the door for a moment, he exclaims loudly that his stomach hurts.
In the past, Satoru learned from Hayashi that they are monitored by lookouts. Within his hotel room, a member of staff offers to clean the room. Describing his stomach as being in real pain, Satoru requests she help him up. Communicating his pain as he is assisted, Satoru immediately leans in close to ascertain that she likes to flick the bean. He alleviates her affronted expression by stating that he said it is her job to clean, right. Suddenly not feeling so bad anymore, Satoru glances at her to plainly ask could she let go of his hand. At once he places his hand over her eyes then instructs her to point to the bug in this room. Seeing it in the direction of the television, the display continues with Satoru voicing loudly that he now needs help getting to the bathroom.
Recalling more of Hayashi's teachings, the ears will take into account excuses, and the lookouts can become carrier pigeons. Applying that with the verbal communications on his stomach pains in the hotel room, Satoru can turn the lookout woman to a carrier pigeon, someone bent to his will with the use of a key word.
The shower is running as he instructs the hotel maid to feel very relaxed and want to talk about anything and everything when she hears the phrase "Mr. Matasa". Talking at ease, Satoru asks her to tell him how many lookouts there are. His second question concerns where Tsukasa and Hiroki have set up shop, rephrasing it to is anyone watching a place that sells goldfish. Unlike the four people monitoring himself, Satoru is happy to learn of just the one observing the fish store so asks where it is.
In a Pizza Hut opposite the Fish & Fish destination, Satoru has left the lookout unconscious and heads over. Paying no mind to two woman who are discussing the shop being closed, Satoru uses the back entrance to find and greet Hiroki by himself within. Taken aback by his irked reaction to his presence, Satoru attempts to diffuse the sudden tension, offering to help by doing their thing on people passing to instigate business. His proposition soundly rejected, and resulting in Hiroki cracking a fish tank with a torch, Satoru cries out that the fish are getting out, before moving to help.
Using a vase to deal with the water leakage and with Hiroki pouting moodily, Satoru downheartedly thinks he should have stayed away. Listening to Hiroki's perspectives, he asks what he means with his lock being weak. Unaware that locks could get weak, Satoru downplays the benefits of his door image by stating the knob is often broken when he tries to open it. As Hiroki begins to cry at Tsukasa's absence, Satoru assuages him with the facts that Tsukasa has been separated from the person who shared their peak with him. Likewise, he himself has not heard from Hayashi in two years. Rather than taking his disappearance well, Satoru has been trying to take his mind off it, there is nothing else to do but wait.
Unsure how to handle Hiroki's aggrievement
This approach is beneficial to Hiroki, then remarking the unlit store as a bit dreary, Satoru suggests going out for a bit. He has made the pizza guys across the road carrier pigeons so there is no need to worry, before Satoru explains what a carrier pigeon is, namely someone who does not know they are passing on information. Elaborating further, it is different from their usual hypnosis and keeps information safe from Katsuragi. Satoru also reveals the unknown to Hiroki news concerning the lookouts surveilling them.
Tending to the fish in the cracked tank, Satoru questions Hiroki on this butterfly he has mentioned. He watches puzzled as Hiroki opens the shutters and guides out something he cannot see.[3]
Eating pizza, speaking with Jin
Having escaped his hotel confinement, Satoru exits a car. At another hotel he sits at a bar with a drink and pizza before him. Ordering a gin and tonic, with cola instead of tonic, he sees a woman join him. Treated to a drink by her, they share a toast before accidentally dropping his drink, and take ahold of Jin to bring her under his influence.
Suggesting they go and get crazy, Satoru is greatly alarmed that Jin was not under his influence at all, only pretending, and asks who she is. Learning she heard about him from Hayashi, Satoru adapts his shock to amiably questioning if he is well. Heading to the VIP room together, Satoru asks Jin if she is a Company employee or a crusher. His next question is whether she is here to give him an assignment.
With the answer being no, Satoru requests to see Katsuragi's number on her phone to confirm whether she really is a Company employee. His suspicions lie in why a Company employee would talk to him about lookouts, and receiving confirmation he thinks she is here about him sneaking out the hotel. Asking what she wants to know, he only recently found out there are other people who can use an image, too.
Attempting to approximate her background, from her estimated age and not using an image, he guesses that she is Chinese. Satoru is able to speak Chinese himself, and with the matter turning to company and security, Satoru has heard of a group called the qigong masters who could manipulate others using hypnosis.
All the while speaking casually, Satoru is also thinking and piecing together information. He assumes Jin was the first of the crushers and the first person Hayashi ever synced with. Outwardly expressing shock and verbally feigning disbelief to Jin that a group of masters killed the CEO's father, inwardly Satoru already knew. He is also aware that after that the Company went and killed all of the qigong masters and their children. He knows Katsuragi was spared since he was an employee, and Hayashi since he was an image user, but wonders why Jin is alive. He considers she may be a relative of the CEO.
Needing to know why she is even revealing such sensitive details, he remains suspicious and would dive in if she were not a crusher. Considering whether she is lying, and thinking where did she look just now, he contemplates it could all be an act. Needing to take another look, he suggests another drink, at exactly the same time that Jin makes the same suggestion.
Going along with her pretence that Satoru manipulated the lookouts so that he could sneak away from the hotel. Asking if Jin is really the CEO's niece when she reveals it, Satoru thinks he knew it. He receives the offer to become a Company employee, but would need to ask Hayashi about it first.[2]
Hearing about Jin's cousin, he asks her age and registers that she is five years older than him. With their meeting over, he exits the room with her and asks what is the earliest memory Jin has of her mother. He sadly notes to himself that Jin's grandfather who raised her was murdered. Satoru explains that Jin being able to form memories by herself means she does need an image, they are a last resort for someone like him who is unable to create his own memories. Needing to use an image to receive someone else's Peak, Satoru remembers back to him being a child and that not being able to form memories of ones own is horrible. Thinking of his mother, he describes it as being trapped inside people's feelings and they are squashing you. It is thanks to his Image as to why he could change and become like he is now.
He offers to take Jin to the memory of a person who knew her mother, the place where she is at her most beautiful. Satoru guesses this must be inside Jin's father's memory. Bidding her goodnight, he considers the suggestion that they could work together. He has returned to his hotel room and eating the pizza sent up there.[8]
Finding Hiroki making pancakes
Entering the kitchen area of the Fish & Fish shop, he remarks that the pancakes Hiroki is making smell great, before being told that his dark hair makes him look like a chimp. With Katsuragi nearby, he notices Tsukasa join them, with white tinged hair. Questioning whether he dyed his hair too, Satoru recommends that he opt for a bit more color. Walking over to the tank with beta fish, he asks what is going on, remarking that one of them is dead.[9]
Hearing the news of Dahao's grandfather
In a hotel suite Satoru removes his piercings as Jin discusses the reporting of Dahao's Grandfather in a newspaper, and agrees with her assessment that the paper is full of lies. He hears the target is Shengjie Chen's illegitimate child, the guy from the Chinese embassy. Having the scar on his forehead concealed by make-up, Satoru sheepishly asks whether the reason Jin is telling him so much about the Company's plans because they want him to become an employee. He cannot make a decision about that until Hayashi comes back but is advised, since he is turning twenty soon, that he should make his own decisions.
Waiting in an underground carpark, when Katsuragi arrives, Satoru is told he can go and heads to Hiroki. Walking up the stairs, he asks if Hiroki has lost some weight then mentions that the woman, Jin asked him to become an employee then requests Hiroki's advice on what he should do. Turning the matter to Tsukasa being older than himself, Satoru wonders whether he received the same offer.
Also advised by Hiroki to think for himself, Satoru voices that is hard before entering the room where the job is to be performed. The clumsy oaf role is assigned to him, since his door is breaking all the time. Replying that it only does not open sometimes when going to a Valley, with it being a Peak today he is sure it will work.
With Katsuragi giving the signal, Satoru reluctantly walks over and accidentally on purposely spills a drink over the ambassador. Able to speak Mandarin, his eye contact allows him to persuade the ambassador to leave to one side for him and Hiroki to deal with. There Satoru asks him to think of a pleasant memory and has his door to appear.
The apparition of himself walks away from his physical body to enter a tropical island like landscape and he sees the ambassador hearing that someone is his dad. Satoru thinks they can state he is not his dad to complete the task before he is confronted by Hiroki over the matter of crushing. Satoru has similar qualms so he tries not to think about it when doing such tasks. The unease is further compounded since it leads to why has Hayashi not returned.
Entering the room from the memory
Putting aside his concerns, Satoru focuses on the job before Hiroki offers to do it for him. Seeing the huge father and son towering before him, Satoru tells Hiroki the Chinese needed before heading back to set up some people to accept the blame for the impending crushing that is to occur.
Back within the room he hands a waiter the hairdryer and hypnotises him to believe that he was drying the ambassador's clothes and he accidentally had a seizure.[10]
He is remembered by Hiroki when he stated that he cannot let himself think about the crushing he does.[11] With his hair back to being bleached blond with his piercings once more, Satoru watches the food being served in his hotel room, before eagerly answering Jin's phone call. Joining her for breakfast again, he questions if Katsuragi is not coming back this day either. Meaning to ask her, Satoru would like to know what Hayashi was like back then, in addition to those other qigong masters and the old guard crushers.
Handed a locket, Satoru internally comments that it is so warm before opening it to see a photo of Jin's mother. He hears details on her background and remembers Jin said she was the CEO's niece. Satoru gathers that Hayashi synced up with Jin's mother to calm her down, then recalls from the other day how Jin said she wanted to enter the memory of someone who knew her mother, Hayashi is that person. He is excited to hear that Hayashi has been found.[12]
With Jin, he enters a room and meets Ron, then thinks how even Tsukasa is here. Learning that Tsukasa also received a Peak from Hayashi and that they are employees, he finds Hayashi himself in the next room before seeing that he has been crushed. Overcome with confused grief to this scenario, he hears from Ron that Hiroki committed the act since he objected to what he done to Meiling. Entering her Peak, Satoru sees parts burning and recognizes that her Valley has encroached upon it.
Speaking to Meiling, he is unsure what the phrase The "bigeon" hates cats!" means. With Tsukasa entering, he asks why Meiling was not given a Lock by Hayashi, more so since it was the first thing he was taught. Exiting, he tearfully considers Hayashi as he reminds Tsukasa that he has not answered his question on why Hayashi would have left a kid without a Lock, there is no way his views would have flipped in the two years he saw him.
Whilst he realizes Tsukasa had also gotten upset since he had not seen Hayashi in twelve years compared to his two, it then dawns on Satoru that it was not Hayashi who brought Meiling here. After hearing Hayashi thought it would be okay to leave Meiling without a Lock, Satoru thinks what is okay about someone needing care forever. With Jin adding her input, Satoru feels the creeps from the act around him. With answers being vague, Satoru observes that Katsuragi is the only one saying he heard the news from Hayashi directly and he does not believe his report.
Using his door, he accesses Katsuragi's memories where Hayashi revealed how to create a baby. He is unaware that this is a doctored memory that has replaced the true revealer, Tsukasa, with Hayashi. Angered since he told Hiroki that Hayashi was his Peak giver, and now convinced of the untruth that Hiroki performed the crushing, in his anger Satoru does not want to change Hiroki's memories but crush him like he supposedly did to Hayashi.
Using his door Image to restrain Hiroki's goldfish Image
Joining Meiling in his Peak, he realizes she means a Carrier Pigeon. He bolts to exit when he sees Tsukasa emerge from the rover but is assured it is part of the plan since he will be entering his Peak as well. In Meiling's Peak he sees Hiroki brought to him and is set on vengeance believing that he crushed Hayashi. Satoru's door has improved and he uses it to capture Hiroki's goldfish before he can use it to eject them from the memory.[13]
Leaping into the door and goldfish images, Satoru sees Hiroki's memories to learn he was hiding in Ami and Nobu's apartment. Needing to wait until Tsukasa is ready, and learning that Hayashi has been moved to hospital leaves Satoru stressed. Calmed by Jin, he hears that Katsuragi does not like cats and remembers Meiling's words about the pigeon hating cats. He pieces together that the cat-hating "bigeon" is a Carrier Pigeon and that it is Katsuragi.
Testing whether this is the case, Satoru knows that Mr. Matasa is the only keyword possible. He retrieves the memory pen that Katsuragi was hypnotized to present to him. Reading the message from Hayashi on a computer, Satoru is told not to trust the Company indeed escape it, and to save both Tsukasa and Hiroki.
Speaking to Tsukasa privately, Satoru asks whether Hiroki really was the one who crushed Hayashi. He then asks about Meiling knowing that Tsukasa's reaction would reveal whether he was loyal to the Company or not. Satoru also does not believe Katsuragi's memories suspecting (correctly) that they have been modified. Satoru is satisfied that Tsukasa harbours no ill will towards Hayashi having remembered how he cried over him, and does not suspect at all that Tsukasa is the one who crushed him.
Sharing his view that Katsuragi's memories have been altered, Satoru assumes it was Ron using Meiling who was responsible. After revealing that Tsukasa was being kept a hostage by the Company, he produces the memory pen with information on the Company's methods. Stating that Hayashi wanted them to get away from the Company, Satoru shares the concern that Tsukasa may have been brainwashed by them.
Asking if Tsukasa is okay after he vomits, Satoru begins to consider their escape before Ron enters the room from Tsukasa's shouting. Satoru appears horrified at seeing Tsukasa calmly reveal to Ron that he has a message from Hayashi and how they plan to escape from the Company. Satoru attempts to run as Tsukasa calls for him to be shot.[14]
Shot in the leg, Satoru is shocked to hear from Tsukasa that he crushed Hayashi. As his wound is covered by agents, Satoru reminds Katsuragi that he is Mr. Matasa. Reclaiming his Carrier Pigeon, Satoru calls for Katsuragi to fire ahead into Ron after he has shot dead the guards.
Telling Jin to stop after she shoots the memory drive and Katsuragi's finger, Satoru states that Katsuragi is Jin's father. Hayashi had hid his memories, and there is an oddly shaped bag in Katsuragi's memory and tells Meiling to release her butterfly.
With Jin viewing memories of her mother, Satoru leaves Katsuragi and limps to Hiroki's room. Seeing Tsukasa there he aims the gun wondering what he is doing to Hiroki, but then sees him conscious.
Within another country, Satoru reveals that he had assumed Tsukasa's identity when with Hiroki. They had escaped and used Carrier Pigeons to transport them out of Japan. Speaking as Tsukasa at the time, he also needed Hiroki to check his memories of the escape route from the memory drive that was broken.
On a hillside at night he waits outside for the sunrise. The illusion fades as his appearance begins to change back and then he accesses Hiroki's Peak to remind him of the memory he sealed of the attempt to change Tsukasa's memory of his Peak giver being Hiroki instead of Hayashi.
Satoru wanted to believe that Hayashi was not wrong, that they could live freely as having arrived at his destination he observes the physical location of the Peak in the valley below.[15]
Images[]
Relationships[]
Satoru interacts with various characters throughout the Pet story, for his views on and relationships with other characters: Satoru/Relationships
Peaks and Valleys[]
His peak was given to him by Hayashi and features the scenic landscape with mountain ranges on either side with a river flowing through it. The large black butterflies are present, and the difference to Hayashi's Peak is that there are two rainbows, with Satoru's additional one being viewed underneath the larger one. Concerning an ambassador's Peak, he remarks they are much weaker compared to their Peaks, but their's are fake.
Views on the Company[]
All he needs to know about the Company is what he needs to know for his work.
References[]
- ↑ Chapter 1
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 5: Locks
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Episode 4: A Trap for Hayashi
- ↑ Pet Manga, Chapter 2
- ↑ Pet Anime, Episode 1: The Crushers
- ↑ Episode 2: Views of the Peak
- ↑ Episode 3: Jobs
- ↑ Episode 6: Back Door
- ↑ Episode 7: Revenge
- ↑ Episode 8: Intrigue
- ↑ Episode 9: The Way the Wind Blows
- ↑ Episode 10: Broken Fish Tanks
- ↑ Episode 11: Reunion
- ↑ Episode 12: Carrier Pigeon
- ↑ Episode 13: Rainbow