ERASED - Characters & Cast

Initially, his motivation is purely survival—to undo his mother's murder and clear his name. This quickly evolves into a powerful, selfless desire to protect his friends, especially Kayo, from a fate he feels responsible for. His ultimate motivation becomes the need to create a future where everyone he cares about is safe and happy, even at the cost of his own life.

Satoru begins as a disengaged 29-year-old, afraid of forming deep connections and haunted by a past he can't articulate. When thrown back into his 10-year-old body, he is initially clumsy and overwhelmed. Through his mission to save Kayo, he transforms from a passive observer into an active agent of change. He learns to trust his friends, express his emotions, and take responsibility. After waking from his 15-year coma, he has become a confident and empathetic person, no longer afraid of the future and having successfully filled the "hole" in his heart.

Her primary motivation is survival and escapism. She writes a poem about wanting to go to an island with no people, no pain, and no mother, which reveals her deep desire to escape her abusive reality. As she befriends Satoru, her motivation shifts towards wanting to stay with him and her new friends, finding a reason to live rather than just endure.

Kayo is introduced as a solitary, withdrawn, and seemingly emotionless girl, a direct result of the severe abuse she suffers at home. She protects herself by putting up a wall and pretending not to care. Through Satoru's persistent friendship, her shell begins to crack. She learns to trust, to feel happiness, and to believe that she is not alone. Her arc is about finding her voice and escaping her tragic fate, eventually growing into a happy adult with a family of her own, a future Satoru's actions made possible.

His motivation is rooted in a childhood trauma and a psychopathic worldview. He sees a hamster, "Spice," being sacrificed to save its siblings and develops a perverse desire to control life and death. He kills children whose "spider's threads" of life are visible to him, believing he is filling the hole in his own soul by severing theirs before they can fall into despair. Satoru becomes his new motivation, the ultimate challenge and the only person who truly understands and can fill his emptiness.

Yashiro is presented as a charismatic and supportive homeroom teacher, a father figure to Satoru. This persona is a meticulous mask for a cold, manipulative serial killer. His character does not have a traditional arc of growth but rather one of revelation. As the series progresses, his facade crumbles, revealing a psychopath obsessed with a twisted philosophy of severing "spider's threads." His obsession with Satoru, the one who continually thwarts him, becomes his sole purpose, leading to their final confrontation where his need for Satoru in his life proves to be his downfall.

Her motivation is simple and powerful: the unconditional love and protection of her son. She wants Satoru to live a full life, free from the regrets of the past. Her sharp eyes and instincts are always working to ensure his well-being, whether it's noticing a subtle change in his behavior or facing down Kayo's abusive mother.

Sachiko is Satoru's incredibly perceptive and supportive mother. In the original timeline, her sharp intuition gets her killed when she uncovers the killer's identity. In the past, she is Satoru's greatest ally, even without knowing about his time travel. She notices the changes in her son and implicitly trusts him, providing the support he needs to protect Kayo. Her arc is one of unwavering maternal love and strength; she spends 15 years caring for the comatose Satoru, never losing faith in him. She remains a constant pillar of strength and wisdom throughout the series.