Sakamoto Days: Who Placed the Bounty on Taro’s Head?

The anime adaptation of Yuto Suzuki’s Weekly Shonen Jump hit Sakamoto Days is all the rage this Winter 2025 season. The story follows Taro Sakamoto, a former assassin who lives peacefully with his wife and daughter. He was once feared as the greatest hitman of all time and now he’s content with running a general store with his wife. The anime has released three episodes so far, introducing most of the major characters. While the pacing is fast, the anime covers the major plot points of the manga.

The second episode ends with a cliffhanger unveiling there’s a bounty of one billion yen on Taro’s head. In the third episode, trouble comes knocking at his door after five years of peace. Every hitman is now after Taro, hoping to get their hands on the enormous prize money. However, defeating the greatest hitman is by no means an easy feat. Even so, the bounty is a major headache for Taro, especially since it endangers his family. Taro must get to the bottom of this. The anime hasn’t revealed who placed the bounty on his head, but the manga solved this mystery a while back.

Warning: Major Spoilers from the Sakamoto Days Manga Ahead!

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Taro’s Old Friend Placed a Bounty on His Head in Sakamoto Days

Sakamoto Days’ anime reveals that JAA placed the bounty, but the reality is something else. JAA, short for the Japanese Association of Assassins is an official assassin organization where Taro used to work for. He was a member of the Order, the special group of JAA assassins made up of the strongest members. However, in Chapter 121 Nagumo finds out that Rion Akao, his deceased friend, placed a bounty on Taro’s head. There were no traces of her for eight years, but a few months ago, she accessed the JAA site and issued the bounty.

Nagumo is baffled to find out the information, especially since he’s sure Rion is dead after seeing her corpse. During their academy years, Rion said that Nagumo and Taro would be worth one billion, and she used the same number to get their attention after years. Although he wonders if she’s alive, the Assassination Exhibition of the Century Arc reveals that Rion is one of Uzuki’s alter egos. He is the leader of X seeking to overthrow JAA. Uzuki has Dissociative Identity Disorder, a condition which developed as a way for Uzuki to deal with extreme stress and trauma.

He can create multiple personas, and Rion is one of them. By assuming their personalities, Uzuki can change his own characteristics to match those of other people. These personas are so accurate that even people close to the person will have trouble telling the difference. Since Taro and Nagumo spent their younger days with Rion, they were awestruck by Uzuki’s impression. “Rion” used the bounty to force Taro out of retirement. Although she died before the story began, she is still one of the most important characters in the show. Uzuki will debut in the first season but it’s likely Rion will be introduced in the second season of the anime.