Matsuo Ochiiri is a 39-year-old salaryman who works at a computer company in the anime The Laughing Salesman NEW. He is a quiet and diligent employee, yet he feels constantly overlooked and undervalued by his boss and coworkers. This professional dissatisfaction weighs heavily on him, and he yearns for recognition and a breakthrough in his career. Despite having a loving wife and a young daughter, his frustration at work creates tension in his home life, leaving him emotionally vulnerable.

Driven by a desire to prove himself and gain the respect he believes he deserves, Ochiiri becomes a client of the enigmatic salesman Fukuzou Moguro. Moguro offers him a special potion that promises to make him irresistible and persuasive to anyone around him, including his superiors and clients. Eager for a shortcut to success, Ochiiri accepts the deal.

After consuming the potion, his personality undergoes a drastic shift. He becomes overly confident, aggressive, and domineering, alienating the very people he hoped to impress. Instead of advancing at work, his abrasive behavior leads to him losing his job. The same arrogance damages his relationship with his wife, ultimately resulting in the loss of his family as well. His story serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked ambition and the pursuit of superficial success.

Ochiiri’s key relationship is with Moguro, who acts as a catalyst for his downfall. His bond with his family is initially stable but deteriorates as his obsession with work and status grows. His development traces a downward arc from a frustrated but otherwise ordinary man to a victim of his own gullibility and ambition. He possesses no special abilities of his own; the temporary charisma granted by the potion is his only notable attribute, and it proves to be his undoing.