TV-Series
Description
Jogorou Furuya is the maternal grandfather of the protagonist, Chihiro Furuya. A former scientist who was once famous for his research abroad, he dedicated his life to the study of zombies and ultimately created his own version of a resurrection drug known as Soseimaru. His advanced age and unusual longevity, having lived for more than a century, are a direct result of decades of exposure to zombie toxins, which he received in doses dozens of times the lethal amount during his experiments. This exposure, while extending his life, also damaged his brain and senses, leaving him in a state often described as suffering from dementia or being mentally scattered. He is occasionally seen eating hydrangea leaves, a practice he uses to stave off the stiffness of death.

Despite his confused demeanor, which leads him to call people by other names and seem absent-minded, Jogorou possesses a deep, latent passion for his research and a strong desire to help others. He is remembered for his generosity, particularly in his youth when he would provide medicines to villagers without asking for anything in return. Before his physical deterioration, which saw him shrink from a once large and robust frame, he was known to be quite popular, especially among the women of his village.

Jogorou's motivations are rooted in profound personal tragedy. In the past, when a plague devastated his village, he traveled to the city to secure medicine against the wishes of his ailing first wife, Sadayo. Upon his return, he found that all the inhabitants, including her, had died. Unwilling to accept this loss, he gathered the bodies and worked obsessively to create a resurrection drug. He succeeded in reviving Sadayo, but she immediately attacked and bit him, leaving him unconscious. This event, and the desire to bring back loved ones, haunted his research and personal life. He later remarried twice, to a woman named O-Toki and finally to Kiyo, Chihiro's grandmother, who passed away five years before the main story begins.

In the story, Jogorou serves as a living relic of the past and a source of crucial knowledge. He is the original creator of the resurrection potion that defines the series' central conflicts, and it is his old research notes that guide Chihiro's early experiments. He provides Chihiro with significant advice, most notably confirming that while resurrection is possible, the eventual corruption and decay of the revived body cannot be prevented, a fact he knows from his own painful history. His key relationships are defined by his grandson Chihiro, to whom he leaves a complicated legacy, and his assistant Darin Arciento Kurumiya, who affectionately calls him Professor Boil.

Over the course of the narrative, Jogorou develops from a seemingly eccentric and senile old man into a figure of deep tragedy and resolve. As his dementia worsens, he works with Chihiro to dispose of the dangerous resurrection medicine to prevent further catastrophe. In the end, he meets his fate on a remote island where he had gone to atone for the sins of his research, passing away from an illness, closing the chapter on his extraordinarily long and sorrowful life. His notable abilities include his unparalleled knowledge of zombie toxicology and pharmacology, his practical experience in creating the Soseimaru drug, and his ability to survive and function despite the massive physical toll his experiments took on his body.