Jogorō Furuya is the grandfather of the protagonist, Chihiro Furuya, in the anime Sankarea: Undying Love. He is an elderly man of remarkably advanced age, having lived for over a century, and his appearance reflects his unusual history. He is depicted as very short with light green-tinted skin, gray eyes, and long white hair, sometimes wearing glasses. This altered physical state, including his small stature and skin color, is a direct result of his extensive exposure to zombie toxins and the side effects of his own experiments over many decades. In his youth, before his research took its toll, he was described as a large and physically robust man.

His background is that of a scientist who dedicated his life to the study of zombies. He conducted research abroad at an institution called ZOMA, where he developed his own unique formula for a resurrection drug known as Soseimaru. This work involved exposing himself to lethal doses of zombie poison dozens of times, which ultimately caused damage to his brain and eyesight, leading to periods of confusion and dementia-like symptoms in his old age. After retiring from active research, he returned to Japan to live a quiet life.

Personality-wise, Jogorō often appears absent-minded, confused, and prone to saying odd things, a consequence of his prolonged exposure to toxins. However, he is capable of sudden moments of clarity and seriousness, especially when discussing topics related to zombies and resurrection. Despite his unusual condition, he is fundamentally a generous and kind-hearted individual. In the past, he used his self-taught medical knowledge to help sick villagers without asking for anything in return, earning him their respect and affection. He was also known to be very popular with women in his younger days.

His motivations are deeply rooted in personal tragedy. His first wife, a woman named Sada, died along with the rest of their village during a plague while he was away searching for medicine. Consumed by grief and guilt, he became obsessed with overcoming death, retreating to a cave with the bodies of his wife and fellow villagers to tirelessly pursue the creation of a resurrection drug. He eventually succeeded and brought Sada back to life, but she had become a mindless zombie who immediately bit him, leaving him unconscious. This event scarred him profoundly and defined his long life of research and loss. His later research was also motivated by a desire to help his second wife, Otoki, who later became a zombie and was frozen.

Within the story, his role is primarily that of a mentor and a source of hidden knowledge for his grandson, Chihiro. While he is often in a confused state, he provides crucial advice to Chihiro regarding the nature of zombies, the limitations of the resurrection potion, and the inevitability of decay. He is the original creator of the elixir that Chihiro inadvertently uses, and his past experiments serve as a dark mirror and a warning for Chihiro's own journey with the zombie Rea.

His key relationships include his grandson, Chihiro, to whom he passes on his legacy and knowledge. He was married three times. His first wife, Sada, was the greatest love of his life and the catalyst for his descent into dangerous research. His second wife was Otoki, who supported his research and eventually became a test subject, frozen in ice as a zombie to halt her decay. His third wife was Kiyo, Chihiro’s grandmother, who died five years before the main story begins. He also has a daughter, Yuzuna, who, after a fatal accident, asked her father to turn her into a zombie so she could fulfill a promise to her children.

Throughout his development, Jogorō transforms from a large, generous village healer into a slim, obsessed scientist driven by the desire to reverse death. After the tragedy with Sada, his focus narrowed entirely to his research, which physically diminished him and cost him his health. Despite his successes, his life is characterized by repeated loss and the painful consequences of tampering with nature. He ultimately seeks to atone for his sins, meeting his end around the same time as his second wife, Otoki, implying a final connection to the past he could never let go of. He dies approximately one year before the main story's conclusion.

His notable abilities are rooted in his scientific expertise. He possesses advanced knowledge of zombie toxicology and pharmacology, allowing him to formulate complex medicines and the unique resurrection drug Soseimaru. His decades of self-experimentation and exposure to toxins, while damaging his mind and body, inadvertently granted him an extraordinarily long lifespan of over a hundred years, making his own body a peculiar kind of living experiment.