TV-Series
Description
Makoto Kozuka is a second-year student at Minami Junior High School who becomes a central figure in the investigation of the serial assaults attributed to the figure known as Lil' Slugger. He first appears when he is arrested after attacking Masumi Hirukawa, a police officer, and being subdued on the spot. Kozuka is an eighth-grade boy with short brown hair, large ears, and a face that is mostly obscured by a red baseball cap decorated with three pins on the front. He typically wears a black top beneath a blue hoodie and green cargo shorts. A visible difference between him and the true Lil' Slugger is that Kozuka wears dental braces on his upper teeth.
His background reveals a deeply troubled young person. He was involved with an online suicide forum, and before his anticipated death he wanted to exact revenge on the world for his perceived grievances. This desire for retribution led him to take on the appearance and role of Lil' Slugger, though his imitation was short lived and ultimately ineffective. His motivations stem from a profound sense of alienation and a wish to be a legendary hero who could change the world, a fantasy that collided harshly with his real-life powerlessness.
Makoto Kozuka's personality is defined by a powerful delusional system. He genuinely believes he is living inside a medieval-style role-playing game and that he is a holy warrior destined to fight an evil force he calls Gohma. He claims to be helping those who are waiting to be saved, framing his attacks as righteous acts within this imagined quest. When interrogated by detectives, he initially admits responsibility for only two of the five attacks, insisting on his identity as a holy warrior. He is a deeply troubled individual whose fantasy provides an escape from a reality he finds unbearable.
His role in the story is that of a false perpetrator, a copycat who is mistaken for the genuine Lil' Slugger. He serves as a crucial red herring that diverts the investigation before the true nature of the phenomenon is revealed. His arrest and subsequent treatment by the authorities highlight the ways in which society misunderstands and mishandles individuals in psychological crisis. Detective Mitsuhiro Maniwa, in particular, tries to connect with him by engaging with his fantasy, using their shared understanding of the RPG framework to communicate. In contrast, Detective Keiichi Ikari applies intense pressure during interrogation, pushing Kozuka into an emotional corner. Maniwa plans to use Kozuka as bait to capture the real Lil' Slugger, but before this plan can be executed, Kozuka is killed by the genuine Lil' Slugger, an event that finally allows the detectives to glimpse the true assailant.
Regarding his development, Kozuka begins as a lonely, vengeful boy who adopts a criminal persona to gain a sense of power and purpose. His delusion is thorough and consistent, but it is also fragile. Under the pressure of interrogation, his fantasy begins to crack, and he is forced to confront the gap between his heroic self-image and the squalid reality of his actions and circumstances. His death marks the end of his arc, but his story has lasting consequences: his suicide, which the detectives are unable to accept, is replaced in their minds by the paranoid agent of Lil' Slugger, demonstrating how collective delusion can overwrite even the most concrete facts.
Notable abilities and traits include his capacity for sustained, elaborate delusion, which allows him to construct an entire fantasy world around himself. He is physically unremarkable and, unlike the true Lil' Slugger, is not a force of nature but merely an imitation. His two attacks are against Shogo Ushiyama, a child, and Masumi Hirukawa, the officer who arrested him, suggesting his actions are more about personal vengeance than the abstract, symbolic violence of the real Lil' Slugger. Ultimately, Kozuka is a tragically ordinary boy who wanted to be something more and, in failing to become a hero, became a victim instead.
His background reveals a deeply troubled young person. He was involved with an online suicide forum, and before his anticipated death he wanted to exact revenge on the world for his perceived grievances. This desire for retribution led him to take on the appearance and role of Lil' Slugger, though his imitation was short lived and ultimately ineffective. His motivations stem from a profound sense of alienation and a wish to be a legendary hero who could change the world, a fantasy that collided harshly with his real-life powerlessness.
Makoto Kozuka's personality is defined by a powerful delusional system. He genuinely believes he is living inside a medieval-style role-playing game and that he is a holy warrior destined to fight an evil force he calls Gohma. He claims to be helping those who are waiting to be saved, framing his attacks as righteous acts within this imagined quest. When interrogated by detectives, he initially admits responsibility for only two of the five attacks, insisting on his identity as a holy warrior. He is a deeply troubled individual whose fantasy provides an escape from a reality he finds unbearable.
His role in the story is that of a false perpetrator, a copycat who is mistaken for the genuine Lil' Slugger. He serves as a crucial red herring that diverts the investigation before the true nature of the phenomenon is revealed. His arrest and subsequent treatment by the authorities highlight the ways in which society misunderstands and mishandles individuals in psychological crisis. Detective Mitsuhiro Maniwa, in particular, tries to connect with him by engaging with his fantasy, using their shared understanding of the RPG framework to communicate. In contrast, Detective Keiichi Ikari applies intense pressure during interrogation, pushing Kozuka into an emotional corner. Maniwa plans to use Kozuka as bait to capture the real Lil' Slugger, but before this plan can be executed, Kozuka is killed by the genuine Lil' Slugger, an event that finally allows the detectives to glimpse the true assailant.
Regarding his development, Kozuka begins as a lonely, vengeful boy who adopts a criminal persona to gain a sense of power and purpose. His delusion is thorough and consistent, but it is also fragile. Under the pressure of interrogation, his fantasy begins to crack, and he is forced to confront the gap between his heroic self-image and the squalid reality of his actions and circumstances. His death marks the end of his arc, but his story has lasting consequences: his suicide, which the detectives are unable to accept, is replaced in their minds by the paranoid agent of Lil' Slugger, demonstrating how collective delusion can overwrite even the most concrete facts.
Notable abilities and traits include his capacity for sustained, elaborate delusion, which allows him to construct an entire fantasy world around himself. He is physically unremarkable and, unlike the true Lil' Slugger, is not a force of nature but merely an imitation. His two attacks are against Shogo Ushiyama, a child, and Masumi Hirukawa, the officer who arrested him, suggesting his actions are more about personal vengeance than the abstract, symbolic violence of the real Lil' Slugger. Ultimately, Kozuka is a tragically ordinary boy who wanted to be something more and, in failing to become a hero, became a victim instead.