Eiji Saotome commanded the Imperial Japanese Army during World War II, establishing the clandestine Esper Secret Service Corps to harness espers as covert weapons against global adversaries. Targeting gifted yet ostracized young espers like Kyousuke Hyoubu and Fujiko Tsubomi under Lord Tsubomi’s patronage, he masked ruthless pragmatism beneath the guise of a benevolent mentor, treating his recruits as expendable pawns for strategic victories.

As Japan teetered on the brink of nuclear annihilation, Saotome abandoned loyalty for survival, orchestrating his unit’s betrayal by eliminating Seishiro Uzumi and leaving Hyoubu for dead—a treachery justified by the I-008 prophecy’s vision of Hyoubu as a future architect of terror and Japan thriving under Western hegemony.

Despite cultivating false camaraderie with subordinates, Fujiko Tsubomi saw through his deceptions. His strategic mind harbored contingency plans for every ally’s elimination, embodying a philosophy where ambition eclipsed morality. The duality of his name, blending “excellence” and “cure,” stood in stark contrast to his self-serving machinations.

Saotome’s story embodies wartime leadership’s moral fractures, his legacy echoing through Hyoubu’s crusade for vengeance and Fujiko’s pivotal role in founding B.A.B.E.L.—an organization countering his dream of esper subjugation.