Kudo emerges as a cunning mentor within the underworld of confidence games, a small-time Japanese con artist who recruits the protagonist into petty fraud. Following his arrest, he pivots to Laurent Thierry’s global crew, shifting from solo scams to structured heists against powerful criminals.

Driven by simple pragmatism, he values profit above ethics, openly reveling in his identity as a career swindler. This unapologetic stance starkly opposes the protagonist’s moral struggles, providing a narrative counterbalance between mercenary instinct and conflicted idealism.

He masters crowd psychology, staging scams where marks believe they outwit him—aided by accomplices who fabricate spontaneous scenarios to exploit greed and vanity. One pivotal scheme sees him betray the protagonist for personal gain, accepting a bribe that funnels the younger conman into Laurent’s orbit. This act epitomizes his transactional ethos, prioritizing self-preservation over loyalty.

Though distrusted, his crude honesty and comedic lack of pretense secure his place in the team. His presence anchors the narrative to the grifter world’s unglamorous roots, contrasting the main crew’s elaborate, justice-driven plots with the raw opportunism of street-level deception.