Masao Tajima is a minor character who appears in flashbacks within the story. He was a close friend of Kazuhiko Hashimoto during their youth. Like many who encountered Tomie Kawakami, Masao became infatuated with her and fell under her destructive influence. His obsession ultimately drove him to commit suicide by hanging, a death that is shown off-screen, with his body later discovered. This tragic event forms a crucial part of the backstory, illustrating the pattern of ruin that Tomie leaves in her wake and directly connecting to Kazuhiko's own haunted past and his eventual vulnerability to Tomie's manipulations when she resurfaces years later. Masao has no further role in the narrative, and his character serves primarily to underscore the supernatural and corrosive effect Tomie has on those around her.