The following contains spoilers for Episode 4 of My Home Hero, "The World of Violence," now streaming on Crunchyroll.
The end of My Home Hero last week was a big set-up for this week, with Tetsuo's abduction ending with him becoming business partners with his enemy, Kyoichi. Kyoichi has been suspicious that Tetsuo has been involved in Nobuto's death from the start, and while Tetsuo has done a good job to throw him off the trail, the suspicion has never been fully absolved. The only way that Tetsuo felt he could keep himself and his family safe, at least a little while longer, was to work with Kyoichi to find Nobuto's killer.
Now this week, Kyoichi and Tetsuo spent most of the episode working together to try to uncover what happened to Nobuto. But as the episode went on, their relationship to one another changed dramatically - some of it due to circumstances, but some of it seemed to have been set up from the start. Let's have a look at what happened in "The World of Violence" that changed Tetsuo and Kyoichi from abductor and victim last week to...well, something else this week.
Hidden Secrets
From the start of Episode 4, Tetsuo and Kyoichi understandably had a tense relationship. It was built on Kyoichi's threats that if they did not find Nobuto's whereabouts or killer by the end of the week, he would kill Tetsuo anyway and frame him. Kyoichi was also tracking Tetsuo's phone, and threatened to burn down his house if he ever did not answer it. It was later revealed in the episode that Kyoichi also had bugged the phone, as he listened in on a conversation between Tetsuo and a woman named Hibiki who was one of Nobuto's girlfriends.
Using this bug, Kyoichi left Tetsuo to talk to Hibiki alone about her past with Nobuto. It was in this time that she made a big reveal to Tetsuo, telling him that Nobuto had admitted to betraying the Organization and steal their money, a boast he had made to her to show his love for her after cheating on her yet again and making her cry. Tetsuo was shocked to hear about this, and Kyoichi was probably even more so.
After all, he is the one being pressured to find Nobuto because of his favored position in the Organization, and hearing that the other man betrayed them and go away with it was likely to not sit well with Kyoichi. Either that, or it was something that he had already suspected, and this conversation confirmed its truth. Either way, it was likely a catalyst for Kyoichi's change in character, and his attitude towards Tetsuo going forward.
Extreme Circumstances
They say that some of the strongest relationships are forged in fire, and that is quite literally what brings Tetsuo and Kyoichi together. After the two run up an incredible bill at the girls' bar that they were unable to pay, the two are tasked with doing a "favor" to pay off the bill involving two rival criminals. Of course Kyoichi and Tetsuo do not want to do it, but neither of them have ten million yen to pay their tab, either.
In the fear and anticipation leading up to the event, the two start to be more honest with each other - and Kyoichi reveals that he knows that Tetsuo murdered Nobuto, and that was why he wanted to work with him. That was a huge surprise, and made us wonder if he was willing to share because of either the circumstance, or because he now can confirm that Nobuto was not quite the golden boy everyone was led to believe. Either way, shortly after confessing that he knows the truth, Kyoichi and Tetsuo were thrown into a violent array of gunshots, explosions, and fire, barely escaping with their lives.
What's Next for this Duo?
At the end of "The World of Violence," Tetsuo and Kyoichi are escaping into the woods, and Kyoichi looks significantly injured. Rather than leave him there, possibly to die and thus escaping himself, Tetsuo is helping him. The two of them actually seem to be getting along well, now that the truth is out between them and Tetsuo finds himself not having to lie anymore. As usual, the episode ended on a huge cliffhanger with someone potentially being shot, so we will have to wait until next week to see what actually happens to the two of them.
Our prediction base on the velocity in which Tetsuo and Kyoichi's relationship changed in just one episode is that the two will go forth as partners from here on out. If Kyoichi wants to either take the Organization for himself or escape it, he can really use Tetsuo's sharp mind and imagination for lies. And as for Tetsuo, if he really wants to keep his family safe, he is going to need to use Kyoichi's muscle and violent nature. Both have shown that they do not really have any limits when it comes to getting what they want, so they can be a superb amoral power team going forward in My Home Hero!