Hanzawa Naoki Episode 1 ((exclusive))

Hanzawa is told he will be transferred to a tiny, dead-end subsidiary in the boonies—Osaka Nishi’s "Cursed" annex. But worse: He must personally bear 50 million yen in responsibility. He is ordered to repay the bank’s loss out of his own future salary, a debt that would take literal decades to settle. His career is over. His life is mortgaged.

forces him to approve a 500 million yen ($5 million) unsecured loan to Nishi Osaka Steel. The Betrayal Hanzawa Naoki Episode 1

Set in 2004 (post-Japan’s financial crisis), Hanzawa Naoki is a loan officer at the Osaka Nakanoshima branch of Industrial Central Bank. He believes a bank exists to serve the real economy and its clients. His new branch manager, Asano, orders him to approve a 500 million yen unsecured loan to a local steel company, Nishi Osaka Steel, despite Hanzawa’s misgivings. Hanzawa is told he will be transferred to

: Critics praised Masato Sakai's intense performance, particularly his "piercing stare" and ability to make technical banking drama feel like a thriller. His career is over

The antagonist of the first arc; he is greedy and eager to advance his career at any cost. Hanzawa's Friend

An incorruptible banker who uses his wits to fight corporate corruption. Naoki's Wife