Tagusari Bros. Ending Explained & Finale Recap: Do Makoto And Minoru Get Peace After Killing Haruko?

This week, the final episode of “Tagusari Bros.” delivers some brutal plot twists that we probably didn’t see coming. Already reeling from the discovery that Mogi stabbed their parents, Makoto and Minoru get another shock when Fumi claims that Mogi is not the real killer. She notes that Sakutaro and Yuka made no sound during the attack, meaning they were already dead before Mogi’s arrival. This upends the brothers’ hard-fought closure and puts a terrifying question on the table – did someone poison their parents?

Spoilers Ahead

Were Sakutaro and Yuka Poisoned?

Minoru claims that Mogi had nothing to do with the murder but Makoto still remains angry with him. They end up fighting but ultimately reunite when Minoru makes yakisoba. The dish reminds them of their childhood when they used to have it with their parents. Over a nostalgic lunch, the brothers remember how Sakutaro loved drowning the dish in vinegar. And suddenly they realize on the night of the murder, they did not have vinegar in their yakisoba, unlike their parents. If Mogi’s words are correct, then it’s possible that someone else poisoned Sakutaro and Yuka through that vinegar.

Why Does Minoru Go To Germany?

With his suspicion growing stronger, Minoru searches for the vinegar in his childhood home, but finds it empty. He seeks help from Forensic Expert Dr. Kagura who takes dried up sample strains from the bottle but the test result comes up negative. Kagura also concludes that Minoru’s parents may have been poisoned because their autopsy was only based on the stab wounds. Minoru, who himself is a Forensic Investigator, knows that Japan’s drug screening is limited to only two hundred compounds. To bypass this limitation, Minoru flies to Germany where advanced labs can analyze up to sixteen thousand substances. His hunch pays off when German lab technicians find traces of digitalis inside the container, which is a fatal poison.

Kudo Fails To Stop Makoto

Kudo never received the love she deserved from her mother and her childhood was horrible. She never explained it properly, but did admit that she could not leave her traumatic past behind. Kudo is aware of Sasaoka’s involvement with the Igarashi-gumi. Knowing Makoto is consumed by revenge, she tries changing his mind by sharing her own journey of overcoming a traumatic childhood, and discussing the mindset of other victims facing a statute of limitations. However, she fails to realize that Makoto is still hellbent on avenging his parents’ death.

Koike Wants To Save Makoto And Minoru

Koike knew that Sasaoka was secretly working for the Igarashi-gumi right from the beginning. However, Koike never protested or reported it because Sasaoka mentored him while he was new in the job. Koike was weak and he intentionally turned a blind eye to justice, which ultimately caused the brothers’ suffering. He realizes his mistake and tells Sasaoka to surrender because he wants to protect Makoto and Minoru’s future. As the First Division takes Sasaoka away for interrogation, Koike urges Kudo and Ishizaka to find the brothers before they commit an unforgivable mistake. 

Makoto Is Devastated After The Unexpected Twist 

Makoto and Ishizaka are good friends. He seeks help from Ishizaka about Sasaoka and tells him to dig deeper and recover files on Koji’s murder. While reading the old case files with Ishizaka, Makoto comes across Haruko’s title. It turns out that Haruko is Koji’s daughter whose clothing had strains of digitalis. Realizing Haruko might be the killer, he breaks down on his way home, completely shattered by the twist.

Did Haruko Kill Sakutaro And Yuka?

After Sakutaro found out about Sadao’s shady business with the Igarashi-gumi and saw him manufacture guns in the Karashima Metal Factory, he confronted him. Since Sadao refused to surrender to the police, Sakutaro threatened to report the whole situation and took a gun home from the shipment. Just because he misplaced an item, fisherman Koji, who was in charge of the delivery, could not complete his mission and got killed by Amagi of the Igarashi-gumi. Haruko was Koji’s daughter and after being an orphan, she went through his diary. She came across Koji’s dealings with Amagi and visited the Karashima Metal Factory for more clues. Haruko could not keep calm after she overheard Sadao scolding Sakutaro for indirectly causing Koji’s death. She followed Sakutaro, noticed his habit of adding a full pot of vinegar while eating yakisoba and planned her revenge. Haruko knew that digitalis was a fatal poison. When nobody was home, she sneaked into the Tagusari house by stealing the spare key and mixed digitalis extract into the vinegar bottle. When Sakutaro and Yuka had yakisoba with vinegar at night, they died way before Mogi came to stab them.

How Did Haruko’s Crime Come To Light?

There can never be a perfect crime. Haruko killed Sakutaro and Yuka, left their house just before Mogi arrived but she forgot to wash her clothes. When Haruko mixed the digitalis extract into the vinegar bottle, the solution spilled onto the table and she wiped it off with her sweater. Though Haruko escaped before Mogi arrived, she returned to ensure the poison worked. In a stroke of terrible timing, she collided with Mogi as he fled the scene and he slashed her arm. Because she was bleeding, her clothes were kept in evidence; the digitalis on her clothes were not considered worth reporting because of Koike’s reluctance and the faulty postmortem. 

Do Makoto And Minoru Kill Haruko?

Haruko went away after the statute of the Tagusari murder case expired. She was safe from getting caught but could not stay away from the brothers because of the guilt. When the brothers meet Haruko, she reveals everything – all these years, she was carrying a burden in her heart. Since Haruko is the murderer, she wants the brothers to be her judge, jury and executioner.

Upon listening to this confession, Minoru snaps and draws the handmade gun on the woman who once celebrated their birthdays and took them to the seaside. Overwhelmed by grief, Minoru breaks down, trapped between his love for Haruko and his duty towards his parents. Makoto cannot accept that Haruko killed his parents out of everyone when it was Amagi who murdered Koji. He is as broken as Minoru because he also loves Haruko a lot. Both the brothers are stuck between a rock and a hard place since Haruko’s presence in their lives is indispensable. Always the protector, Makoto takes the gun from Minoru and fires the final shot, dropping Haruko dead. By claiming this emotional closure, the brothers finally find a peace that a legal victory could never give them. Makoto and Minoru take one last stroll at the seaside before walking into the police station to surrender. 

In the end, the brothers’ reunion with their parents is a manifestation of their dreams, a perfect world where they are still alive. For the first time, Makoto and Minoru smile the brightest while munching on the vinegar-filled yakisoba with their parents. This warmly lit family dinner is just a glimpse of the normal life Makoto and Minoru were robbed of. The final moment rewrites their tragic memory into a lasting happiness where Makoto and Minoru are finally at peace.

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