'Sins Of Kujo' Season 1 Full Recap: Why Did Karasuma Part Ways With Kujo?

When Shinji Karasuma started working with defense attorney Taiza Kujo, he didn’t know what to make of him. Was he a good man? If so, then how could he work with criminals? Netflix’s new J-drama, Sins of Kujo, attempts to understand what drives Kujo. From the very first episode, it is established that Kujo didn’t care if his client had committed a crime or not. He never passed judgment, and only tried to come up with solutions that would get his client a reduced sentence or quick bail. Unlike Kujo, who preferred to keep his emotions out of his profession, Karasuma struggled to make peace with representing petty criminals, or even the yakuza. While he understood that Kujo cared deeply about protecting the legal system, which required both parties to have a lawyer (regardless of the severity of the crime), he feared that Kujo was putting himself in danger by getting involved with gangsters. So, did Kujo get into trouble? Let’s find out.

Spoilers Ahead

Had Kujo and Karasuma crossed paths before?

As the series progresses, it is revealed that Kujo and Karasuma had crossed paths when they were young. Kujo didn’t really remember Karasuma, since they’d barely interacted, but Kujo had left an impact on the young boy. Karasuma’s father had died protecting civilians on a train when a deranged man threatened to kill everyone around him with an axe. The perpetrator killed Karasuma’s father with an axe when he attempted to stop him. The deranged man hadn’t been taking his medication, and he was under the assumption that he was working for a higher power and he was the savior the world needed. Karasuma, who was just a little boy at the time, became familiar with how the law worked as he attended the trial with his mother. Kujo’s father was the prosecutor in the case, and naturally Karasuma and his mother were grateful to him for his support and dedication in bringing them justice. The judge found the accused guilty and sentenced him to death. While Karasuma and his mother sighed an air of relief, the little boy had noticed that a teenager wasn’t happy with the decision. He’d overheard Kujo tell his brother that the deranged man didn’t deserve a death sentence. He believed that the defense attorney didn’t do enough to speak on behalf of his client. The killer was mentally unstable, and Kujo believed that was reason enough for him to get acquitted; at least that was what the law stated. The young man thought that the judgment was based on public opinion and sentiment, and it was nothing but a trial by the media. His brother didn’t agree with his opinion, and thought that he was overreacting. Kujo was quite confident that a good defense attorney would have managed to get him life imprisonment instead of a death sentence. Karasuma didn’t know how to feel about Kujo’s argument. On one hand, he was essentially trying to ‘help’ the accused, and on the other, he wasn’t completely wrong about the law. What he said was true, but could a man be so emotionally unbothered? Unlike the entire country, Kujo wasn’t thinking in black and white. He likely had complete sympathy for what had happened to Karasuma’s father, but at the same time, he also believed that the accused deserved a lawyer who would try his best to protect his client. This was why Karasuma had decided to work with Kujo. He couldn’t really make sense of him, and he figured the only way to truly understand him was by working with him. 

Why was Kujo disowned by his family?

Kujo’s family considered him a disgrace. He didn’t follow the usual path like his father and his brother; instead of spending his life trying to become a prosecutor, Kujo chose to be a defense lawyer. Kujo had failed the bar exams a couple of times; he didn’t think he was intelligent or talented, and there had been times when he considered giving up. From a young age, Kujo had figured that he wanted to do something that only he could do, even if most didn’t approve of it. Kujo had lost his mother during his first year of high school, and he couldn’t help but wonder if his mother would’ve approved of the path he’d chosen, since she’d always wanted him to become a prosecutor. Although she had always advised him to be someone who would help others. While the path he’d chosen wasn’t exactly what his mother would’ve envisioned, he hoped that she would see that he tried to help those around him to the best of his abilities. Kujo regretted not being able to tell his mother that he’d chosen not to become a prosecutor; instead, he chose to be a lawyer. He didn’t care that his late father and his brother didn’t approve of his decision, but he secretly wished he could’ve at least asked his mother if what he did was right. 

During the ending of Sins of Kujo, Kujo met Karasuma’s mother, and when he told her how he wished his mother was around, she responded that although she didn’t know Kujo’s mother, she was confident that she would’ve been proud of her son. This was an emotional moment for Kujo; all his life he had carried the guilt of not pursuing the career trajectory that his mother had envisioned, but after talking to Karasuma’s mother he felt a sense of relief. He might not have been the perfect son, but at least there was someone out there who saw his true intentions and appreciated his work. 

Why did Karasuma decide to part ways with Kujo?

As much as Karasuma admired Kujo, he couldn’t make peace with the fact that the yakuza had become his regular client. Every other day he received a phone call from either Mibu or Mr. Kyogoku asking him to represent their gang members or associates in court and cut them a short sentence. While Karasuma at first tried to be understanding of Kujo’s principles, he eventually couldn’t make sense of it anymore. He didn’t think one’s ideals should be so rigid that they would prefer dying to protect ungrateful criminals over rejecting cases for self-preservation. Karasuma ultimately decided to stop working with Kujo; the decision wasn’t easy, but he couldn’t see himself helping the bad guys anymore.

Detective Arashiyama had already had his eyes on Kujo, and he desperately wanted to lock him up or at least get him disbarred. Arashiyama’s goal was to tear apart the Fushimi-gumi gang, which meant that he had to get rid of Kujo. The defense attorney had been protecting the gang members, and as a result, the detectives couldn’t get enough information to take them down. His primary targets were Yoshiaki Koyama and Kyogoku, but before he could form a strong case against them, he had to deal with Kujo. In the final episode of season 1, Morita was arrested once again, and Arashiyama figured he’d finally found the pawn who would help him get close to the bigger players. Morita’s phone, the one that he’d claimed he’d lost during his first arrest, was found on his person when he was arrested for creating a ruckus and destroying private property. Arashiyama repeatedly asked him why he’d lied about the phone and if Kujo had anything to do with it. He convinced Morita that he could cut his jail time short if he cooperated, and Morita fell right into the trap. Since Morita had decided to fire Kujo and hire another lawyer to represent himself, it is safe to assume that he’d decided to help the cops. He must have confessed that Kujo had asked him to declare that he’d lost his phone, and he’d kept it in his office. Arashiyama had tracked the phone to Kujo’s office on the day Morita had turned himself in, but that wasn’t strong enough evidence to put Kujo behind bars. He figured that he needed matching testimony from another witness, who would corroborate Morita’s statement. Arashiyama targeted Karasuma because he’d figured he would be the easiest to crack. As an experienced police officer, Arashiyama had a way with words, and he was quick to remind Karasuma of his father’s sacrifice and the humiliation that soon followed. The public perception of Karasuma’s father had changed drastically after a gossip column had published that the man who’d died protecting civilians had been involved in sugar dating. Karasuma’s mother never really got over the trauma; she’d not only lost her husband, but also the respect of society. Now, Arashiyama knew about the scandal, and his assistant, Fukami, was quick to bring it up during the interrogation. They asked him why he’d left Kujo’s law office; Karasuma simply responded that he did so for personal reasons. He was told that Morita had already confessed, and the location of his phone matched his statement. But Karasuma was well aware of what the detective was trying to arrive at, and he completely dismissed Morita’s claim. Arashiyama threatened to have him disbarred for being Kujo’s accomplice. He was asked if his mother would approve of his decision to protect someone like Kujo that would eventually earn him the title ‘crooked lawyer’ as well, leading to their already tarnished reputation in society being dragged through the mud all over again. Arashiyama tried to play the good cop and asked Fukami to cut it out, and he quickly stated that if Karasuma helped them with the investigation, they could take down Kyogoku. He knew that Karasuma didn’t have the same ideals as Kujo, and his desperation to do good might convince him to confess. Although we don’t really get to see what Karasuma had said, he later told Kujo that he didn’t confess. 

Is Kujo in trouble? 

Karasuma decided to have coffee with Kujo on the terrace where he camped. He reassured him that he didn’t confess, but at the same time, he expressed his concern for Kujo. It had become evident that Arashiyama was ready to do anything to bring justice to his daughter, who he believed was murdered by the yakuza (you can check out our ending explainer, where we’ve discussed this in detail). So, Karasuma was under the impression that Kujo was in danger, and he warned him of it. Kujo was well aware, but he didn’t really know what to do. He couldn’t back off and reject cases involving the yakuza, because that would mess up his ideals. Moreover, he was in a tricky position. Saying no to the yakuza could put his life at risk. Considering he is the only defense attorney who didn’t mind working with them, and he had cut the best deals for them, there is no way they would let him go. If he chooses not to work for them, they might try to kidnap his daughter just to establish that he doesn’t really have a choice. Some of the yakuza thugs might even partially blame Kujo to even get a reduced sentence that will get him disbarred. Now, physically fighting the yakuza seems almost impossible, unless he works with Mibu, who also has similar intentions. Mibu is already in a messy spot; one of his reckless gang members, Inukai, had kidnapped Kyogoku’s son and ended up killing him. If Kyogoku found out about it, he would make it a point to brutally murder Mibu and his new crew. Now, Arashiyama wants Kyogoku behind bars, if not dead, and perhaps if Mibu decides to help the detective, they might manage to take down Kyogoku, though that doesn’t guarantee that Mibu and his crew would be safe from the yakuza. So, the situation is extremely complicated, and while Kujo wasn’t directly involved in the business of crime, he has surrounded himself with questionable individuals who won’t mind dragging him down for self-preservation. The ending confirms that the series will likely return since there is A LOT of unsolved business! The question is, will Kujo manage to survive, or will he get killed in the crossfire? I strongly believe that Karasuma will stand by his mentor/friend/brother, and perhaps his mother will encourage him to take the risk to protect someone she believed was a good man. 

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