Izumi-kun, your eyes...
They're so empty.
Goodbye.
Parasyte
The Maxim
The Selfish Gene
Shinichi, you had me worried back there.
It was just as well.
If that man had been watching us again,
he'd start treating Murano like a monster, too.
That man?
Yeah, the man we ran into before...
He was watching me this afternoon.
Why didn't you say so sooner?
You would've tried to kill him if I had.
I have shifted my thinking.
He is continuing his investigation of you, isn't he?
If the same individual is continuing the operation despite his cover being blown,
it may mean that the enemy is surprisingly small in number.
We might as well track down everyone involved in their investigation, and—
Kill all of them?
No.
I have come to realize just how much you reject the notion of killing other humans.
We must work together.
Yeah, right.
So we should table killing for now
and just investigate him.
How?
We'll call an ally and enlist their help.
An ally, huh?
Where can we find an ally in the whole wide world—
Oh!
Thank you for coming all the way here.
Fukuyamadai Station
I'm sorry to get you involved in all this.
No need to apologize!
You're the only one I know who's in the same boat as me!
We have to help each other!
But you've already helped me before.
Yeah, no shit.
I didn't ask for any of this!
Th-That wasn't me.
Yeah.
I see.
But you should just off that guy already.
It's not that easy, okay?
So do you have any leads on who's behind all this?
Well, kind of.
Assuming the enemy is not an organized entity,
we do have an idea.
Well, supposing we just catch the guy instead of offing him,
I hope you at least know his face.
I remember it well.
He looks like this.
Okay, got it.
F-For now,
I'll stay in the business hotel by the train station.
Okay.
Oh, by the way.
About his name: we decided "Parasite" was too confusing
because they use that term on TV and on the web,
so we're calling him Joe now.
"Joe" for "jaw"?
Yeah.
Heh, who gives a shit about names?
That's right.
Names are unimportant.
You look exhausted.
Investigation Report
You should go see a doctor.
I did go to a doctor, see?!
That's not what I meant.
Of course you don't believe me.
A right hand stretching out and attacking me?
But I actually did get hurt.
This is real, isn't it? Isn't it?!
Please calm down.
I may not look it, but I've calmed down quite a bit.
And I've thought long and hard about what's happened.
About what that thing was.
But I haven't been able to find an answer that makes any sense.
I'll pay you for your work up to this point,
but let's stop here.
Stop?
When we're right in the thick of things?
But what about me?
What about everything going through my mind?
I still haven't figured out what that thing was!
Asking me to believe your story is far more unreasonable.
Well...
Oh, I know!
You said something
about Izumi Shinichi's right hand before, didn't you?
Did I?
You did!
You definitely did!
I see it now!
You knew it, too!
That's right!
That's the real reason you asked me to investigate him!
What is that monster?
Please, tell me the truth!
Please stop this.
I'm leaving now.
W-Wait!
You can't fool me!
Ow...
It seems this is as far as I can go with human help.
In the end, little was accomplished.
Should I get rid of that private investigator?
Was I laughing?
This is the first time I've felt a natural urge to laugh.
When I saw how flustered that human was...
I forgot the corresponding facial expression.
Kuramori
She's already asleep.
Man, I'm exhausted.
Well, well. Making yourself comfortable?
Want some?
Thanks, but no thanks.
Are you wrapped up in something dangerous lately?
Huh?
You're having bad dreams at night.
You cry out.
You got injured, too.
Nothing's really going on.
Hey, are you sure this job
is just a background check?
What're you implying?
Just saying there's nothing to gain by sticking your nose
into things that're beyond you.
So you are going to drink.
If it's a risky job,
there are cops for that sort of thing.
You're a small-timer, remember?
You should know your place.
Know my place, huh?
Yup, stay small.
I'm your husband, for crying out loud.
The Japanese Mystery Genre The Western Mystery Genre Mystery Anthology
Just watch.
I'm gonna surprise everyone!
Parasites can sense others of their kind
who are nearby through their signals.
They can't quite talk to each other like on a phone call,
but if they agree on predetermined signals in advance,
simple communication is possible.
Shinichi.
They found him.
Okay.
We'll meet up at the next corner.
Got it.
Good.
I wasn't sure you'd show up again.
Please keep quiet.
Please get in.
He's with you?
What do you intend to do with me?!
We don't intend to cause you any harm.
We're just going somewhere we can talk.
He doesn't have to be so terrified...
There are a lot of things we want to ask you.
But first, we'd like you to hear our side of the story.
S-Sure, I'm all ears!
But who's that guy?
His face's shape is all wrong!
He's modified his face so that you won't learn what he looks like.
Um, okay.
First, please listen carefully to what I tell you.
My life is at stake.
S-Sure.
I told him everything that had happened
since the day Migi burrowed into my hand.
At first, the P.I. was taken aback,
but he regained his calm as I told my story.
But the doubt never left his eyes,
even at the very end.
I see.
I now know where you're coming from.
Your story's so absurd that
I'd never believe it under normal circumstances,
but given that there's a monster right in front of me,
I have to at least believe some of it.
So?
What do you want me to do?
I'd like you to keep quiet about us.
Please.
But based on what you said,
there are other monsters, too, right?
You want to just leave them be?
If you really care about what's best for humanity,
you should come forward,
even if it would mean becoming a lab rat!
Even if it would mean sacrificing yourself,
you should think of the good of humanity!
Isn't that what it means to be human?!
Let's just off this guy!
You're right.
Wait!
Self-sacrifice, my ass.
Listen up!
If you have the right to live,
so do we.
Granted, I believe "rights" are a concept unique to the human species.
In any event, we will do anything necessary to survive.
I cannot allow him to come forward and become a lab rat.
If that means you will become our enemy,
I'm prepared to kill you anytime.
Take a good look at him.
He's only a high schooler in his teens.
He's only a child from your perspective, isn't he?
But his mother's been murdered.
He's stepped over a pile of corpses,
and endured so much more.
He's still trying his hardest to live.
Where is your pity?
Compare his life to yours.
Could you have endured what he's endured?
Migi's not sounding like himself at all.
I'm sure he's saying it all to achieve a certain effect, but...
Um, I really don't want to kill you.
Get out of here! Hurry!
Yeah, I know.
I have one more question for you.
Who asked you to investigate Shinichi?
That's...
That's the one thing I can't tell you!
Heh.
So you're sticking with the whole "a P.I. never reveals his clients" thing, huh?
We have a pretty good idea.
I'll be blunt.
Your client is a parasite.
Wh...
What'd you say?!
She was mentioned in his story.
It's the female teacher who vanished from his high school, Tamiya Ryouko.
T-Tamiya?
She's already changed her name,
but perhaps your client's name sounds like hers?
Tamiya Ryouko...
Tamura Reiko...
Yeah, we're pretty half-assed when it comes to names.
If you refuse to back down,
it won't be us, but your client who'll kill you.
It can't be...
Incoming Call Unknown Caller Decline Answer
Is that you, Izumi?
You're...
I didn't expect her to come calling so soon
after we figured it might be her.
She even wants to meet on the roof of a university building.
What's she trying to pull?
We are currently 130 meters away from Tamiya Ryouko.
She must be somewhere behind that building.
Don't tell me she's now a university lecturer
after her stint as a high school teacher.
Altruism in Animals: Unanswered Questions
"Altruism" is behavior undertaken for the benefit of another.
It is the opposite of "selfishness."
At first glance, altruistic behavior poses no advantage for the self.
Rather, it is behavior that helps others despite posing
a distinct disadvantage to the self.
It is perhaps not so rare among human beings,
It's a baby!
So cute.
but altruistic behavior has also been observed
among a number of animal species.
For example, honeybees will sacrifice themselves
to protect the hive when predators appear.
This behavior may be instinctive.
However, there exists a prime example of behavior
that does not serve to protect one's own species:
infanticide.
Why do animals kill offspring of their own species?
The prevailing theory in recent years
is the "selfish gene."
Selfish Gene
In a nutshell,
the body of an animal is merely its DNA's puppet.
What matters is not its species, but itself,
and its own offspring who will inherit its DNA.
If we apply this theory more broadly,
it can explain a wide variety of altruistic behavior,
such as caring for others in a herd,
familial love, marital love,
and even maternal love.
This would mean that there is no such thing as compassion or love.
All behavior that appears to stem from love is,
in fact, merely behavior to better the transmission of an individual's DNA.
Of course, this theory is not without its problems.
There are multiple cases observed in nature where animals help others
who will have no impact on the transmission of their own DNA
and even others who are of an entirely different species.
In addition,
it's uncertain whether complex human thought
can be captured in full by this theory.
In that sense,
it may be interesting to consider whether human efforts in the realm
of environmental and nature conservation
are altruistic or selfish in nature.
It's almost time.
Who holds their baby like that?
I don't know...
I'm glad you came.
You look well.
Why here?
I chose this location
because others of my kind are rarely present.
There was also a lecture here I wanted to attend.
I see it's true.
You are very different from before.
How did you two mix?
What happened?
I find it difficult to believe it happened on its own.
Is that baby yours?
Yes, it is.
I haven't done anything to it yet.
Done... anything?
Your right hand...
"Migi," was it?
Why don't we exchange information again?
It'll benefit us both.
I'd first like to confirm
that it was you who hired the private investigator.
Did it not occur to you
that doing so entailed a certain amount of risk to yourself?
I can handle myself.
I can just assume another identity, if necessary.
You know about the mayor, Hirokawa, don't you?
What're you all planning, making a monster into a mayor?
I don't know much about it, either.
But we are evolving as a species.
We have realized that just going around
killing and eating humans is not safe for us.
We have to consider how to coexist with humans from now on.
Coexist, huh?
Shimada Hideo said the same thing, but in the end...
For example,
can't it be said that, in a certain sense, humans and livestock coexist?
Of course, they are not equal.
From a pig's perspective, humans are merely monsters who feed upon them.
See, it is the human species who are making grandiose statements like,
"All life on Earth must coexist."
There may be some truth to what you're saying,
but I...
I have reasons why I absolutely can't forgive your kind!
What happened?
You no longer seem like a normal human being.
I'm not sure how to describe it, but...
Mother and child...
I heard your mother has gone missing.
Was she killed?
Shinichi, calm down!
I see!
One of us fed on her!
Well, well... Impressive.
It's as if your rage is moving the air itself.
I'll kill you!
I think I will lose if I fight you now.
I'll just have to use this child as a shield.
What are you doing?
It appears human children are more perceptive than adults.
Quiet.
Why is that bitch...
Why?!
Out of the way, humans!
What's the matter with you, Shinichi?
Why can't you calm down?
I can't forgive her.
I just can't! Not her!
I'll just have to use this child as a shield.
I haven't done anything to it yet.
Hey, you there.
You!
Fortune Teller
That's right, you.
Come, let me take a look.
What's going on?
You look like you've been through a lot.
Show me your hand.
Your hand.
The left hand?
Fortune Telling
Right now,
you have a hole in your heart, don't you?
Huh?!
How'd you know that?
Oh, it's a huge, gaping hole.
How can I, um...
How can I close it?
Meet the person.
Huh?
Meet the one who opened that hole again.
Meet that person, and talk everything over to bring closure.
Listen well.
That person is the only one
who can seal that hole.
I killed that person.
Next time:
Something Wicked This Way Comes
"Something Wicked This Way Comes."