First Love (2019) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Leo decides to help Yuri because he believes he has a terminal brain tumor with little time left to live. After collapsing during a boxing match and receiving his grim prognosis, he feels he has nothing to lose by standing up to the corrupt cop Ōtomo who is chasing Yuri. His terminal diagnosis gives him a sense of fatalism that pushes him to act courageously despite the danger.

Foreshadowing: Leo's earlier collapse during the boxing match and his bleak prognosis establish his desperation to give his remaining life meaning.

• leo boxer terminal diagnosis yuri help motivation

No, Leo does not actually have a brain tumor. During the chaotic confrontation at the hardware store, Leo discovers there was a mix-up at the doctor's office, his MRI scan was accidentally swapped with another patient's. This revelation completely transforms his outlook, changing him from a man who thought he was living on borrowed time to someone who now has a future to fight for.

Foreshadowing: The film hints at this twist through the sudden nature of his diagnosis and his unusual lack of fear despite the dangerous situations he enters.

• leo brain tumor mri mix-up diagnosis mistake

Yuri becomes a target for several groups for different reasons. The yakuza, led by Gondō, believe she was involved in the drug theft and murder of Yasu. The Chinese triad, led by Chiachi, thinks she killed one of their men. Corrupt cop Ōtomo originally wanted her out of the apartment to execute his plan with Kase to steal drugs and frame her. Multiple factions converge on hunting her because she's the convenient scapegoat for multiple crimes committed that night.

Foreshadowing: Kase and Ōtomo's conspiracy to frame Yuri for the drug theft sets her up as a target, while her escape from the apartment makes her appear guilty.

• yuri hunted yakuza triad police target

Kase, the yakuza member working with corrupt cop Ōtomo, is killed during the chaos of the heist. After abducting Julie to help steal the drugs from Yasu and Julie's apartment, Kase succeeds in taking the drugs but is shot dead by Yasu when he returns to the apartment. His death occurs early in the conflict, eliminating one of the main conspirators.

Foreshadowing: Kase's dangerous double-cross with the drugs sets him on a collision course with both the yakuza and his partners.

• kase death yakuza killed murdered

Corrupt cop Ōtomo meets his end during the chaotic final confrontation outside the hardware store. After the gunfight between the yakuza and Chinese triad, Ōtomo attempts to flash his police badge to escape the carnage, but Chiachi shoots him in response. He manages to shoot her back before both are gunned down by the arriving police. Their deaths expose the corruption and bring the chaotic night to a violent conclusion.

Foreshadowing: Ōtomo's corrupt dealings with Kase and his abuse of power against Yuri build toward his inevitable downfall.

• otomo corrupt cop death killed police

Gondō helps Leo and Yuri escape as an act of redemption. Despite being a yakuza boss, he is disturbed by the corruption within his own organization and the innocent bloodshed. After Ōtomo's scheme unfolds and multiple people are killed, Gondō decides to aid the two protagonists by crashing his car through the upstairs parking garage and ramming through the police blockade. He sustains fatal wounds in the process but ensures their freedom.

Foreshadowing: Gondō's decision to lead the search for Yuri rather than immediately punish her suggests he harbors doubts about the corruption surrounding him.

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The hardware store becomes the focal point of the film's climax where multiple factions converge. After being captured by Kase and Ōtomo, Leo and Yuri escape inside the store during an attack by both the yakuza and Chinese triad. Inside, Leo learns his MRI was misfiled, giving him renewed purpose. A violent shootout ensues with gunfights and sword battles, resulting in the deaths of Kase, Julie, and several others. The police eventually arrive, surrounding the area and creating a deadly standoff.

Foreshadowing: The convergence of all major characters in one location sets up the explosive final confrontation.

• hardware store showdown fight climax police

Yes, Leo and Yuri end up together at the film's end. After escaping the chaos of the night with Gondō's help, the film jumps forward in time to show both characters have rebuilt their lives. Leo returns to boxing with renewed purpose now that he knows he doesn't have a tumor, while Yuri enters a rehabilitation program to overcome her drug addiction. The film concludes with them walking together into a new apartment on a snowy day, symbolizing a hopeful future together.

Foreshadowing: Their partnership throughout the film, built on mutual desperation and trust, establishes the foundation for their relationship.

• leo yuri ending together relationship apartment

Julie turns against Leo and Yuri primarily because of grief and confusion. After Kase abducts her to facilitate the drug theft, she returns to find Yasu murdered. Believing Yuri is responsible for the chaos and deaths that followed, Julie aligns with the yakuza's hunt for Yuri. Her anger and loss make her an antagonist in the final confrontation, where she is killed during the hardware store siege.

Foreshadowing: Julie initially appears as a supporting figure in the drug operation, but her relationship with Yasu and her abduction set her on a path of revenge.

• julie revenge yakuza enemy fight

Chiachi, the leader of the Chinese triad hunting Yuri, dies during the final confrontation outside the hardware store. She is shot by corrupt cop Ōtomo after he tries to use his police badge to escape. Both Chiachi and Ōtomo are then gunned down by the arriving police, eliminating the triad leadership and ending that threat. Their deaths occur in the chaotic climax where all the criminal factions are destroyed.

Foreshadowing: Chiachi's introduction as a triad leader hunting Yuri establishes her as a major threat that must be resolved.

• chiachi triad chinese leader death killed

The ending of First Love is ultimately hopeful despite the heavy violence and trauma throughout. After a night of chaos where multiple characters die and the protagonists barely escape, the film shifts to show both Leo and Yuri have found new purpose. Leo is alive (no tumor), returns to boxing, and has a future. Yuri enters rehabilitation to overcome her addiction. Their reunion in the snowy apartment represents a hard-won but optimistic future, free from the countdown mentality that originally drove Leo's desperation.

Foreshadowing: The film's shift from Leo's terminal diagnosis to the discovery of the MRI mix-up fundamentally changes the tone toward hope.

• ending hopeful future rehabilitation boxing new life