Manhunt (1977) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Morioka is accused of theft when a woman and then a man both claim items were stolen from his residence. The stolen items are later found at Morioka's own home, making it appear he stole them himself. This frames him for a crime he didn't commit, triggering the manhunt against him.

• theft accusation
• framed
• manhunt
• Morioka

Yokomichi Keiji is the man behind the false accusation against Morioka. He is revealed to be a patient at a mental hospital run by the Nagaoka Company, being treated under the alias Suzuki Takeshi for paranoid schizophrenia. He was coerced into framing Morioka as part of a larger extortion and corporate conspiracy.

Foreshadowing: The wedding photograph Morioka finds in Makami Village links the two accusers, hinting at a coordinated effort.

• Yokomichi
• conspiracy
• mental hospital
• framing

AX is a powerful sedative developed by the Nagaoka Company that allegedly removes free will and makes patients obedient to commands. During a demonstration at the mental hospital, a patient is shown obeying an order to wound himself, proving the drug's mind-controlling capability. The conspiracy uses this drug to force victims into compliance or suicide.

• AX drug
• sedative
• mind control
• Nagaoka Company

After exposing the conspiracy and defeating Ryosuke, Morioka resigns from the prosecutor's office, arguing that some criminals are beyond the reach of the law and that justice requires a different approach. He chooses to flee with Mayumi rather than face legal accountability for his actions during the manhunt.

• run
• escape
• resignation
• Mayumi
• justice

Mayumi rescues Morioka from a river after a bear attack and nurses him back to health. She later aids his escape from her family home when authorities close in, follows him on horseback, and rescues him during a Tokyo chase by leading a herd of horses through a police barricade. She also infiltrates the mental hospital with him and ultimately chooses to flee with him.

• Mayumi
• rescue
• escape
• horse
• support

Tonami Yohinori is Mayumi's father and a political figure aiming to become governor. He recognizes Morioka's potential value to his ambitions and initially helps him, though he also sends his assistant Nakayama to contact police to boost his political image. Later, Tonami provides a private plane to help Morioka reach Tokyo and withdraws from the governor's race to assist in bringing down the conspiracy.

• Tonami
• governor
• political
• Mayumi's father

Asakura's death, initially ruled a suicide, was actually orchestrated by Ryosuke and the Nagaoka Company. Morioka realizes that Asakura was drugged with AX and manipulated into jumping from the mental hospital roof. This was part of the conspiracy's pattern of using the drug to force victims into apparent suicides.

Foreshadowing: The AX drug demonstration shows a patient obeying orders to harm himself, revealing how Asakura was likely forced to jump.

• Asakura
• suicide
• mental hospital
• AX drug

Yamura is initially assigned to track Morioka as a fugitive. However, as the investigation progresses, Yamura begins to doubt the official story and becomes an ally, working with Morioka to uncover the conspiracy. He helps confront Ryosuke and ultimately supports Morioka's decision to run, leaving the door open for future escape if needed.

• Yamura
• detective
• pursuit
• alliance
• investigation

Morioka and Mayumi drive to the mental hospital and pretend to be husband and wife, with Mayumi claiming Morioka is mentally unstable to have him committed. This allows them to enter the facility and investigate Yokomichi's whereabouts, though Doctor Doto quickly recognizes Morioka and traps him inside as a patient.

• infiltration
• mental hospital
• commitment
• disguise

Ryosuke, owner of the Nagaoka Company that runs the mental hospital, is behind the extortion scheme using the AX drug. He orchestrated the false accusation against Morioka to silence potential threats and maintain control over the conspiracy. His goal was to eliminate anyone who could expose the illegal drug experiments and corporate corruption.

• Ryosuke
• Nagaoka Company
• conspiracy
• extortion

Morioka and Yamura confront Ryosuke as he tries to flee to South Korea with a briefcase full of cash. During the tense standoff, Ryosuke is shot and killed in what they claim is self-defense. Doctor Doto also commits suicide on the rooftop, and another conspirator, Sakai, is found dead by apparent suicide in the hospital. The General Prosecutor accepts their explanation of self-defense.

• rooftop
• confrontation
• Ryosuke
• self-defense
• death

In the woods, Morioka first disarms a shotgun tripwire set by a hunter. When a bear attacks a woman trapped in a tree, the bear chases Morioka, causing him to fall off a cliff into a river. He is rescued by Mayumi, who nurses him back to health at her family home. His quick reflexes and survival skills help him escape serious injury.

• bear attack
• woods
• cliff
• river
• Mayumi