The Beast Shall Die (1959) Timeline Explained – Every Event in Order

Date turns to crime primarily due to overwhelming financial pressure combined with existential despair. He faces expulsion from university due to unpaid tuition, has tuberculosis which requires treatment, and discovers that Professor Sugimura has been taking credit for his translation work while building his own academic career. These stacked humiliations and desperate circumstances push him toward increasingly violent acts.

Foreshadowing: Early scenes show Date sitting in lectures while already struggling with tuberculosis and financial worries, establishing his fragile state before any crime occurs.

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The Ridgeway Foundation is an academic contest that offers a scholarship to study at Harvard University. Date's professor Sugimura submits Date's essay titled "The Brutality of Modern Human Beings" on his behalf. Winning this contest represents Date's supposed escape from poverty and his path to a better life, though he pursues criminal activity as a backup plan when the outcome remains uncertain.

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Date kills the student partner to eliminate the only person who can link him to the crimes. With the student dead, there are no witnesses to testify against Date or reveal his involvement in the accounts office massacre. He drugs the student first, then dumps both the body and the car in the sea to destroy all physical evidence.

Foreshadowing: During the planning phase, Date shows no hesitation about violence, already having killed a security guard during the robbery.

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Date escapes because he wins the Ridgeway scholarship before the police can secure an arrest warrant. Detective Masugi watches him at the airport hoping to catch him with evidence or cash, but Date simply boards his flight having legally won the scholarship. The police are one step behind throughout, and Date's academic success provides a legitimate exit despite his criminal activities.

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Teiko arrives at the airport with a bag of money but hesitates at a critical moment. Instead of approaching Date or the authorities, she chooses to board a departing bus rather than the plane. By the time she makes her decision, the plane has already taken off, leaving her behind with the money she brought.

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Date impersonates a police officer to get close to casino owner Charlie Chen without raising suspicion. By pretending to arrest Chen publicly, Date gains access to him and his money while using the authority of law enforcement as cover. This audacious approach reflects Date's growing willingness to manipulate and deceive others for financial gain.

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Date and the student execute a coordinated attack using dynamite in a research lab to create a distraction. During the chaos, Date enters the accounts office and kills a security guard. The student then kills everyone else in the room, creating a brutal massacre. They stash the stolen money and evidence, then flee together while the police investigate the wrong leads.

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Sugimura sends Date's essay to maintain control over his star student. Since Sugimura has been publishing Date's translations under his own name, keeping Date successful and dependent serves Sugimura's career. Sending the essay ensures Date remains invested in his academic future and less likely to expose the exploitation, while Sugimura continues benefiting from Date's work.

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Detective Masugi becomes suspicious through circumstantial evidence and observation. He notices Date's suspicious behavior at the bar, sees his bold display of wealth, and connects him to the crime scene through fingerprints that eventually point toward Date. Masugi's fiancée works at the same bar where Date causes a scene, adding to his interest in Date's activities. Despite his conviction, the police are always one step behind.

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Date kills the security guard because he cannot allow anyone to identify him during the robbery. The guard is present when Date enters the accounts office, making witness elimination a necessity. This killing marks Date's definitive transformation from desperate student to cold-blooded killer, showing how his criminal escalations have stripped away his moral boundaries.

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