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The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013) movie poster

Characters & Themes

The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013) Characters, Setting & Themes Explained

Release, runtime and language
2013 · 130 mins · Japanese
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Directed by
Takashi Miike
Starring
Susumu Terajima, Takayuki Yamada, Tetsu Watanabe, Junkichi Orimoto, Ken'ichi Endô, Sarutoki Minagawa

Reiji Kikukawa, despite possessing a strong sense of justice, achieved the lowest score in his police academy class. After becoming a police constable, he's unexpectedly dismissed due to fabricated disciplinary issues. This dismissal is a calculated move to infiltrate the Yakuza as an undercover agent, setting him on a dangerous path within the criminal underworld.

Comedy Action Crime Cast, crew & box office
On this page (7)
  1. 1 Where to watch
  2. 2 Characters explained (1)
  3. 3 Where & when it takes place
  4. 4 Themes & meaning (2)
  5. 5 Character & meaning questions
  6. 6 Movie threads
  7. 7 Every angle
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1 main characters · contains spoilers

The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji Characters Explained: Who Is Who

The main characters of The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013), heroes and villains: what drives them, how they change over the course of the story and what each of them reveals about the film's bigger ideas.

  • Reiji Kikukawa (Toma Ikuta)

    A sharp, calm undercover agent who navigates a web of danger with precision. He maintains a composed exterior while wrestling with moral ambiguities and the toll of living a double life. His determination to uncover the truth clashes with the demands of his mission, creating ongoing internal conflict.

    • 🕵️ Spy
    • 🎭 Deception
    • 🎯 Mission-focused

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 09:50

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Setting

Where and When Does The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji Take Place?

The setting of The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013): the year and time period, the places and locations, and how they shape the characters, the mood and the tension of the story.

Time period

Location

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 09:50

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2 major themes

The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji Meaning: Themes & Message Explained

What is The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013) really about? The emotional, social and philosophical themes the film keeps returning to, its symbolism and the message beneath the surface.

  • Undercover

    An undercover agent infiltrates a hidden world, balancing secrecy and risk as loyalties are tested. The narrative centers on disguise, deception, and the personal cost of living a double life. The tension arises from maintaining the cover while pursuing truth and justice. The theme explores how identity can be shaped by circumstance and the consequences of lying.

  • Loyalty & Betrayal

    Characters confront conflicting loyalties as alliances shift under pressure. Betrayal threatens both personal relationships and mission objectives. The story examines how trust is earned, tested, and sometimes broken in a dangerous underworld. Moral choices drive the plot, revealing what characters are willing to sacrifice.

Last updated: October 03, 2025 at 09:50

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Character & theme questions

The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji Characters & Meaning: Your Questions Answered

The questions people ask about The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013): who the characters really are, their relationships, what the symbols mean, where it takes place and what the movie is really about. Each answer contains spoilers.

Q1

Where is The Mole Song set?

The film takes place in Japan, centered in the criminal underworld of the Yakuza. Reiji infiltrates a yakuza organization as an undercover agent, navigating the dangerous hidden world of Japanese organized crime.

  • japan
  • yakuza
  • setting
  • underworld
  • organized crime
Q2

What time period does The Mole Song take place in?

The film is set in modern-day Japan. The story operates in the present day, using contemporary settings and situations typical of yakuza films, though no specific year is emphasized.

  • modern
  • japan
  • present day
  • time period
Q3

What is The Mole Song about?

The movie follows Reiji Kikukawa, a police constable who is dismissed from the force through fabricated disciplinary issues. This dismissal is a calculated plan to send him undercover into the yakuza, where he must live a double life while infiltrating the criminal organization.

  • premise
  • plot
  • yakuza
  • undercover
  • police
Q4

Who is Reiji Kikukawa?

Reiji Kikukawa is the protagonist, an undercover police agent disguised as a yakuza member. Despite having a strong sense of justice, he scored lowest in his police academy class. His mission requires him to maintain a dangerous double life, balancing his police identity with his criminal persona while pursuing truth and justice.

  • reiji kikukawa
  • protagonist
  • undercover agent
  • police
Q5

What does the Undercover theme mean in The Mole Song?

The Undercover theme explores the personal cost of living a double life. Reiji must maintain his disguise while navigating the yakuza world, with his identity shaped by circumstance. The theme examines how secrecy and deception affect his sense of self and the psychological toll of constant pretending.

  • undercover
  • disguise
  • double life
  • identity
  • deception
Q6

What does the Loyalty & Betrayal theme explore?

The Loyalty & Betrayal theme examines how trust is earned, tested, and broken in the criminal underworld. Reiji faces conflicting loyalties between his police duty and the relationships he forms in the yakuza. The story reveals what characters are willing to sacrifice as moral choices drive the narrative.

  • loyalty
  • betrayal
  • trust
  • moral choices
  • sacrifice
Q7

What is the tone of The Mole Song?

Despite its serious premise of a police infiltrator in the yakuza, The Mole Song is fundamentally a comedy. The film treats its dangerous subject matter with humor and a light touch, creating a contrast between the dark yakuza setting and the comedic execution. This genre blend gives the story an energetic, fast-paced feel.

  • comedy
  • tone
  • humor
  • genre blend
  • yakuza
Q8

Why is Reiji dismissed from the police force?

Reiji's dismissal from the police is not due to genuine disciplinary issues. It is a calculated move orchestrated to give him a plausible reason to be dismissed so he can infiltrate the yakuza as an undercover agent. The fabricated charges serve as his cover to enter the criminal underworld.

  • dismissal
  • police
  • undercover
  • cover
  • mission
Q9

What genre is The Mole Song?

The Mole Song is classified as a Comedy, Action, and Crime film. The comedy genre takes precedence, making it a crime comedy that uses humor to approach its yakuza infiltration story rather than a serious crime drama.

  • genre
  • comedy
  • action
  • crime
  • classification
Q10

What motivates Reiji Kikukawa?

Reiji is driven by a strong sense of justice despite his low performance in police academy. His motivation to uncover the truth clashes with the demands of his undercover mission, creating ongoing internal conflict between his desire for justice and the moral ambiguities of living as a criminal.

  • motivation
  • justice
  • truth
  • conflict
  • undercover

Movie threads

More Movies Like The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji, by Mood & Story

Curated lists built around what makes The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji tick: the same mood, the same kind of story or the same emotional payoff. Each list explains why these movies belong together.

Comic Undercover Agent Movies like The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji

Absurdly funny tales of hapless agents stumbling through dangerous criminal worlds. If you enjoyed the bumbling chaos of The Mole Song, you'll love these movies featuring undercover agents in over their heads. Discover similar comedies where high-stakes infiltration meets hilarious mishaps and absurd underworld encounters.

  • absurd
  • chaotic
  • suspenseful
  • energetic
  • underworld
  • high stakes
  • Tone: light, playful
  • Pacing: fast, energetic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: Stories in this thread follow a clear pattern: an unlikely individual is forced to infiltrate a criminal organization, relying on a mix of sheer luck, accidental brilliance, and unconventional methods to survive. The narrative thrives on escalating ridiculous situations that heighten both the comedy and the suspense.

Why they belong together: These films are grouped by their unique blend of crime thriller structure and overt comedic execution. They share a light tone despite high-intensity premises, fast-paced action sequences mixed with gags, and a focus on the absurdity of surviving a dangerous world through incompetence.

Deep Cover movie poster

Deep Cover

2025
So Undercover movie poster

So Undercover

2012
Undercover Brother movie poster

Undercover Brother

2002
Undercover Blues movie poster

Undercover Blues

1993
Undercover Brother 2 movie poster

Undercover Brother 2

2019
Armed and Dangerous movie poster

Armed and Dangerous

1986
Code Name: The Cleaner movie poster

Code Name: The Cleaner

2007
Crime Busters movie poster

Crime Busters

1977

High-Energy Absurdist Crime Movies like The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji

High-octane, ridiculous crime stories where the world itself feels like a cartoon. Fans of the over-the-top, chaotic energy of The Mole Song will find more to love here. Explore movies that share a similar vibe of absurd crime capers, playful action, and a world where the rules are made to be broken for comedic effect.

  • absurd
  • playful
  • energetic
  • over-the-top
  • chaotic
  • stylish
  • Tone: playful, whimsical
  • Pacing: fast, chaotic
Why these movies?

The story pattern: The narrative journey is less about a complex plot and more about a series of escalating, outrageous set pieces. Characters careen from one absurd scenario to the next, with the focus on visual gags, hyperbolic action, and a general sense of playful anarchy superseding a deeply serious storyline.

Why they belong together: These films are united by their commitment to absurdity over realism, a fast and frantic pace, and a light tone that makes even violent or dangerous situations feel like a game. The primary goal is relentless, energetic entertainment rather than emotional depth or moral complexity.

Detective Chinatown movie poster

Detective Chinatown

2016
Kuffs movie poster

Kuffs

1992
Buffaloed movie poster

Buffaloed

2019
Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon movie poster

Skinny Tiger, Fatty Dragon

1990
Looking for Trouble movie poster

Looking for Trouble

1934
Stuber movie poster

Stuber

2019
Bahut Hua Sammaan movie poster

Bahut Hua Sammaan

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Every angle

The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji (2013) Explained: Plot, Timeline & Characters

Everything about The Mole Song: Undercover Agent Reiji in one place: what happens in the plot summary, the timeline in chronological order, the characters and meaning and a spoiler-free summary. What's After the Movie adds the cast, box office and post-credit scenes.

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