VIVANT

Plot

A Japanese businessman with a secret personality is sent to central Asia to find and collect the money erroneously transferred out of the company he works for. He gets involved in an international conspiracy, when the police considers him part of a criminal organization.

Story

Season 1

Yusuke Nogi, Chief of Energy Development Division 2 at Marubishi Corp., is main suspect in the erroneous transfer of US$100 million (=13 billion yen). Nogi searches for the culprit in fictional Republic of Balka, in central Asia, helped by his friend in the CIA. Al-Zaer, suspected of buying diamonds with the stolen money, asks Nogi if he was "Vivant", before setting off a bomb on his body to evade capture by the police. Nogi, suspected by the local police of the explosion, barely escapes it. Inspector Nozaki, attached to the Japanese Embassy, has been following him. Nozaki takes Nogi to the hospital where Dr. Yuzuki works. The police look for Nogi and Nozaki, arresting them and Yuzuki. In reality, Nozaki's friend Drum rescues them. They barely escape the police by entering the Japanese Embassy. Inside the Embassy, Nozaki continues analyzing the word "Vivant", arriving to a different reading: "Beppan", meaning "another group", that could mean anything from a government agency not officially recognized, a secret identity (as in a spy), or a different personality, such as the "other" Nogi that has appeared in front of only him. Back in Japan, Nogi and Nozaki enlist the help of Shōta Tōjō, a Detective in the Cybercrime Division of the Metropolitan Police. They discover the origin of the theft of funds, though the actual culprit is a hacker by the name of Riho Ohta, a member of the company's finance department, under instructions from Isao Yamamoto. Nogi sees Yamamoto in a photo, and learns he is a monitor of a terrorist group called "Tent". Shun Kurosu, in front of a tied up Yamamoto, reveals he is part of Beppan, as is his senior, Nogi.

Nozaki, investigating "Beppan", "Tent", and all things related, discovers Yamamoto's body. He begins to become suspicious about Nogi, since he knew about Yamamoto's identity. Both Nogi and Nozaki go to Balka, the first (as part of Beppan), the latter seeking the help of Balkan police. Nogi secretly follows Nozaki to get information about Ali, GLF'S CEO and revealed Tent senior executive, and gets to him, before Nozaki, who begins to investigate Nogi. Nozaki's contact at the FBI reveals Nogi as Hayato Tango. Nogi was raised in an orphanage, later trained at a military school, graduating with high notes. In Nogi's family home, Nozaki learns from his uncle, Hiromichi that Nogi's father, Suguru, a retired policeman, took his family to Balka on an Agricultural mission. Nogi's mother was killed trying to protect him (a recurring memory of Nogi), and his father was believed to have died in a civil war. Hiromichi shows Nozaki a katana sword, in the family for generations. The family crest is also the symbol used by Tent. Somewhere else, Nogi bounds Ali and threatens killing his family to get information on Tent's leader. Ali sees a photo Nogi has, and tells him that that is Nogōn Beki, Tent's leader. He then sees another photo Nogi has, one of his own family, Ali asks him why he had a photo of a young Beki, revealing that Nogōn Beki and Suguru Nogi are the same person. Image changes to a meeting room, with Beki at the end of a conference table, and his son (Ninomiya, name still unrevealed), sitting next to him, asking "Father, are you sure you want to start?". The scene zooms out to reveal the Tent logo / Nogi family crest on the wall.

Season 2

Season 1 last episode scenes are shown with the backstory of the day Nogi shot his father as well as his meeting with Yuzuki and Jamin. Nogi meets Sakurai in the Ministry of Defense's underground command room, in front of the supercomputer "AI Hayato", which was analyzing large amounts of data, such as hospital surveillance camera footage and social media, identifying individuals most likely involved in leaking information about Beppan. Five members of the Beppan team, including Korosu, have disappeared. Sakurai thinks there may be a link to what happened in the Tent incident. Nogi has been in contact with Nokor, who gives him information regarding Korosu. Nogi also receives information from hacker Ohta. It seems that the five men have been taken to different countries. Nogi travels to Cyprus with Drum.

In Cyprus, Nogi captures Ari, but it is "F" who questions him. Ari reveals that he was the one who hired Shinjo to be a monitor in the Tent, but he doesn't know were he is now. While the Ground Self-Defense Force is eavesdropping on a conversation between Yuzuki, Jamin and Nogi, Nozaki is searching for Tojo and Shinjo to no avail. Nogi has Blue Walker trace Shinjo's whereabouts, revealing that he has entered Thailand. Nogi goes to Thailand via Cambodia, and, with Drum's help, he finds Chucky, a wealthy Thai businessman who is hosting Shinjo in his mansion. While Shinjo is thought to be the one leaking information about the Beppan unit, it remains unclear whether he actually sold that information to overseas brokers. According to Blue Walker, Shinjo did contact overseas brokers, but the nature of the communication was a request to meet and speak in person. Nogi keeps talking with Ari, who now knows that Nogi has a split personality.

Beppan suspects that, among the 11 people who knew about the Balka secret team's whereabouts, there is a traitor, of which Nogi and AI Hayato believe at 95% that it is Shinjo. When he was aprehended in Thailand, it was revealed that Shinjo was not involved at all. AI Hayato recalculates, including Nozaki's activity information. Nozaki had information that he used in his favor, knowing previously even what Nogi was reporting to him. He had said that he was heading to Bangkok to get Shinjo, when, in fact, he was headed to Jerusalem. Nogi feels betrayed. Tojo thwarted Nogi's trip to Thailand, leading him and others to Vladivostok. Regarding the mega activity that seems to involve the CIA, Nozaki, when he talks about Jamin with Ali, about returning to Balka, Ali absolutely refuses that action, suggesting that there could be a mayor conflict in the future. It is possible that that conflict could involve Nokor and the post– (or, even, pre–)Tent group.

Cast

Main cast

Masato Sakai as Yūsuke Nogi (Energy Development Division 2's Chief) (returning in season 2)

Hiroshi Abe as Mamoru Nozaki (Metropolitan Police Department, Foreign Affairs Inspector) (returning in season 2)

Fumi Nikaido as Kaoru Yuzuki (WHI's Medical Doctor) (returning in season 2)

Marubishi Corporation

Takaya Sakoda as Isao Yamamoto (Energy Development Division 1's Chief) (season 1). During season 2, hosts TBS Radio spinoff "VIVANT: Villain Conference Room"

Robin Furuya as Ryō Mizugami (Energy Development Division 2)

Ai Iinuma as Riho Ohta (Finance Division)

Hanaoka Sumire as Riho Ohta (hacker "Blue Walker") (season 2)

Satoshi Hashimoto as Tomohiko Hara (Chief Accountant)

Enya Ichikawa as Tetsuya Usami (Energy Business Division's General Manager) (returning in season 2)

Kunito Watanabe as Koji Kawai (Systems Management)

Fumiyo Kohinata as Toshihiko Nagano (managing director) (returning in season 2)

Metropolitan Police Department

Ryo Ryusei as Kōtarō Shinjō (Detective, Public Security Bureau; monitor in the Beppan group) (returning in season 2)

Yajuro Bando as Yūtarō Sano (Director, Public Security Bureau) (returning in season 2)

Kenta Uchino as Shō Suzuki (Detective, Public Security Bureau) (season 2 ep 15 (5))

Gaku Hamada as Shōta Tōjō (Detective, Cybercrime Division) (returning in season 2)

Beppan

Tori Matsuzaka as Shun Kurosu (Agent, engineer as cover job) (returning in season 2)

Midoriko Kimura as Satomi Sakurai (Commander) (returning in season 2)

Emisaburō Ichikawa as Akitoshi Takada (Agent, bureaucrat as cover job) (returning in season 2)

Ryō Tamakias Mizuki Hirose (Agent, system engineer as cover job) (returning in season 2)

Yūsuke Hirayama as Mitsugu Wada (Agent, salesman as cover job) (returning in season 2)

Jun Nishiyama as Kazuteru Kumagai (Agent, engineer as cover job) (returning in season 2)

Minami Takayama, as AI Hayato (Beppan's supercomputer) (voice) (season 2)

Nogi's family

Koji Yakusho as Suguru Nogi (Yūsuke's father at present day), also Nogōn Beki (see "Tent")

Kento Hayashi as Suguru Nogi (Yūsuke's father in younger days) (returning in season 2)

Jun Inoue as Hiromichi Nogi (Yūsuke's uncle at present day) (returning in season 2)

Rin Takanashi as Akemi Nogi (Yūsuke's mother in younger days)

Republic of Balka

Takashi Yamanaka as Ali Khan (GLF's CEO) (returning in season 2)

Ganbold Erkhembayar as Al-Zaer (Terrorist organization's leader)

Khongorzul Nandin-Erdene as Jamīn (a girl with congenital heart defects)

Honma Sae as Jamin (season 2)

Khatanzorig Tsaschikher as Adiel (Jamīn's father) (returning in season 2)

Barslkhagva Batbold as Genghis (Police officer) (returning in season 2)

Rin Ma as Saihan Ilya (Nurse)

Drum Tomisakae as Drum (Person that helped Mamoru Nozaki) (returning in season 2)

Megumi Hayashibara as the voice of the translation app he uses (returning in season 2)

Rei Dan as Eiko Nishioka (Japanese Ambassador to Balkan Republic)

Tōru Baba as Govi, CEO of Belair Kosan Corp. and Nokor's business partner (season 1). During season 2, hosts TBS Radio spinoff "VIVANT: Villain Conference Room"

Yamato Kochi as Wanizu, a former high-ranking official of the Republic of Balka (season 1). During season 2, hosts TBS Radio spinoff "VIVANT: Villain Conference Room"

Tent

Koji Yakusho as Nogon Beki (the leader of Tent), also Suguru Nogi (see "Nogi's family")

Kazunari Ninomiya as Nokor (Nogōn Beki's adopted son and the subleader of Tent) (returning in season 2)

Mitsuo Yoshihara as Piyo (leading staff)

Yasufumi Hayashi as Batraka (leading staff, the representative of PMSC Y2K, a private military company by Tent)

Hajime Inoue as Shichi (member) (returning in season 2)

Haruka Uchimura as Mata (member) (returning in season 2)

Xinxi

Kyoko Miyashita as Fan Linxing (Season 2 ep14(4)-), former director of the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, currently in charge of "Xinxi", Chinese version of Beppan

Masato Sakai as Liu Mingxuan, a junior agent under Nozaki during the Beijing case 5 years prior (season 2 ep 16 (6)-)

Mitsuomi Takahashi as Zhang Jingshi, a junior agent under Nozaki during the Beijing case 5 years prior (season 2 ep 16 (6))

Others

Martin Starr as Sam (CIA) (season 1)

Charles Glover as Robert (FBI) (season 1)

Natsumi Tsunoda as a Balkan waiting in line at the airport (season 2, ep 11 (1))

Akari Kitō as newscaster (season 2 ep 11 (1))

Natsuki Hanae as news anchor (season 1 Ep 6, season 2 ep 11 (1))

Tomokazu Seki as voice on the police radio (season 2 ep 11 (1))

Ai Otsuka as the soldier who takes Sano to the AI Hayato room (season 2 ep 15(5))

Controversies

On July 14, 2026, Shukan Josei reported that director Fukuzawa was accused of power harassment by a young staff member that was on site. Vivant is scheduled to air its second season starting on the 26. According to an interview on Sponichi, a representative from TBS said that the company had acknowledged that there had been behaviour that constituted power harassment, and that they were taking strict actions regarding it. As for which actions, the representative refrained from answering at the moment, but said that Fukuzawa was temporarily not appearing on site. As for implications regarding the program, the representative said that there are no changes in schedule.

Collaborations

It was announced that in 2026 the watchmaker Seiko would collaborate with the broadcast by releasing a special limited edition "Seiko x Vivant" wristwatch to celebrate the start of the second season of the drama. The face of the watch has both the symbols of the Nogi family/Tent group as the one from the Beppan.

Spinoff

VIVANT: Villain Conference Room (VIVANT 悪役会議室, VIVANT akuyaku kaigijitsu) (TBS Radio, Vivant 2nd season) (Yamato Kochi (Wanizu), Takaya Sakoda (Isao Yamamoto) and Tōru Baba (Govi), as their characters, host the program where they share immediate reactions and theories regarding the main series' plot developments)