Summary
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InSakamoto Days, Sakamoto only has a few important people in his life. This includes his wife, Aoi, and his daughter, Hana. Outside his family, Sakamoto doesn’t have a lot of friends, though heeventually takes in Shinafter an unexpected encounter. Shin eventually joins Sakamoto’s convenience store as an employee, and soon after, they meet a girl, Lu Shaotang.
Just like Shin, Lu Shaotang does not have a normal family or past inSakamoto Days. She is caught up in the world of assassins and violence just like the two men, and soon finds herself being saved by them. Not too long after, she joins the two at Sakamoto’s convenience store, but there’s still a lot to learn about where she comes from.
Lu Shaotang’s Family and Past
Lu’s Ties to the Chinese Mafia
While Lu Shaotang’s past is mostly kept in the dark, there is a bit of detail that is given about what happened to her and her family.In the second episode, Son Hee and Bacho reveal that they were the ones tokill Lu Shaotang’s parents, as her parents were attempting to protect the key that granted access to the Lu family’s safe. Son Hee and Bacho will take on just about any job that makes them money, taking out anyone that stands in their path, including Lu Shaotang and her family.
What? You’re from a mafia family? The Lu Family? Wait, they’re famous! — Shin
Lu Shaotang’s family is extremely famous in theChinese mafia, so she is often pursued by those looking to take her family’s fortune. Though she was determined to get revenge after the death of her parents, her father asked her to live happily and not spend her whole life seeking revenge. While not much else is known about her family, eventually, Shaotang,along with Sakamoto and Shin, are able to open up the Lu family’s safe, and find a bunch of treasure, along with normal items such as books, CDs, and stuffed animals. As for what Shaotang’s father left behind in the vault, he placed some sake inside to drink with her when she comes of age.
Lu Shaotang Meets Shin and Sakamoto
Shin and Sakamoto Save Her From Assassins
As mentioned before, Lu Shaotang meets with Shin and Sakamoto in the second episode of the first season, as she is running away from being pursued by members ofDanshokai, who are looking to get the key from her to gain access to her family’s vault. Although she was in a lot of danger at this point,Sakamoto protects her multiple times, and he helps her along with Shin to escape those after her.
My mama and papa, they gave their lives to protect it. — Lu Shaotang
As they are running away, Lu Shaotang explains that she is from a Mafia family, and she is constantly on the run to escape those looking for access to the vault. Although Sakamoto wants to continue to help Lu Shaotang, he decides to make a deal with her. Since she had ruined the meat buns he had picked up for his family, he asks her to make some for them after they help her to defeat her enemies. Soon after this interaction, Son Hee and Bacho show up again and attack the group, forcingSakamoto and Shin to help Lu Shaotang again.
Why Does Lu Shaotang Join Sakamoto and Shin?
Lu Shaotang Begins Working at the Convenience Store
After Lu Shaotang, Sakamoto, andShin all defeat Son Hee and Bacho, and let the leader of Danshokai off the hook (after giving him a few bruises), they enjoy some meat buns and sake in the Lu family’s safe. The next day, while working at the convenience store, Shin finds Lu Shaotang coming inside wearing an apron, and she informs him that Sakamoto hired her to make meat buns. Shin implies that she doesn’t need to work due to all the family heirlooms she possesses, but she tells him she must continue to work since she doesn’t want to get rid of her possessions.
Where else am I gonna work? He hired me to make meat buns. — Lu Shaotang
But, outside just needing to make money in order to survive, why exactly did Lu Shaotang decide to join Sakamoto and Shin? Some of the possible reasons for this include feelingindebted to the two men, especially Sakamoto, as they helped protect her from the assassins and bring them to justice. Lu Shaotang doesn’t have a lot else that she can give Sakamoto and Shin in return, so she decides to help them out at the convenience store to show her gratitude. It is also very likely that she has the same perspective as Shin towards Sakamoto. After seeing just how impressive his abilities are when up against the assassins, she looks up to Sakamoto as inspiration andwants to learn more from him. As the show delves deeper into each character, there will be more to uncover about Lu Shaotang and her relationship with the team.
Sakamoto Daysis available to stream onNetflix.
Sakamoto Days
A 2025 anime, Sakamoto Days is an action-comedy based on Yuto Suzuki’s shonen manga, which debuted in 2020. The series follows Taro Sakamoto, a retired hitman who has been enjoying the family life for years. He spends his days running a small store alongside Shin, but his peaceful existence is regularly interrupted by ghosts of the past.
