Asura (2025) is a compelling family drama that centers on two old parents, Fuji and Kotaro, and their four daughters: Tsunako, Makiko, Takiko, and Sakiko. The series begins with Takiko uncovering Kotaro’s affair with a younger woman, setting off a chain of revelations and conflicts within the family. As the sisters grapple with how to address their father’s infidelity, deeper layers of their lives come to light.
Makiko, shaken by Kotaro’s betrayal, begins to question the fidelity of her own husband, Takao. Tsunako, secretly entangled with a married man, struggles with her inability to let him go. Takiko, plagued by insecurities about her appearance, gradually learns to embrace herself and finds love along the way. Meanwhile, the youngest, Sakiko, full of life and optimism, marries a boxer who eventually earns the title of Champion. The series weaves together themes of family, love, betrayal, self-discovery, and morality, creating a rich tapestry of human emotions and relationships.
This article contains spoilers.
Asura (2025) Episode 1 Recap:
The first episode of “Asura” opens in January 1979, in Tokyo. Takiko rides her bike to the library where she works. After settling down, Takiko calls one of her sisters, Makiko, asking to meet for dinner that day along with the other two sisters. One of Takiko’s sisters, Tsunako, works in an ikebana (flower arrangement), and the owner, Masukawa, admires Tsunako’s work. When the phone rings, Masukawa leaves, and Masukawa’s husband asks Tsunako to meet him the next day. The person calling Tsunako is Takiko. The reason Takiko is calling is to inform Tsunako to meet at Makiko’s house. Next, Takiko calls Sakiko, the youngest sister, who makes a fuss to meet. After informing her sisters, Takiko meets with a private investigator who has some photos for Takiko.
Later that day, Makiko visits her parents, and she is surprised to see her father, Kotaro, helping out at home as Kotaro never used to help Fuji (Makiko’s mother). That night, Tsunako arrives first, and Takao (Makiko’s husband) is also there early. Next, Takiko arrives, and they have a good laugh seeing rice cakes as it reminds them of their mother’s cracked heel. The last to arrive is Sakiko. As they all sit down for some snacks, Takiko reveals that Kotaro is having an affair, and it has been going on for almost a decade. Furthermore, Takiko says the lady Tomoko also has a child. When nobody takes Takiko seriously, Takiko reveals that she saw Kotaro, the child, and Tomoko herself. Takiko learned more details by hiring Katsumata, a private investigator.
Why does Makiko run away from Tsunako?
Takiko hands over the investigator’s photos, but Makiko stops everyone from seeing them as she feels the situation will become real. Suddenly, Tsunako’s fake teeth fall off because of the rice cake, and the whole group is distracted, forgetting about the grave situation. When Takiko starts yelling at her sisters, Sakiko provokes Takiko, saying this situation is helping her create a scene rather than helping Fuji. When Takiko and Sakiko start fighting, the photos fall down, and all of them get a glimpse of the other family. Later that night, Sakiko spends time with her boyfriend Jinnai, encouraging him to take part and win the boxing championship.
Meanwhile, Takao tells Makiko that time will heal things and nobody should say anything to Kotaro or Fuji. The next day, Makiko visits Tsunako’s ikebana and sees that she is sleeping with a man. Immediately, Makiko runs, and Tsunako follows her sister and brings her home. The duo now plans to meet Tomoko and convince her to leave Kotaro. However, when they bump into Tomoko with her son, neither of them says anything to Tomoko.
Does Kotaro have an illegitimate child?
At home, Fuji finds a toy car in Kotaro’s coat, realizes something is wrong, and throws it away in frustration. At that moment, Sakiko invites Fuji home and asks Fuji to keep it a secret from everyone. However, Fuji informs Makiko. The next day, Makiko and Tsunako go looking for Sakiko’s house, and Fuji is already in Sakiko’s apartment. The reason Sakiko called her mother home was so she could introduce Jinnai. Meanwhile, Makiko and Tsunako find Sakiko’s house. Later that night, Jinnai tries to sleep with Sakiko, but she refuses as Jinnai is the one who wants to wait until he becomes a champion.
The next day, Takao meets the private investigator, Katsumata, and asks him to lie to Takiko, saying his investigation was a mistake. By then, Takiko finds Takao and the private investigator. Katsumata gives the DNA results, and it turns out Tomoko’s son is not Kotaro’s child, bringing tears of joy to Takiko. After the meeting, Takao meets Kotaro and confirms if the affair is true, and Kotaro gives his confirmation. So Takao asks if Kotaro wants to handle the situation, but Kotaro refuses and says he will face whatever comes his way. The sisters and Fuji go to Bunraku (puppet show) and return home for dinner.
Asura (2025) Episode 2 Recap:
The episode opens with Makiko having an ominous dream about her family. When Makiko wakes up, she discusses the dream and some childhood anecdotes with Takao. As kids, Makiko and others were supposed to wear belly warmers at night to keep them all warm. After analyzing the dream, Takao deduces that the dream signifies Makiko’s subconscious belief that she should not meddle in her parents’ affairs. When Makiko’s house is chaotic in the morning, Sakiko calls as she is upset with Makiko for writing about her father’s affair in the paper. The most upsetting thing is that Makiko has written that they are three siblings. However, Makiko claims she has not written it. Now Makiko thinks it’s Tsunako’s doing. When she calls Tsunako about it, Tsunako also denies writing about the affair.
At home, Fuji gives Kotaro the paper with the writing to help clipping his nails. Meanwhile, Tsunako is fired from the Ikebana station and becomes mad at her lover. A while later, Takao comes to the Ikebana station and restaurant where Tsunako worked. The reason Takao is at the restaurant is because he wants to set Katsumata and Takiko together. Without informing either of them, Takao invites Takiko and Katsumata to lunch. Once they arrive, Takao enquires about Katsumata’s love life. When Katsumata says he likes someone, Takiko gets upset, so she runs away. Immediately, Katsumata follows Takiko and says he was lying during their chat at the restaurant and that he likes Takiko. Elsewhere, Tomoko’s son meets with an accident while on a skateboard.
Where is Kotaro?
Meanwhile, Makiko hangs out with Fuji. During Jinnai’s match, Sakiko gets out in the middle as she sees him getting beaten up. After the game, Jinnai is mad at Sakiko for leaving and says getting hit is a part of his job. When Tsunako’s lover is at her door, Makiko calls and asks her sisters to meet casually at their parents’ house. The reason is that Kotaro has not returned home for dinner yet. At home, Sakiko tells Jinnai that she left the match because she can’t bear to see him look weak. It is Setsubun Day (a Japanese festival for transition season), and the sisters celebrate together.
After a while, Makiko asks Takao to visit Tomoko’s apartment and find out about Kotaro. When Takao gets to the apartment, Tomoko’s neighbor informs Takao that Tomoko’s son met with an accident. On the other hand, the sisters reminisce about their childhood as Fuji has saved every little thing from the girls’ past. The girls are also worried that Kotaro must have read the newspaper writing and is thinking of killing himself. Thankfully, Takao arrives with the news about the child and assures the sisters that Kotaro will be home. Soon, Kotaro arrives home like nothing has happened, and they all sleep. However, Makiko finds a huge pen-like thing seen in a manga. Immediately, Makiko and Takao guess that Fuji has written that note in the newspaper.
Asura (2025) Episode 3 Recap:
The episode opens with Makiko’s son Hiroo at Sakiko’s restaurant. Suddenly, Sakiko collapses, and Hiroo calls his mother, Makiko to the restaurant. Through the conversation, Makiko learns that Sakiko has been on a diet and hasn’t eaten anything in order to support Jinnai, who is trying to lose weight. When Sakiko comes home, she is met with two ramen bowls outside, and a woman Jinnai is cheating with. However, Sakiko is mad about eating ramen rather than cheating. So Makiko explains to Jinnai how a woman feels and what happened to Sakiko that morning. But Jinnai is rude and arrogant. Sakiko leaves the place to stay with Makiko. At home, Takao takes Jinnai’s side, saying he understands how a man feels when a woman cares for her man too much.
Why are Takiko and Katsumata in the police station?
At the library, Katsumata visits Takiko, and they spend time together. After a while, Katsumata takes Takiko to a nearby park and says he does not want the investigation to be the reason for them to start dating. So Katsumata burns all the evidence he has of Kotaro’s affair. The police catch them as they are not allowed to light a bonfire in the public park. Subsequently, Makiko and Takao are called to the station. There, Takao explains the real situation, and the cop lets them go. Seeing Katsumata is hurt, Takiko takes Katsumata home, and they have a romantic time. That night, Sakiko returns home to Jinnai. Meanwhile, Tsunako continues to have an affair.
At home, Jinnai does not want Sakiko around. However, when Sakiko is about to leave, Jinnai holds on to her and cries. So Sakiko asks Jinnai to work hard and become a champion. Furthermore, Sakiko asks Jinnai to stay and fight as she does with their relationship. The next day, Takao leaves for a work trip for two days. Once everyone leaves home, Makiko does her chores. The phone starts to ring, so she answers but doesn’t immediately speak because she is eating. On the other side of the line is Takao, asking to meet for lunch before he leaves for the work trip. This phone call confirms that Takao is cheating on Makiko. She thinks he has called the wrong person. Meanwhile, Kotaro hangs out with Tomoko and Shoji (Tomoko’s son). Since Shoji wants to go to the amusement park, Kotaro takes the family there.
What happens to Fuji?
At Fuji’s home, Makiko gets a confirmation that Fuji knows everything and yet chooses to remain quiet. So Makiko also confesses that Takao is cheating on her, but just like her mother, she has kept her silence. Meanwhile, Takao calls home out of guilt, and his daughter tells Makiko’s whereabouts. Later, Makiko walks to the street where Tomoko lives and sees Fuji there. As soon as Fuji sees Makiko, the old woman faints. At the amusement park, Tomoko tells Kotaro that she is going to get married and move on. Meanwhile, Masukawa comes looking for her husband and confronts Tsunako. When Masukawa takes out a gun, the husband comes out.
However, it turns out to be a toy gun, and Masukawa leaves laughing after confirming her doubts. Later, we see the entire family at the hospital. After a long time, Kotaro arrives, and Makiko takes out all her frustrations on Kotaro and reveals that Fuji knows everything. As the family leaves to wait outside, Kotaro says Tomoko has decided to leave him to marry someone. Outside, Sakiko tells everyone that she is pregnant and engaged to Jinnai. The family can also hear Kotaro wailing. A few months later, the entire family is seen attending Fuji’s funeral.
Asura (2025) Episode 4 Recap:
The episode opens with a depressed Makiko shopping at a grocery store. When Makiko leaves, an employee brings her back and says she has shoplifted a few items. So Makiko pleads, saying she has never stolen anything in her life. When the employees don’t answer, Makiko says she is upset because her husband is cheating on her. Unfortunately, Makiko knows the woman’s name, Akagi Keiko. Once Makiko comes home, she is normal with Takao. Meanwhile, Takiko has self-esteem issues as she does not think she is beautiful, hence rejecting Katsumata’s request to move with her. All the sisters get a call saying there is a fire at Kotaro’s house.
When Tsunako gets the call, she is with her lover. Outside Kotaro’s house, Makiko and Tsunako apologize to the neighbor and promise to take care of their dad. Inside the house, the sisters yell at their stubborn father for being careless. At night, Takiko wonders if her mother would have been alive if Kotaro had not cheated. Tsunako says Kotaro had cheated on Fuji a long time back just after the war with another woman. Kotaro would come home after meeting the lady and share the bed with Fuji. Even then, Fuji knew about the affair. There is a loud noise in Kotaro’s room, and when the sisters arrive, they see a broken alcohol bottle. Once again, the sisters yell at Kotaro.
Who is Akagi?
Someone is at the door, and Makiko thinks it’s Takao, but it turns out to be Katsumata. Seeing Katsumata, the sisters tease Takiko. Now, Makiko calls home and asks her daughter, Yoko, to tell her father that Makiko is mad at him. When the girls are distributing their mother’s kimonos amongst themselves, they find explicit art stashed away, making Takiko mortified. Later, Kotaro meets Takao for a while at his office, and Takao’s secretary is Akagi. At the office, Takao requests Kotaro to come and stay at their home, but Kotaro says he wants to die in his house. Later in the office, Yoko waits for Takao to take her to the movies. Because Takao is busy, Akagi offers to take Yoko out.
When Akagi and Yoko chat at a restaurant, Yoko calls her parents strange as they put off discussing topics like adultery. At home, Sakiko tells Jinnai that they can divorce and not force themselves to stay in the marriage if they ever fall out of love. Eventually, Sakiko reveals that her father cheated on Fuji even before her birth. Now, Jinnai understands Sakiko and comforts her by saying that her birth was not a mistake. Elsewhere, Makiko tells Takao about the explicit art, and they make love. At night, Takiko is dolled up, only to go to bed crying. At that time, Katsumata arrives, but Takiko does not let him in. Instead, Takiko opens the door slightly, gives her hand to Katsumata, and promises to let him inside next time.
Asura (2025) Episode 5 Recap:
The episode opens with Katsumata moving in with Kotaro so the old man can be looked after. Since Katsumata is Takiko’s unofficial boyfriend, Takiko explains to Kotaro that she has not yet decided on the seriousness of their relationship. While Takiko fixes a light, Katsumata tries to get romantic, but Takiko does not want to get physical yet. After a while, Sakiko comes home and gives some contacts to Katsumata to change his career as he had wanted. As they converse, Sakiko is direct with Katsumata about not satisfying Takiko sexually, which infuriates Takiko. When Takiko kicks out Sakiko, the youngest sister heads to Makiko’s house.
Meanwhile, Kotaro adds another nameplate to his house in Katsumata’s name as he has officially moved in. While making dinner, Katsumata wants to come clean to Kotaro about how he met Takiko, but she says it’s unnecessary. Elsewhere, Tsunako’s son Masaki comes home and brings a girl with him. For some reason, Tsunako is uncomfortable with how free Masaki and his girlfriend are. While having dinner, Katsumata starts choking on his food. After Katsumata feels okay, Kotaro leaves the house to give Takiko and Katsumata privacy. At night, Kotaro tells Takiko that Katsumata is a nice guy. Elsewhere, Takao is at the hospital for an endoscopy.
Why is Takiko angry on her wedding day?
When Makiko reaches there, she sees Akagi take care of Takao and starts to feel jealous. Furthermore, Akagi and Makiko have the same jacket. Subtly, Makiko asks Takao if he bought the same coat for both of them but does not get a proper response. At Takao’s house, Makiko tries to convince Tsunako to get married again, but the older sister refuses. Later in the day, Shoji calls Kotaro, who promises to meet sometime. At night, Katsumata confesses to Kotaro about the way he met Takiko. Instead of feeling angry, Kotaro starts laughing heartily. The next day, Kotaro meets Shoji, and they have a good time together. Since the light is not fixed, Takoki arrives to fix it. Takiko eventually gives her consent to Katsumata to sleep with him.
Later, Takiko informs Makiko and Takao that she is engaged. However, Takiko is uncomfortable with inviting Sakiko to the wedding as she thinks the younger sister’s affluent status might hurt Katsumata. After coming home, Takiko informs Katsumata, who is against Takiko not inviting Sakiko to the wedding. That night, Katsumata, Takiko, and Kotaro celebrate the engagement. It’s the wedding day, and Sakiko and Jinnai arrive, grabbing everyone’s attention. When Jinnai congratulates Katsumata, he accidentally falls, spilling drinks on Katsumata’s suit, which Takiko assumes is on purpose. Once the situation is handled, Sakiko suspects Jinnai is unwell. However, Jinnai says everything is okay and asks Sakiko to attend the ceremony. Someone calls Sakiko between the wedding ceremony, and she rushes out of the chapel.
Asura (2025) Episode 6 Recap:
The episode opens with Makiko and Takiko visiting the hospital where Jinnai is admitted. When they get there, they hear that Jinnai has been discharged. At home, Jinnai is erratic and starts throwing oranges at his mother’s Buddhist group, who are praying for his health. At that moment, Makiko comes to the house, and Jinnai accidentally throws an orange at her. Later, Sakiko asks Makiko not to tell Takiko about the incident because Sakiko does not want her sisters to worry. Once Makiko gets home, she is furious as Takao lets Hiroo drink, and Yoko hangs out with Akagi.
At the ikebana store, Masukawa asks Katsumata to investigate her husband for infidelity. At dinner, Takiko is upset as Sakiko is not sharing her pain with the sisters. Katsumata is having a dilemma at work and shares it with the sisters. Katsumata says Masukawa has asked to investigate her husband, but the husband has paid more money to drop the case. Hearing this, Makiko starts laughing since she knows the truth. After sending Takiko away for a minute, Tsunako reveals to Katsumata that the person the husband is cheating with is Tsunako. Meanwhile, Makiko and Takao are looking for men to set up Tsunako with.
What happens to Jinnai?
To get advice, Tsunako visits Kotaro’s house and realizes that Kotaro is talking to Tomoko again. Despite that, Tsunako continues to see Masukawa’s husband. Before leaving for the theatre, Makiko stops by an Inn as Takao is preparing for an audit with his colleagues. Suddenly, Yoko appears and promises to spy on her father. After meeting Takao and Akagi, Yoko leaves, and Akagi realizes Yoko is spying on her as well. It’s the day for Tsunako to meet the man Makiko has picked, and they all visit a theatre show. In between the show, Tsunako leaves the theatre. Even though Jinnai’s health is not good, he fights for the championship.
Late that night, an angry Makiko visits Tsunako, asking Tsunako if she is not ashamed of her actions. However, Tsunako feels no shame for anything. After the boxing match, Jinnai falls to the ground and is hospitalized. When Kotaro visits the hospital, Sakiko breaks down, hugging her father. Meanwhile, Takiko feels guilty for all the times she wished ill on Sakiko and Jinnai for being a show-off. At the same time, Takiko knows that if anything bad happens to any of her siblings, she will feel upset. At the hospital, Sakiko sleeps next to Jinnai.
Asura (2025) Episode 7 Recap:
The episode opens with Makiko and Tsunako talking about Kotaro seeing Tomoko again. Tsunako says it’s better to have a cheating husband than to have no husband at all. When they see Takiko approaching, they decide not to say anything to her. At the hospital, Jinnai’s mother blames Sakiko for Jinnai’s hospitalization, as the mother thinks Sakiko pushed Jinnai into fighting. The accusations continue as Jinnai’s mother says Sakiko knew Jinnai’s health was deteriorating. Still, she forced Jinnai to fight.
The breaking point for Sakiko is when Jinnai’s mother says that if Jinnai had never married a woman like Sakiko, then Jinnai would have been in a better place. Sakiko’s sisters have arrived at the hospital. Later, the hospital staff requests Sakiko to consider moving Jinnai to a shared ward, which will be more cheaper. Later, Takiko sees Kotaro hanging out with Shoji. Through Shoji, Kotaro learns that Tomoko never married/dated anyone after Kotaro. That night, Sakiko walks on the road mindlessly and meets a person with whom she spends the night. At dinner, Takiko indirectly tells Kotaro that she does not like Kotaro seeing another woman.
At Takao’s house, Yoko pushes her mother to talk about Takao’s alleged infidelity. The next day, Tsunako, Makiko, and Kotaro visited Sakiko and Jinnai at the hospital. The nurses there have sketched a charm (He-no-he-no-mo-he-ji) on Jinnai’s feet. If the straight face/frown becomes a smile, Jinnai has moved his leg. Later that night, Tsunako’s neighbor calls Makiko, saying Tsunako tried to commit love suicide with the man who often visits Tsunako. When Makiko visits Tsunako in the hospital, Tsunako says it wasn’t a suicide, but just a gas leak. Meanwhile, Masukawa’s husband comes home, and Masukawa sees the He-no-he….-ji charm on her husband’s feet. At night, Sakiko gets a call from the man she slept with, and now he is demanding money so as not to say a word to anyone.
Asura (2025) Ending Explained:
Early in the morning, Masukawa sketches the He-no-he..ji charm on Tsunako’s gate, sending a message. Later, Masaki asks his mother, Tsunako to stay with him, but Tsunako refuses, saying she is not an old lady who needs to be looked after. Meanwhile, Kotaro and Tomoko chat, and Tomoko tells Shoji that he won’t see Kotaro anymore. A bookstore calls Makiko in the afternoon, saying Yoko tried to steal. After solving the issue, Makiko asks Yoko why she did that. The reason Yoko did that was to get attention from Makiko. Now, Yoko asks her mother to share her troubles and not turn out to be like Grandma, Fuji. When they get home, Akagi is waiting and says she is getting married to someone. Furthermore, Akagi clarifies that she never had an affair with Takao.
At night, Makiko confronts Takao about his infidelity. Although Takao is flustered, he says he is not cheating. When Katsumoto and Takiko visit Sakiko the following day, Sakiko is in tears about the situation. So Takiko promises to take care of it. When the strange man arrives at the hospital to collect the money, Takiko gives him a piece of her mind, scaring the man away.
The family gathers together, sharing a moment of unity as they cook a meal. During this time, it is revealed that Takiko is pregnant. From another room, Katsumata observes the sisters and wonders whether they truly get along. In response, Takao compares the sisters to the Indian deity Asura, remarking that while they appear righteous and just on the surface, their true intentions are often driven by personal grievances and criticism. In the series finale, the symbolic charm transforms into a smile on Jinnai’s feet, reflecting a sense of healing and peace. Makiko and Takao attend Akagi’s wedding, where Makiko admits she once doubted Takao’s fidelity but now believes there was no truth to those suspicions.
Meanwhile, Kotaro ends his relationship with Tomoko, primarily for Shoji’s well-being. However, Tomoko lies about her marital status, possibly after seeing Tsunako and Makiko near her house, to avoid further complications. Despite this, Shoji later calls Kotaro, hinting that Kotaro maintains some connection with him.
In another subplot, Tsunako initially denies attempting suicide, but when Makiko presses her again in the final episode, Tsunako responds with a smile, subtly implying she may have tried to end her life. On a brighter note, Jinnai’s health shows signs of improvement, symbolized by the charm. Through Makiko’s confrontation with Takao, it becomes evident that he never had an affair, bringing Makiko a newfound sense of trust and contentment in her marriage.
