Hanzawa Naoki Episode 1 -

Episode 1 opens in 1991, during the collapse of Japan’s bubble economy. Young Naoki Hanzawa (portrayed as a university student) watches his father’s small screw factory go bankrupt after the family bank unjustly withdraws its loan. His father commits suicide. Naoki, vowing to reform the banking system from within, joins Tokyo Chuo Bank.

The central conflict of the premiere revolves around a massive 500 million yen (500 million ¥) loan approved for Nishi Osaka Steel. Hanzawa is against the loan, suspecting foul play, but he is forced into approving it by his superior, Branch Manager Asano. Hanzawa Naoki Episode 1

But when Nishinomiya Steel suddenly declares bankruptcy—revealing they had been doctoring books for years—the mask shatters. Asano immediately violates the most sacred rule of Japanese corporate culture: He hangs Hanzawa out to dry. Episode 1 opens in 1991, during the collapse

The main plot of Episode 1 unfolds with the precision of a thriller. Hanzawa's ambitious branch manager, Asano (Kanji Ishimaru), is desperate to win the branch's first "Excellence Award" by meeting his annual lending target of 100 billion yen. With just 500 million yen remaining to reach the goal, Asano forces Hanzawa to approve a suspicious loan application from Nishiosaka Steel—a company that appears profitable on the surface but hides massive debt through fraudulent accounting. Naoki, vowing to reform the banking system from

But beneath this mild-mannered facade lurks something far more dangerous: a man consumed by a decades-old vendetta.