The Japanese crime drama Matori and Kyoken Men in the Back Alleys has finished its first season on Netflix. The show follows Umezawa Kyonosuke, a former child actor who becomes a drug dealer and gets trapped as a double spy for two rival narcotics officers. The finale, titled “The End Of The Mad Dogs,” brings the story of Umezawa, Kurosaki Toru, and Katsuragi Akito to a close with several shocking moments and a final decision that changes everything.
A Deadly Test of Loyalty for Umezawa
The final episode puts Umezawa in a life-threatening situation. He previously lied about working for the narcotics department and could not prove his story to the gang leader Saeki. Saeki gives Umezawa a simple choice: kill Kurosaki and prove his loyalty, or face the consequences.
The gang also kills Umezawa’s boss, Matsubara, leaving him with no allies. When the gang takes Umezawa to fight Kurosaki, the two men secretly plan to take down Saeki together. But the plan fails, and the gang gives Umezawa a knife to stab Kurosaki.
Kurosaki, who has shown care for Umezawa throughout the series, tells him to stab near the left side of his stomach. Umezawa refuses to hurt him. Seeing no other option, Kurosaki stabs himself in the left abdomen to make it look like Umezawa followed orders. Umezawa then jumps from the building with the wounded Kurosaki to escape.
Katsuragi Shows Up at the Last Moment
Just when all hope seems lost, Katsuragi arrives with police officers and arrests the Saeki gang members. Katsuragi had been tracking Umezawa through a device hidden in his suit. But Umezawa gets angry at Katsuragi for not coming sooner to help them.
Katsuragi admits he waited for the situation to get worse. He says he wanted to “fatten the pigs before the slaughter,” meaning he waited so he could make bigger arrests and charge the gang with more serious crimes, including murder. This moment shows Katsuragi’s selfish nature, as he put Umezawa and Kurosaki’s lives at risk just to boost his own career.
Umezawa Plays His Final Card
Throughout the series, both Kurosaki and Katsuragi tried to use Umezawa for their own goals. But in the end, Umezawa turns the tables on both of them. He copied all of Saeki’s internal files onto a USB drive, including client names, smuggling routes, and money transactions.
When Katsuragi’s boss tells him the police found nothing on Saeki’s computers, Katsuragi learns that the narcotics team got the information first. This frustrates him because he wanted all the credit for the case.
Meanwhile, Kurosaki ends up in the hospital, feeling upset about how everything played out. Umezawa visits him and gives him the USB drive, saying it has all the evidence Kurosaki needs to close the case properly.
“You did great,” Kurosaki tells Umezawa, which makes the former child actor emotional.
The series also reveals that Saeki is found dead in his jail cell, with officials ruling it a suicide.
Who Does Umezawa Choose in the End
The final scene shows the three main characters crossing paths once more. Kurosaki and Katsuragi walk past each other without saying a word, showing their ongoing tension and rivalry. Umezawa then makes his choice clear by leaving with Kurosaki instead of staying with Katsuragi.
This ending shows that Umezawa finally breaks free from being a pawn in other people’s games. He chooses to trust the person who actually tried to protect him, even when it meant getting hurt. Kurosaki repeatedly showed he cared about Umezawa’s safety, while Katsuragi only cared about his own promotion and success.
The finale wraps up the main story while leaving the relationship between Kurosaki and Katsuragi open for a possible second season.
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Streaming Details for Global Audiences
Matori & Kyoken Men in the Back Alleys is now streaming on Netflix worldwide. The show debuted on the platform on February 1, 2026. Viewers in the USA, UK, Canada, Australia, and India can watch all episodes with subtitles in multiple languages.
The series originally aired on MBS in Japan starting January 21, 2026, with new episodes every Wednesday. The complete first season has 10 episodes in total. The show is based on the manga “Matori to Kyoken Rodjiura no Otokotachi” written by Tajima Takashi and illustrated by Masashi.
The main cast includes Nishihata Daigo as Umezawa Kyonosuke, Hosoda Yoshihiko as Kurosaki Toru, and Mukai Osamu as Katsuragi Akito. Morita Kokoro, Kujo Joe, and Kimura Yuichi also play important roles in the series.
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