WMG / Lycoris Recoil

Beware of unmarked spoilers!

Takina will find out that Kurumi was the one who hacked Radiata, which led to her being expelled from DA.

• It's very likely Takina will take this badly, and that it could create a rift between her and Kurumi.
  • Jossed; Episode 6 has Kurumi revealing she's Walnut to everyone else at LycoReco and, while upset and frustrated at her, Takina and the others still ask her to stay and help find out whoever is hunting Lycoris.

Majima will blow up the old Tokyo radio tower, with Chisato unable to stop him.

• Majima seems like the type who is willing to die for whatever message he's trying to send. Chisato's desire to subdue him rather than kill him will backfire, allowing him to succeed at his plan.
  • Jossed, since he's using the Skytree as his base of operations in Episode 11.

Chisato, Takina, Kurumi, Mika, and Mizuki will eventually be hunted by DA.

• It's all too possible that they will end up stumbling onto something highly inconvenient for Kusunoki or Yoshimatsu, and one of them will order the Lycoris or LilyBell agents to get rid of them.
  • Seemingly jossed; Chisato is targeted by Yoshimatsu and comes out worse from it, but shortly after Takina is invited back to DA in order to take part in a strike against Majima; there are no efforts to go after the others, destroy Lycoreco or so on.
  • The LilyBell do try to kill Chisato and Takina (along with Fuki and her squad, plus any stragglers) later on at Enkuboku. But they get called back once Kurumi hacks into DA's systems and convinces them to stop. Mika and Mizuki are never targeted once outside of Majima's men nearly blowing them up in Episode 6, so Jossed for them.

Chisato is John Wick reincarnated.

• Chisato dodges bullets and shoots back with forms of the Center Axis Relock System. John also uses the CAR System, and John can dodge bullets in PAYDAY 2, which is stated to be a Stealth Prequel of the movie series. Their personality shift is explainable as John trying new personality in a new life. This theory allows Chisato’s unwillingness to kill to be explained as John not wanting to kill anymore in his new life.

Chisato goes Ax-Crazy whenever she actually kills someone.

• Episode 5 showed that someone is trying to drive Chisato to take a life for some reason or another. It's possible that Chisato may be mentally unstable, and that taking a life may drive her to some kind of crazy state.
  • Jossed.

Takina will be used as a hostage to force Chisato to take a life.

• It seems that Yoshimatsu or someone else at the Alan Institute]] wants Chisato to revert to being a cold-blooded killer again, and will take advantage of Takina in order to accomplish this.
  • Jossed. Shinji and Himegama try to kill Takina in Episode 12 in order to make Chisato kill, but Chisato subdues Himegama and wounds Shinji with a live round.

The Alan Institute will attempt to threaten Chisato into killing, with no success.

• It stated that Chisato's mechanical heart was given to her by the Alan Institute, who appear to be trying to drive her into killing due to it being her "talent". It's likely that they'll eventually attempt to coerce her into utilizing said talent by threatening to deactivate her heart, killing her. However, this attempt will ultimately fail due to Kurumi/Walnut, who they think is dead, hacking them and preventing them from doing so.
  • Partially Jossed. Shinji had Himegama short-circuit Chisato's heart, giving her two months to live. He was then seen with a briefcase similar to the one that contained said artificial heart during Mika's flashback, implying that he plans to blackmail Chisato with a new one.

The faction LilyBell is intended to eliminate rogue Lycoris agents.

• Chisato claims that a LilyBell once attacked her in one of her safehouses and that he was "scary". Since they are the male equivalent of Lycoris agents, it's probable that LilyBell agents are designed to be a counter to Lycoris agents if they ever go rogue.
  • Zigzagged. They are intended to be used to hunt down and execute Lycoris agents when necessary, and they have tried killing Chisato on several occasions. Mika and Kusunoki were able to negotiate with their boss to stop trying to kill Chisato.

Chisato's backstory is similar to Cassandra Cain's.

• In that she killed someone at a young age (probably during the Tokyo Skytree attack) and the resulting trauma made her never want to take a life again.
  • Jossed. Chisato's no-kill mantra is due to Shinji calling himself a "savior" when he gave her an artificial heart, and Chisato being very impressionable at the time.

Chisato's backstory has no trauma.

• Her refusal to kill is more down to the gift of life that Yoshimatsu gave her by replacing her heart; the series will end or a key moment will hinge on Yoshimatsu finally accepting this.
  • Semi-confirmed. Chisato's no-kill mantra is due to Shinji calling himself a "savior" when he gave her the artificial heart, as Chisato was a very impressionable seven-year-old at the time.

Majima is a former LilyBell agent.

• He seems to know quite a lot about the DA and could directly tie into the above theory about the faction eliminating rogue Lycoris.
  • Unlikely, as if Majima had been part of LilyBell, he'd have likely known that DA would cover up the train incident. He may have known about Lycoris agents as far back as the Skytree incident, but he also had to figure out how to hunt them from scratch (and with Robota's help).
    • Jossed by Episode 12.

Majima is a state-backed terrorist.

• A state funding is the most likely way a man can own many weaponry and a Cool Car, with the same make and the same color, used for at least 2 Car Fu attacks. This would enable an even deeper plot involving external threats.
  • Zigzagged. Majima isn't likely state-backed, but he is an Alan Institute alumni.

Takina may be forced to fight Chisato at some point.

• The way Shinji said he had "high hopes" for Takina makes one worry if he plans to pit the two Lycoris agents against one another.
  • Jossed.

Majima will be the one to intervene in whatever is being done to Chisato's heart.

• We know from episode 8 alone that he's keeping fairly close tabs on her after figuring out who she is, and doesn't seem to bear any ill will toward Chisato for what went on during the Skytree incident. He'll rescue her and clue her in that Yoshimatsu and the Alan Institute aren't as benevolent toward her as they seem, which could in itself prompt some version or another of a Chisato/Takina fight.
  • Jossed. Takina intervenes, but is too late to stop Himegama from short-circuiting Chisato's heart.

Majima and Chisato will pull an Enemy Mine.

• Similar to the above theory, it is possible that both Chisato and Majima could end up being hunted by the Alan Institute and deciding to work together.
  • Jossed, since Majima captures Shinji and Himegama at the end of Episode 9 and tries to have him and Himegama killed for their meddling in Chisato's life.

Yoshimatsu plans to blackmail Chisato with a new artificial heart.

• The briefcase he was carrying before Majima intercepted him]] looks like the same one he had when he brought the first artificial heart to Mika in their flashback. It's very likely that he had Himegama sabotage Chisato's current heart so he could blackmail her with the chance to keep on living, as long as she started killing people. This is further supported by Kurumi pointing out that Shinji didn't just have Chisato murdered for failing to complete her "mission" to kill people.
  • Confirmed, as shown in Episode 11. However, in Episode 12, Shinji reveals that he implanted the heart into his own chest, so Chisato has to kill him if she wants to get it.

Robota will jam Kusunoki's transmission ordering the Lycoris agents to hold their fire against armed civilians.

• This would further play into Majima's scheme by ensuring the Lycoris agents will default to their normal "kill on sight" orders. Even if the girls hold their fire initially, the sight of wanton destruction is sure to make some of them act of their own accord and disobey orders.
  • Jossed. Majima publicly reveals the existence of the Lycoris agents, rendering it unnecessary for Robota to jam communications.

The man who contacted Kusunoki is the man in charge of the LilyBell agents.

• He tells Kusunoki "Do you underestimate us?", which seems to be a threat for her to either get the situation under control or he will deploy his agents to clean up her mess, which would likely have disastrous consequences.
  • Confirmed. Episode 12 has him enter DA and tell Kusunoki that he plans to have his LilyBell agents kill all of the Lycoris agents in Enkuboku Tower so that order can be restored in Tokyo.

DA will launch a campaign against Alan Institute, or at least its Japanese operations

• The Alan Institute funds Majima, a known terrorist who has committed various atrocities against Japan and DA itself. Even if Majima himself is eliminated, allowing the Alan Institute to continue to exist would eventually result in a second Majima if the organization does not at least disavow criminals, which is unlikely at best. Thus, the Institute would be a threat against the country, and therefore a target for elimination.
  • Not sure it would be so simple, as the Alan Institute is worldwide, not just centered in Japan. This is shown by how they have been recruiting alumni from across the globe. DA trying to eliminate the Alan Institute could have serious political consequences for Japan. In any event, it is very likely that the Alan Institute would feign ignorance or put all the blame on Shinji for going against the institution's policy (i.e. staying in contact with Chisato).

Shinji is working with Majima in the Skytree.

• After Majima shoots Shinji and knocks him over, he disappears when the lights go out. You also notice that he didn't leave any blood behind. This is a hint that Majima may have intentionally missed him and shot out his bonds. This does beg the question, though, of why Shinji would work willingly with him to harm Chisato, especially since he knows Majima has plans to destroy the Alan Institute after he's finished in Tokyo.
  • Jossed. Shinji was taking advantage of Majima, hoping that Chisato would kill him. Also, Majima's shot did hit Shinji, but it was only a flesh wound.

Kurumi will hack Robota, fry his setup, and then get him arrested by police.

• Kurumi, seeing that Robota is helping Majima, will show why she is the best hacker in Tokyo by effortlessly hacking him. To make sure he can't do anything else, she probably won't stop at just hard-locking his system since he's trying to kill her friends (and tried to kill her). Of course, it's entirely possible that when the police find Robota that they'll shoot him, even if that isn't what Kurumi wants.
  • Confirmed. Robota is arrested within minutes of Kurumi pinpointing his position.

Majima will survive the entire incident in Tokyo, but will be presumed dead.

• It would be an enormous waste of a great villain to have him killed off, especially since he's a parallel of the Joker. Given he survived the Skytree explosion and even a Panzerfaust-3 rocket exploding in his face, it wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that he could survive something that no one would believe possible. This would open the door for him returning in a subsequent season.
  • Confirmed.

The LycoReco patrons will discover that Chisato and Takina are Lycoris agents, but will be okay with it.

• While some of them will probably be shocked to learn the two were trained to be assassins, they will let it slide due to Chisato's Thou Shalt Not Kill mantra and how much of a positive influence she's been on their lives.
  • Jossed. Only Detective Abe and his partner seem to have any idea about it, but they decidedly keep their mouths shut.

Kusunoki will be assassinated for her failure to stop Majima.

• It's very unlikely that someone in Kusunoki's position would be allowed to live after such a colossal blunder, and she can't pin the blame on someone else anymore. At the very least, she's going to end up sacked, if not killed.
  • Jossed.

Mika will have Silent Jin kill Shinji and make it look like a suicide.

• Since Chisato is unwilling to kill Shinji or let Takina do the deed for her, Mika will take things into his own hands and have Silent Jin assassinate Shinji since he can't bring himself to do it. He will then claim the artificial heart and give it to Chisato, lying to her that Shinji committed suicide.
  • Jossed. Mika does the deed himself.

The leader of the LilyBell team is someone who tried to kill Chisato in the past.

• Chisato and the agent recognize each other, but do not speak to one another. Chisato denies any connection when Takina asks about it, but the viewer can tell she's lying. It's very probably that the LilyBell agent was someone who tried to take Chisato out, but she bested him and spared his life.

Kurumi really is Older Than She Looks

• Just not as old as her fake ID implies in Episode 7 implies. Probably somewhere in the 17-19 range, making her fairly close in age to Chisato and Takina but still young enough to actually need to lie about being adult (which is 20 in Japan).

Shinji didn't actually put the heart inside himself

• In episode 12, Shinji reveals to Chisato, and an eavesdropping Takina, that he placed the improved version of the artificial heart intended for her inside himself, giving her the Sadistic Choice to either kill him and live or spare him and die. However, as he and Himegama are making their retreat, the latter is shown picking up the suitcase that was speculated beforehand to contain it. Combined with the fact that, assuming Shinji supposedly made the "transplant" after escaping from Majima and Chisato's fight, it would likely be a lengthy and difficult procedure to perform without the proper medical equipment, let alone on yourself, it's likely that Shinji simply opened his chest and closed it back up, or at least put on some heavily convincing make up, to make Chisato think he had the heart in him, and that the real thing is still in the suitcase.
  • Another possibility, is that Shinji had done the operation some time before enacting his plan to get Chisato to kill him, but were that the case, the fact that he was carrying around an empty suitcase is highly unusual.
    • Jossed. Mika lies to Chisato that Shinji bluffed about putting the heart in his chest, but had to kill Shinji in order to get the heart. Even if Shinji actually did bluff, it hardly matters at this point.

Chisato took Takina and the others to Hawaii so she could marry Takina.

• During the epilogue sequence, we see Chisato and Takina are wearing matching bracelets. Additionally, same-sex marriage is legal in Hawaii, but not in Japan.

Himegama will join up with Majima.

• Seeing as Shinji is dead, Himegama will be out of a job. And given her competence in combat and familiarity with Majima, it's all too possible that she may become his partner in crime in a manner similar to Harley Quinn, since Majima is Practically Joker.

DA is just as meant to counter LilyBell as they are meant to counter the Lycoris agents.

• Since they're working together in the ending, it's plausible that if a LilyBell agent were to go rogue or threaten The Masquerade, Lycoris agents may be sent to kill them.

Yoshimatsu is voiced by D.C. Douglas in the English dub

• In the English dub, Yoshimatsu sounds like a certain blonde-haired Corrupt Corporate Executive. As well as a blonde-haired serial killer. Seems Mr. Douglas has a knack for these roles.
  • Confirmed.

A second season/sequel is very likely at some point in the near future

• With events like Episode 13's reveal of Majima's survival and Episode 12's reveal of the LilyBell and the red-clothed commander specifically, there is a lot of material to work from for a new season or sequel for the anime, if not, at least a spinoff entry.

A new villain will debut in the second season that DA cannot deal with.

• Unlike Majima, this villain will exploit diplomatic immunity (or something of the sort) to enable crimes on Japanese soil, but DA will not be able to touch him without it being an act of war (akin to Franz Ferdinand of Austria). It will fall to Chisato and the LycoReco gang to find rock-solid proof so they can at least kick the villain out of the country.

A Second Season will instead take place in Hawaii

• It will start a year later and involve Takina and Chisato as Teenage (now 18 and 19, respectively) private detectives in Hawaii, with Kurumi, Mika, and Mizuki as backups/Mission Control. It will be a cross betwen Magnum, P.I. and Dirty Pair.
• Hints of this were seen at the very end of the series, with a local seeking out Chisato for help.

A second season will delve more into Kurumi's backstory.

• A lot of Kurumi's background was left ambiguous throughout the series, such as how she became such a good hacker, how she inherited the Walnut persona, who her parents might be, how she has enough money to afford so much expensive gear, etc.