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Shunsuke Kobayashi (小林 俊介 Kobayashi Shunsuke) is a main character from the first film of the Ju-on series, Ju-on: The Curse, as well as its sequel. He was a professor and the teacher of Toshio Saeki. Kobayashi was a secret love interest of Kayako Saeki and consequently the pivot for her husband Takeo's anger, which triggered the grudge curse. Kobayashi is portrayed by Yūrei Yanagi.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Kobayashi attended university withKayako Saeki and met his future wife Manami in his student time, unaware that Kayako fell deeply in love with him.

Adulthood[]

Ju-koba

Toshio meows as Kobayashi is taken.

Kobayashi and Manami married and she became pregnant some time after. He became a junior high school teacher and taught for Kayako's son Toshio Saeki. Kayako, even though tentatively, always saluted him while picking up Toshio at school. At some point, Kobayashi notices that Toshio is absent for an amount of classes and becomes worried, commenting this to his pregnant wife. He then asks if Manami remembers Kayako from college, to which she confirms, remarking that she was weird in some way. Kobayashi then goes to the Saeki family's house, where he initially finds a complete mess, a trail of blood and then Toshio himself, covered with bruises and bandages. Toshio reveals very few of his family's fate, and says that his parents have left for shopping. In the house, he later discovers Kayako's diary, in which she intensely remarks her feelings for him. He then finds her corpse at the house's attic, and before leaving the place, receives a call from an insane Takeo Saeki. Takeo reveals that he has murdered Manami and suggests about extracting her fetus, leaving Kobayashi even more horrified. 

Kayako's evil spirit then appears to her former lover, calls for his name, and murders him.

Etymology[]

  • The name Shunsuke means "talented, handsome" (俊) (shun) and "help, assist" (介) (suke).
  • Shunsuke's surname Kobayashi means "small" (小) (ko) and "forest" (林) (hayashi/bayashi).

Trivia[]

  • Kobayashi is, chronologically, the very first victim of the curse.
  • His the only victim to whom Kayako's evil spirit has directly referred by his name or talked to.
  • The curse does not seem to directly affect Peter from The Grudge as it does to Kobayashi, since the latter is attacked by the angry spirit himself, while Peter commits suicide seemingly by guilt.
  • Actor Yūrei Yanagi had a role in the similarly themed film Ringu and its second released sequel, Ringu 2.

Gallery[]

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