Netflix's Tokyo Swindlers season 1 ending explained and renewal possibilities explored: Did Harrison die in the end?

Tokyo Swindlers aired on July 25, 2024, on Netflix. The focus of the Japanese dark criminal thriller is a group of land swindlers who cons people and companies in Tokyo by selling them lands with forged documents. The story is based on the book of the same name. The series stars Etsushi Toyokawa, Go Ayano, Pierre Taki, Eiko Koike, and Kazuki Kitamura.

The seven-part high-paced series delves deep into how people con others into buying a property. The series opens with Yamanaka Harrison (Etsushi Toyokawa) hunting in a forest with some Americans. He sees a big bear mauling a man from their group, but Harrison calmly clocks his guns and kills the bear.

The scene is a metaphor for how Harrison takes life by the scruff of the neck and wins at everything. Tokyo Swindlers then begins by explaining the painstaking process of being a land swindler and conning clients.

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Harrison and his team profit by inflating a land's value and enticing potential clients or businesses to purchase it through the falsification of paperwork and persuasive presentation of the property.

Tokyo Swindlers ends by showing Harrison on a hunting spree after the Tokyo police fail to arrest him, which hints at a probable season renewal.

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Tokyo Swindlers episode 7 ends with a bang, hinting at a new season on the horizon

The limited Netflix series moves ahead after a deal goes wrong and gets one of Harrison's workers murdered. The case goes to the Tokyo police, who learn about the existence of the "Tokyo Swindlers" and Harrison's team which includes Takumi (Go Ayano), Goto (Pierre Taki), Reiko (Eiko Koike), and Takeshita (Kazuki Kitamura).

The police also learn about Takumi's family history and how he ended up becoming a land swindler.

Harrison and his group chose to pose as a priestess who was eager to sell her land—which also included a Buddhist temple—to con Sekiyo House Group. The series finale shows the land swindlers scheming to acquire the property on which Kouan-ji Temple.

However, Goto and Reiko almost get caught while devising their scheme but somehow manage to convince the Seiko Group.

Meanwhile, the real Natsumi Kawai arrives as soon as the Sekiyo House Group leaves the temple. Goto and Takumi manage to get away, but Reiko gets stuck behind at the temple. Furthermore, after overcoming every obstacle at the temple, Harrison's team successfully closes the deal with Seiko House Group for 11 billion yen or $75.9 million.

Tokyo Swindlers' finale episode finally provides closure to Takumi as Detective Kuramochi informs him that Nishitani, the scammer who ruined his family, is imprisoned in the Philippines and goes by his real name, Kazuma Saeki.

In earlier episodes, we see how Takumi's father gets conned by a land swindler. His father loses his mind over the loss and sets fire to his entire house and kills himself and his family, but Takumi survives.

Kuramochi further reveals that Harrison Yamanaka attempted to assassinate Nishitani and that it was he who created the false scheme that tricked Takumi and his family, resulting in their ruin.

Takumi feels betrayed as he has been looking for the real culprit all his life and couldn't fathom that he ended up working with him and trusting the person—Yamanaka Harrison.

Meanwhile, Aoyagi from Seiko House Group is prepared for a promotion after signing the contract with the temple. But as the construction workers arrive at the temple, the temple owner, Kawai, calls the police. Aoyagi learns that he was scammed by land swindlers and lost $75.9 million.

Later, Takumi decides to meet Harrison before he departs from the country. He tells Harrison that he knows how destroyed his family. Harrison stays calm and tries to win Takumi by manipulating him, but the latter becomes enraged and points a gun at him.

Harrison also warns Takumi that he will get Goto and Reiki killed as they quit the team after learning about Takumi's family destruction.

Meanwhile, one of Harrison's goons attacks Takumi from behind but Harrison shoots the guy. Harrison and Takumi get into a physical altercation as an enraged Takumi tries to kill him. Detective Kuramochi arrives at the right time and stops Harrison from killing an injured Takumi.

Kuramochi hesitates to shoot Harrison. Seeing an opportunity, Harrison tosses a grenade and intends to kill everyone with him.

Tokyo Swindlers ends by showing Takumi and Detective Kuramochi surviving the bomb. Takumi confesses to his crimes and gets a prison sentence while Reiki, Goto, and Takeshita probably go their separate ways as the group gets disbanded.

The end credits roll by showing a haggard Harrison on the snow-covered mountains—on a hunt. This promises a season renewal of the Netflix limited series.

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Tokyo Swindlers has seven episodes and the series is available on Netflix for global streaming.