Parasyte: The Grey is based on the popular sci-fi horror ‘Parasyte’ manga series by Hitoshi Iwaaki that initially came into existence in 1989. Despite being an old manga series, it has accumulated a massive fanbase with its unique writing style and artwork. Now that the much-awaited Korean live-action adaptation has arrived on Netflix, every fan of the franchise wonders if Shinichi, the main protagonist of the animanga series, appears in the show. Well, in this article, I’m going to answer that.
Spoiler Warning This article includes spoilers for the ending of the new Netflix K-drama Parasyte: The Grey. So, proceed with caution.
Does Parasyte: The Grey Feature Shinichi from the Manga?
Yes, even though no one expected it to happen, Shinichi does make an appearance in the Korean live-action, Parasyte: The Grey.
In the final moments of the series, we see Choi walking over to meet someone at Team Grey’s HQ. Her colleague tells Choi that this guy is a journalist, and he knows about the parasites more than anyone.
Finally, when Choi approaches the boy, he introduces himself as Shinichi, and the camera focuses on the boy’s hand. In Parasyte: The Maxim, Migi uses Shinichi’s hand to converse with him, so by putting the focus on his hand, the series confirms that it’s the boy from the animanga series.
Why Did Shinichi Leave Japan to Meet Choi?
In the series, it’s made abundantly clear that Korea is the first country to form an organization for fighting the parasites. That’s because, unlike the other countries, the first parasite attack in Korea happened in a public place. So, the Korean government knew about the aliens’ existence from the day they arrived on Earth.
The story of ‘Parastye: The Maxim’ also takes place immediately after the aliens’ arrival on Earth, so it’s obvious that Su-in and Shinichi’s stories took place at the same time. By the time Su-in and Choi defeat the Pastor in Korea, Shinichi might have also defeated the parasites with the help of Migi.
So, after the events that happened in Japan, Shinichi must have had nothing else to do. Shinichi shared a deep connection with Migi, and after learning that there’s an organization that fights and studies parasites, the boy must have been intrigued.
Shinichi knows a great deal about these alien creatures, and Team Grey is the perfect place where the boy can use that knowledge. So, it’s not surprising that our beloved protagonist arrived in Korea to meet Choi.
What Happened to Su-in in Parasyte: The Grey?
In the finale, we see Su-in finally making peace with her past, realizing that she is not a monster and there are people who care about her. As mentioned in our Parasite: The Grey ending explainer, Heidi helps Sun-in get over her childhood trauma, and after that, Heidi and Sun-in agree that they have to stop the Pastor from taking over the mayor’s body.
If they fail to do so, the Pastor will take over the bodies of even more influential people. However, thanks to Choi, Su-in is able to defeat the Pastor, finally bringing peace to her country.
After all the action, Su-in gets back to her normal life and her cashier work. She gets a letter from Heidi, who tells the girl that she is not alone. Su-in also gets an offer from Choi to work for Team Grey.
Now, we don’t know if Su-in will accept Choi’s offer or if Heidi will return, but the creators certainly want that to happen. That is why the writers are setting up the second season by teasing Shinichi. If Season 2 gets a green light from Netflix, we might see Shinichi and Su-in working together, and who knows, maybe if we’re lucky, we’ll get to see Migi in the live-action format.
