10 Things You Didn’t Know About Eiji Okumura In Banana Fish

Eiji’s character is an open book with plenty of screen time, yet even the most ardent Eiji fans may have missed a few details.

The story followed Ash Lynx, a 17-year-old gang boss who befriended Eiji Okumura, a Japanese photographer assistant. Eiji went to New York City to interview Ash, but instead became caught in Ash’s perplexing quest to learn the truth about banana fish. Eiji’s loving and sympathetic demeanor, according to most fans, makes it nearly as easy for viewers to fall in love with him as Ash did. Eiji’s character is an open book with lots of screentime as the deuteragonist, yet even the most ardent Eiji fans may have missed a few details.

1. Natto is his favorite dish

Eiji and Ash rarely shared the same culinary tastes because they were two distinct people from two different cultures. Eiji’s diet consisted of more traditional Japanese dishes, whereas Ash’s diet comprised of American dishes.

Eiji had previously stated his enthusiasm for Japanese cuisine, but he made it clear that his favorite dish was natto, or fermented soybeans. Natto is normally eaten for breakfast, so fans were not surprised when Eiji prepared some for Ash to consume first thing in the morning.

2.He Was Born And Raised In Izumo, Japan

Eiji was a small-town boy, unlike Ash, who lived a fast-paced existence in the large metropolis. He told Ash he was from Izumo, a small Japanese city renowned as the Land of the Gods.

The epilogue manga, Fly Boy In The Sky, centered on the narrative of how Shunichi Ibe met his assistant, Eiji, and gave a depiction of his life in Izumo, Japan. Eiji tried multiple times in the anime to persuade Ash to live a tranquil life and return to Izumo with him, but his wish was never granted.

3.His family situation wasn’t as stable as Ash had assumed.

It Had Been Fly Boy In The Sky, a prequel to Banana Fish that focused on Eiji’s life before travelling to New York City to meet Ash, was a side narrative that uncovered the events leading up to Banana Fish. Eiji had a relatively sheltered upbringing and a solid home life in Izumo, Japan, but he nonetheless coped with family troubles and upheaval.

His father had become unwell as a result of liver issues, and it was suggested that his mother was having an affair while her husband was in the hospital recovering. Despite his father’s deteriorating health and his mother’s infidelity, he stayed pure and hopeful.

4.His Relationship With Ash Is Literally Indescribable

Eiji and Ash’s relationship on the official site was altered from “best friends” to a single black line after the series’ final episode aired. This was done to show that their friendship had gone beyond the limits of any platonic or romantic relationship before it.

Eiji and Ash formed an unbreakable friendship that could not be conveyed in words. Their love for each other was stronger than their sentiments for anyone else. To Ash, Eiji was the only person alive who deserved to be protected at all costs.

5. Ash Was His First Kiss

Shunichi Ibe, who has known Eiji since he was a child, revealed that Eiji had never kissed anyone before Ash. Ash’s strategy to send a covert message to Eiji was successful, disguised as a passionate kiss.

Ash penned a message, encased it in a hollow capsule, and kept it in his lips until the visitation was through. Before returning to his prison cell, Ash shared a goodbye kiss with Eiji and carried out his plan unnoticed.

6.The Gender Of His Character Was Intentional

Eiji was a very emotionally sophisticated character who was not hesitant to communicate his feelings, according to many viewers. Recognizing that those are characteristics more commonly associated with female characters, author Akimi Yoshida revealed that she made Eiji a boy on purpose to emphasize the vast variety of emotions that can exist in relationships between people of the same gender.

With Ash as the male protagonist, Eiji needed to be a young man who formed an unbreakable bond with him.

7.He Remains Friends With Sing Years After The Series Finished

The lives of the characters seven years after the events of Banana Fish were described in the postscript manga Garden of Light. Eiji and his old friend Sing Soo-Ling, who were both residing in New York at the time, were the subject of the story.

Sing became a student at CUNY and a co-leader of the Chinese mafia, while Eiji became a successful photographer. Eiji and Sing remained close friends over the years and shared a room in Greenwich Village, a New York City district on the west side of Manhattan.

8.He considers Ash to be his soulmate.

Eiji and Ash’s spirits are inextricably linked, as evidenced by their trip together and the feelings they had. Despite the fact that the two boys did not engage in amorous acts, Eiji was regarded Ash’s adored, and Sing pointed out that their spirits were linked.

“My spirit is always with you,” Eiji said in his farewell letter to Ash, implying that their love for one another was not, is not, and never will be restricted by distance, time, or even death.

9.He Is Nearsighted While Ash Is Farsighted

Eiji was the Yin to Ash’s Yang, despite their polar opposite personality qualities. Everything about them, from their personalities to their physical looks, revealed that they were polar opposites, but their unbreakable bond demonstrated that opposites attract.

Hair color, upbringing, nationality, race, values, and, oddly enough, eye conditions all differ. Eiji had nearsightedness, also known as myopia, which made it difficult for him to see clearly from distance. Ash, on the other hand, was farsighted, which explains why he was adept at long-range shooting yet needed spectacles to read.

10.He Ended His Pole Vaulting Career Because Of An Injury

Surprisingly, Eiji was the one in Ash’s group with higher athletic skills. Eiji was a well-known pole vaulter in Izumo, Japan, before coming to New York City. He earned many scholarships and offers to pursue a professional career in pole vaulting, but owing to a career-ending injury, he was unable to take any of the offers.

After being forced to quit as an athlete, Eiji met Shunichi at an interview and began working as his assistant shortly after. Later, in a life-or-death scenario, he used his abilities to save himself and Ash.