Summary
After likely becoming an orphan, Masaru was taken by the old Tokyo government alongside other children for a covert initiative led by Colonel Shikishima aimed at cultivating psychic abilities for military and political ends. It was within this program that he formed friendships with Kiyoko, Takashi, and Akira. The project concluded when Akira became too powerful to contain, ascending to a higher plane of existence and triggering a psychic explosion that destroyed old Tokyo. While the survivors founded Neo-Tokyo, Kiyoko, Masaru, and Takashi—designated as Espers—were kept in strict isolation to hide the project’s secrets. To prevent them from reaching Akira’s level of power, they were subjected to constant drug treatments, which caused premature aging and physical disabilities. Masaru developed polio and relies on a specialized wheelchair with protective glass, a vehicle also utilized by Kiyoko for transport.
