Who was Scotch, and how was he connected to Tooru Amuro and Shuichi Akai?
The man called Scotch inside the Black Organization was known as Hiro among his childhood friend and police academy classmates. Those two sides can make his story difficult to follow at first.
Scotch was Hiromitsu Morofushi, an undercover Public Security Bureau officer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. This article follows his identity, death, relationships, and major manga, anime, and movie appearances. Major spoilers follow.
Scotch Was a Public Security Bureau Officer: Hiromitsu Morofushi
Scotch was Hiromitsu Morofushi, an undercover Public Security Bureau officer sent into the Black Organization by the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. His codename concealed both his real name and his police affiliation.
- Real name: Hiromitsu Morofushi
- Affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department Public Security Bureau
- Black Organization codename: Scotch
- Childhood friend: Rei Furuya
- Older brother: Takaaki Morofushi
- Police academy classmates: Rei Furuya, Jinpei Matsuda, Kenji Hagiwara, and Wataru Date
- Status: deceased
Although he worked under constant pressure, Hiromitsu was gentle, a capable cook and musician, and kind to children. Learning why his friends called him Hiro changes the impression left by the severe codename Scotch.
His Real Name Was Hiromitsu Morofushi; Scotch Was His Codename
Scotch’s real name was Hiromitsu Morofushi. The Black Organization gave him the codename Scotch, which allowed him to hide his real identity while operating inside the syndicate.
Outside that role, Hiromitsu was attentive and warm. He cooked, played bass, and once taught Masumi Sera how to play. To the organization he was Scotch, but to Rei Furuya he remained Hiro. Each name reflects a different bond.
He Infiltrated the Black Organization from the TMPD
Hiromitsu entered the Black Organization as an undercover public security officer. Receiving a codename showed how deeply he had entered the group, but he was never a loyal member.
During the same broad period, Rei Furuya operated as Bourbon and Shuichi Akai as Rye. All three appeared to be members, yet each was pursuing the organization for an outside agency. Because they could not safely share their identities, the secrets surrounding them helped create the conditions for Hiromitsu’s tragedy.
He Is Dead; the Survival Theory Conflicts with the Established Story
Hiromitsu Morofushi is deceased. Later appearances take place in flashbacks, dreams, or the memories and consciousness of people who knew him.
His movie appearance in One-Eyed Flashback is not evidence that he survived. Questions remain around the circumstances of his final moments, but neither the manga nor the anime provides any basis for reversing his death.
Why Scotch Died: Shuichi Akai Did Not Kill Him
Shuichi Akai did not kill Scotch. After the Black Organization discovered his public security identity, Hiromitsu took his own life to protect information about his family and colleagues. Akai tried to save him but could not stop the final act.
The approaching footsteps Hiromitsu mistook for an enemy belonged to Rei Furuya, the childhood friend he trusted most. That cruel misunderstanding is central to the tragedy.
How the Black Organization Exposed His Identity Remains Unknown
Hiromitsu’s public security affiliation was exposed during his infiltration. However, the manga and anime do not reveal who leaked the information or how the organization identified him.
Shuichi Akai was not the person who exposed Scotch. Once Akai understood his position, he disclosed his own FBI role and tried to help him escape. The original breach remains an unresolved part of the story.
Shuichi Akai Tried to Help Scotch Escape
Akai had not cornered Scotch in order to kill him. He revealed that he was an FBI infiltrator and argued that he might be able to get Hiromitsu out of the country.
While Akai was trying to persuade him, footsteps raced up the stairs. Hiromitsu judged them to be Black Organization pursuers and acted before he could be captured. Had he known an ally was approaching, another outcome may have been possible, but the evidence discussed here does not establish that it would certainly have saved him.
He Took His Own Life to Protect the Data on His Phone
Hiromitsu took Akai’s gun neither to flee nor to shoot Akai. He intended to fire through his own chest and destroy his phone at the same time.
Akai realizes that Scotch took the gun to destroy a phone that likely held data about his family and colleagues. (unofficial translation)
The scene presents his final action as an attempt to protect other people and prevent sensitive data from reaching the organization. The phone could have placed Takaaki, Rei, or public security contacts in danger.
The Footsteps Were Rei Furuya’s, Fueling Amuro’s Anger at Akai
The footsteps belonged to Rei Furuya, who appears to have been rushing toward his childhood friend’s crisis. Hiromitsu had no time to identify the person approaching.
Furuya later directed intense anger at Akai, believing someone of Akai’s ability should have saved Hiromitsu. It remains unclear whether Furuya knows that his own footsteps affected Hiromitsu’s decision. The suggestion that anger at Akai may also shield him from another kind of pain is interpretation, not confirmed motive.
Hiromitsu Morofushi and Tooru Amuro: Childhood Friends Hiro and Zero
Hiromitsu and Tooru Amuro, whose real name is Rei Furuya, were childhood friends. They called each other Hiro and Zero, later trained together at the police academy, and eventually infiltrated the same criminal organization from different public security bodies.
Their story moves from childhood intimacy to an operation in which they could not openly use the names that expressed that bond.
Rei Furuya Was His Childhood Friend: Hiro and Zero
Hiromitsu and Furuya knew each other before entering the police academy. Furuya called him Hiro, and Hiromitsu called Furuya Zero. These were personal childhood nicknames rather than operational aliases.
Hiro calls to Zero in Furuya’s dream, telling him that he is late and should hurry. (unofficial translation)
The dream does not establish their friendship by itself; it shows that Furuya still carries his deceased classmates in his mind. Its warmth is painful because he wakes as the only survivor of the five.
He Trained with Furuya, Matsuda, Hagiwara, and Date
Hiromitsu trained alongside Rei Furuya, Jinpei Matsuda, Kenji Hagiwara, and Wataru Date. Together they are commonly treated as the five-man police academy group.
- Rei Furuya
- Jinpei Matsuda
- Kenji Hagiwara
- Wataru Date
- Hiromitsu Morofushi
Episode 1118 (Japanese episode 1061), Police Academy Arc Wild Police Story CASE. Hiromitsu Morofushi, shows the four helping Hiromitsu confront the case that traumatized him as a child. Their noisy closeness contrasts sharply with Scotch’s later isolation.
They Infiltrated the Black Organization During the Same Period
After graduation, Hiromitsu and Furuya both entered public security work, but their listed organizations were not identical.
- Hiromitsu Morofushi: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department public security
- Rei Furuya: National Police Agency
They later operated inside the Black Organization as Scotch and Bourbon. They could not openly present themselves as childhood friends and had to use their codenames. The change from Hiro and Zero to Scotch and Bourbon captures the distance imposed by the mission.
Scotch’s Relationships with Shuichi Akai and Masumi Sera
Scotch worked beside Shuichi Akai during their infiltrations. He also met Akai’s younger sister, Masumi Sera, and taught her bass. The contrast between his tense final scene with Akai and his gentle interaction with Sera reveals both sides of him.
Rye, Bourbon, and Scotch Operated Together
Rye, Bourbon, and Scotch spent a period operating together inside the Black Organization.
- Rye: FBI agent Shuichi Akai
- Bourbon: public security officer Rei Furuya
- Scotch: public security officer Hiromitsu Morofushi
All three possessed organization codenames while secretly serving outside agencies. Different affiliations and hidden identities meant that full cooperation was not available from the outset.
Shuichi Akai Carries the Weight of Failing to Save Him
Akai failed to save Scotch despite revealing his FBI identity and trying to persuade him to escape. He does not respond to Furuya’s anger by fully explaining the final moments.
Akai appears to regret that he could not stop Hiromitsu, but the precise content of that regret is not confirmed. He did not kill Scotch, yet he continues to bear the burden of being unable to save him.
He Taught Bass to Middle-School Student Masumi Sera
During his dangerous period undercover, Hiromitsu met middle-school student Masumi Sera while she was waiting for Shuichi Akai. He passed the time by teaching her bass.
For Sera, Scotch remained a kind man who was good at music rather than merely a frightening organization member. This ordinary memory gives emotional weight to the people and everyday life his final act sought to protect.
Hiromitsu Morofushi’s Relationships with Takaaki Morofushi and Misao Yamamura
Hiromitsu’s older brother was Takaaki Morofushi, a Nagano police officer. In childhood he was also close to Misao Yamamura, who called him Hiro-chan while Hiromitsu called him Micchan.
After their parents were murdered, Hiromitsu was separated from his brother and friend and raised in Tokyo.
His Brother Takaaki Inferred His Death from the Damaged Phone
Takaaki had been told that Hiromitsu left the police. This appears to have been a protective lie because Hiromitsu could not disclose his assignment or infiltration to his family.
When Hiromitsu’s damaged smartphone reached him, Takaaki inferred from the bullet hole and bloodstain that his brother had probably joined public security and died while undercover. He reached that painful conclusion from the physical traces rather than from a direct explanation.
The Brothers Were Separated Between Nagano and Tokyo After Their Parents’ Murder
Hiromitsu and Takaaki originally lived with their family in Nagano. As a child, Hiromitsu survived while hiding at the scene where their parents were murdered, but the experience left deep trauma.
- Hiromitsu was taken in by relatives in Tokyo.
- Takaaki remained with relatives in Nagano.
It is therefore misleading to reduce the brothers to separate Tokyo and Nagano origins. They shared the same childhood home in Nagano and lived apart only after the family tragedy.
Misao Yamamura Was His Childhood Friend Micchan
Hiromitsu and Misao Yamamura were childhood friends who played with Kamen Yaiba cards. Yamamura called him Hiro-chan, while Hiromitsu called Yamamura Micchan.
After the murder of Hiromitsu’s parents, he moved to Tokyo without being able to explain everything. It remains unclear whether Yamamura has formally learned of Hiromitsu’s death or how much Takaaki has told him. The unchanged childhood nickname makes their unrealized reunion especially poignant.
Essential Scotch and Hiromitsu Morofushi Manga and Anime Appearances
Scotch’s story was revealed gradually rather than in a single episode. His name first emerged through the conflict between Amuro and Akai; later stories revealed his face, connection with Sera, death, real name, family, and childhood.
- Volume 85 and episode 836 (Japanese episode 783): Scotch’s existence and Akai’s regret
- Volumes 88-89 and episodes 891-892 (Japanese episodes 836-837): his face and past with Sera
- Volume 90 and episodes 921-922 (Japanese episodes 866-867): the truth of his death
- Volume 96 and episodes 1040-1041 (Japanese episodes 983-984): his relationship with Takaaki
- Volume 97 and episodes 1060-1062 (Japanese episodes 1003-1005): the childhood case
- Volume 102 through episode 1182 (Japanese episode 1124): his connection with Yamamura
- Police Academy Arc and episode 1118 (Japanese episode 1061): academy days and childhood trauma
- Volume 107, Files 1134-1136: the five academy friends meet young Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri
Volume 85 and Episode 836 (Japanese Episode 783): Scotch’s Name Emerges
Scotch becomes a major unseen presence in Volume 85’s Scarlet series, centered in the anime on episode 836 (Japanese episode 783), The Scarlet Truth.
Akai tells Amuro that he still feels responsible for what happened to that man. At this point, the details of Scotch’s identity and death are not yet explained. The story first establishes the emotional weight between Akai and Amuro, then fills in the person behind it.
Volumes 88-90: His Face, His Past with Sera, and the Truth of His Death
Volumes 88-89 and episodes 891-892 (Japanese episodes 836-837), The Unfriendly Girls Band, show Scotch’s face and his earlier meeting with Masumi Sera. The man who taught her bass is connected to the conflict between Akai and Amuro.
Volume 90 and episodes 921-922 (Japanese episodes 866-867), The Betrayal’s Stage, reveal the final sequence: Akai tried to help, Hiromitsu destroyed the phone while taking his life, and the footsteps belonged to Furuya. The gentle musical memory makes the later revelation even harsher.
Volumes 96-102: The Morofushi Brothers and a Childhood Friend
Volume 96 and episodes 1040-1041 (Japanese episodes 983-984), Kid vs. Komei: The Targeted Lips, establish the brotherly connection between Takaaki and Scotch. The damaged phone links Hiromitsu’s death to his hidden assignment.
Volume 97 and episodes 1060-1062 (Japanese episodes 1003-1005), The 36-Cell Perfect Game, cover the murder of the brothers’ parents and their separation. Volume 102 and The Body on the Gunma-Nagano Border reveal that Hiromitsu and Misao Yamamura were childhood friends.
Episode 1118 (Japanese Episode 1061): Police Academy Arc CASE. Hiromitsu Morofushi
Episode 1118 (Japanese episode 1061), Police Academy Arc Wild Police Story CASE. Hiromitsu Morofushi, is essential for understanding him. He continues to suffer from memories of his parents’ murder.
His four classmates use their strengths to help him approach the truth rather than leaving him to bear it alone. The episode shows that the later solitary infiltrator once had friends to whom he could entrust his back.
Volume 107, Deatteita Gonin-gumi (Tentative Title): Young Shinichi Meets the Academy Group
Volume 107’s Deatteita Gonin-gumi (tentative title), Files 1134-1136, depicts the police academy group meeting young Shinichi Kudo and Ran Mouri.
The case shows coordination between Hiromitsu and Furuya as well as the roles played by all five classmates. Its appeal lies in seeing the future detective and the five officers together before any of them knows what lies ahead.
Movies Featuring Scotch and Hiromitsu Morofushi
Hiromitsu also matters to movie stories involving the police academy group and his brother. Because he is deceased in the present timeline, these movie appearances operate through past events, memories, or consciousness rather than a present-day survival.
The Bride of Halloween: Working with the Police Academy Group
Movie-only evidence in The Bride of Halloween depicts the police academy group involved in an incident three years earlier. While Jinpei Matsuda goes to defuse a bomb, Hiromitsu supports him from below.
Hiro: I will be waiting down below. (unofficial translation)
The brief line shows him trusting Matsuda’s skill while taking the position needed to support him. It is a movie flashback, not evidence that Hiromitsu is alive in the current timeline.
One-Eyed Flashback: Appearing in Takaaki’s Consciousness
Movie-only evidence in One-Eyed Flashback presents Hiromitsu through his relationship with Takaaki. He does not return as a living character in the present.
He appears in connection with Takaaki’s memory or consciousness, showing how strongly the younger brother remains within him. The scene is best read as the continuing emotional influence of a dead brother, not as a survival reveal.
Summary
Scotch was Hiromitsu Morofushi, an undercover Public Security Bureau officer from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. In the Black Organization he was Scotch; to his academy classmates he was one of the five; to Rei Furuya he was Hiro; and to Takaaki he was a younger brother separated by tragedy.
He investigated the organization at enormous risk, yet enjoyed cooking and music and treated Masumi Sera kindly. When exposed, he took his own life and destroyed his phone to keep information about family and colleagues away from the organization.
The footsteps that hastened his decision belonged to the friend trying to reach him, though it remains unclear whether Furuya knows the effect they had. Hiromitsu continues to shape Furuya, Akai, Takaaki, Sera, and Yamamura through memory, regret, and the choices they make after his death.
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