Summary
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Fans speculate that Sakamoto's greatest strength remains hidden and history hints at an untapped power that has yet to be revealed.
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The narrative strategy of keeping Sakamoto's true strength obscure reflects the typical storylines of anime protagonists.
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Despite evidence of Sakamoto's past achievements, current events suggest that he has not exceeded his peak strength level.
Warning: This article contains spoilers for the Sakamoto Days mangaBy now, fans are more than convinced that Sakamoto's appearance is the biggest deception in shonen history. And being repeatedly referred to as the greatest killer of all time doesn't help this case. It just made readers want to see it Retired legendary killer returns to its former glory. Some might even argue that the assassin may have already done this.
This longing was first sparked in Chapter 44 of Sakamoto Days, after Miyo directly compares the Sakamoto of today to the Sakamoto of The Order and notes that he is the only one who lives up to it 30 percent of its prime. However, as the story progresses, fans can observe a similar sense of progression to any typical overpowered protagonist. Without any sign of indifference, the protagonist continues to show latent strength and can now exchange blow for blow Opponents at the order level.

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Misconception: Sakamoto's strength after retirement
A direct comparison between adolescence and adulthood
By continuing the story five years after the infamous retirement, the author leaves a sense of darkness in the narrative. A latitude of this magnitude allows the author to always keep Sakamoto's true power secret. This strategy follows the same narrative principles as an anime, where the protagonist is capable of far more than is shown. But only this time, not because the man in question wants it, but because that strength lies in it no longer accessible. A brilliant piece that gave:
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The freedom the author needed to weaken Sakamoto's power.
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Gave characters like Nagumo enough time to shift the balance of power.
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Fans started thinking about other characters who would surely improve over time.
And overall, the belief arose that Sakamoto (Primary) may no longer be the biggest or strongest. A claim further supported by the evidence in Chapter 164, where Sakamoto is forced to admit his inferiority to Takamura:
Compared to when I was in the Order… It's much stronger!
But do these events mean that his strength can no longer be assessed? No, the mangaka has taken and continues to take the liberty of mentioning sufficient small details in later and earlier chapters. For example, during Sakamoto's fight against Kanaguri, the two were relatively strong, but Sakamoto always had the edge.
The teenager Sakamoto, on the other hand, along with Uzui, Rion and Nagumo, were able to take on Kindaka (someone who climbs over Kanaguri) without much trouble. The only way to judge this achievement is to acknowledge that the teenagers were subsequently offered a place in the order. However, given that they needed each other's help, it wouldn't make sense to classify the teenager Sakamoto as an order-level threat, and just to make it easier to understand (even if they're clear for most of the verse as is) it would all four considered as such Lower level threats.
A direct comparison like the following highlights feats of similar strength/skills as assassins and also adds to the fact that the current Sakamoto is merely an assassin Evening it out with a much younger version that probably won't even be enough of a warm-up for the real deal. That means it's no longer about how overpowered Sakamoto is, but rather the toll this five-year break took on the assassin.
Shooting test: A drop in performance
The JCC infiltration arc is where it started
The author uses the JCC infiltration arc to give fans another clue about the gap that needs to be filled. In Chapter 75, Sakamoto's shot hits proved to be incredible, but were still nothing compared to his all-time high. In fact, the same chapter shows how Sakamoto accepts this decline:
The interesting thing is that this “all-time high” was reached when Sakamoto was still a school child. If you were to base this moment on percentiles alone, that would mean Sakamoto is it 22.5 percent less efficient in comparison.
The disguise suggests that the player is Skinnymoto. If readers were to consider such a possibility, Sakamota could perform even worse than the teenage Sakamoto in terms of control, precision, and speed. And despite the author's lack of information, the man's teenage years are frightening enough to show him just how high the hitman's skills must be.
An inevitable outcome with self-imposed limitations
Will fans ever get clarity on Sakatomo's current status?
Even with the explanations above, it should be undeniably clear that the mangaka does not intend to leave this question unanswered. The author has been building on this untapped strength since the first chapter, and there's no way fans would still be confused if Sakamoto had already achieved the goal. Instead, Yuto Suzuki could probably follow the narrative principle Chekhov's gun:
You can't put a loaded gun on stage if no one is thinking about firing it.
Miyo's statement in chapter 44 could very well be the author's way of using this concept, hinting at a later dialogue where Sakamoto's current/future status would be discussed. Although Sakamoto actually limited the assassin factor by using the No-kill rule (a cardinal rule established by his wife), according to the general interpretation of history, the majority agrees that it has little impact on in-game performance.
In conclusion, given what has been discussed so far, one can conclude that Sakamoto did this neither touched nor advanced the heights of his past strength. But this rise is only a matter of time as the series slowly heads towards its inevitable end.

Sakamoto Days, a 2025 anime, is an action comedy based on Yuto Suzuki's shonen manga and debuted in 2020. The series is about Taro Sakamoto, a retired hit man who has been enjoying family life for years. He spends his days running a small shop alongside Shin, but his peaceful life is regularly interrupted by ghosts from the past.
- Release date
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January 5, 2025
- Creator
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Yuto Suzuki