harimoto takashi

Harimoto wears long robes and a straw hat. He has deep wrinkles, suggesting he may be the oldest character introduced so far. Unlike Akiyama and Yokoya, who excel at psychological and mental manipulation, Harimoto's strength lies in exploiting a person's emotional state. He first appears in Round 4 as the founder of the Peaceful Paradise cult. Three female members of his cult—Mika Mikamoto, Kei Kimura, and Yukiko Abe—are also contestants in the Liar Game and follow him unconditionally, giving him a strong advantage. He controls his cult members by telling them that all mankind descends from humans and demons, claiming that his mission is to gather those with little demonic blood under his guidance, in a quest to restore a (nearly) pure human bloodline and work to overthrow the demons. It is later revealed that he used cold reading to "rescue" the three women when each was in her lowest emotional state, thus persuading them to join his cult. Once defeated in Round 4, Harimoto and his cultists return for the subsequent revival round. Moved by Nao's incorruptible spirit, they withdraw from the Liar Game, giving away the money they had previously collected to pay other players' debts.