<73 QUESTIONS WITH CADUCEUS, uploaded by Vogue Japan; 2.1 million views and counting>

The automatic doors slide open, revealing a smiling Japanese woman, slim and pretty, beckoning. “Welcome to Three-Sixty! I’m Caduceus, and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” She bows deeply. Another member of the crew asks an inaudible question, and the smile on Caduceus’ face, if anything, intensifies in luminosity. “A burden? Oh, don’t ever say that. We’re always happy to invite the public into our little compound.”

The camera cuts away to a bird’s eye view of Osaka, zooming in on 360 Hero Agency. Viewers will notice immediately that it is situated in the designated city of Hirakata, almost midway between Osaka and Kyoto, a recent development and one that observers and online forums consider indicative of their plans to expand north. They will also note that 360 is a sprawling, fifteen-hectare campus; this is where hero students go when they graduate. Anyone who attends an Osaka-based hero school tacitly acknowledges that 360 is the place to be, and the powers-that-be are of the opinion that Kyoto will come around, too. In time.

We return to Caduceus as she guides the crew into the depths of the complex, guiding them past the two receptionists in the entrance hall and down a corridor. She’s still talking as we pass by a pane of glass overlooking a sunken arena where two teams of would-be heroes are facing one another. “– exemptions are available provided that our understudies meet certain requirements, but I digress; after they’ve passed through our introductory modules, they’ll have to choose a specialization. Three-Sixty runs Battle, Racer V runs Evacuation, and I run Rescue.” She pauses, mouth quirking upwards in a smile again. She’s the most photogenic of the upper-brass. “That being said, we don’t believe in hyper-focusing. Combat medics fight back, you know.”

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<##0522 360 OSAKA CITY HALL, uploaded by KansaiHeroWatchers; 43.2k views and counting>

The car door opens, and Three-Sixty steps out, followed shortly after by Racer V and Caduceus. Caduceus grins and waves at the crowd, which murmurs approvingly even as cameras click and lightbulbs flash. The person filming them zooms in on Three-Sixty’s face: his mouth is pressed into a thin line, his jaw is set, and he looks resolute. (He always looks resolute.) In a 21XX survey, the citizens of Osaka opined that this – that square-jawed expression of absolute willpower – was what they found the most reassuring about the man.

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<73 QUESTIONS WITH CADUCEUS, uploaded by Vogue Japan; 2.1 million views and counting>

The designated interviewer asks a question. He’s audible, this time. “… critics who say that non- Yamato heroes should be excluded from the ranking system?”

Caduceus’s smile drops from her face, and the atmosphere of the interview changes. All of a sudden, the corridor seems colder. She coasts to a stop, and, because they’re standing in a narrow corridor, the crew comes to a halt just behind her. She positions herself in such a way that she’s looking directly at the camera, juxtaposed against a splendid view of the Osaka skyline, and begins to speak. “I think,” she says, slowly at first, “that those naysayers are wrong. Categorically wrong. Three-Sixty is the glue that binds our team together. Besides, he’s a naturalized Japanese citizen. Everyone knows that our Battle course is one of the best in Japan for budding heroes, and that’s entirely due to him –”

She catches herself. “Entirely due to him… as well as our sponsors, naturally. And our trainers, and the visiting heroes whom we sometimes call upon to teach certain specialized seminars.” A quick, apologetic smile flashes across her face, one that seems to suggest to the viewer that she’s only doing this to keep up appearances. That they’re in on the joke.

The amusement drops from Caduceus’s face again, and she pulls away from the camera as it trots after her, struggling to catch up with her punishing pace. “We’re not as insular as we once were,” she enunciates, tossing the phrase of her shoulder, “and that’s a good thing. You shouldn’t have to be Yamato to succeed as a hero in this country. I mean, look at Shiketsu! Look at UA! Heroism in Japan shouldn’t be so blinkered. And it isn’t.”

A few moments later, the corridor widens, and the camera catches her from the side. We see that her smile has returned, and as she catches our eye, she looks ever-so-slightly abashed. “I’m sorry for taking such a serious tone,” she pleads. “But it needed to be said. And where else than here? Please don’t cut this out of the video.”

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<360 HERO AGENCY: A MASTERCLASS IN IMAGE MANAGEMENT, posted by The_PR_Hero483; 1.1k comments and counting>

[…] it’s not easy to find a team as cohesive as Three-Sixty’s. History is rife with hero agencies tearing themselves apart over issues ranging from credit for cases resolved to the size of the names on the billboards. Even though Racer V and Caduceus have arguably been as instrumental to the agency’s success as Three-Sixty, they talk him up at every opportunity, even as he himself shuns the limelight. Sometimes, keeping one’s distance is better than oversharing. We can thank Popsy for that lesson.

And then there’s the race issue.

THE RACE ISSUE

My thesis is as follows: Three-Sixty’s status as a non-Yamato Japanese citizen has won him notoriety without the agency even having to lift a finger. It’s why he’s always the first to appear on billboards and in advertisements. Controversy sells, and if it had been Racer V or Caduceus on top, consumers would have been more likely to write them off as just another Japanese hero agency. Three-Sixty was their X-factor, and by god, did they milk him for all he was worth.

Obviously, that’s not the only thing that’s required; you have to be highly effective as well as a good leader. These are two qualities that Three-Sixty possesses in spades. If all you needed to be popular in Japan was to be white, I’d have moved there ages ago. On the other hand, it would be disingenuous to claim that it’s insignificant […]

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<73 QUESTIONS WITH CADUCEUS, uploaded by Vogue Japan; 2.1 million views and counting>

We are back in the entrance hall, retreating out into the carpark. Caduceus waves as the automatic doors slide shut behind her. If you squint, you can see her pivoting on her heel and heading back in. Cut to black, and the credits roll. All of the usual suspects are there; there’s Caduceus’s name, of course, as well as all of the sidekicks and administrative staff who’ve appeared in the video. (Racer V had a cameo.) The cameraman, the director, the producer; gaffers, best boys, stylists; and, at the very end, a handful of logos.

THIS VIDEO WAS SPONSORED BY:

SUPALIFE VITAMINS

BRIDGESTONE TIRES

METAHUMANIS LIFE INSURANCE

KURTZ TECHNOLOGIES

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<HOW KURTZ INDUSTRIES ATE OSAKA, uploaded by TRVTH-W1LL-S3T-U-FR33; deleted within twelve hours>

– Kurtz Technologies, I mean, duh. Obviously. Now, Metahumanis was one of Kurtz’s first major acquisitions, all the way back in ‘##, and this is known. The documentation is publicly available, but just to be safe, I downloaded what I could find in the public archives, and it’s stored in the folder linked below. Pharmaceuticals is another Kurtz specialty – see my other video on the conflicted origins of Trigger – and we can find a direct through-line to SupaLife, a start-up made good. Here, again, Kurtz Industries: largest shareholder at 35%. Fifth link from the top. Now, these are all smoking guns, in and of themselves, but Bridgestone? Bridgestone? Come on. I’ve got a video discussing the impact of the Abe administration’s disastrous policies on the Japanese economy, and you can find it down below, it’s the fourth link in the chain, but suffice to say that Bridgestone is another Kurtz interest, it’s the feather in his cap, really – and four?

These four brands are all connected to Kurtz, in one way or another. Four? The number four? Ring another bell? And if that’s not enough, this is the pièce de resistance, this is the crème de la crème, this is the one thing that will either get this video deleted or send Kurtz Industries plummeting into the dirt where it belongs, and it is that Kurtz – get this – Eugene Kurtz is a descendant of, I’m not sure if he’s a direct descendant or something stranger, he’s a descendant of –

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<360 HERO AGENCY: A MASTERCLASS IN IMAGE MANAGEMENT, posted by The_PR_Hero483; 1.1k comments and counting>

[…] and then there’s what 360 means. It means a circle, which is visual shorthand for being all-rounded; it means completeness. It means a holistic education. That’s a very consistent brand, and 360 has never stopped espousing those tenets in its messaging, in its advertising, and in the conduct of its employees and owners.

And that’s why I think 360 Hero Agency is well on its way to dominating Kansai in general and Osaka in particular. Get in at the ground floor, folks. While you still can.