Shinichi Izumi’s surprising role in Parasyte: The Grey has massive implications not only for the K-drama but also for Parasyte’s canon as a whole.

Parasyte: The Grey’s Shinichi Izumi cameo makes the Netflix series a stealth sequel to Parasyte and has major implications for a potential season 2. The main cast of Parasyte: The Grey included original characters only, adding to the perception that the Netflix live-action show was going to be its own thing rather than a direct adaptation of the manga. While Parasyte: The Grey was indeed a brand-new story and not a retelling of Parasyte, its final scene changed everything and confirmed how the K-drama and the anime are connected.

Set in South Korea, Parasyte: The Grey showed the same parasite invasion from the manga, except it was from the perspective of different characters in a different country. The series was centered on Su-in, whose parasite could not take over her brain and became part of herself. There was no mention of Shinichi or what was happening in Japan until Parasyte: The Grey‘s final episode, at the end of which Jun-kyung met with a mysterious Japanese man who said to have information on the parasites.

Parasyte’s Shinichi Izumi Has A Cameo In Parasyte: The Grey

Shinichi Izumi is the Parasyte manga’s protagonist

Parasyte’s Shinichi Izumi, whose story viewers followed from dozens of manga chapters and anime episodes, appears at the end of Parasyte: The Grey in a live-action cameo. For those not familiar with the source material, Shinichi Izumi’s name will not mean much. However, those who have either read Parasyte or watched Parasyte: The Maxim will recognize the character in what is his second live-action interpretation. Shinichi’s scene in Parasyte: The Grey could be just a fun cameo, but it could also mean that the character will be around in a potential season 2.

Parasyte: The Grey’s Shinichi cameo was unexpected not only because the Netflix live-action show was set in South Korea but also because the series was distancing itself from the original manga. The horror K-drama was described as a brand new story set in the world of Parasyte, and nothing about the series suggested Shinichi was going to be involved. Parasyte: The Grey’s Shinichi went to Jun-kyung, leader of Team Grey, stating that he had some valuable info on the parasites. The brief scene made sure to focus on Shinichi’s right hand, where his parasite Migi lives.

The Parasyte manga was first published between 1988 and 1995, whereas the Parasyte: The Maxim anime ran from 2014 to 2015.

Masaki Suda Plays Shinichi Izumi In Parasyte: The Grey

He is the second actor to play Parasyte’s Shinichi in live-action

Masaki Suda plays Shinichi Izumi in Netflix’s Parasyte: The Grey. The 31-year-old Japanese actor and singer has been in dozens of movies and TV shows over the years, including live-action adaptations of Assassination Classroom, Death Note, and Gintama. Masaki Suda is the second actor to play Shinichi Izumi in live-action, the first being Shôta Sometani in Parasyte: Part 1 and Parasyte: Part 2. In theory, Parasyte: The Grey’s Shinichi is the same one from the manga, whose anime adaptation was voiced by Nobunaga Shimazaki. Migi does not appear in the K-drama, but he was voiced by Aya Hirano in the anime.

Parasyte: The Grey’s Shinichi Cameo Takes Place After The Anime

Shinichi never goes to South Korea during the anime

While the timeline of Parasyte: The Grey compared to the anime can be a little confusing, it is safe to say Shinichi’s cameo takes place after Parasyte: The Maxim. Shinichi never leaves Japan during the main story, and while the manga acknowledges that parasites are being found all over the world, it doesn’t show what is happening in other countries. Most of Parasyte: The Grey must have happened concurrently with Shinichi’s story in Parasyte: The Maxim, with the live-action show’s epilogue happening sometime after the anime’s ending. Migi is supposed to be hibernating after Parasyte’s ending unless he has awakened again.

What Parasyte: The Grey’s Shinichi Scene Means For The Show

Parasyte: The Grey & Parasyte are more connected than expected

Shinichi’s cameo in Parasyte: The Grey means that the Netflix K-drama exists in the same universe as the Parasyte manga or the Parasyte: The Maxim anime. It also means that Parasyte: The Grey is both a spinoff and a sequel to Parasyte, as some portions of the live-action show happen concurrently with the manga, whereas Shinichi’s scene must be set after the original story. Timeline details aside, Shinichi’s return is massive not only for Parasyte: The Grey but for the Parasyte canon as a whole. If Parasyte: The Greys season 2 happens, Shinichi will most likely be in it.

It is no exaggeration to say that Shinichi would be the most valuable member of Jun-kyung’s Team Grey should he join the team. Shinichi went through a journey of epic proportions in which he lost a lot but also learned a lot. The events of Parasyte see Shinichi’s perspective of the world and life itself changing from chapter to chapter, reaching a point where the line between right and wrong becomes blurry. It would be great to see Shinichi interacting with Su-in in Parasyte: The Grey season 2, even more so if Migi and Heidi are also involved.