ZERO DAY

Everyone wants to be Superman.

About the Story

On July 12, 2008, Satoshi Iragawa saved 800 people from a catastrophic train crash in Tokyo. In doing so, he revealed to the world that gods walk among us—and destroyed everything he'd spent seventeen years building: his friendships, his anonymity, his carefully constructed normal life.

This is a story about a hero's triumph. This is a story about the cost of a hero's triumph. Nothing in this world is free.

Content Warning: This story contains themes of moral complexity. Reader discretion advised.

Read the Story

Chapter 1: The Choice
t - 6 years, 10 months, 11 hours
September 11, 2001. Twelve-year-old Satoshi wakes to his parents arguing.
Chapter 2: The Morning Routine
t - 9 months, 2 days, 4 hours, 23 minutes
Satoshi maintains his carefully constructed life in Tokyo—alone in his apartment, maintaining perfect routines, performing normalcy.
Chapter 3: Control
t - 9 months, 1 day, 18 hours
Satoshi plays soccer. He calls his mother for the first time in months.
Chapter 4: Failure
t - 9 months, 3 hours, 16 minutes
A man's work has failed
Chapter 5: Beyond
t - 9 months, 3 hours, 16 minutes
Satoshi spends an evening at the arcade with a friend
Chapter 6: Visit
t - 8 months, 26 days, 11 hours, 42 minutes
Satoshi makes a trip to Northern Japan
Chapter 7: Meeting
t - 8 months, 26 days, 7 hours, 11 minutes
Satoshi has a meeting