Hanzawa Naoki (Masato Sakai), the loan manager at Tokyo Chuo Bank’s Osaka West Branch, joined the bank during the bubble economy. Twenty years later, he is a central figure in its operations. His colleague and close friend since joining, Tomari Shinobu (Mitsuhiro Oikawa), often advises and supports him. At home, his cheerful and honest wife Hana (Aya Ueto) stands by him. One day, Branch Manager Asano (Kanji Ishimaru) orders him to secure a 500 million yen loan from Nishi Osaka Steel—with no collateral. Though this brings the branch its first excellence award, the company collapses three months later, revealing massive hidden debts and fraud. The bank loses the entire loan, and Asano shifts all blame to Hanzawa, backed by Executive Director Ōwada (Teruyuki Kagawa). As internal power struggles flare between old factions of the merged “mega-bank,” Hanzawa vows to recover the lost money—his only way to survive as a banker.

Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) of Tokyo Chuo Bank faces a 500 million yen bad loan after financing Nishi Osaka Steel. Determined to recover the funds at any cost, he discovers evidence suggesting the company’s collapse was a planned bankruptcy. Seeking help from Takashita Kiyohiko (Hidekazu Akai), president of Takashita Metals, which went bankrupt as a result, Hanzawa painstakingly uncovers that President Higashida (Takashi Ukaji) owns a hidden villa abroad worth 50 million yen. However, the National Tax Bureau also identifies the same property, sparking an intense confrontation between Hanzawa and Bureau Inspector Kurosaki (Ainosuke Kataoka). Where are Higashida’s hidden assets—and who will reach him and his companion Miki (Dan Mitsu) first, Hanzawa or Kurosaki?

Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) races to recover the 500 million yen lost in the Nishi Osaka Steel loan, but the 50 million yen villa owned by Higashida (Takashi Ukaji) is seized by Tax Bureau inspector Kurosaki (Ainosuke Kataoka). Soon, an internal audit called *Sairyō Rinten* is launched—secretly arranged by Branch Manager Asano (Kanji Ishimaru) to make Hanzawa take the blame. The audit team, led by Ogiso (Yasuto Hida), sides with Asano. Meanwhile, Takashita (Hidekazu Akai) locates Tomura Takehiko (Jun Aisaka), owner of Higashida’s hideout, but he refuses to talk. Hanzawa’s wife Hana (Aya Ueto) befriends Asano’s wife Rie (Hiroko Nakajima) after a dinner meeting, unaware of the growing tensions. As incriminating evidence piles up, Hanzawa leaks details of the loan case to track down Higashida’s whereabouts—only to be stunned by who he finds with Higashida and Miki (Dan Mitsu).

Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) finally tracks down Higashida’s (Takashi Ukaji) hideout by leaking loan accident information to the media. However, photos sent by Takashita (Hidekazu Akai) show Branch Manager Asano (Kanji Ishimaru) with Higashida, revealing a past connection. Suspecting Asano of receiving favors from Higashida, Hanzawa investigates. Meanwhile, his wife Hana (Aya Ueto) unexpectedly wants to start a part-time job. Hanzawa apologizes for involving her. After uncovering proof of Asano’s illicit money flow aided by Higashida’s mistress Miki (Dan Mitsu), Hanzawa persuades Miki to apply for an official bank loan. Yet, National Tax Inspector Kurosaki (Ainosuke Kataoka) stands in Hanzawa’s way again.

Miki (Dan Mitsu), having defected to the tax bureau, trades cooperation for immunity regarding funds from Higashida. She escapes from Higashida’s hideout to join Kurosaki (Ainosuke Kataoka), who awaits outside. Takashita informs Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) that it’s “all over.” At a branch meeting, Asano (Kanji Ishimaru) announces Hanzawa is effectively being transferred. Despite the looming transfer, Hanzawa mounts a final resistance against Asano, leading to uncertain confrontations and consequences.

Now promoted to Deputy Manager of the Tokyo Central Bank’s Sales Department, Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) is tasked by Director Naito (Kotaro Yoshida) with rebuilding the struggling Isejima Hotel and preparing for an imminent financial oversight inspection. The hotel, newly loaned 20 billion yen, faces a shocking 12 billion yen loss from failed investments. Though Hanzawa previously recovered the smaller 500 million yen bad loan, this is a far larger challenge. Multiple stakeholders with conflicting interests complicate efforts to resolve the crisis swiftly.

Facing the dual challenges of the financial inspection and hotel revitalization, Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) confronts Kurosaki (Ainosuke Kataoka), now lead inspector for the Financial Services Agency. Hanzawa uncovers cover-ups of losses within Isejima Hotel and seeks to fix the situation to avoid large reserves against the bank. To succeed, he must counteract opposition from executive Hane (Mitsuko Baisho), who opposes changing the hotel’s leadership, leading to a fierce power struggle.

Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) forces the hotel’s president to replace the chairman and sell assets, filling the financial gap. However, an IT vendor critical to the hotel’s new system, Narusen, faces bankruptcy. This threatens to convert 11 billion yen of investments into losses, endangering the recovery. Bank executives seek to remove Hanzawa from his role. A mock inspection pits Hanzawa against candidate Fukuyama (Jundai Yamada) in a competitive showdown. Meanwhile, investigator Kondo (Kenichi Takitoh) uncovers shocking truths while probing improper loans tied to the Tamiya electronics company.

Kondo learns that the illicit loan to Tamiya Electronics is actually controlled by Executive Oowada’s (Teruyuki Kagawa) wife, Takako Tanahashi (Akiko Aizuki). Hanzawa (Masato Sakai) asks Kondo to obtain testimony from Tamiya’s president to confront Oowada. As the final Financial Services Agency hearing approaches, Hanzawa prepares a daring plan and tries to persuade hotel president Yuasa (Taro Suruga). The decision impacts the century-old hotel profoundly. Kondo successfully gets the testimony but mysteriously disappears before joining Hanzawa and Tomari.

Kondo (Kenichi Takitoh) accepts a deal proposed by Executive Oowada to withhold key testimony, rendering Hanzawa’s evidence incomplete. Tomari (Mitsuhiro Oikawa) learns from personnel that Kondo is returning to the bank. Hanzawa leaves a message to wait for him at the kendo dojo. As the board meeting to expose Oowada’s misconduct approaches, Hanzawa learns of a formal complaint about his attitude from the Financial Services Agency. The board will consider both the fraud case and disciplinary action against Hanzawa. In mounting adversity, the fateful board meeting to decide Hanzawa’s and the bank’s futures begins.

As retaliation for exposing financial fraud at his employer, Tokyo Chuo Banking Corporation, Hanzawa is transferred to one of its subsidiaries, Tokyo Central Securities. There, not only is he sidelined from any major projects, he also finds that his new coworkers resent people transferred from the bank. When a huge M&A project comes in, Tokyo Central jumps at the chance to put their rivals at Tokyo Chuo in their place… And so a new battle begins for the indomitable banker Naoki Hanzawa!

After Tokyo Chuo snatches a big deal out from under the nose of Tokyo Central, Hanzawa and his assistant Moriyama vow to get revenge. But when they approach the buyer, Cyber Acrobatics, they are met with a flat-out rejection. Next they talk to the president of Spiral, the company being acquired, only to be told that a mere subsidiary like Tokyo Central cannot be trusted. Hanzawa is left wondering if there’s no way of winning again the big bank…

Hanzawa declares open war against Tokyo Chuo when he becomes an official advisor to Spiral, which Cyber Acrobatics had been seeking to acquire. Although he manages to defend Spiral against the bank’s unfair acquisition plan, the company remains in a difficult situation. Then Hanzawa comes up with a plan to turn the tables on Tokyo Chuo. But one day inspectors from the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission suddenly show up at Central Securities, and Hanzawa finds himself face to face with his old nemesis Kurosaki. Hanzawa suspects that Tokyo Chuo is somehow behind the surprise audit…

Thanks to Hanzawa’s plan, Spiral succeeds in pulling off a reverse takeover of Fox. However, to save face, Tokyo Chuo, at vice-president Mikasa’s urging, tries to pressure Cyber Acrobatics into accepting an additional investment of 50 billion yen so it can buy up Spiral’s stock. Hanzawa is left dumbfounded at the underhanded means that the big bank is willing to stoop to in order to get its way. At the same time, he begins to realize that Cyber Acrobatics’ earnings figures are not as transparent as they seem.

Having saved Tokyo Chuo from possible ruin by uncovering fraud on the part of Cyber Acrobatics, Hanzawa gets back his old job at the bank. However, he is soon faced with the unenviable task of restructuring Teikoku Airways, the nation’s largest air transport company, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. The government is proposing to cancel 70% of the company’s debt to each of several large banks, including Tokyo Chuo. Hanzawa thinks he knows a better way for Teikoku to restructure on its own, but first he must convince company executives to get on board with his plan. And he soon finds that a seemingly insurmountable obstacle stands in his way...

Hanzawa is determined to resist the government’s demand that the big banks write off 50 billion yen in Teikoku Airways debt. Hanzawa and his team instead craft a restructuring plan that prioritizes saving employee jobs. But the government is unsympathetic and tells him to scrap his plan and start over. Hanzawa bridles at the rebuff, but even Teikoku executives themselves are deadlocked over the restructuring plan. Meanwhile, Kurosaki, Hanzawa’s nemesis on the Securities and Exchange Surveillance Commission, discovers a serious financial oversight on the bank’s part.

Working with Moriyama of Tokyo Central Securities, Hanzawa devises a new plan for restructuring Teikoku Airways. However, their proposal that Sky Hope Airlines accept Teikoku’s excess personnel is abruptly rejected. Meanwhile, public sentiment hardens against Tokyo Chuo as the Financial Services Agency issues a regulatory compliance warning against the bank. The timing of the injunction leads Hanzawa to conclude that there must be an inside informant. Can he ferret out the traitor within the bank and find a way to show that “deception costs double”?

Hanzawa gets a look at the government task force’s draft restructuring plan. He is surprised to see that Teikoku Airway’s money-losing flight to Ise-Shima has been taken off the list of routes to be abolished. Then he realizes that Minobe, a powerful ruling-party politician who represents Ise-Shima, was responsible for building the local airport! Convinced that Minobe is the key to everything, Hanzawa tries to find a way to thwart the government’s plan, but in the process he uncovers the dark underbelly of Tokyo Chuo.

Hanzawa begins probing the fate of a two-billion-yen loan which Tokyo Daiichi Bank made to ruling-party Secretary General Minobe before the bank’s merger. However, Hanzawa is forced to back off when confronted by evidence that former Deputy President Makino was accepting illegal funds before his untimely death. Determined to press ahead, Hanzawa decides to move his investigation to Ise-Shima after receiving a tipoff about the missing loan. Then, while poring over Ise-Shima State’s old financial records, he runs across someone he didn’t expect to see there. Can Hanzawa uncover Ise-Shima State’s secret and show his enemies that deception costs double?

Tokyo Daiichi Bank execs Owada and Nakanowatari hand evidence of Minobe’s illicit payments from Ise-Shima State over to the ruling-party politician himself. Furious, Hanzawa vows to avenge their betrayal “one-thousand-fold” but finds himself removed from the Teikoku Airways restructuring project. Disillusioned with the world of banking, Hanzawa feels like giving up, but his colleagues urge him to fight on. After tracking down a key figure in the affair, Hanzawa comes to a shocking realization. Will the maverick banker—who bet his pride, his sense of justice, and his entire soul on the bank—ultimately prevail and show his enemies that “deception costs double”?