Netflix’s 2026 biographical drama Straight to Hell is a masterclass in moral ambiguity. Spanning six decades, the nine-episode series chronicles the meteoric rise and scandalous fall of a woman who clawed her way out of post-war Tokyo to become Japan's most feared—and wealthy—television psychic.
But while the show opens with the standard disclaimer that "this story is based on true events and is a work of fiction," viewers are left wondering exactly where the history ends and the mythmaking begins. The series is packed with a sprawling ensemble of mobsters, ghostwriters, pop stars, and philosophers. Some are ripped straight from the headlines of the Showa and Heisei eras, while others are clever composites designed to protect the guilty.
Here is the definitive guide to the cast of Straight to Hell and the real-life figures who inspired them.
Erika Toda as Kazuko Hosoki (The Real "Queen of Ginza")
The anchor of the series is undoubtedly the breathtaking performance of Erika Toda as Kazuko, who ages on screen from a desperate 17-year-old scavenging in the rubble of post-war Tokyo to a 66-year-old media titan dripping in diamonds and disdain.
The real Kazuko Hosoki (1938–2021) was exactly the terrifying force of nature depicted on screen. She did indeed start her ascent in the gritty Tokyo nightlife, earning the moniker "Queen of Ginza" as a shrewd club owner before catastrophic business debts forced a total reinvention. That reinvention birthed a fortune-telling empire. Anyone diving into Kazuko Hosoki's biography will find that she weaponized traditional Chinese philosophy to create "Six-Star Astrology" (Rokusei Senjutsu), a highly complex system that captivated and terrified the nation.
Her books on the subject sold over 100 million copies worldwide, setting a Guinness World Record. But it was her television presence that truly cemented her legacy. By the early 2000s, Hosoki ruled Japanese prime-time television. She held celebrities, politicians, and everyday citizens hostage with her brutal catchphrase—"You're going straight to hell!"—delivered with a terrifying mix of maternal authority and absolute malice. She was the dark hero of the Heisei era, a woman who commanded millions of dollars per television appearance. But the true story behind her reign is one of absolute control, manipulation, and undeniable charisma.
Sairi Ito as Minori Uozumi (The Ghostwriter Who Brought Her Down)
In the series, the sprawling narrative is framed through the eyes of Minori Uozumi, a young, idealistic female ghostwriter hired to pen Hosoki’s sanitized autobiography, Self-Portrait of a Facade. Minori serves as the audience surrogate, slowly peeling back the layers of Kazuko's lies and facing immense intimidation when she decides to publish the truth.
But is Minori real? No. She is a composite character, a dramatic foil invented to represent the investigative journalists who eventually pierced Hosoki’s armor. In reality, the fatal blow to Hosoki’s empire was delivered by a male investigative journalist named Atsushi Mizoguchi.
In 2008, Mizoguchi published a devastating series of exposés in Weekly Gendai magazine titled The Witch’s Resume (Majo no Rirekisho). Mizoguchi meticulously documented Hosoki’s ties to organized crime, her exploitation of vulnerable clients, and her fraudulent spiritual practices. The real-life publication of The Witch's Resume was the catalyst that forced Hosoki to abruptly "retire" from television, effectively ending her reign over Japanese media. Minori’s fictional struggle to publish the truth is a direct, albeit gender-flipped, homage to Mizoguchi’s real-world journalism.
Toko Miura as Chiyoko Shimakura (The Exploited Enka Legend)
One of the most tragic and gripping arcs in Straight to Hell belongs to Chiyoko Shimakura, played with haunting fragility by Toko Miura (best known for her breakout role in Drive My Car). Unlike the ghostwriter, Shimakura is a very real historical figure—a legendary Showa-era Enka singer whose life became disastrously entangled with Hosoki’s ambition.
In the 1970s, Shimakura found herself drowning in massive debts after being swindled by a fraudulent business manager and a romantic partner. Sensing an opportunity, Hosoki stepped in as her "savior." Using her formidable underworld connections, Hosoki consolidated the singer's debts and took over her management.
However, as the series accurately and painfully portrays, this rescue was a trap. Hosoki essentially turned the beloved singer into a captive cash cow. She booked Shimakura relentlessly, confiscated her immense earnings to "pay down the debt," and kept her entirely dependent. The show does not shy away from the cruelty of this dynamic, presenting Hosoki not as a benevolent friend, but as a ruthless operator who monetized another woman's despair.
Toma Ikuta as Masaya Hotta (The Yakuza Lover)
Toma Ikuta brings a dangerous, smoldering charm to the role of Masaya Hotta, the yakuza boss who helps Kazuko reclaim her Ginza nightclub empire and eventually becomes her lover. Their toxic, power-hungry romance forms the emotional core of the show's middle episodes.
