Suda Masaki makes a special appearance as Shinichi Izumi in Netflix's drama Parasyte: The Grey

Japanese actor Taishō Sugō (professionally known as Suda Masaki), made a special appearance as Shinichi Izumi in the Netflix series, Parasyte: The Grey.

The Korean sci-fi drama is based on the popular Japanese manga titled Parasyte. The show debuted on Netflix on April 5 at 3 am (EDT) with all six episodes. Directed by Yeon Sang-ho (Train to Busan, Hellbound, Jung_E), the series centers on what happens when too many alien larvae land on Earth and try to colonize humans.

For the uninitiated, Suda Masaki is a renowned actor and singer. For the 2017 film Wilderness, he won the Japan Academy Film Prize for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role.

Suda Masaki is best recognized for his role, Philip, in the Kamen Rider W franchise. He also lent his voice to a character called The Grey Heron in The Boy and the Heron (2023), which won the Best Animated Feature at the Oscars 2024.

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More about Netflix's drama Parasyte: The Grey and Suda Masaki's cameo

The protagonist of Hitoshi Iwaaki's tale Parasyte is 17-year-old Shinichi Izumi, who contracts a parasitic infection. Shinichi Izumi, played by Suda Masaki, is the primary character in the original narrative which showed aliens taking over Earth one night by burrowing into people's ears as they slept.

In the manga, on the night of their alleged invasion, Shinichi is wearing headphones and lost in the music. The parasite is unable to enter his brain and instead becomes attached to his right arm, turning it into a kind of self-contained weapon.

However, in contrast to previous parasites, this one is unable to completely take over and instead coexists within Shinichi. Soon, everyone encounters a new kind of parasite that seeks to enslave people.

Shinichi's fleeting presence in the Netflix series proves that the two universes—manga and its Korean adaptation—are the same. The K-drama's parasitic takeover is revealed to have occurred in the same setting as in the manga, incorporating Shinichi's introduction. Since he is presented in the K-drama considerably later than in the original narrative, perhaps Shinichi's story has previously taken place.

A similar concept is used in the Netflix K-drama adaptation of the manga, where Jeong Su-in (played by Jeon So-nee), a grocery shop employee, is also afflicted by a parasite. She quickly discovers that these parasites have descended on Earth intending to take control and feed on people. Her parasite, however, coexists within her and defends her, unlike others.

Parasyte: The Grey starts with a spore falling from the sky in the opening scene, and taking over human bodies. Episode 1 of the Netflix series displays a rave party that turns into a bloodbath as the "parasite" hits the ground and softly springs back, resembling a bouncy toy from a gumball machine.

The episode then showcases how a tentacle emerges, slithers in the direction of the closest human, and instantly enters their brain to form a tentacled monstrosity.

The government task group known as Team Grey, or the Grey, is tasked with getting rid of all parasites. Jun-kyung, a hard-bitten police officer, is in charge of them.

Except for Jeong Su-in, the majority of infected individuals lose their humanity. The monster, which resides inside Su-in, communicates with her in a symbiotic way. She is saved by the parasite after she gets struck by a car; otherwise, the parasite would have perished with her as well.

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Netflix's sci-fi series features Jeon So-nee, Koo Kyo-hwan, and Lee Jung-hyun in titular roles.