Tarōmaru

Tarōmaru is a small dog that looks like a male Shiba Inu.

He usually wears a red collar.

His cute looks make him a mascot for the School Life Club.

Tarōmaru is curious, brave, and sometimes stubborn.

He loves running around and exploring the school.

He is friendly with most of the club members but is afraid or careful around Miki Naoki at first.

He listens well to Yuuri Wakasa and acts calmly around her.

He sometimes gets into trouble because he likes escaping and wandering on his own.

Tarōmaru was once somebody’s pet dog before joining the girls at school.

In the original manga, Yuki Takeya finds him when he wanders into the school and he already shows signs of being infected.

The club adviser, Megumi Sakura, decides to look after him and later tells Yuki that his owner came to take him home, but this is not true.

In the anime, his backstory is a bit different.

He is first found with an old lady in a shopping mall who turns into a zombie.

Miki Naoki and Kei Shidō take care of him before joining the School Life Club.

He comes to live at the school with Miki and the other club members.

Tarōmaru is very good at escaping from rooms and can take off his collar by himself.

He can even open sliding doors with his paws.

He is clever and quick at moving around the school.

Tarōmaru is close to Yuki Takeya and likes her very much.

He is careful and sometimes cold toward Miki Naoki at the start, but later they become close friends.

He is respectful and calm around Yuuri Wakasa.

He is liked by all the members of the School Life Club but sometimes causes trouble by running away or getting lost.

Role in the Original Manga

In the manga, Tarōmaru is introduced through a flashback in Chapter 17.

He is found by Yuki and brought to the club, but he is already infected with the zombie virus.

Megumi Sakura notices this and decides to let him go outside, not wanting to hurt him.

Yuki is told Tarōmaru was returned to his owner, but in fact, he was left outside.

Later, the dog’s body is found back at the club, where he is believed to have died in front of Yuki.

There is no clear scene showing his end, but this is what is understood.

At the very end of the manga, Tarōmaru appears with Megumi Sakura and others like a vision to guide Yuki to the rooftop.

Role in the Anime

In the anime, Tarōmaru’s story is much longer and more dramatic.

He is first seen in the shopping mall with his owner, an old woman.

After a zombie attack, his owner is changed and Tarōmaru runs around the mall.

He meets Miki Naoki and Kei Shidō, and they live together for a while inside a safe room, hiding from zombies.

After Kei leaves to get help and Tarōmaru gets scared by Miki, he escapes and is found by the School Life Club during a supply mission.

He joins the club and lives with them at the school.

He is loved by Yuki Takeya but is cold to Miki, running away from her or ignoring her.

Eventually, they become friends after some time playing together and sharing memories.

Tarōmaru has many scenes where he gets loose and explores the building, which sometimes causes problems for the club.

At the end of the story, Tarōmaru hears animal sounds from the basement and goes down alone.

There, he meets zombie Megumi Sakura and is bitten.

He becomes a zombie dog but still has some of his old self inside.

He goes to save Yuki when she is in danger and attacks the zombies hurting her.

After a struggle, he is calmed when Yuki puts her hat over his head and is locked in a locker.

Miki and Kurumi Ebisuzawa give him a vaccine, and although he gets calmer, he grows weak because the infection lasted too long.

He dies peacefully on Miki’s lap, smiling at her.

Tarōmaru’s body is buried next to Megumi’s grave with Yuki’s hat as a keepsake.

Later in the anime, another dog digs up Tarōmaru’s grave, hinting there may be another puppy in the building or hinting at a mystery for the future.

Shopping Mall and Old Lady

In the anime’s fourth episode, after the zombie outbreak starts, Tarōmaru’s owner, the old woman, turns into a zombie.

Tarōmaru lives for a while with Miki and Kei as they survive together in the mall.

Other Theories and Hints

In the anime’s ending, it is shown that maybe another puppy is around or that Tarōmaru may still be alive in some way, which fans debate about.

Some people think the puppy at the end is not Tarōmaru.

Others think it is Tarōmaru, who just fell asleep because of the vaccine.

There are many theories among viewers.

• Tarōmaru became much more popular thanks to his big role and emotional story in the anime.
• He can open doors and take off his collar by himself.
• His name, Tarōmaru, is given by Yuki Takeya in the manga after he leaves, but is already his name in the anime.
• He is sometimes called just "the puppy" in the manga, but fans always call him Tarōmaru.
• In the manga, he has a short role, but in the anime, he is a main character mascot.
• In the live-action movie, he does not appear at all.

• Tarōmaru is thought to be a male Shiba Inu, but this is never clearly said in the story.
• He is an important part of the School Life Club.
• In the anime, another puppy appears at the end as a hint for a possible sequel.