Rules in Japan’s entertainment industry are strict about relationships, but what happened at Origami agency surpassed any drama script. The community is stunned by the scandal from the Zero Project, where one staff member dated three members of the same unit at once, causing a massive internal backlash that destroyed the music group entirely.

The project had a competitive structure with constant evaluations. The mid-tier unit, Z2A3, was supervised by manager Kohei Sato. Unbeknownst to others, while managing schedules and events, Sato secretly dated three members under his professional care: Yuu Otomori, Meria Onishi, and Kaho Sakuraba. After an internal investigation confirmed the facts, the agency took decisive action: it fired the manager and expelled the three young women on the same day.

The disaster didn’t end with the four immediate firings. Upon learning of the deception and unprofessional conduct, the remaining four members declared they could no longer perform together due to psychological reasons. With operational collapse and widespread distrust, the management had no choice but to announce the complete dissolution of Z2A3. Although two survivors were reassigned to other project divisions, this incident became a prime example of how breaking ethical norms can end artists’ careers overnight.

Given that no-relationship rules are often imposed to maintain a fantasy with fans, do you think the manager’s abuse of power was the real culprit and danger to the group in this case?