Benji Odans

Tour Guide *(Pre-Apocalypse)*

Noriko Odans *(Daughter)*

**Benji Odans** is a main character and a former antagonist who appears in The Hell that Walks: The Final Season. He is a foreigner from Japan along with Aiko and Hiroto, and works as their translator of sorts up until The Madness Within, where it is revealed he was protecting them by acting as a translator.

## Personality

Benji is a kind, warm, and outgoing person who cares greatly for his friends. Although he can be a bit silly at times, he is still a capable survivor, and an intelligent one at that. Overall, he is a good friend to those he trusts.

However, Benji is shown to be somewhat selfish and irrational in dire situations that endanger either himself or Hiroto and Aiko, such as when he kidnapped Tyler in order to trade him for medicine to save Hiroto. It's also shown that he cracks under pressure easily, such as when Aiko and Hiroto convince him to steal Cody's gun and leave him for dead.

Despite this, Benji has a large amount of guilt for taking part in those events, and attempts to make it up to the group for participating in both scenarios.

## Pre-Apocalypse

Before the apocalypse, Benji was born in America and later moved to Japan for college. During his time in college, he became popular among the female students due to his unique appearance and kind personality, among them being Kanna. However, he eventually gained a girlfriend in Aiko Shinya and a best friend in her brother Hiroto. He also became friends with Takeda. Additionally, his relationship with Aiko evolved into a highly sexual relationship, with one instance involving whipped cream. During his time in Japan, he also worked as a bartender, a tech worker, and a tour guide, and also gained a pilot's license.

## Post-Apocalypse

At the beginning of the apocalypse, Benji was with Hiroto and Takeda, telling a story on how he got kicked out of a restaurant when the power went out. When Benji went to investigate, he noticed the breaker was on. Upon returning, he hears Hiroto point out that rush hour is now, yet no one is out. The three eventually notice a man outside, and upon approaching him, the man attacks Takeda and nearly bites him. Realizing the severity of the situation, the three go and rescue Aiko, Kanna, Mika and Yuuto.

Months later, Takeda had left to search for his family, while Mika and Yuuto were killed by beasties and Kanna committed suicide. Additionally, the three began calling the undead "Kyonshi". One day, Aiko, in fear of being devastated if Benji were to die, breaks up with him.

At some point later, the three escaped to America hoping that the outbreak hadn't spread, but unfortunately, it was confirmed to them that it spread. Also, the three made a strategy that Hiroto and Aiko didn't know English and Benji acted as a translator. Eventually, they met Rico and Logan, the former beginning to date a reluctant Aiko in exchange for the others having shelter.

### Season 3

#### Dark Days

Benji makes his first appearance keeping watch at a house when he is confronted by Sal Jenkins and Heath Carter, who are looking for shelter. Benji, realizing he can't fight back, surrenders quickly, and admits the two are lucky that its only him, and mentions that two of his friends can't speak English and the other two are not nice. Upon hearing the two's pleads, Benji gives them a map and shows them a few places to stay. During their conversation, Benji hints at the world being infected when he says no one is in the navy now.

The next day, Benji appears when Rico, Logan, Hiroto and Aiko arrive holding Heath, Sal, and others hostage, and Benji angrily demands they be let go. After being let go, Benji offers the group tea and introduces himself to the others. When the tea arrives, Benji tells a pregnant Eve Harris to drink, and asks who the father is, unaware her husband died days ago, and is ashamed when he realizes this. In order to raise morale, the group ask about Benji's experiences in Japan, and when Jenny Orlov asks why he left, Benji reveals the world is infected.

Benji is then present when Cody Traysier suggests calling the military, as he heard about a naval base that is still operational. Moments later, he witnesses Hiroto apologize, and translates his apology to the others, then admits that he still likes Aiko, and reveals his sexual escapades to the others, much to Hiroto's dismay. Benji then leaves in order to set up a shelter for the others.

Later, Benji finds and saves Elroy, Beth Carter, and a masked Tyler Horvath, and upon hearing about Beth being related to Heath, he brings the three to his place, and watches as Heath reunites with Beth and Tyler unmasks himself.

#### A Harsh Reminder

Benji proceeds to invite Elroy, Beth and Tyler inside, unaware and oblivious to the tension between Tyler and Heath. Later, he is with Sal, Aiko, Hiroto and Elroy, discussing the plan to get to a nearby military base, where he admits he keeps track of beastie activity. He then makes a plan to take one group along one path, and other go along another path, due to a large herd being in the area.

Eventually, he puts the plan into action and goes with Jenny, Terrance, Lex, Aiko, Hiroto and Rico on one of the other paths. During the stroll, Lex notes that Benji appears to be worried, and goes to talk with him. Moments later, Benji witnesses Rico be killed by Leon Dawson, and becomes worried when he notices Leon's bizarre and unstable personality, and asks Jenny and Terrance to keep an eye on him.

Upon hearing about the deaths of Logan and Eli Harper, as well as Tyler being bitten, Benji begins to have a panic attack, but is calmed down by Aiko and Kaitlyn. A while later, the group meets back up and eventually arrives at the Military Base. When Benji attempts to approach, he is nearly shot by Cindy Henninger. He is among the group to wait outside, and is later let inside by Sean. While inside, Benji talks about his past with Jenny, and admits he still likes Aiko and asks about her previous relationships, to which he regrets once he notices Jenny's solemn expression.

A while later, he, along with Jenny, Sal, Noah and Heath go to a mall in order to request a radio block be turned off. While driving, jokes are made about Noah going in order to impress Sasha and Benji's obsession with anime. When arriving, they are confronted by Fred, but are eventually let in. Benji notices the amount of hostile looks the group is receiving, but despite this, complies with Darrius when he requests the weapons be put in a bin. While talking with the leader, Benji asks that the radio block be disabled and that his group doesn't attack the base, to which the leader surprisingly complies. Not thinking much of it, the group heads back, all while making more jokes at Benji's expense.

#### The Games Begin

Arriving back to the base, Benji, along with the others, inform Cindy of the events, and hears Terrance doubt the sincerity of the leader's actions. Days later, he accompanies Hiroto, Aiko, Terrance, Jenny, Cody, Leon and Bert on a trip to a warehouse, and, upon arriving, heads off with Hiroto and Aiko in order to get supplies from a side of the warehouse.

Eventually, they are confronted by Mia and her group, who are members of the Revivalists, and they offer Benji and the others supplies and safety in exchange for Tyler. Benji, realizing the danger, reluctantly agrees along with Hiroto and Aiko. Despite this, Mia's group proceeds to kill Bert and hold the others hostage. When they ask Benji to give them Tyler, Benji, enraged, refuses. He is then nearly killed, but is saved by Jenny when she blows up the revivalists, in the process attracting a horde. Benji then offers to stay with Hiroto and Aiko and help draw the horde away while the others get away. In reality however, it is in order for him, Hiroto and Aiko to discuss the offer made to them. While making plans, they are confronted by Cody, who went back to check on them. Not wanting their plans to be found out, Benji witnesses Hiroto and Aiko beat down Cody and, at the behest of Aiko, steals Cody's gun and sees Hiroto break both of Cody's legs. Benji, Aiko, and Hiroto then escape while leaving Cody to be devoured.

On the way back to the truck, Hiroto is revealed to have been bitten. A tearful Benji then says goodbye to Hiroto, but is reluctant to kill him. He then witnesses Leon amputate Hiroto's leg, much to his horror. Upon getting back, Benji is shown to be traumatized by the event and hold a hatred towards Leon, despite Leon having done it before and it successfully working. When confronted by Terrance, he begins to believe that Tyler could've cured Hiroto without Hiroto being amputated, despite not knowing much about Tyler's immunity.

Upon Homer revealing that he plans on saving a wounded man over Hiroto due to the man being more able, Benji is enraged and tries to reason with Homer saying that Hiroto can be an assistant, and when Homer refuses, he nearly attacks Homer, but is restrained by Terrance. When Homer remains firm and Benji gives up, Benji attacks Terrance in a rage.

Later that night, Benji knocks out and kidnaps Tyler in order to sell him to the Revivalists, and also was able to get in contact with one of the revivalists who he planned to give Tyler to in exchange for supplies for Hiroto. After Tyler wakes up, Benji reveals himself and admits he allowed Cody to be killed.

#### The Madness Within

While escorting Tyler, Benji admits he didn't want to kidnap Tyler, but did it to help Hiroto. After taking a rest in an abandoned house, Benji is offended when Tyler gives him a look, and admits that he wanted to donate, but he's not Hiroto's blood type and he has hepatitis C. He proceeds to rest a bit, and, unbeknownst to Benji, Tyler is able to escape. When Benji wakes up, he goes searching for Tyler, and is attacked by beasties, but is saved by Tyler. A regretful Benji apologizes, and is relieved when Tyler decides to lie for him. Benji then realizes an idea on how to help Hiroto, but is suddenly shot in the abdomen with an arrow by Antonio, and is left while Tyler is taken.

Later, he is found by Terrance and Jenny, the former demanding Tyler's location, to which Benji admits that the revivalists took him and also ends up going along with Tyler's lie. He is then escorted back to the base and looked after by Homer, and tells him about a second blood bag, and is relieved when Homer is open to the idea.

After the group returns from the raid on the Revivalist base, Benji is revealed to have made a full recovery, much to the relief of Aiko, and the two end up having sex which involves a banana, which Tyler and Beth witness briefly, and leave when Benji jokingly asks if they'd like to join. Benji is later a part of the toasts at the party, and toasts to Hiroto and Aiko while also making a lewd joke to Aiko. He then appears at the crucifixion scene, and is horrified at the sight.

#### The Final Push

Benji is first shown along with Aiko standing over a still unconscious Hiroto, all while he keeps thinking about Cody. He then proceeds to ask Noah if he can accompany him to the warehouse, which he does. While searching for Cody's corpse, he finds an undead Bert, and stabs him in the head. He then finds an undead Cody and, after apologizing for his role, stabs Cody in the head.

Returning outside, he and Noah are captured by the revivalists, and sees the leader, Seth's face for the first time. He and Noah are then taken back to the military base, and are both tortured by Seth. Eventually, when the attack starts, he and Noah are able to get inside the base and hide in the medbay, but are both attacked by Fred. They are eventually saved by Jenny, but Fred nearly kills her in the process. Benji then witnesses Hiroto recover and stab Fred in the neck. As the five recover and attempt to run, a revivalist ambushes them and slices off Benji's arm, causing him to vomit at the sight, and is nearly killed, but Aiko saves him. Despite the blood loss, he is able to get to the chopper and escape.

Two years later, Benji is revealed to have married Aiko and have gotten her pregnant, and also become the father of a daughter, who was named Noriko, and also reunited with Takeda.

## Killed Victims

* Bert *(Undead)*
* Cody Traysier *(Caused and Undead)*
* Numerous counts of beasties.

## Relationships

### Aiko Odans

Benji and Aiko previously dated before the apocalypse, and had a very sexual relationship. However, during the outbreak, Aiko broke up with Benji in fear of him dying would hurt her less. Despite this, Aiko is shown to still care for Benji, and Benji still loves her and listens to her even when it goes against his moral code, such as when she requests him to steal Cody's gun and leave him for dead. Eventually, the two get back together, wed, and have a daughter.

### Hiroto Shinya

Hiroto and Benji were best friends before the apocalypse, and remained friends throughout. They are shown to be highly trusting towards each other. Benji is also shown to be very joking towards Hiroto, and often mentions his sexual escapades with Aiko, much to his displeasure. When Hiroto is eventually bitten, Benji is devastated over the potential loss of his lifelong friend that he hesitates to kill him, and is horrified and enraged when Hiroto's leg is amputated.

A large amount of his reason for kidnapping Tyler is due in part to his determination to keep Hiroto alive, showing he cares deeply for him.

### Yuuto

While not seen interacting much, it is likely they are good friends. It is unknown how Benji felt about his death, but it's likely he was saddened.

### Mika

While not seen interacting much, it is likely they are good friends. It is unknown how Benji felt about her death, but it's likely he was saddened.

### Kanna

While never seen interacting, it is revealed that Kanna has a crush on Benji that hasn't gone away despite Benji being taken. It is unknown how Benji felt about Kanna's death, but he was likely saddened.

### Tyler Horvath

Initially, Benji and Tyler had a good relationship due to Benji saving him, Elroy and Beth and later reuniting him with Tyler's old group. However, their relationship is severely damaged once Benji kidnaps Tyler in order to trade him for medical supplies, which enrages Tyler. Despite this, Tyler refuses to kill Benji, and even saves him from beasties, and is also horrified when Benji is shot. Additionally, since Tyler lied for Benji, it's likely that Tyler forgave Benji for his actions.

### Terrance Jadad

When Benji saves the group from being slaves to Rico and Logan, Terrance is grateful towards him, and the two begin to bond over stories of their lives. Despite this, it is not enough for Terrance to trust Benji completely, which is justified once he is convinced that Benji kidnapped Tyler and planned on selling him to the Revivalists, and once he hears the truth, he is greatly saddened. However, Terrance is still shown to care deeply for Benji, as he comforted him over Hiroto's amputation, and also seemed to have forgave Benji for his actions.

### Jenny Orlov

While not interacting much, it is shown that the two got along well enough. When Jenny finds a wounded Benji, she is much more careful and gentle with him, and is more calm when asking him about Tyler, showing she cares for him.

### Heath Carter

While initially starting out hostile towards Benji, Heath quickly warmed up to Benji's optimistic and kind personality, and was grateful when he offered to help them find a place to stay. He becomes even more grateful when Benji saves Heath and the group from being used as workers by Rico and Logan.

Benji would go on to be one of Heath's most trusted allies, and when it is revealed that Benji's friend Hiroto might die, Heath shows sympathy for Benji. When it is believed that Benji had taken Tyler in order to trade him for medicine to save Hiroto, Heath is shocked at his possible betrayal, and is horrified upon finding a wounded Benji. Additionally, when Cindy admits that lethal force may be needed, Heath appears rather hesitant, showing he still cares for Benji.

When Benji and Noah are captured by the Revivalists, Heath is enraged and demands the two to be let go. Moments later, when it was revealed that the theory of Benji attempting to sell Tyler was true, Heath is hurt by this. Regardless, Heath still shows a great deal of care and respect towards Benji, and by the end, Heath and Benji are on good terms.

### Beth Carter

While not seen interacting much, it is shown that whenever they do, Benji is kind and polite towards Beth, with Beth returning the feelings. Considering that Beth wanted to see Benji and Aiko after Tyler meets with Hanson, it can be assumed that they are on friendly terms.

### Noah Quijano

While not seen interacting much, it is likely they were on good terms. Benji is shown to trust Noah, as he asked him to accompany him to the warehouse where Cody died. However, when Noah hears the truth about Cody's death, he is shocked and saddened, but still helps Benji escape.

### Cody Traysier

In the brief time they knew each other, they were friendly towards each other, with Cody being appreciative of Benji's hospitality. However, their relationship is completely destroyed once Cody overhears Benji's plan to sell Tyler to the Revivalists in exchange for leaving them alone. Despite this, Benji is reluctantly to leave Cody for dead, and once he does, he shows a great amount of remorse, and goes back to see if Cody turned. Once he finds Cody's undead corpse, he apologizes and puts Cody out of his misery.

### Sal Jenkins

For the brief time they knew each other, Sal and Benji got along well. The two bonded when they first met, and Sal was grateful when Benji offered to help. Later, Sal is shown to be amused by Benji's antics while discussing strategy, and also makes jokes at his expense. It is unknown how he felt about Benji's betrayal and how Benji felt about Sal's death, but Benji was likely saddened.

### Leon Dawson

When Benji first met Leon, he was incredibly weary and distrustful of him due to Leon's brutal murder of Rico and Leon's unstable personality. Their relationship is damaged severely once Leon, in a desperate attempt to save Hiroto, amputates his leg. Benji, not understanding that it works, is furious and enraged. It is unknown if their relationship was repaired after Hiroto survived.

### Homer

While initially not interacting much, their relationship takes a turn for the worse when Homer decides to use the sole blood bag on Clyde rather than an amputated Hiroto, which enrages Benji. When Homer is shown to remain final on his decision, this effectively destroys any chance of them having a positive relationship. Upon hearing about Benji's attempt to sell Tyler, he is furious and attempts to kill Hiroto in retaliation, stating that Benji deserves to lose someone.

It is unknown how Benji felt about Homer's death, but he likely cared little.

### Rico

Benji and Rico have a poor relationship due to Rico's general laziness and treatment of both Hiroto and Aiko. Rico, despite hating him, appears to be a bit threatened by Benji, as he stood down after Benji confronted him over capturing the group and (albeit reluctantly), follows Benji's plan. When Benji finds Rico's corpse, he is horrified, but mostly at the brutality, showing he cared little for Rico.

### Logan

Benji and Logan have a poor relationship due to Logan's general laziness and treatment of both Hiroto and Aiko. Logan, despite hating him, appears to be a bit threatened by Benji, as he stood down after Benji confronted him over capturing the group and (albeit reluctantly), follows Benji's plan. It is unknown how Benji felt about Logan's death, but he likely didn't care.

### Seth

While not seen interacting much, it is likely that Benji is fearful of Seth, as he originally wanted to sell Tyler to protect the group. Seth also seems to realize this, and has no remorse upon hearing that Antonio shot him, and also doesn't hesitate to torture him.

## Appearances

* The Hell that Walks: The Final Season
	+ Dark Days
	+ A Harsh Reminder
	+ The Games Begin
	+ The Madness Within
	+ The Final Push

## Trivia

* Benji was labeled #10 on the top 50 Hell that Walks characters.
* Benji is the first and only South-African character in Swooce's stories.
* Benji's appearance is similar to professional wrestler, Phillip Paul Lloyd.
* Benji is able to speak English, Japanese, Mandarin Chinese, and Arabic.