Dr. Tomichi Okumura[1], more commonly known as Tomi, is a survivor of the outbreak in AMC's The Walking Dead. He is a resident of the Commonwealth and the brother of Yumiko.
Overview
Tomichi is a sensible, intelligent, and good-natured individual. Before the apocalypse, Tomi was a surgeon. However, he reveals that he was miserable due to the stress of having people's lives on his hands. At the start of the outbreak, he joined the Commonwealth and became a baker, keeping his medical experience a secret. However, when his sister Yumiko accidentally outs him, Tomi is forced to become a surgeon. After this, Tomi is visibly unhappy and disheveled. Despite this, he still tries his best and cares for his patients. He is still shown to be distraught whenever one of his patients dies.
Pre-Apocalypse
England, United Kingdom
Not much is known about Tomi's life prior to or as the outbreak began, except that he had a sister named Yumiko. Judging by his accent, he was born and grew up somewhere in England.
Chicago, Illinois
At some point, Tomi moved to the United States and became a thoracic surgeon. He and Yumiko hadn't spoken in years even before the world ended. Tomi was miserable as a surgeon. It was a profession that he never wanted to be a part of, but was forced into due to the unrelenting pressure of overbearing parents. And as much as Tomi wished he could save every patient, it's impossible. The losses weighed heavily on him and he also never felt comfortable with the bureaucracy of the health care system prioritizing one socioeconomic group over another. The pressures and discontentment of the job took their toll on Tomi and culminated in him abusing drugs and alcohol.[2][3]
Post-Apocalypse
Ohio
Upon the outset of the outbreak, Tomi left a voicemail for Yumiko and drove east out of Chicago. Running out of gas 20 miles north of Ohio, he eventually met some good people and joined the community that was established in the latter state. There, he started working as a baker at Elodie's Treats and posted a photo of his sister on the Wall of the Lost, alongside a message that reads: "Have you seen my sister Miko? Contact Tomi at H."
Season 11
"Acheron: Part I"
As Yumiko, Eugene, Ezekiel, and Princess are about to escape the Commonwealth Admissions Center, they come across the Wall of the Lost. Princess notices Tomi's post and points it out to Yumiko, who stares at her brother's message in shock before deciding that she has to stay.
"Out of the Ashes"
Yumiko enters Elodie's Treats and tells one of the employees that she’s looking for someone. Tomi enters from a back room holding a cake. Yumiko greets him and he drops the cake, shocked to see his sister.
As the siblings catch up, Tomi explains that he found the Commonwealth very early on, and that he's happy working as a baker instead of a surgeon. Yumiko asks if there's any possibility of bringing her people to the Commonwealth. Tomi says anything is possible if you follow the rules.
"Promises Broken"
Yumiko meets Tomi at the train station and marvels that he chose not to be a doctor. Tomi tells Yumiko that he's happy with his life, and makes Yumiko promise to keep his true profession a secret. Yumiko mentions that she has a meeting with Governor Milton. Soldiers come out of nowhere and haul Tomi away.
"New Haunts"
When Carol sneaks into the hospital and looks up Ezekiel's medical record, Tomi enters the room to grab a file and finds her. After Carol explains that she's worried about Ezekiel, a sympathetic Tomi asks what she wants to know. Showing him Ezekiel's file, Carol tells Tomi that she knows Ezekiel needs surgery for his thyroid cancer and is in line and she asks Tomi how long it will be before he gets to number 147. Tomi admits that it will be too long and asks her to keep that information to herself because patients aren't aware of their place in line. Crying, Carol agrees and asks if Ezekiel knows how bad his chances are. Tomi tells Carol that Ezekiel knows that the odds aren't good, but he doesn't know that he won't get the surgery unless, by some miracle, Ezekiel moves up the line. Tomi apologizes, wishing that he could do more for Ezekiel.
An uncomfortable Tomi later attends Pamela Milton's masquerade ball with his sister, causing him to drink multiple glasses of wine.
"The Lucky Ones"
Tomi visits Ezekiel in the Commonwealth hospital where Ezekiel is having blood work done. To Ezekiel's surprise, Tomi reveals that they are preparing him for surgery to remove his cancer. Although Ezekiel had thought that he was still on the list, Tomi states that he is now at the top of the list while Theo calls Ezekiel lucky because some people have to wait years. When Jerry asks about Ezekiel's bill, Theo states that it's been paid and Tomi states that he's thrilled and they are going to take good care of Ezekiel. With an order to rest up, Tomi leaves, promising to see Ezekiel on Friday at nine o'clock.
Ezekiel is later wheeled into surgery with Tomi to remove his tumor.
"Trust"
As Tomi prepares to drink in his office, Ezekiel, recovering from his successful cancer surgery, approaches Tomi for help with secretly treating Ezekiel's friend Theresa who needs an appendectomy. Tomi is hesitant as appendectomies are dangerous under the best of circumstances and he reveals that he has just lost a patient, something that bothers Tomi greatly. Ezekiel eventually succeeds in convincing Tomi to help his friend.
Ezekiel and Tomi steal supplies from the hospital, surprising Ezekiel with the ease with which Tomi is breaking the rules. An amused Tomi tells Ezekiel to ask his sister about how much Tomi used to break the rules. However, as they sneak out, Ezekiel and Tomi are caught by a Commonwealth soldier and they are detained. The two are later released thanks to Carol using her influence from her new job with Lance Hornsby.
After being released, Ezekiel leads Carol and Tomi to the Commonwealth's petting zoo, worrying Tomi that his patient is actually an animal. However, Ezekiel reveals a secret clinic that he has set up with Theo's help for those who can't afford the Commonwealth's healthcare. Tomi operates on Theresa with Theo's help, but her appendix bursts in the middle of the surgery and Tomi sends Theo back to the hospital for more antibiotics. Tomi enlists Ezekiel and Carol's help and he successfully manages to remove Theresa's burst appendix. After finishing the surgery, a pleased Tomi tells his friends that while they will know more over the next 24 hours, it looks good for Theresa.
Killed Victims
This list shows the victims Tomi has killed:
- 1 unnamed Commonwealth resident (Before Reanimation, Assumed)
- Possibly numerous counts of zombies
Relationships
Yumiko Okumura
- "I have to stay."
- —Yumiko to her friends upon seeing Tomi's post on the Walk of the Lost.[src]
Not much is known about Tomi's relationship to his sister, but he kept a photo of her during the apocalypse and posted it on the Wall of the Lost, hoping to find her again, showing that he cares about her.
Seeing Tomi's post is the reason Yumiko decides to stay at the Commonwealth, showing that she cares about her brother just as much.
When they reunited, he says she's changed. After the outbreak, Tomi fled Chicago and ended up stranded about 20 miles north of Charleston, West Virginia. He linked up with some good people, and he's been at the Commonwealth ever since. He hushes Yumiko when she brings up his history as a surgeon and tells her not to ruin this for him.
Appearances
| Episodes | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 2 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 10 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Season 11 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
| ✔ | Appears | ✔ | Voice is heard |
| 👁 | Appears with no lines | ✔ | Appears in a flashback |
| ✔ | Appears as a walker | 🖼 | Appears in a photograph/video |
| ✔ | Appears as a corpse | ✔ | Appears in a hallucination/dream |
Trivia
- Tomi putting Yumiko on the Wall of the Lost, is similar to Elodie putting Michonne on the wall.
- Tomi is described as a "long-time member of a group recently discovered by our heroes," referring to his sister Yumiko and her allies.[4]
- Tomi is the second British character in the TV Series and the fifth one in The Walking Dead franchise. The first being Oak, the second being Mac, the third being Tomi's sister, Yumiko Okumura, and the fourth being Elizabeth Kublek.
- Tomi suggests to Ezekiel in "Trust" that he was a serious rule-breaker in his youth.
International Dubbers
| Language | Dubber | Other Characters Voiced |
|---|---|---|
| Czech | N/A | N/A |
| French | Stéphane Fourreau | Qaletaqa Walker |
| German | N/A | N/A |
| Hungarian | N/A | N/A |
| Italian | N/A | N/A |
| Japanese | N/A | N/A |
| Portuguese | N/A | N/A |
| Spanish (Latin America) | N/A | N/A |
| Spanish (Spain) | Eduardo Bosch | Morales Terminus Butcher Gorman Bob Lamson Paul Rovia |
