About

A First Lieutenant in the 7th Division of the Imperial Japanese Army. He is the leader of the faction within the 7th Division seeking the hidden gold. A former intelligence officer and an elite soldier who planted the flag on 203 Hill. He possesses a cruel yet extremely cautious personality, and as a veteran intelligence officer, his reasoning and analytical skills are exceptional. This often leads to somewhat perverse scenes where he meticulously gropes and examines corpses. The skin above his cheekbones has been stripped away, and he wears a unique ceramic protector on his forehead because a shell hit him during the Battle of Mukden, blowing away part of his skull and frontal lobe. The wound has not fully healed, and when he becomes excited, a fluid he calls "strange juice" occasionally leaks from his forehead. Perhaps because his brain is damaged, his eyes lack light, and he claims his self-control has diminished significantly. This lack of restraint seems true, as he frequently exhibits bizarre and impulsive behaviors, such as aggressively clicking his teeth to threaten others, shouting into severed ears, or tilting his head at odd angles. Because of this, he has some comedic character traits. However, he shows a terrifying and cruel side that goes beyond simple comedy, such as cutting off the ears and noses of subordinates who betray him and forcing them to commit seppuku, or wearing vests made of human skin. As seen on volume covers, he often strikes strange, exaggerated poses reminiscent of the Shaft angle or theatrical plays. His appearance in Chapter 105, pulling back a curtain with elegant movements like an actor appearing on stage, is a highlight. However, given his extraordinary powers of observation and judgment, it sometimes seems as though his impulsive actions are calculated and he is acting strangely on purpose. Despite not making a good first impression, his subordinates follow him with a cult-like devotion, suggesting he possesses a charisma that is almost demonic. The manga's visual direction, which often shows poppies blooming in the background whenever he appears, suggests his charisma is as addictive as a drug. Even setting aside his charisma, he is highly trusted by the 7th Division because he champions the cause of representing the marginalized soldiers of the division. He appears to have come from a wealthy family and possesses a high level of culture for the era. The fact that he reads medical books written in both German and Japanese and can play Beethoven's "Appassionata" on the piano without sheet music suggests he was raised in an extraordinary environment.