Main Characters
On the island of Midorijima in DRAMAtical Murder, these characters have to contend with the mysterious game world of Rhyme, and the turf wars of the varying teams in their neighborhoods. They also must face a diabolical and tyrant-like corporation that is controlling and affecting their lives more than they know.
Aoba Seragaki & Ren
Aoba, the main protagonist, has a unique background that is filled with many secrets. His origins remain a mystery to many, and even to himself, as he has lost a lot of his memory along the way. Prior to the events of the anime, Aoba was heavily involved in the Rhyme fighting game. His nickname during that time was Sly Blue. He possesses an incredible power that he received from being a designer baby created by the Toue Corporation. It is called Scrap, and allows him to enter other people's consciousness and bend them to his own will. After first being created he was pronounced dead and taken away by a former employee to be buried. On the route to be buried it was revealed he had actually survived. The employee that had taken him out had left him behind, only for her daughter and son-in-law to adopt the child a few years later. At the start of the story is where viewers are introduced to Aoba, he is working as a sales representative at a junk shop. Alongside Aoba is his trusty sidekick Ren, who is an Allmate, which means that he is an Artificial Intelligence device. Ren is one of the older models that Aoba found and fixed up. Ren eventually regains his consciousness and becomes a viable friend to Aoba. The two of them and his adopted grandmother are living an ordinary life in the beginning of the series, considering their incredibly complicated backgrounds.
Aoba is a slender youth at 23 years old who is known for his unique long blue hair. He keeps it long because it hurts him a lot to cut his hair. This is a unique trait Aoba has because of the way he was born as a designer baby. Aoba is not that large, but is able to hold his own in fights. He wears mostly blue except for his pink wireless headphones. This outfit serves as his signature look. Ren is a small blueish Japanese dog. He has thick and dense hair along with pointed ears and a curled tail. He has a spiked collar that goes around his entire neck. As an older model, he also has to be plugged into a computer with a USB cord to be charged. Aoba is constantly monitoring him and checking up on his hardware and software in order to maintain his health. As they enter the virtual Rhyme fighting world, Ren also has a human appearance. Here he is a tall guy with a white complexion that is brought to the forefront by his dark black hair. He's also covered with tattoos and serves as a strong assistance to Aoba.
Due to his method of birth and special powers, Aoba has conflicted and split personalities. Throughout the beginning of the series he is confused as to why certain people mistake him for someone he is not. For example when meeting other main characters they remark on his incredible fighting skills. Also noting his extensive abilities in the fighting game Rhyme. He has suppressed much of this energy and instead tries to live a simple life. The different Aobas vary greatly. The Aoba that many people know and viewers are introduced to is a kind and gentle young man. He would rather live a simple life with a normal job and not step on anyone's toes. In this world he isn't involved with fighting or any teams that spread across the island he lives on. While the other Aoba, Scrap Aoba, is a devious and cunning character who has malicious intent. This is due to the immense power he wields being able to control other people's minds. Ren on the other-hand was once the force that kept these two personalities intact. Once Aoba lost his memory is when Ren became his own separate being who resided in the Allmate. Ren lives to serve Aoba and will do anything for him. He has a very calm demeanor about him and doesn't take anything too seriously. Ren has a deep voice that serves to illustrate his maturity and being a helpful confidant to Aoba. They are an inseparable team.
Characters & Team Affiliation
Koujaku
Koujaku is an interesting guy with a haunting backstory. His father by birth was a Yakuza member, who he and his mother fled from them when he was younger. During his youth he had many tattoos done that ended up possessing him, and he went on a killing spree of his family. This weighs heavily on him, but does not stop him from living his life. Currently he is the team leader of the group called Benishigure. He met Aoba when he was younger and was a protective force in his life. Koujaku saved him many times as a child when he was getting bullied for his nature and long hair. Along with being a team leader, he is also a skilled hair stylist. Many women flock to Koujaku and he has a way with words. It is suggested that he's a bit of a ladies' man.
Koujaku is a large guy with a different sense of style. He keeps his hair styled spiky on the top with a fringe that goes over half of his face, covering a facial tattoo. The back of his hair is done up in a side ponytail. His hairstyle is only fitting for a guy who is a stylist. Spread across his muscular physique are those sinister tattoos. Koujaku also wears a red kimono, sandals, and bandages on his arms. His most important accessory is the sword that he keeps on his back. When confronted by another character that says the sword is a crutch for him in battle, he leaves it on his back and fights with his hands, showing that he isn't afraid to get his hands dirty and is up for a challenge when someone calls him out. His companion is a small red bird. One of the smallest Allmates, Beni usually sits on his shoulder, complimenting his all-red outfit. Beni is at times prone to outbursts, and being feisty to other Allmates.
Even though Koujaku is an imposing man, he is kind to the people who he meets and knows. He is usually seen smoking a cigarette and looking menacing, but behind this harsh exterior is a passionate friend. He enjoys hanging out with Aoba and interacting with his Grandmother, always being a welcome presence in her home. At one point when one of their friends goes missing, he is one of the first to drop whatever he was doing to go out and look for him. Much like their leader, Koujaku's team has a scary reputation, and evil as some other characters like to put it. But, again just as Koujaku has a harsh exterior, so does his team. On further inspection, members of Benishigure are some of the nicer and friendlier people in this series.
Clear
One of the strangest, funniest, and most likable characters of this series would be Clear. Clear is first seen in the series sneaking up on Aoba, who he always calls "Master" in English, no matter what the circumstance－even when Aoba tells him not to. Clear wears a gas mask at all times, refusing to take it off. Eventually it is revealed that Clear is an android of sorts who wants to be able to feel emotions like humans. Because he is a robot, he is exceptionally strong and can take a lot of damage from enemies. Clear's outfit consists of a lab-coat and yellow scarf, with grayish hair underneath. He is adamant about never taking his mask off.
Clear enjoys singing and has an intense friendly personality, never letting anything get to him, and always seeing the light in any situation no matter how harsh it appears. Other people find him strange, and refer to him as "the strange mask guy". Aoba eventually warms up to him and enjoys his company and weird antics. Clear sacrifices himself many times for Aoba's safety as he knows that he is able to take the damage. Similar to Aoba, Clear has no connection to any of the teams and was originally part of the Toue Corporation, and was found defective before he escaped and was given a home by someone he called his grandfather.
Noiz
Noiz is the leader of a Rhyme Fighting group called the Ruff Rabbit. The first time he is introduced to viewers and to Aoba is through a great game of trickery. While Aoba is working at the junk shop he is sent off to deliver a package at an unknown location. When he happens upon this location there is no trace of anyone or even a residence. This is when he is waylaid and pulled into the Rhyme game, something he does not remember even being a part of. Noiz knows that he is an excellent fighter and challenges him for the first time in the game. He begins to unleash things in Aoba that Aoba doesn't remember or has used in years.
Noiz is a little bit bigger than Aoba, and his style consists of multiple piercings all over his body. He is the youngest of the group at a confirmed age of 19. The way he confronts Aoba and the group for the first time irritates and confuses a lot of them. Noiz is constantly getting into spats with Koujaku as the two are always seen fighting with one another. He was the one who called Koujaku out on using his sword. Besides getting into fights and egging Koujaku on, Noiz is an asset to Aoba and the other characters. He is a skilled hacker and knows how to gather information quickly and efficiently.
Virus & Trip
Virus and Trip resemble each other a lot, but are not actually twins. Even though they answer in unison and wear the same clothes all the time, to the other characters' amusement. The two of them are good friends of Aoba and have some plans for him because they know about his secret power. Both of these characters are supposedly working under the guise of being Yakuza members, even though in actuality they may be working for some one else. It's also important to take note that they knew Aoba before he lost his memory. They know things about his past that he does not. This puts them in a position power over him
They are revealed to have some sort of connection to the mysterious Morphine team that has been spreading chaos and taking advantage of other groups of teams. The two of them are out for their own self interests. Both prove though to be crucial aspects in the story because they let Aoba know about his true origins in regards to his past life of being an excellent Rhyme fighter and an experimented designer baby from the Toue Corporation.
Mizuki
Mizuki is another great friend of Aoba's. While walking down a street to make a delivery, Aoba was threatened and attacked by a rival team. Being a no mark, which meant he didn't belong to any team, put Aoba at odds with these members. Mizuki showed up out of nowhere and knocked out most of the guys and had the rest of them running away. He is the leader of Dry Juice,ne of the largest and most expansive of the teams on the island.
Mizuki is a tattoo artist and owns a place called the Black Needle. He is a professional tattoo artists and makes some works that are truly beautiful. As a leader of a team he feels that it is duty to keep it going and expanding while at the same time contending with the rise in popularity of the Rhyme game. He disregards it as foolish as it only takes place in the mind. Throughout the series Mizuki plays a pivotal role in the story as he gets himself into trouble with the Morphine team, while in the meantime discovering the secrets of the world.
Toue Corporation Members
Tatsuo Toue
Toue is the main antagonist and catalyst for the entire story. His corporation is responsible for the work that was done to create the designer babies, which included Aoba and someone he's related to, whom he does not meet until almost the end of the series. He uses one of these creations (Aoba's potential relation) to try and control the people of the island. A vast amount of the island is overtaken by a resort called the Platinum Jail, and the rest of the islands residents are subjugated to living in the old district, which he was responsible for.
Toue only cares for himself and the advancement of his goals. His master plan is shown to be one of mind control and exporting this ability for monetary and personal gains. Toue wears a suit and is usually seen with a monocle on his eye, displaying the fashion senses of a stereotypical villain. His brainwashing plan almost goes through, but he has to contend with the many different characters who oppose him.
Tae Seragaki
Tae is an interesting and nuanced character. At first she is just seen as Aoba's old sweet grandmother who doesn't mean much harm, or seem to be that important. In actuality she was once a top scientific doctor at the Toue Corporation. She dealt with experimenting on the brain and other scientific advancements. Some of her research was the very reason Aoba was able to be created as a designer baby and use his Scrap power. Knowing that she was responsible for this madness, she ran away from the corporation with the body of Aoba who she presumed to be dead. Miraculously he had actually survived so she went on her way and left him somewhere. When he did come back to her family she became his adopted grandmother.
Tae is a little old lady with reddish hair parted a few different ways. She is getting older and more feeble, but is still able to be aggressive and playful with her grandson. The two of them have a loving relationship. Tae is always cooking for him and making sure he gets his medicine so that he doesn't have his debilitating headaches. While all of this is going on she makes sure to stay as far away as possible from the Toue corporation and not be involved with that life anymore.
All of these characters play major roles in the focal point of the story, which is Aoba discovering more about who he is. The interactions between their vastly different personalities is amusing to watch. In the background of this story, is Tatsuo Toue who was the one responsible for many of the island residents' hardships, as he created the Platinum Jail and forced this life upon many of the characters.
Get to know these characters and other minor ones in DRAMAtical Murder!
