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    Aoba Seragaki 

Voiced by: Atsushi Kisaichi note  (Japanese - adult), Hiroko Miyamoto (Japanese - child), Gabriel Regojo (English - adult), Cayla Coats (English - child)
Played by: Seichiro Nagata

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_aoba_87.png
Birthday: April 22
Height: 175 cm
Blood Type: A
Click here  to see Aoba in his teenage years
Click here  to see Aoba as he appears in Koujaku's bad ending
Click here  to see his original form

The main character of the story. Aoba lives a peaceful life in the Eastern district of Midorijima, working part-time at a junk shop called Heibon and living with his grandmother. He possesses a mysterious power that allows him to convince others to do what he wants with his voice. One day, he receives a message on his Coil with the subject title “Please save me”. After accidentally downloading the file attached to the message, he discovers that the file is a game called 'Silent Oath', where he has to rescue a princess. The game ends abruptly, but leaves Aoba with an ominous feeling. His AllMate is Ren.
  • Adopt the Dog: In a sense; Aoba found Ren half-broken and discarded in an alley, took him in and repaired him, and Ren had been his AllMate since then.
  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: A genderbend version if he pursues Noiz or Mink.
  • Amnesiac Hero: Aoba can't remember his past of being an experiment made by Toue, or his history as a Rhyme player.
  • Aroused by Their Voice: Invoked in-universe. Aoba can get people to do what he wants by dropping his voice to a certain tenor, and at work, he gets a lot of calls from customers who say that they find his voice alluring, much to his confusion and discomfort.
  • Artificial Human: Aoba and Sei were genetically engineered by Toue.
  • Bad Powers, Good People: Aoba's Scrap can permanently destroy other people's minds if abused or used wrongly (and he does unintentionally end up doing this to Mizuki near the end of the common route) or reduce them to mindless puppets, but he in no way wants to destroy or hurt anyone and ends up using his power to destroy only the mental demons harming his love interest in most routes. This trope is further confirmed in Ren's route, where Aoba is specifically referred to as a "child of destruction" who can destroy the world and then rebuild a better one in its place. On the other hand, however, his alternate self isn't nice at all and abuses Scrap for his own ends.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: The reason Desire is interested in Mizuki is because is the only one who has seen both personalities of Aoba, yet did not change his attitude towards either.
  • Berserk Button: He doesn't react nicely to anyone threatening to harm Ren or calling Ren a replaceable machine.
  • Beware the Nice Ones: He's one of the nicest guys in the cast, but he holds a dangerous power that can break minds and is also a host to an alternate personality who won't hesitate to use it for cruel reasons, especially in the bad endings.
  • Big Damn Heroes: In Ren's route, Aoba is about to pass out from being beaten up by Virus and Trip, and his friends all burst into the scene to rescue him. Unless the player is aiming for the bad ending, that is.
  • Blessed with Suck: Scrap is definitely a powerful ability that becomes useful in many instances, but it's also what attracts a lot of trouble for Aoba, and he's all too aware of this.
  • Broken Bird: In Clear's and Virus/Trip's bad endings. In the former, Aoba was experimented on by Toue and then had his limbs, eyes and vocal chords removed and in the latter, he's abducted and used as a Sex Slave for Virus and Trip whenever they please.
  • Brooding Boy, Gentle Girl: A same-gender example; he's the latter to either Noiz or Mink if he's in a romance with them.
  • Can't Hold His Liquor/In Vino Veritas: As revealed in some of the short stories, Aoba gets drunk pretty easily and becomes a lot more loose when he does get intoxicated.
  • Character Development: In Mink's route, Aoba learns to be more self-reliant, decisive, and a lot less doubtful of himself, which shows when he sets out to find Mink despite having zero leads, refusing to leave despite Mink telling him to, and being able to confront him properly.
  • Cloudcuckoolander's Minder: Aoba acts as one to Clear, helping him keep his eccentricities in line.
  • Compelling Voice: This is his ability, which is named Scrap. Overusing this causes Aoba's alternate personality to take over.
  • Composite Character: In a meta way, Aoba carries a prominent trait from the each of the previous three Nitro+CHiRAL protagonists. Like Akira, Aoba is the result of human experimentation; like Konoe, Aoba's voice has special and powerful characteristics; and like Youji, Aoba is afflicted with an ailment of unknown origins.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Aoba speaks in a snippy and witty manner very often, especially when he gets exasperated by the antics of the other characters.
  • Death of Personality: A variation; in almost every route, once Toue's plans are dealt with, Aoba's Superpowered Evil Side becomes completely quiet and never emerges again. The only exception is in Mizuki's route in re:code, where Aoba and Desire come to an understanding, allowing the latter to come out whenever he feels like it.
  • Determinator: Aoba can be this at times, especially when he's using Scrap.
  • Distressed Dude: Ends up in trouble in a lot of the routes, needing to be bailed out by his love interest or his friends.
  • Does Not Like Spam: According to Ren, he hates milk so much that he got sent into detention for it when he was a child.
  • Dude Looks Like a Lady: Koujaku thought Aoba was a girl when they were younger. As an adult, Aoba is not mistaken for a girl, but his fair skin and long hair are commented on several times.
  • Evil Laugh: Aoba's Superpowered Evil Side gives a creepy and chilling one, whether he's simply chuckling or outright cackling.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: When speaking as Desire, the pitch of his voice turns considerably lower.
  • Eye Color Change: His eyes are of a hazel color, but they transform into a bright gold whenever he uses Scrap.
  • Fate Worse than Death: Aoba is subjected to this in some of the bad endings.
    • In Noiz and Ren's routes, Aoba is permanently stuck in the respective character's mind. In the former's route, Aoba is subject to intense pain with Noiz in a void, where mere touches cause lacerations and intense bleeding. In the latter's route, a berserk Ren continually devours Aoba while sexually assaulting him, obsessed with the idea of being closer to Aoba. Literally.
    • In Clear's route, experimental data is extracted from Aoba, and a reprogrammed Clear treats him like a doll, going so far as to amputate his legs, gouging his eyes, and remove his vocal cords out of obsession of making Aoba more like him: devoid of free will. Clear is happy, but at the cost of Aoba's well-being.
    • Koujaku's bad ending involves Aoba losing his mind because of Scrap and obeying Toue's wish for control. Koujaku himself goes insane from his tattoos, being kept like a animal in the basement by Aoba who is engaged in a violent romance with the mad man.
    • In Virus and Trip's bad ending, both of them abduct Aoba and keep him as their Sex Slave for them and their AllMates to toy with whenever they please. And re:connect goes into unforgivingly explicit detail to show exactly why this is such a horrifying ideal for Aoba.
    • Surprisingly, the only exception to this trope is Mink's bad ending. When Aoba fails to correctly use Scrap on Mink and they remain trapped in the other's mindscape, Mink resolves to beheading Aoba (which would render him comatose in the real world) in order to spare him from a long and painful fate.
  • Freudian Trio: Aoba. In the sense that he is all three psychoanalytic concepts in one body. The normal Aoba is The Ego which cares for morality and other people's perceptions of himself, his Superpowered Evil Side is The Id that embodies his more primal and destructive urges, and Ren is Superego who was originally created to maintain balance between the Ego and Id.
  • Good Is Not Soft: Aoba is a Nice Guy who is normally aversive to violence, but he isn't too naive or all-loving to show mercy to anyone who he knows to be truly villainous in nature, and won't even complain at the prospect of killing them. He only protests when Koujaku kills Ryuuhou because the former is at the brink of going insane from his rage. Aoba also attempts to stop Mink when the latter sets out to kill Toue because he knows Mink will kill himself afterwards, which Aoba doesn't want.
  • Happily Adopted: By Naine and Haruka, although their time together is short-lived when Aoba's adoptive parents suddenly disappear one day without explaining why.
  • Headphones Equal Isolation: Subverted. Aoba carries a pair of pink headphones with him at all times, and while he doesn't actively join any social gatherings and prefers not to join any groups or gangs, he's friendly and kindhearted.
  • Heroic BSoD: He falls into despair after he fails to properly use Scrap in Koujaku's bad ending, which causes Desire to surface and permanently take control.
  • Horrible Judge of Character: He's guilty of this in Koujaku's route, as it never occured to him that Ryuuhou seems even a bit suspicious. Granted, he did, but one would think that he'd know better than to just go with a stranger for a cup of tea...
  • I Have You Now, My Pretty: This happens to him in Clear's and Virus/Trip's bad endings.
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: In some routes, Aoba implies or outright expresses that he doesn't like having his power and he wishes that he was born without it. However, he won't hesitate to use Scrap when someone else is in danger.
  • The Immodest Orgasm: All of the sex scenes just go to show that Aoba is rather vocal in bed.
  • Insecure Love Interest: Inverted in that he's the protagonist who has a total of five love interests, but Aoba can often get anxious about his developing relationship with any one of them (particularly with Noiz and Mink).
  • It's All My Fault: He tends to blame himself every time he fails in using Scrap or gets other people in trouble.
  • It Was a Gift: He gets a pair of feather hair ornaments as a present from Mink at the end of Mink's route in re:connect.
  • I Will Find You: In Mink's good ending, Aoba becomes determined to find Mink as he refuses to believe that the latter is dead. His efforts are eventually rewarded after months of searching.
  • I Will Wait for You: In Aoba's backstory from re:connect, he, along with Tae, are still waiting for his adopted parents to return home.
  • Kubrick Stare: Sly Blue's default expression.
  • Lethal Chef: Aoba can cook just fine, though he's left wanting when it comes to making sweets and pastries, since in a birthday short story, Koujaku told him that the last time he tried to bake a cake, it ended up being a burned and soggy mess.
  • Living Emotional Crutch: To Koujaku, since Aoba is the only reason why he couldn't go through with killing himself in the past. He also becomes one to his other love interests in their respective routes.
  • Locked into Strangeness: His hair permanently turns white in Koujaku's bad ending (although he already had an odd hair colour in the first place).
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Though his long hair is justified since having it cut causes him physical pain. In Koujaku's good ending, Aoba lets Koujaku cut his hair since the sensations in his hair completely disappeared after Toue is defeated.
  • Luminescent Blush: His face turns a bright red when Noiz kisses him in the anime.
  • Mr. Fanservice: He's a Long-Haired Pretty Boy, the protagonist of a Boys' Love game that has its good share of steamy scenes, and there's a lot of official artwork that prove he's definitely this.
  • Mundane Utility: Even before Aoba learns of the true nature of his abilities, he has already been aware to a degree that he tends to attract other people with his voice alone-– something that he uses to his advantage to rake in more sales at his job.
  • My God, What Have I Done?: When Aoba remembers his past and the people who were permanently damaged by his misuse of Scrap, he is nothing short of horrified.
  • Nice Guy: He's the most moral person amongst the entire cast. It shows in Mink's route, since while he hated what Mink did to him, he couldn't hate the man himself, and even wishes that he won't go through with killing himself.
  • Nobody Touches the Hair: Aoba feels pain whenever people touch his hair, let alone cut it. This is why he keeps his hair long. It vanishes after Toue is defeated, and Aoba even lets Koujaku cut his hair.
  • Not a Morning Person: Koujaku relentlessly teases him about how difficult it is to wake him up in the morning.
  • Not Evil, Just Misunderstood: The other Aoba, in a sense. While he's insanely sadistic and self-serving and doesn't bat an eye to how many would get hurt by his actions, most of the things he does stemmed from the desire to protect Aoba. Also, his attempts to seize control were driven by his desperation to be accepted by Aoba, as the latter had continuously rejected him. In Aoba's defense, he didn't know what Desire truly was until later in Ren's route, where Ren explains everything to Aoba.
  • Older Than He Looks: In contrast with Noiz, who looks physically older despite being only 19, Aoba is 23 years old yet he can pass off for a younger age.
  • Only Sane Man: At times, Aoba is the only voice of reason (alongside Ren) in his little group.
  • Parental Abandonment: After being adopted by Naine and Haruka, some time later, they left without any prior warning, or any sign of whether they may come back, which left Aoba deeply distressed.
  • Phlebotinum Rebel: Aoba was genetically engineered by Toue and this is why he has his power in the first place. Despite that fact, he does all he can to stop Toue's plans.
  • Poor Communication Kills: This trope is the reason why Aoba and his Superpowered Evil Side aren't getting along, with the latter being mostly at fault. After all, constantly telling someone to "destroy" then threatening to overtake their mind is bound to give anyone the wrong idea and think that you're hostile.
  • Power Incontinence: He gets terrible headaches whenever he uses Scrap, and if he uses it too much, he blacks out and his alternate self takes over for a while — and in the worst case scenario, even permanently.
  • Power of Love: He uses this to help his love interests overcome their problems in their routes. In return, his love interests also help him fend off a hostile takeover from his Superpowered Evil Side with their support near the end of each route.
  • Pretty Boy: He's very pretty looking, and can sometimes lean on Dude Looks Like a Lady territory thanks to his long hair and feminine appearance.
  • Rape as Drama: In some of the bad endings and twice during Mink's route.
  • Red Baron: As "Sly Blue", Aoba was this among Rhyme players in the past, being an undefeated champion and all.
  • The Resenter: Desire always acts hostile towards Ren, as Ren's purpose is to suppress him. What doesn't help is, as he points out, Aoba always listens to Ren, but never to him.
  • Robosexual: If Aoba pursues Clear.
  • Roundhouse Kick: He seems to be fond of giving these to his enemies, it may as well be his Signature Move. Even Mizuki points out the strength of his kicks in the beginning of the game, stating that his kicks are a literal jawbreaker.
  • Sadist: His Superpowered Evil Side is both sadistic and masochistic in equal measure. A few flashbacks show him breaking other people's minds with complete glee, not caring about the fact that he's practically rendering others comatose or even actually dead.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: A same-gender example applies for Aoba and Clear if the latter is the love interest; whereas Aoba is down-to-earth and level-headed, Clear is erratic and lively.
  • Self Cest: Aoba has sex with Ren, who is part of his consciousness, in his own mind. After Sei gives Ren his body, this is upgraded to Twin Cest.
  • Sex Slave: He is made into one by Clear and Virus/Trip in their bad endings.
  • Split Personality: Aoba has two. There's his Superpowered Evil Side, who comes out whenever Aoba is in danger, and Ren, who is supposed to act as a mediator between Aoba and Desire.
  • Split-Personality Merge: This trope is accomplished in Ren's route, when Aoba accepts his other self, who fades away afterwards. This also happens in Mizuki's route in re:code, in which the merge is expanded on and handled better.
  • Superpowered Evil Side: The 'other Aoba' nags at Aoba whether he faces a trigger, the main one being when he uses Scrap.
  • Talking to the Dead: The drama CD reveals that Aoba's Scrap allows him to have some connection to the deceased in some capacity, at least when it comes to the people he used Scrap on. In Volume 3, he realizes that the recurring dreams he's been having are actually a result of Mink's parents (more specifically, their spirits) trying to reach out to him.
  • The Tease: Desire is this to Mizuki in re:code, once he falls in love with him.
  • Technical Pacifist: Played with. Aoba doesn't complain at someone dying as long as he's certain that they truly deserve it. Though this is counterbalanced by his dislike for unnecessary violence; in fights concerning less severe situations, he prefers to end things quickly and non-lethally, and will use even use his power for this purpose if needed.
  • Technicolor Eyes: While both of Aoba's eyes are the same, he has noticeable central heterochromia; his eyes are sage green around the outside and brown closer to the pupil. Naine spells out the meaning of it upon meeting Aoba for the first time.
    Naine: How mysterious... there are two colors mixed in your eyes. You don't know which is the right one, so you won't pick. You're at a standstill, locked away in your own shell... or something like that.
  • Too Kinky to Torture: Desire, being a sadomasochist, gets turned on at having Mink strangle and rape him, and feeling intense pleasure at Koujaku biting him with his fangs while giving him oral sex.
  • Trauma-Induced Amnesia: He got into a violent fight during his younger days, which caused him to lose a large portion of his memory. The amnesia is actually caused by Virus and Trip, since they thought it would be more convenient.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Aoba really likes Tae's meat and potato stew.
  • Tsundere: Much more downplayed than the usual examples, but he can be this very often in Koujaku's route.
  • Uke: He bottoms in every single relationship.
  • Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Zig-zagged. He was a sensitive and sweet child, then he grew to be a destructive and rebellious teenager, then after losing his memories, became a Nice Guy.
  • Voice of the Legion: His voice vibrates and echoes whenever he uses Scrap, giving off this effect.
  • What the Hell, Hero?: Aoba gives Clear a few scoldings in the latter's route.
    • The first time is after Clear went overboard in beating up the thugs they ran into.
    • The second time is when Aoba calls out Clear for his lack of attention, since when Clear informed him that he finally infiltrated Oval Tower, it turned out to be a completely different building, much to Aoba's chagrin.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: In Koujaku's bad ending, Aoba's Superpowered Evil Side takes over after Aoba succumbs to despair, and both his hair and his skin turn completely white.

    Koujaku 

Voiced by: Hiroki Takahashi note  (Japanese - adult), Eiji Miyashita (Japanese - child), David Matranga (English)
Played by: Allen Kohatsu

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_koujaku_2.png
Birthday: August 19
Height: 186 cm
Blood Type: A

Aoba's childhood friend and errant hairdresser. He doesn't actually own a shop; rather, he sets up and cuts hair in random places. He's quite popular with the ladies and tends to have one or two hanging off of him at any given time. Despite this, he tends to put Aoba's needs first, rushing to aid Aoba whenever he needs help. He also leads a gang named Benishigure, who do their best to help the residents out. His AllMate is Beni.
  • Abusive Parents: It's revealed in the drama CD that his father beats his mother often to the point it drives her into depression when he decides to use Koujaku as the heir for the family. When he tried to stand up for her, he got punched; and when he wanted out, his mother's life was threatened.
  • Affectionate Nickname: There are times when Aoba calls him a "hippo", though it's usually when he's exasperated by Koujaku's ladykiller tendencies, or when he gets embarrassed by Koujaku being a rather sappy boyfriend. That being said, the nickname is nevertheless treated like a fond inside joke between the two.
  • All Love Is Unrequited: This trope takes effect if the player doesn't select his route, due to the crush Koujaku has had on Aoba for years.
  • And I Must Scream: The expansion of Koujaku's bad ending in re:connect show that despite the tattoos taking full control of his mind, the real Koujaku is still in there, as he briefly resurfaces to mutter Aoba's name when the latter's thoughts call out to him.
  • The Atoner: For murdering his family.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: He's the leader of a Rib gang, and that sword he's carrying isn't just for show.
  • Berserk Button:
    • Don't even think of hurting Aoba.
    • Ryuuhou is a walking one for him.
    • The yakuza tend to get on his nerves. This is due to his history as the illegitimate son of a yakuza boss, who was anything but a benevolent man.
    • No matter what, don't ever mention the fact that he killed his mother. It will be the last thing you ever say.
  • BFS: His weapon, and it's massive enough that one good swing creates a strong gust of air that can literally Blow You Away. You have to give him points for being able to wield it one-handed.
  • Bully Hunter: When they were kids, Koujaku defended Aoba from anyone who would pick on him for his long hair.
  • The Charmer: Koujaku's legion of female fans is proof of his popularity. Which, interesting enough, proves to be mostly shallow. When Koujaku is with Aoba he is shocked and red-faced when Aoba invited him to take a shower together.
  • Childhood Friends: With Aoba. They didn't spend all of their childhood together, but they've known each other for a long time.
  • Cool Big Bro: As seen in Ren's drama CD, after he becomes human, Koujaku starts acting in a fashion close to this trope to him. It helps that the two were already pretty close even when Ren was an AllMate, and technically being Childhood Friends.
  • Covered with Scars: Has ones across his nose, the left side of his chest, and on both hands in his sprite art. The CGs that feature him without his kimono in his own route reveal the scars are much more extensive.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Inverted, he's badass on the outside and can more than pull his weight in a fight, but when alone with Aoba he can be dorky and cute, so he's more of a Crouching Badass, Hidden Moron.
  • Dark and Troubled Past: He is the illegitimate son of a yakuza boss, and as part of a tradition in succeeding his father, he has his entire body tattooed by Ryuuhou, who was then experimenting on creating sentient tattoos that can control one's mind. When he lost himself to the pain, his tattoos overtook his rationale and he murdered the entire yakuza clan, his mother included.
  • Death Seeker: Upon realizing that Ryuuhou was in Platinum Jail, Koujaku immediately becomes this. He confesses when Aoba uses Scrap on him that he was planning to kill Ryuuhou and then himself in repentance for what he did.
  • Does Not Like Spam: Koujaku is not fond of celery, but he forces himself to eat them whenever he visits Aoba.
  • Expy: Really looks uncannily like a young Auron.
  • A Father to His Men: He cares about every one of the members of Benishigure, and in turn, all of them look up to him.
  • First Guy Wins: If he's the love interest.
  • Hates Being Touched: Downplayed. He's not necessarily averse to being touched as much as he becomes nervous when Aoba tries to touch his tattoos. This is because, in Koujaku's words, he doesn't want to dirty Aoba in any way, and he considers his tattoos to be a Mark of Shame.
  • Heroic Bastard: His mother was the mistress of his yakuza-boss father, and Koujaku notes he and his mother suffered for this. That said, he still ended up being the heir because his father had no other children.
  • Hidden Depths: The girls aren't asking him to cut their hair just because he's good-looking; he really is good at his job, which Aoba gets to witness when Koujaku cuts his hair in his ending.
  • Hiding Behind Your Bangs: His right eye is always covered by his hair. He styled it that way to hide the tattoo etched on that side of his face.
  • Hot-Blooded: He may seem level-headed and casual, but it's quite easy to get him riled up, especially when you're Noiz, someone who has any sinister intentions towards Aoba, a member of the yakuza, or a certain tattoo artist.
  • If It's You, It's Okay: In his good ending, towards Aoba.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: His ending theme in the Animated Adaptation and the narration in his bad ending in re:connect show that while Koujaku is aware of his true feelings for Aoba, he never hoped that said feelings would be returned and is content with remaining as Aoba's friend as long as Aoba is happy and safe.
  • Ladykiller in Love: In his route. Koujaku doesn't actively pursue the ladies, but he has slept around with many different women. He stops this after he falls in love with Aoba.
  • Locked into Strangeness: His hair turns red after he loses his mind in his bad ending.
  • Long-Haired Pretty Boy: His hair is styled as a dark blue side-ponytail with bangs. He's also a noted Pretty Boy, which his legion of female fans (in-universe) can attest to.
  • Luminescent Blush: He tends to get this whenever he's flustered in his route.
  • Mark of the Beast: His tattoos. They're not for show, as they can grant him enhanced strength and reflexes, but at the cost of his sanity, especially when he lets his temper get the better of him. For understandable reasons, he considers them to be a Mark of Shame.
  • Mirror Character:
    • With Noiz. While they're practically polar opposites of one another, they both suffered a terrible childhood thanks in no small part to their fathers.
    • With Mink as well. Their similarity doesn't stop at them being leaders of a Rib gang, there are also the facts that they both lost their families thanks to Toue (directly for Mink, and indirectly for Koujaku), and seek revenge against the ones responsible with the intention of committing suicide afterward.
  • Mr. Fanservice: He has an unused half-body sprite where he is completely naked. Yes, you read that right.
  • Navel-Deep Neckline: His outfit is open down to his midriff.
  • Nice Guy: Zigzagged. He helps Aoba out of embarrassing situations with graceful aplomb, uses his gang's influence for good, and cares about its members and his customers. Aoba certainly thinks of him this way. On the other hand, Koujaku can be pretty hostile to the rest of Aoba's circle, even without much provocation, which might put him more in the league of a Jerk with a Heart of Gold.
  • Neighbourhood-Friendly Gangsters: Koujaku's gang help the residents of their controlled areas and are quite popular.
  • Nosebleed: Midway through his and Aoba's first time together, much to his embarrassment and to Aoba's amusement.
  • Poor Communication Kills: His reluctance to tell Aoba anything to explain his suspicious behavior in Platinum Jail inevitably causes a heavy tension to form between them. Luckily, it gets resolved after he narrowly rescues Aoba from Ryuuhou.
  • Properly Paranoid: He acts completely distrusting and borderline hostile towards the other characters Aoba associates with, accusing them of being up to no good. Not that it's unjustified, considering some of their actual intentions...
  • Real Men Wear Pink: He works as a hairstylist and wears a floral kimono and jewelry. He's also a gang leader, and damn good with a sword in combat.
  • Red Eyes, Take Warning: Averted for the most part. Koujaku is normally a fairly easy-going guy, although he can have a short temper when dealing with certain people. This trope is played straight in his bad ending, when after his tattoos take control of him, the sclera of his eyes become blood red in color.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: Red to Noiz's Blue.
  • Relationship Upgrade: Koujaku goes from Aoba's Childhood Friend to his boyfriend in his good ending.
  • Sarashi: He wears no shirt beneath his kimono save for the bandages wrapped around his waist.
  • Scars Are Forever: Koujaku has several scars all over his back and torso, as well as his face and hands.
  • Self-Deprecation: As it turns out, his scathing comment about the yakuza turns out to be less of a threat towards Virus and Trip and more of a jab at himself since he's the heir of a yakuza clan, and he was strong-armed by his father into taking the role.
  • Self-Made Orphan: A tragic example. When he was younger, he temporarily lost his mind after succumbing to the pain of his tattoos, and mindlessly slaughtered everyone in the household, including his own mother.
  • Stepford Smiler: Behind his "cool big brother" attitude lies a halfway-broken and guilt-ridden man with plenty of self-hatred.
  • Superpowered Evil Side: Koujaku's tattoos cause him to go into an uncontrollable rage in the bad ending, reducing his mind to a bestial state. This is also what caused the death of his family when he was younger.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: In terms of height, he's second only to Mink, and there's a reason why a lot of girls are swooning over him.
  • Tattooed Crook: While Koujaku isn't a crook, he was the heir to a yakuza family and he does lead a Rib gang. He's also sporting tattoos on his face and all over his back.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Just like Aoba, Koujaku likes Tae's home cooking.
  • Trying Not to Cry: In the drama CD, after telling Aoba everything that happened when he left Midorijima for some time and what he and his mother went through when they were away, Koujaku's grief slowly overcomes him and erodes his composure before he ends up crying in Aoba's embrace.
  • Undying Loyalty: Towards Aoba, given that he's the only love interest who's known Aoba for a long time.
  • Unstoppable Rage: When faced with one of his Berserk Buttons, he slips into this, which causes his tattoos to take control, consequently making him lose control of his mind.
  • Victorious Childhood Friend: In his good ending.
  • Violently Protective Girlfriend: Downplayed and gender-inverted; even if he isn't the chosen love interest, he nevertheless reacts violently to threats directed towards Aoba.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: In his Scrap sequence, and after it he still keeps his kimono down.
  • Yakuza: Koujaku was the heir to a yakuza family.
  • You Wouldn't Like Me When I'm Angry!: It's not really hard to anger Koujaku; but if he gets too pissed, his tattoos will take over his mind and turn into a mindless and monstrous berserker.

    Noiz 

Voiced by: Satoshi Hino note  (Japanese), Corey Hartzog (English)
Played by: Rikiya Tomizono

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_noiz_6.png
Birthday: June 13
Height: 179 cm
Blood Type: B
Click here  to see Noiz's avatar form in Rhyme
Click here  to see Noiz in his good ending

A heavily-pierced young man obsessed with the virtual reality game Rhyme. Aoba first meets Noiz when the latter drags him into an impromptu Rhyme match, although Aoba is unaware of Noiz's identity at first. Noiz and Aoba properly meet after Noiz breaks into Aoba's room and hacks his computers. His AllMate is Pseudo Rabbit.
  • Abusive Parents:
    • Instead of helping Noiz deal with his inability to feel pain, his parents locked Noiz away in a section of his house and ignored him. Noiz's parents complained about the shame Noiz had brought on them, with Noiz's father wishing that Noiz had never been born... within earshot of their kid.
    • In his good ending, he goes back to them and they reconcile. Noiz even agrees to take on the family business. That being said, the drama CD reveals that Noiz still has countless conflicts to settle with his parents, who remain harsh with him due to expectations and their preoccupation with appearances.
  • Ambiguously Bi: He's quite obviously attracted to men, however, his remarks about how people used him for his body and that he'd still be in love with Aoba even if he wasn't a man imply that he swings both ways.
  • Animal Motifs: Rabbits. The signs are everywhere, from his wardrobe, to his AllMate, to his childhood, and to even his sex drive.
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: He is the leader of a Rhyme Team, Ruff Rabbit, and is a really component fist fighter.
  • Badass in a Nice Suit: When he comes back after the time skip, he is dressed in a sharp-looking suit.
  • Because You Were Nice to Me: Due to the abuse that Noiz's parents heaped on him, his lack of social skills, and how everyone else in his life used him for money or sex, Aoba is perhaps the only person who genuinely wanted to help and protect Noiz. This is one reason why Noiz starts ever-so-slowly opening up to Aoba, and eventually comes to care for him.
  • Big Eater: He buys a ton of food while exploring the Green Playground.
  • Book Ends: Noiz leans across the counter and suddenly kisses Aoba at the beginning of the game, then does the same again after he reunites with him in his good ending.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Late in his route, he succumbs to an Alpha's Dye Music and starts relentlessly attacking Aoba. Aoba has to use Scrap on him to snap him out of it.
  • But Not Too Foreign: His family lives in Germany, but this (or the fact that he's even of German ancestry) is not revealed until the end of his route, where he asks Aoba to move to Germany with him. However, there's a hint to his heritage early on when Noiz buys food, and he has no knowledge of the names of the food he bought. He ends up asking Aoba for their names and Aoba comments that it's strange he would ask about such a thing. The drama CD also reveals that Noiz is 1/4th Japanese and that his family, as well as many of their servants, are fluent in the language.
  • But Now I Must Go: At the end of his route, after he and Aoba fight in Rhyme once more, he suddenly disappears, Though he comes back, and the reason he left is eventually revealed.
  • Casual Kink: Aoba is pretty certain he has a pain kink. Justified, once his backstory comes to light. He actively sought out anything that might cause him some kind of sensation. However, at the end of his route, with his ability to feel unlocked, he's definitely not put off by the idea.
  • The Cynic: Noiz does not understand why anyone would want to help him without getting something in return. He believes people are innately selfish, and that he's perfectly capable of living on his own without the love and trust of other people. This is the notion that Aoba tries to destroy in Noiz's Scrap sequence, which ends either in success or in failure.
  • Disability Superpower: Kinda. With an inability to feel pain, he's a very competent fighter.
  • Embarrassing First Name: In the drama CD, after much prodding from Aoba, Noiz confesses that his birth name is Wim (which can be short for Wilhelm), but would prefer Aoba to continue calling him "Noiz".
  • Feel No Pain: Noiz is incapable of feeling pain except on his tongue. He can feel sensations on his skin, but not very well. For most of his life, he was unable to sympathize with others due to his inability to feel pain. As a consequence, he couldn't regulate his behavior properly, leading to trouble for his parents. His parents considered him to be a nuisance and eventually neglected him.
  • First Kiss: No matter who the player chooses as Aoba’s love interest, it is Noiz who always ends up being Aoba's first kiss – given that the scene happens in the common route.
  • Genius Bruiser: He packs a mean punch and mean computer hacker skills.
  • Hates Being Touched: Noiz is quick to pull away and snap at Aoba whenever the latter tries to fix his injuries.
  • He Cleans Up Nicely: In his good ending, he takes out his piercings and puts on a suit, and he looks very nice indeed.
  • Helicopter Parents: In his drama CD, it turns out that just because he reunited with his family doesn't exactly mean they're on good terms. His parents still prioritize their reputation over his well-being, and thus pressure Noiz with the typical demands or criticisms that rich helicopter parents would make.
  • Hypocritical Humor: He's a Techno Wizard, although he doesn't like being called such, given his annoyed response when Mink calls him a maniac (which is a slang of sorts in Japanese for "geek").
  • I Just Want to Be Normal: Noiz's bad ending hints that he longed to feel pain so that he wouldn't be left out anymore.
  • Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite being an unpleasant guy for the majority of the game, he's shown to care a lot about Aoba and, to a lesser extent, his brother.
  • Knowledge Broker: Noiz makes a living off of sharing information, usually about Rhyme.
  • Lack of Empathy: First and foremost, Noiz is out for himself; he will only do something if it benefits him, and won't go out of his way to do anyone else a favor just because, even in grave situations. He also assumes that everyone else thinks this way too, hence his initial frustration with Aoba's unconditional kindness towards him. This problem stemmed from his inability to feel pain; since he couldn't feel the sensation of being hurt, he doesn't understand why others cry when they bruise or bleed.
  • Lonely Rich Kid: He came from a wealthy family, although his parents found him a nuisance and essentially abandoned him.
  • Major Injury Underreaction: As seen a few times in his route. He doesn't even notice that his hand was cut until Aoba pointed it out, and doesn't react to any other injuries he gets besides the usual apathy. Though due to his analgesia, this trope is justified.
  • Mirror Character: With Koujaku. While they're practically polar opposites, they both suffered a terrible childhood thanks in no small part to their father.
  • No Social Skills: Painfully justified. His inability to feel pain and a life of Parental Neglect meant Noiz grew up with no basic understanding of sympathy, empathy, or human interaction. When he made it to Midorijima, his social skills were only developed through Rhyme and people who were only interested in his body or money, so he developed a rather cold "give and take" attitude towards people and social relations. When Aoba likens him to a kid, he's not far off the mark; he really is like a kid learning how to interact nicely with people for the first time.
  • Not So Stoic: He shows confusion and surprise a few times during his route. One notable instance is when he and Aoba end up exchanging fists, where he outright yells at Aoba to shut up.
  • Now, Let Me Carry You: Noiz is so appreciative of all everything that Aoba did for him that he went back home, attempted to patch things up with his neglectful family, and took responsibility in his family's company— all to ensure a happy life for Aoba. The trope becomes literal when Noiz picks Aoba up and carries him out of Heibon, which is parallel to the way Aoba carried Noiz out of the collapsing Oval Tower.
  • Power Fist: Whenever he's fighting, Noiz dons a pair of studded knuckle dusters.
  • Red Oni, Blue Oni: The Blue to Koujaku's Red.
  • The Runaway: After spending a good time being locked up in his room by his parents, Noiz had enough of the isolation and escaped to Japan, where he eventually started playing Rhyme.
  • Sharp-Dressed Man: In his good ending, he swaps his standard outfit for a snappy business suit, showing that he definitely turned his life around.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: Among all of Aoba's love interests, Noiz is the one who has no connection to Toue whatsoever. It's even telling that it's only in his route where they never directly confront either Toue or any of his lackeys besides Akushima, and the latter is dealt with long before the duo infiltrate Oval Tower. However, the plot is partly jumpstarted because Noiz dragged Aoba into a Drive-By match, which caused Toue to notice Aoba's presence in the first place.
  • Sore Loser: It's because he lost to Aoba in Rhyme that he repeatedly hounds him for a rematch in the first place; though this is played with since while he felt frustrated from losing, he was more intrigued with the fact that he felt pained by the defeat rather than the defeat itself.
  • Stalker without a Crush: To Aoba initially, before falling in love with him. In the common route, not only does their first proper meeting happen after Noiz breaks into Aoba's house, but afterwards Noiz would also keep pestering Aoba at the latter work place and use his Allmate to spy on his private conversations, all in an attempt to convince him to have a Rhyme rematch with him.
  • The Stoic: Largely due to his inability to feel anything.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: There is a good guy under all the reserved cynicism; although the sugar is buried so deep beneath the ice that Aoba has to use Scrap to reach it.
  • Techno Wizard: Boy, can he hack. He hacks Aoba's computer to find out more about Ren; he tracks down where Tae is being held and plays the role of support when it comes to rescuing her; hacks the security system at Oval Tower in his route, wiping all trace of him and Aoba on the floor they were on; and in the true route he hacks himself, Koujaku, Clear and Mink into a locked Rhyme field to rescue Aoba and Ren.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Pizza and pasta. A bonus CD reveals that his other favorite food is pflaumengefüllte schweinelende mit s serviettenknödel note , hinting further at his German ancestry.
  • What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: It's up to Aoba to teach Noiz the Power of Love in the latter's route. Noiz reveals later that his parents found him troublesome and basically abandoned him. He was given necessities, but was completely ignored. Others distance themselves from him, and he has never experienced a relationship where the other person isn't using him for his wealth or body. To say Aoba's no-strings-attached care and worry for him confuses the hell out of him is putting it lightly.
  • When He Smiles: Aoba notices that Noiz almost looks like a different person when he finally smiles in the end.
  • Younger Than They Look: He's actually 19 years old, despite looking like he's in his twenties. Aoba is shocked.
  • Your Door Was Open: His first non-costumed scene in the game. Aoba is not impressed.

    Mink 

Voiced by: Ken'ichirou Matsuda note  (Japanese), Andrew Love (English)
Played by: Takanori Yamaki

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_mink_7.png
Birthday: September 26
Height: 189 cm
Blood Type: O
Click here  to see Mink as he appears in his good ending

A mysterious, stoic ex-con who is determined to take down Toue. He is also the leader of a Rib gang called "Scratch", a group of escaped convicts like himself. His AllMate takes the form of a pink cockatiel, although he never bothered to give it a name.
  • Anger Born of Worry: In re:connect, Mink chides Aoba for his carelessness when he spent a whole night looking for Mink then didn't even bother to light the fire when he returned home — which then resulted in him catching a cold.
  • Arranged Marriage: In his drama CD, Mink told Aoba that he was engaged to a girl in his tribe. Mink said she was a kind person, but neither of them were very close; although it was something that couldn't be helped as a tribe as small as theirs needed to continue the bloodline. But then Toue came....
  • Authority Equals Asskicking: He is the leader of Scratch, which is a group full of former prisoners. And said ex-convicts wouldn't dare speak against him or disobey any of his orders.
  • Badass Biker: He owns a motorbike, which he later uses in his route to crash into Oval Tower.
  • Badass Longcoat: Wears a tattered, gray with pink ombré coat that reaches his ankles. In his ending CG and throughout re:connect, he trades it for a cleaner black coat with a fur-lined collar. He puts it on Aoba's shoulders in the final CG of his re:connect route.
  • The Big Guy: Besides his status as the leader of Scratch and the fact that he's the love interest who packs the hardest hits, he's also the tallest character among the entire cast. Heck, he's even the tallest Nitro+CHiRAL love interest to date.
  • Break His Heart to Save Him: He tries to do this in re:connect, since while he knows why Aoba came to see him, he believes that there is nothing that could make up for what he had done to Aoba. Hence, he initially acted cold and dismissive towards Aoba in hopes of pushing him away until he finally leaves. It only takes Aoba getting sick for them to finally talk things out.
  • Brutal Honesty: He definitely doesn't sugarcoat anything, and in his route, he's quick to call Aoba out on what he considers to be a self-centered attitude with a guilt complex. He's nicer about things in re:connect; while he's still blunt and straightforward, his words are nowhere near as harsh in either tone or wording.
  • Chained by Fashion: Downplayed; Mink has shackles around his neck and wrists, though this trope is played in full in his Scrap sequence, where he's bound in chains from head to toe.
  • Death Seeker: Mink has no intention of surviving his confrontation with Toue. He was only hanging on long enough to avenge his family. This explains why he treats everyone, including Aoba, as tools; since he was planning to commit suicide, any emotional attachments were useless. Though he changes this outlook after Aoba uses Scrap on him.
  • Determinator: By the end of Mink's route, it becomes apparent to both Aoba and the player just how driven Mink was to see his mission through and avenge the death of his tribe. Case in point, Mink is the only love interest to outright reject Aoba's attempts to help him via Scrap.
  • Domestic Abuser: Zigzagged in the sense that the abuse happens before they properly get together. Throughout his route in the first game, Mink does next-to-nothing but abuse Aoba, physically or otherwise. To start off, it was because of him that Aoba was nearly gang-raped in the common route. He also rapes Aoba three times (Aoba is too intoxicated to properly consent the first time) during his route and beats the living crap out of Aoba whenever he protests. However, he is much more gentle and genuine with Aoba in re:connect. Their relationship develops into a much healthier one, as seen in the Summer Side Story and other post-re:connect material, and Mink never assaults or abuses Aoba again, and is even careful to not cause any distress for Aoba.
  • Dreadlock Warrior: One of Mink's distinct features is his dreadlocks, and among all of Aoba's love interests, he's the least hesitant in getting his hands dirty if that's what it takes to accomplish his goal. Not to mention, he's physically tough enough to take on rogue AllMates in a Rhyme field with his bare hands.
  • Easily Forgiven: Played with. In his route, Mink rapes and beats Aoba thrice, though the latter doesn't harbor any hatred towards him for what he did. Though in re:connect, Mink does show remorse for what he did to Aoba. While he does not exactly regret what happened, since doing so would only set him back in his goal, it doesn't mean he enjoyed doing what he did. Regardless, he's aware that his actions were horrible, hence he kept his distance from Aoba throughout almost his entire route. To add, Aoba is well aware of what Mink had done to him, but he chooses to not hold grudges over what happened.
  • Everyone Has Standards: He will do anything to attain his revenge, no matter how atrocious it may be. However, he also makes sure that nobody but Toue and him dies when it is all over.
  • Expository Hairstyle Change: Mink switches from the dreadlocks to a more natural, relaxed hairstyle in his good ending.
  • Eye Color Change: The final shot of Mink in his good end from the first game shows his once cold, dark blue eyes are now a much warmer and striking gold color. Aoba thinks they're very pretty. In re:connect, it's revealed that Mink was actually wearing a special pair of contacts that kept him from being affected by the mind-hypnotizing lights in Platinum Jail.
  • First-Name Basis: Averted. Almost everyone but Aoba has no given surname, but he never addresses anyone by their name, and assigns nicknames (of a sort) to them instead (e.g. 'Red' for Koujaku, 'Gas Mask' for Clear, 'Maniac' for Noiz). This becomes subverted in re:connect, when he calls Aoba by his name for the first time, and he slowly begins to play this straight in the drama CD.
  • Freudian Excuse: His entire clan was wiped out by Toue as they refused to give him their tribal secrets. Mink felt such deep despair over this, he focused on solely nothing but revenge on Toue, and committing suicide once he's done.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • The Valentine short story reveals that Mink loves to read, to the point that he needs to wear glasses whenever he does.
    • Given how he comes across in the first game, the player may be left surprised at the fact that Mink has very nimble hands and is very proficient with making handcrafted decorations.
  • Jerkass: To say he's not the nicest guy is a massive understatement, although he's undergone some Character Development by the time re:connect rolls around. The end of his route in the first game also reveals that he intentionally adopted a ruthless and unpleasant attitude to steel himself in his quest for revenge, and so that no one would mourn him when he dies.
  • Last Guy Wins: If he's the love interest, given that Mink is actually the last of the love interests to officially show up in the story proper (sans the time he nearly ran Aoba over).
  • Last of His Kind: He is the sole survivor of his clan, which was massacred by Toue.
  • Magical Native American: Mink and his (deliberately nonspecific) tribe have shades of this. Toue's interest in Mink's people stemmed from the belief that they possessed some form of natural, scent-based mind control, and Aoba's narration in his route repeatedly mentions that Mink smells pervasively and pleasantly of cinnamon. It's never confirmed or refuted in the games, but in Mink's drama CD, Mink spells out that they had no special powers, just some herbal medicines that were good for meditation. Toue only thought they were magical, and wiped Mink's people out trying to grasp something that never existed. Mink's unusual scent is never really explained, however, but Toue mentions though that one possibility for the smell might be the herbs they smoke and Mink is regularly seen smoking his pipe.
  • Mercy Kill: His decapitation of Aoba in his bad ending has this intention.
  • Mirror Character: With Koujaku. Their similarity doesn't stop at them being leaders of a Rib gang, there are also the facts that they both lost their families thanks to Toue (directly for Mink, and indirectly for Koujaku), and seek revenge against the ones responsible with the intention of committing suicide afterwards.
  • Non-Specifically Foreign: Mink's character design alone hints that he's not Japanese, which is revealed to be the case near the end of his route. While he's strongly hinted to be of indigenous origins, his exact nationality is never specified.
  • Not So Above It All: In re:connect, during an intimate moment with Aoba, he acts like a tease and asks Aoba what exactly did he do to make him so flustered, complete with a smirk on his face. Keep in mind that this is Mink we're talking about.
  • Off with His Head!: He decapitates Aoba in his bad ending, out of the twisted belief that doing so will keep Aoba's soul untainted and safe from a Fate Worse than Death.
  • Oh, Crap!: He's shocked and practically shaken when Aoba's alternate personality surfaces.
  • One Head Taller: Mink easily towers over Aoba's 175 cm (5'9") with his 189 cm (6'2").
  • Rape as Drama: He rapes Aoba three times in his route. Though by re:connect, he feels horrible about it and is surprised Aoba doesn't hate him for it.
  • Real Men Hate Sugar: In the radio drama, he states that he doesn't like sweets.
  • Real Men Wear Pink: Besides the color of his bandanna (which he discards at the end of his route) and his AllMate, he doesn't have any other item or clothing that's of the color pink. Even then, pink is his official Color Motif.
  • Redemption Rejection: A non-malicious example. In his route, when Aoba tries to save him using Scrap, Mink refuses him by directing his chains (which symbolize all his burdens) towards Aoba, because of his determination to die after killing Toue.
  • Religious Bruiser: Mink is capable of pummeling people until their faces cave in with his bare hands. Even then, he is revealed to be rather devout, with Aoba catching a glimpse of him praying to his people's gods.
  • Roaring Rampage of Revenge: He seeks to kill Toue, who murdered his entire clan.
  • Safe, Sane, and Consensual: While there's no BDSM involved in their relationship, when he and Aoba have sex in re:connect, he makes absolutely sure that he has Aoba's complete consent by being gentle and careful with his movements, repeatedly asking Aoba if he's alright or if he's certain about this, and even asks him halfway if he's feeling pleasure of his own free will and not to distract himself from the pain like last time.
  • Signature Scent: Aoba comments a few times on how Mink smells like cinnamon.
  • Smoking Is Cool: He's occasionally seen smoking his pipe, specifically a kiseru.
  • The Stoic: Simply put, Mink is not a man of many words, and while not emotionless, per se, he is very taciturn and doesn't show much change of expression. He does become a bit more expressive whenever Toue is concerned, and after he and Aoba reunite in re:connect.
  • Sugar-and-Ice Personality: Though Aoba has to struggle through a lot in his route before he gets to see the warmer side of Mink.
  • The Team Benefactor: Mink is the main reason why Aoba and the rest of the main cast can even begin to look for Tae and Morphine near the end of the common route.
  • Took a Level in Kindness:
    • Downplayed. Halfway through the first game, while Mink continues to act aloof towards Aoba, he no longer treats him violently and is more civil to him, and even apologizes for getting Aoba involved in his plans.
    • This is also the main element of his Character Development in re:connect, and all the more apparent in the drama CD. You wouldn't even believe that he was the same person the player saw in the first game. That being said, the trope is also played with— the drama CD reveals that Mink has always been a kind and gentle man, which goes to show just how determined he was to avenge his family with the way he acted in the first game, especially since he initially had no intentions on forming any attachments and living any longer once he killed Toue.
  • Tragic Keepsake: The pipe that he smokes often is revealed to be an artifact of his clan. In his route, after he completes his revenge, he places it in his family's graves.
  • Tranquil Fury: When it comes to Toue; though understandably so, however. Aoba notes that he can clearly notice when Mink is genuinely angry, but even then, Mink keeps his calm as best he can and reserves his anger through either his glares or the tone of his words.
  • The Unfettered: His defining trait. He is determined to take down Toue, and kill himself afterwards, and he is willing to do whatever it takes to get there even if he ends up harming someone else, although he does make sure to keep the overall damage to a minimum. He also refuses to budge from his goal, and it's notable that he is the only love interest whose mental burdens Aoba is not able to resolve using Scrap.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: If his route isn't taken, Aoba always notes that after Oval Tower's collapse, Mink disappears. And given what his end goal is revealed to be when the player takes his route, it is highly possible that Mink took his own life after Toue was defeated.

    Clear 

Voiced by: Masatomo Nakazawa note  (Japanese), Greg Ayres (English)
Played by: Yuki Yamagata

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_clear_19.png
Birthday: ???
Height: 180 cm
Blood Type: ???
Click here  to see Clear without his gas mask

A very strange young man that seemingly falls out of the sky. Clear constantly wears a gas mask for no apparent reason and insists on calling Aoba his 'master'. Strangely, he does not have an AllMate.
  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: Inverted. Clear was originally designed to subjugate the residents of Midorijima using his Magic Music by Toue. When he was declared defective, the researcher in charge of Clear's disposal took Clear, reprogrammed him and changed his serial number. This granted Clear free will, allowing him to develop his own good-natured personality and to choose his own master, Aoba.
  • Artificial Human: Clear is actually an android created by Toue. He, along with the Alphas, were created as part of Toue's scheme to brainwash and control the people of Midorijima. Clear was deemed defective, however, and was slated for disposal. Clear's "grandpa", who was the person in charge of disposal, found and adopted Clear as his own.
  • Attack! Attack! Attack!: After destroying his key lock, he beats down the Alphas mercilessly. According to Aoba, he completely foregoes defense.
  • The Baby of the Bunch: Given Clear was created only a few years before the story began, he's technically the youngest of all the main characters.
  • Back from the Dead: Though Clear shuts down due to damaging his key lock, Tae manages to repair him, essentially reviving him.
  • Beautiful All Along: Underneath his mask, he has an incredibly attractive face, to the point that Aoba occasionally zones out just looking at him.
  • Beware the Silly Ones: He manages to beat the crap out of the hypnotized Dry Juice members while shouting "Stop the violence!". He also manages to single-handedly take out a group of yakuza thugs in Platinum Jail.
  • Be Yourself: Invoked in Clear's good ending, where the player must not choose either option when using Scrap on Clear's mind, allowing him to choose for himself.
  • Came from the Sky: This is how Aoba and Clear first meet. Clear lands in front of Aoba, having seemingly fallen from the sky in front of Heibon, nearly giving Aoba a heart-attack. As it turns out, Clear has a bad habit of falling off of roofs.
  • Cloudcuckoolander: Clear is very odd, to say the least. Aoba has to tell him that umbrellas can be used when it is raining. He breaks into Aoba's house by cutting the lock off of the veranda door and doesn't see a problem with entering through odd places.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: He may act clueless and silly most of the time, but he can land a punch just as well as the others.
  • Determinator: Throughout his route, Clear goes through extreme physical trauma, including (but not limited to) acid being thrown on him, being viciously beaten, and feeling the pain of his mechanical body literally breaking from the inside out. And through all of this, the most he says about it is "I'm fine", and he often fights back in spite of it.
  • Disney Death: His body completely breaks down after the fight with the Alphas. Tae manages to repair him.
  • Don't Look At Me: He is absolutely terrified that Aoba will hate him if he sees Clear's face, since he was told that his face was unlike other people's. Aoba has to reassure him multiple times that he won't hate Clear no matter what he looks like before Clear takes his mask off.
  • Formal Characters Use Keigo: Clear speaks very politely and is the only main character to use "boku" when referring to himself.
  • Gas Mask, Longcoat: He constantly wears a gas mask for no apparent reason initially and sports a long white coat. It's also strongly implied that the coat belongs to his "grandfather".
  • Good Thing You Can Heal: Clear suffers more physical abuse than any other character. He falls off a roof at least once; gets beaten up by yakuza members; has sulfuric acid poured onto his (masked) face, which sets his hair on fire. He isn't permanently damaged from any of these events due to his regenerating abilities. It's only when he fights the Alphas that his self-healing properties break down.
  • Hammerspace: Clear's lab coat can hold many things in there, even an entire umbrella. Aoba even wonders if Clear is a magician.
  • Happily Adopted: His grandfather raised Clear until his death, and Clear's comments indicate that he loved him very much. Of course, since Clear is a robot, he wasn't actually related to his "grandfather", although this doesn't bother him in the slightest.
  • Hidden Depths: Who expected the Cloudcuckoolander to start asking philosophical questions?
  • Heroic Sacrifice: He stabs himself in the head to break Toue's control over him. Later, he breaks down completely after having sex with Aoba.
  • Insistent Terminology: He refuses to address Aoba as anything else but "Master", and in his route, even has an argument with Ren over what to properly call Aoba. If he's the love interest, he eventually calls Aoba by his name.
  • Let's Get Dangerous!: Starting from when a bunch of yakuza try to attack Aoba in front of him, he practically adopts this as a dogma.
  • Made of Iron: Almost literally. As a super-advanced Ridiculously Human Robot, Clear is made of some other kind of metal, but he's definitely durable. He falls/jumps off roofs at least twice, gets the crap beaten out of him by yakuza members and gets sulfuric acid poured onto his face, with no lasting damage done to Clear.
  • Magic Music: His "Jellyfish Song". It has a calming effect on Aoba and is used to counteract the Alphas' incapacitating songs in Oval Tower.
  • Manchild: Tying in with his Cloudcuckoolander nature, there are times when Clear acts rather childishly, like the way he would "sneak" into a building, or whine when Aoba scolds him for nearly beating someone to death. Although he's an android, therefore in terms of age he may not actually be any older than a child.
  • Mayfly–December Romance: The main topic of his route in re:connect, following his good ending. Both Aoba and Clear are painfully aware that Clear will live on much, much longer than Aoba. In the end, they both choose to make the most of the time they have together and not dwell on what will happen after Aoba dies.
  • Mirror Character: With Ren. Both of them are unfailingly loyal to Aoba and one sure way of incurring their wrath is harming him. They also harbor doubts regarding their origins and what they really are, and consequently desire to be more human.
  • Naked Apron: In his route, Clear attempts to cheer Aoba up by cooking dinner... whilst wearing nothing but an apron. And with his mask still on. Aoba is not pleased.
  • Nice Guy: He puts Aoba's needs above his own at every opportunity, and doesn't have a bad word to say about anyone or anything except perhaps Toue and the Alphas, but by then it's justified.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: After he takes off his gas mask, the further his story is uncovered, and the more serious he comes. And all the pity to you if you decide to mess with Aoba in any way while he's anywhere near.
  • Out with a Bang: Played with in that Clear was already dying near the end of his route, and asks Aoba to have sex with him before his body completely gives out, which happens after they've finished.
  • Ridiculously Human Robots: Clear and the Alphas. Clear can cry, eat, love and appears to have a fully functional set of sexual organs. You've gotta hand it to Toue; when they want to build an android, they do a great job of it.
  • Savvy Guy, Energetic Girl: A same-gender example regarding Aoba and Clear if the latter is the love interest; whereas Aoba is down-to-earth and level-headed, Clear is erratic and lively.
  • Single-Target Sexuality: His feelings towards Aoba fall under this. In re:connect, he shoots down even the slightest possibility of ever loving anyone but Aoba in his lifetime.
  • Super-Senses: Clear's hearing is highly advanced as he can hear even the tiniest of noises from a great distance. It's the first hint that he's not a real human and is more than what he seems.
  • Supreme Chef: He's really good at cooking. Clear owes this to his responsibility of looking after his grandfather. Some of the bonus drama CDs even have him show off his skills in baking pastries and cakes.
  • Terrible Artist: His self-made maps, while accurate, have to be seen to be believed.
  • There Was a Door: He breaks the lock on Aoba's veranda to get into his room. A little later, Aoba even tells him to come in through the door next time because breaking in through the window and falling from the sky are not normal methods of entry.
  • Together in Death: What the finality of his story will eventually end up being, as explored in his drama cd. In the end, Clear and Aoba decide that when the moment comes for one of them to die, the other will follow so that they can rest together.
  • Tragic Keepsake: His watch. It's not made obvious in the game, but the album art for his ending theme in re:connect shows that the watch is broken, which hints that it belonged to his late "grandfather".
  • Tranquil Fury: In his route, after some yakuza thugs made the mistake of harming Aoba, Clear is eerily calm when he confronts the leader and pummels his face in repeatedly while demanding that he apologizes for hitting Aoba.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: Clear says he likes Aoba's cooking.
  • Undying Loyalty: As Clear himself says, Aoba is his master. Even after he learns that Toue is his creator, he still chooses to be loyal to Aoba.
  • What Measure Is a Non-Human?: This is one of Clear's core conflicts. As an android, he wonders if he is ever truly human, and if anything he thinks and feels are real at all or just a fabrication of his programming.
  • White Hair, Black Heart: He was originally supposed to be this, but his "grandfather" fixed him up so he would function differently from his brothers. Although this trope is played completely straight in his bad ending, only to be tragically Played With in re:connect. The follow up shows that at least a part of Clear's original self/heart survived Toue's reprogramming, which makes it even worse, as his turmoil essentially makes him trapped in a Fate Worse than Death.
  • White Sheep: Among the Alphas; though to them, he's the Black Sheep, given that he deviated from his original programming.
  • Younger Than They Look: He was created a few years before the story began.

    Ren 

Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi note  (Japanese), David Wald (English)
Played by: Shogo Yamazaki

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_ren.png
Click here  to see Ren as he appears in Rhyme
Click here  to see Ren as he appears in his good ending

Aoba's cute dog AllMate with a very deep voice.
  • Apologizes a Lot: Ren tends to apologize often after becoming a human in his good ending. This usually has something to do with him not yet being accustomed to moving around in a human body.
  • Arm Cannon: In Rhyme, one of his attacks in Rhyme has him transform both his arms into a cannon that charges powerful energy blasts, powerful enough to be an in-universe Game-Breaker.
  • Become a Real Boy: In his route. After the Rhyme Incident, Ren started becoming an individual existence, different from Aoba. Fully completed, somehow, in his good ending, where Sei's body becomes his.
  • Beware the Quiet Ones: Despite being the most level-headed among the cast, he can still decimate you in Rhyme. Even when he becomes human, angering him is still a very bad idea.
  • Body Surf: A benevolent example. When Aoba found a damaged dog AllMate and repaired it, Ren transferred his own consciousness from Aoba's mind to that AllMate to be able to help keep Aoba in check better. This happens again in his good ending, where Sei transfers Ren's consciousness to his own body.
  • Canine Companion: As an AllMate, Ren is more of an Artificial Intelligence with the body of a dog, but he nevertheless counts for the trope since he is always by Aoba's side.
  • Cuteness Proximity: Several characters have lampshaded how adorable and fluffy Ren is, especially Clear. Even the other AllMates can't resist Ren's appeal, as both Beni and Pseudo Rabbit enjoy making themselves comfortable on his furry coat.
  • Despair Event Horizon: Ren crosses this in his bad ending, as he believes Aoba doesn't care for him.
  • Facial Markings: In his avatar form, Ren has tattoos on both sides of his face,.and also around his shoulders and arms.
  • Fashionable Asymmetry: After acquiring Sei's body in his good ending, Ren's attire in re:connect consists of a white undershirt that is sleeved only on one arm, with the other arm adorned with a wrist-warmer.
  • Hates Being Touched: A minor example. He doesn't mind people holding him or petting his fur, but he doesn't like it if they get too carried away.
  • I Am a Humanitarian: Ren becomes this in his bad ending due to corruption by a virus, along with being unable to resolve his inner turmoil, leading to him consequently losing all reason and he proceeds to devour Aoba while violating him over and over in an endless cycle.
  • If I Can't Have You…: In his bad ending. When Aoba fails on saving Ren with Scrap, Ren believes that Aoba will eventually leave him and find someone else, which Ren cannot stand for. He proceeds to eat and rape Aoba, though the latter is unable to die due to them being in his mind.
  • I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: In his route, Ren worries that he's inconveniencing Aoba due to harboring romantic feelings for him despite his role as his guardian/mediator, and contemplates erasing his own existence because of this since he prioritizes — or rather, wishes to prioritize — Aoba's happiness over his own.
  • Lightning Bruiser: Aoba didn't become a Rhyme champion just because of Scrap. Ren, despite being an old-model AllMate, is one of the stronger ones out there, being able to deliver devastating attacks and provide sufficient defense, even easily clearing a room full of rogue AllMates. He's even able to hold out against Usui, even if it's only for a while.
  • Mirror Character: With Clear. Both of them are unfailingly loyal to Aoba and one sure way of incurring their wrath is harming him. They also harbor doubts regarding their origins and what they really are, and consequently desire to be more human.
  • Mr. Fanservice: His Rhyme form, especially without the poncho, is very easy on the eyes.
  • My Instincts Are Showing: re:connect shows that Ren still occasionally struggles with moving around with a human body as he has been used to living as a dog for the longest time. This shows when he reflexively sniffs packages or holds them with his mouth instead of his hands.
  • Non-Human Sidekick: He's a robot-dog who accompanies Aoba throughout the game.
  • Not So Above It All: For a dog AllMate, Ren is not one to bark often; although he doesn't mind doing so to amuse Kou, one of Koujaku's teammates.
  • Not So Stoic: Played for Laughs. He's normally calm, passive, and rational even in the most dangerous situations, but even he's clearly disturbed by the attention Clara gives him, to the point that in re:connect, he immediately makes a run for it when Clara is about to sniff him out.
  • O.O.C. Is Serious Business: In the secret route, Aoba realizes that there's something really off about Ren when he suddenly starts refusing to participate in their usual good luck charm, suggests that Aoba tries out a new All Mate, and refuses to let Aoba inspect his condition while insisting that he's worthless.
  • Ridiculously Cute Critter: He's a Robot Dog and has a very cuddly and adorable appearance.
  • Self Cest: Since he's technically a Split Personality, sex between Ren and Aoba counts as this.
  • Single-Target Sexuality: When Ren regains his memories in his route, he comes to the realization that he is in love with Aoba, and it's highly doubtful that he would ever harbor affections for anyone else.
  • Split Personality: He started out as a part of Aoba's psyche. Ren was created to serve as a mediator between Aoba and his Superpowered Evil Side. However, he forgets this after Virus and Trip manipulate Aoba's memories, coming to believe that he was always an AllMate.
  • The Spock: His default role as Aoba's AllMate, and as a part of Aoba's Split Personality, to Desire. Ren was originally created as this, see above.
  • Undying Loyalty: As Aoba's AllMate, Ren will always do whatever he can to help Aoba and regards him warmly. Aoba returns the sentiment and sees Ren as family, and gets angered whenever others refer to Ren as a mere machine.
  • Vocal Dissonance: He sure has a deep voice for such a little dog. It matches his humanoid form perfectly, though.
  • Walking Shirtless Scene: In the latter parts of his route, he loses his poncho. As it turns out, he's not wearing a shirt underneath it.

    Mizuki 

Voiced by: Kenji Takahashi note  (Japanese), Adam Gibbs (English)
Played by: Naoya Iwaki

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/dmmd_mizuki_3.png
Birthday: March 7
Height: 181 cm
Blood Type: B
Click here  to see Mizuki after he joins Morphine

Aoba's old friend and leader of the Rib gang, Dry Juice. Mizuki runs a tattoo/bar called Black Needle.
  • Ambiguously Brown: It's what made him a target of bullying in school.
  • Ascended Extra: He gets his own route in re:code, with his sprite joining the rest of the guys on the main menu upon completion. His ending is also actually treated as an alternate true ending for re:code, alongside Ren's.
  • Berserk Button: Everything about Rhyme angers him, since it's part of the reason why Rib is slowly becoming obsolete.
  • Brainwashed and Crazy: Near the end of the common route, Mizuki gets captured by Morphine and is subjected to mind-controlling experiments that still left him functional, but definitely not sane.
  • Cool Big Bro: He becomes a kind of big brother figure to Clear in the latter's drama CD, following his good ending.
  • I Have Your Wife: A variation; after Mizuki gets his mind altered, Mizuki has Tae kidnapped to lure Aoba out, then threatens Tae's life in an attempt to get Aoba to join him in Morphine.
  • I Just Want to Have Friends: Part of his reason for joining Rib and forming Dry Juice was to satiate his loneliness and his desire to form a group that he can treat as a family.
  • Men Can't Keep House: In the radio drama, Clear finds a cluttered mess when he "visits" Mizuki's house.
  • Mind Rape:
    • Mizuki has his mind twisted by Morphine, after he and the rest of Dry Juice are captured by the group.
    • Shortly after the above example, Aoba also subjects Mizuki to this trope, albeit accidentally.
  • Not Good with Rejection: Although it could have only been exacerbated by the after-effects of his brainwashing, it's hinted nonetheless that Mizuki isn't as graceful about Aoba's refusal to join Rib as the latter believed.
  • Parental Abandonment: As a baby, he was abandoned by his birth parents in front of a hospital and was later adopted by a nice couple.
  • Sanity Slippage: The poor guy's mind breaks after Aoba accidentally uses Scrap incorrectly on Mizuki. He ends up spending the rest of the game in the hospital. Thankfully, re:connect shows that Mizuki was able to regain his sanity.
  • School Bullying Is Harmless: Averted big time. Mizuki was violently bullied at school because of his darker skin tone, which traumatized him greatly.
  • Stepford Smiler: Type A. Whenever he talks to Aoba, Mizuki is usually fairly cheerful. But deep down, he is actually hiding his worries about the growing popularity of Rhyme and the number of people leaving Dry Juice and Rib.
  • Throw the Dog a Bone: Not only he now has a route in re:code, his ending is implied to be an alternate true one of the whole series, filling all plot holes and answering every question that wasn't answered in Ren's path.
  • Trademark Favorite Food: He loves yellow peaches, even keeping cans of them in his house. Heck, he even mopes about it when Clear ate his yellow peaches in April Fool’s Drama.
  • Weasel Mascot: The anime reveals that his AllMate is a white ferret.

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