Characters / K - Main Characters

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The main protagonists. They meet and join forces as Shiro is pursued by HOMRA as the supposed Colorless King and Tatara's murderer. They have their differences at first, but they eventually bond and become close friends. They reside in Shiro's dorm at Ashinaka High School.

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General

• Animal Motifs:
  • The way Shiro holds his vivid pink parasol behind him may have been designed to evoke peacock imagery. This is mostly notable because as a symbol, the peacock connotes royalty, refinement, spirituality and holiness, immortality and incorruptibility, and enlightenment and awakening. The peacock's defining nature is achieving integrity and beauty when one discovers and shows who they really are. In western culture, the peacock also symbolizes the heavens and stars. The relevance is ridiculously self-explanatory in the context of his true identity.
  • The first kanji in Kuroh's name means "dog" and is nicknamed the Black Dog. His Undying Loyalty to his King is also evocative of a dog's fidelity.
  • Neko has the ability to make others see her as a cat and displays the mannerisms of a Cat Girl.
• Animal Theme Naming: The first kanji in Kuroh's name is "dog", Neko is Japanese for "cat" and Shiro's real name Adolf comes from the Germanic name Adalwolf, which means "noble wolf".
• Family of Choice: Since none of them have living blood relatives, they quickly come to think of their group as a little adoptive family. Shiro even refers to Kuroh and Neko as his family in Season 2.
• Fire-Forged Friends: Despite their initial differences, they become close friends after they have to cooperate and work together in the conflict of the clans and the murder mystery.
• Freudian Trio: Shiro is The Kirk as he's the center of the trio and fits in the middle of the stoic, level-headed Kuroh who plays The Spock and the emotional, impulsive Neko who plays The McCoy.
• Intergenerational Friendship: Despite not looking like it, Shiro is mentally in his nineties and he becomes close friends with Kuroh and Neko, who are actual teenagers.
• Mayfly–December Friendship: Shiro is the immortal Silver King, but he can't share his immortality with his clansmen, Kurou and Neko. However, at the end of the second season the Slate is destroyed, meaning Shiro is no longer immortal and now can live out a normal lifespan with Kuroh and Neko.
• True Companions: Once they bond, they become as close as a family.
• Underestimating Badassery: Played with. Compared to anyone from HOMRA or SCEPTER 4, they're seen as easier to deal with. However, this turns out to be a mistake; though they don't look like much, they can easily outwit or curbstomp anyone who isn't a King.

Yashiro "Shiro" Isana

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Sam Riegel (English)

"I keep telling you, I don't know what all of this is about! I'm just an ordinary high school student!"

An Ordinary High-School Student who suddenly finds himself getting chased by several factions, all thirsting for his blood. He later realizes that he's appeared in this strange video of him murdering someone while evilly proclaiming himself as the "Colorless King" (which had been kindly broadcast through the entire city), even though he doesn't remember doing such a thing.

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• Ambiguously Bi: He blushes when the handsome Kuroh pulls him into his arms and even teasingly called him his wife. He also blushes at Neko when he sees her naked human body for the first time. Throughout the series, Shiro shares affectionate moments with Kuroh and Neko, and some of their interactions are borderline romantic.
• Backstory Invader: He was placed in the school with everyone else given fake memories. Even he remembers having been there all along. By the time of The Reveal half way through the first season, everyone who was made to remember him has forgotten him, which is what leads him to realize his memories had been tampered with. Everyone in the school not only remembered him, they loved him enough to eagerly share their food with him every day.
• Blatant Lies: His attempts to provide an alibi are pretty believable... unless you talk to anyone who knows him.
• Bystander Syndrome: After the death of his sister, he decided to completely detach himself from the world and never get involved with people's affairs. In the manga, he told the Colorless King that even though he saw how he killed Tatara, he wouldn't do anything about it.
• Consummate Liar: He's a pretty damn good liar. During his first meeting with Kuroh, he makes up a convincing story about having a sickly sister to trick Kuroh who is completely fooled.
• Eating Lunch Alone: By choice rather than isolation. Shiro is actually quite popular with other students who willingly share some of their lunch with him, but Shiro isn't particularly close to any of them and is happy eating lunch alone on the school roof with only a cat for company.
• Fake Memories: Shiro says every time he tries to remember something, the details wouldn't match up. Neko is later revealed to have been forging his memories with her powers.
• First-Name Basis: Shiro starts calling Kuroh by his first name by the end of Episode 3, as they seem to have made an alliance.
• The Gadfly: He likes to tease others, especially Kuroh.
• Go Through Me: When he stands in front of Neko as Kuroh is preparing to cut them both down in Episode 4. His simple act of doing so, however, is enough for Kuroh to hesitate and then back down.
• Guile Hero: He's able to think quickly enough to invent a story about his (non-existent) sick little sister on the fly to escape from Kuroh, as well as to set two people who were after his blood, who didn't trust each other, against each other with a careful choice of words. He is also very charismatic and popular, and in Episodes 7 and 8 it is clearly shown just how manipulative he can be when the need arises, to the extent of even tricking Munakata twice.
• Hair-Contrast Duo: He's playful, innocent-looking and shrewd in contrast to the serious and uptight Kuroh. No wonder their hair colors contrast.
• Holding Hands: Once with Kuroh during the first season, most likely for support as he attempted to make contact with anyone who would know him. This gets more frequent in the supplementary official art.
• I Am Who?: He is certainly not who he thinks he is. Everyone believes him to be the next (technically the current) Colorless King. He is in fact an amnesiac Adolf K. Weismann, the Silver King, in the body of a 17-year-old high school student instead of his normal one, due to an attempted possession by the actual Colorless King.
• Iconic Item: He frequently carries a red Japanese parasol.
• I Lied: He gives Kuroh a note where he says the exact line about his "little sister", before making a hasty escape.
• In-Series Nickname: "Shiro".
• Keet: He is cheerful, playful and carefree.
• Kindhearted Cat Lover: He eats lunch with Neko in her cat form and usually keeps her perched on his arm, even when running errands outside campus.
• Leitmotif: "Shiro #1" and "Shiro #2", both calm songs with similar tunes. They are also remixes of the K Main Theme. And then also "Shiro #3", which is noticeably darker than the first two.
• Line-of-Sight Name: In a few seconds of just glancing around at his environment, Shiro spins out a yarn about having an ill younger sister who he needs to write a letter to, and quickly does it again when he needs to think up a name for her and spots a nearby flier.
• Loveable Rogue: Trickster he might be, but he cares for his friends and the world.
• Luminescent Blush: Blushed twice so far when getting close to Kuroh, and once when he was utterly embarrassed at seeing Neko appear naked.
• Meaningful Name:
  • The kanji for "Yashiro" itself means a firm or an office, which isn't really meaningful, but his nickname "Shiro" can be written as "white". The term used for "Silver King" in Japanese, "Hakugin no Ou", also has the character for "white" in it (the "haku" part, while "gin" means "silver"). Weismann also has "white" in it.
  • The name "Isana" comes from the Shinto deity Izanagi, who was credited with the creation of many other Shinto deities. Shiro is the Silver King, whom Munakata referred to as the king of origins due to him being responsible for the birth of other Kings.
• Mistaken for Murderer: A guy who looks exactly like him is seen murdering a member of HOMRA. Shiro insists it's not him and that he knows nothing about it. He's later proven right in Episode 11. The real killer is revealed to be the Colorless King who was controlling Shiro's body at the time.
• Mystical White Hair: His white hair goes hand in hand with a mysterious, mystic nature and background.
• Nerves of Steel: Even while being chased by people out for his blood, he does not completely lose his cool and manages to smoothly lie his way out.
• Nice Guy: Even while being chased by a guy after his blood, Shiro stops to help a girl whose oranges got knocked over by Neko.
• Non-Action Guy: He's not a fighter. Every time people pursue him, he either runs away or uses some trick to escape. Kuroh is the one doing the fighting for their team.
• Non-Uniform Uniform: He wears the prescribed Ashinaka High School uniform, but ties his red tie into a ribbon instead. He also rolls up his pant legs just enough to free up his ankles.
• Ordinary High-School Student: He's a boy with no powers, fighting skills or understanding of the clans is swept up in their fight. It's actually double-subverted; his true identity is the Silver King, but the body he's possessing really did belong to an ordinary high school student, Tooru Hieda, who had the misfortune of getting body-jacked by first the Colorless King and then the Silver King.
• Parasol of Prettiness: A rare male example. He goes around with his rather feminine parasol. Word of God states that it represents Shiro's desire to protect those around him.
• Pinball Protagonist: From his perspective, he's a normal guy who got dragged into the conflict of the Kings and their clans because the Colorless King framed him. Therefore, he's merely trying to uncover the truth to prove his innocence. This changes after he remembers his true identity as the Silver King and by of time of his return in season 2, he's a much more proactive protagonist who leads a clans alliance against JUNGLE.
• Please Kill Me if It Satisfies You:
  • He pulls this on Kuroh intentionally in Episode 2, so that the latter may feel bad and stop trying to kill him. It doesn't work.
  • In Episode 6, he again offers Kuroh the chance to kill him, for real this time, after realizing his entire life is a lie and he no longer knows if he committed the murder or not.
• Puppy-Dog Eyes: He tried them on Kuroh. They didn't work.
• Quivering Eyes:
  • The silly things that Shiro makes up when Kuroh is trying to kill him sound as if he doesn't care very much, but his shaking eyes clearly show that he's frightened.
  • In Episode 4, when he opened the door of his closet to find a bloodied shirt from the night when Tatara was murdered.
• Ret-Gone: When HOMRA and SCEPTER 4 investigate Ashinaka High for clues on Shiro, they found no trace of his existence — Saruhiko searched the school records for him and nothing turned up, and Misaki questioned Shiro's friend Kukuri about him and she genuinely did not know who he was. Every aspect of his current identity was in fact made up and projected by Neko onto the rest of the students, which is why there are no records of a "Yashiro Isana" at all. In Season 2, Nagare reveals that this is because JUNGLE erased Tooru Hieda's existence so that he would not be found. He reveals his name once Shiro leaves his body and he wakes up.
• Self-Proclaimed Love Interest: At one point, Shiro calls Kuroh his wife for making his lunch, for which Kuroh threats to cut off his tongue.
• The Smart Guy: He's remarkably intelligent as a scientist as mentioned above, and able to think quickly on his feet, even when under pressure.
• Sparkling Stream of Tears: When he's escaping from the HOMRA thugs, his carefree behavior makes him seem pretty chill about it all, but he's clearly scared as seen from this.
• Supernatural Gold Eyes: It is unclear what he is, or if he possesses any powers, but the fact that he's hinted to be the Colorless King is a sign. Later, he turns out to be the Silver King.
• Tearful Smile: When he asks Kuroh if he wants to kill him now after they both find out Shiro is not who he seems to be.
• Tomato in the Mirror: He claims he's just an ordinary person who came from a happy family and is living away from them to attend a high school, but he soon finds out that the house he thought he lived in doesn't even exist. The truth is his memories as "Yashiro Isana" are all fabricated by Neko and his true identity is the Silver King who got amnesia after his body was stolen by the Colorless King.
• The Trickster: He tricks are the only ways he can escape all the people trying to capture or kill him, as he's not much of a fighter. He lies his way out well enough.
• Unfazed Everyman: Despite seeing people use magical powers while either attacking or helping him, Shiro just takes it all in stride. Subverted when it's revealed that as the Silver King, he is anything but normal, though one might argue that he was very much an everyman before he regained his memories.
• The Watson: He has no idea what is going on, and has to ask Kuroh some questions about the kings and clans to find out why there are people are after him.

Adolf K. Weismann (Unmarked Spoilers)

^{Click here to see his real body (past)} 

^{Click here to see his real body (present)} 

Voiced by: Daisuke Namikawa (Japanese), Sam Riegel (English) — [in Tooru Hieda's body]

Voiced by: Tetsuya Kakihara (Japanese), Lucien Dodge (English) — [in his original body]

The First and Silver King, as well as the true identity of Yashiro Isana. When the Colorless King possessed his body, Adolf's mind ended up in the body the Colorless King was previously possessing. The Colorless King pushed him off his airship and Adolf crash-landed on Ashinaka High School where he assumed the identity of Yashiro Isana with the help of Neko's memory controlling powers.

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• Amnesia Danger: Remembering that his true identity was the Silver King all along might have helped him a lot in earlier episodes when he had no idea why people were out to kill or capture him. Kuroh, in particular, could have been convinced sooner of his innocence.
• Amnesiac Hero: He does not remember who he is or what his involvement in Tatara's murder may be. All his memories from the moment he came to school were fabricated with Neko's powers. He finally recovers his memories in Episode 11.
• Amnesiacs are Innocent: Even when he first arrived in the school without any memories, he was still friendly to Neko which caused her to warm up to him immediately.
• Angsty Surviving Twin: The loss of his elder twin sister is what broke him for many years.
• Authority Equals Asskicking: Despite being the First King, he's definitely not a fighter. Nevertheless, he effortlessly halts the pitched battle between Reisi and Mikoto, both of whom are powerful Kings and fighters.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: His outfits as a King give him a very polished and cultured appearance, and while he himself is not a fighter on the front lines, he does play a supportive role as a skillful strategist and tactician, who can stonewall any opponent short of a King empowered by the Slates.
• Beware the Nice Ones: He's definitely the nicest of guys, but the two enemies who have crossed him ended up dead.
• Big Good: In Return of Kings, he leads the alliance of his clan, HOMRA, and SCEPTER 4 as they're working together to defeat JUNGLE.
• Body Surf: He has moved from his body into that of a 17 year old youth, Tooru Hieda, lost his memories, and constructed a persona as Shiro. He still seems to be himself, even without his memories.
• Bystander Syndrome: After the death of his sister, he decided to completely detach himself from the world and never get involved with people's affairs. In the manga, he told the Colorless King that even though he saw how he killed Tatara, he wouldn't do anything about it.
• Celibate Hero: He lives up to his nineties without ever really having any love interests because he had isolated himself from the rest of the world.
• Combo Platter Powers: As the First King, he displays immortality, control of gravity within his sanctum, and the ability to alter other people's biological makeup. If he uses the latter power to synchronize other people's biology to his own, he can lend them a similar influence over gravity. He also seems to have actual psychic capabilities, being able to easily outmaneuver and trap a Body Surfer who does use psychic powers ^note In this case, he doesn't seem to have telepathy and requires someone else to initiate the psychic conflict.
• Complete Immortality: His power as the Silver King grants him absolute immortality. Shiro doesn't age, cannot die from any natural causes nor be killed even if his body is completely destroyed. He loses his immortality when the Slate that gave him his powers is destroyed.
• Curtains Match the Windows: His original body has silver hair and eyes.
• Dynamic Entry: In Season 2, he falls from the sky and crashes into the land just in time to save Kuroh and Neko from Yukari. And this is a very deliberate choice with him lampshading how this time he's coming down out of the sky by choice.
• Excessive Mourning: His older sister's death drove him to isolate himself for over sixty years as a result of his bereavement. He avoided getting involved in matters of the outside world and didn't start his own clan until he bonded with Kuroh and Neko.
• The Gadfly: In the novel, while researching the Dresden Slate, Adolf's first intro to Daikaku involves him pranking him repeatedly, just to see his surprised face. He also continued to prank him until Daikaku teamed up with Claudia to get back at him.
• Gentleman and a Scholar: He's highly intellectual as he was a scientist studying the Slates as a teenager, and is extremely polite and courteous to enemies and allies alike.
• Good Wears White: In Return of Kings, he dons a white suit to represent his new role as the Big Good.
• Gratuitous German: The moment he recalls his memories as Adolf K. Weismann, he starts speaking in German for a while, and then continues to pepper his speech with German words in the following episodes.
• Gravity Master: He has the power to control gravity, and can momentarily synchronize the biological wavelength of other people with his own, enabling them to access his sanctum's manipulation of gravity as well.
• Heroic Sacrifice: He pulls off one in order to let Mikoto destroy the Colorless King in his own body instead of Kukuri's. As he's the Silver King, it doesn't last.
• Hot Teacher: At the end of the series, Shiro returns to his original body and becomes a teacher at Ashinaka High School. He gains a reputation among the students for being a handsome German man.
• Identity Amnesia: He initially does not remember who he is or where he came from, and what he could recall are actually a result of Neko's fabrications. However, he regains his identity in Episode 11 after getting stabbed by the Colorless King and finally remembers he is Adolf K. Weismann.
• Idle Rich: He spent a very long time sipping expensive wine on an expensive blimp, all the while not doing much to influence the world, despite having the power to do so.
• Improbable Age: He was co-head of the Dresden Slate project as a teenager.
• It's Raining Men:
  • He fell from a great height off an airborne zeppelin, and still landed unharmed in a high school despite crashing right through the ceiling of the building.
  • He does this again in the second season, but this time it's intentional.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: He can't remember anything beyond waking up in the school after crashing through the roof, and then meeting Neko and Kukuri for the first time. However, after Neko uses her powers to help him recover his memory further, he soon recalls clinging to the edge of an airship and then getting kicked off it by a silver-haired man. In Episode 11 though, he finally remembers everything.
• Leitmotif: Adolf K. Weismann, a rather dramatically sinister song. Though this song is more often used as a Leitmotif for the evil Colorless King, though, than the innocent Silver King Adolf.
• Light Is Good: He has white hair, wears a white suit in the second season, and his true identity is the Silver King. Eventually, he grows into the Big Good in the anime.
• Line-of-Sight Name: In Episode 7, it's revealed that his alias "Yashiro Isana" came from a poster he saw on a wall of the school the very first night he arrived there.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: His original body is a beautiful man with hair past his knees. It was shorter in the flashback, and when he returns to that body in the end of the second season.
• Mysterious Middle Initial: We don't know what the "K" in his real name stands for.
• Mystical White Hair: He's the Silver King, a powerful figure some believed to be just a myth. It's only fitting his hair is silver like his title.
• Never Found the Body: After Shiro lets Mikoto kill him, which obliterates the entire island, Neko and Kuroh find Shiro's parasol but not his body. Neko clings to the belief that as a King, he might have been powerful enough to survive the blast. Kuroh, recalling that Shiro's power as the First King was explicitly immortality, comes to agree. The Movie confirms Shiro is still alive, but in hiding.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: As a result of his powers as the Silver King, which explicitly protect him against external influences of all kinds — this is the cause of both his immortality and his being completely fine after a number of extremely dangerous and/or lethal incidents with nary a scratch on him. Mikoto did manage to punch a hole through him at the end of the first season, with the implication that Mikoto made him explode — and yet he's revealed to be completely fine in the movie. Daikoku's words imply that he regenerated From a Single Cell.
• Nice Guy: Even while being chased by a guy after his blood, Shiro stops to help a girl whose oranges got knocked over by Neko.
• Non-Action Guy: As a King, he could theoretically fight and do a Curb-Stomp Battle on most opponents (as hinted when he's able to deflect the Grey King's bullets with barely any effort), but he seems to prefer focusing solely on defense.
• Odd Name, Normal Nickname: Even after his memories return, he prefers others to keep calling him by his Japanese alias "Yashiro/Shiro" instead of his German real name, Adolf, because everyone else in the cast is Japanese.
• Older Than He Looks: He's around ninety years old, but his real body hasn't aged since he was in his early twenties.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: "Yashiro Isana" is just a made up name for his amnesiac self. His real name is Adolf K. Weismann, but even after recovering his memory, he still prefers to be called by his alias.
• Person of Mass Destruction: The last Damocles Down killed over 700,000 people and had a blast radius reaching 100 km. As the First King, he has the highest defense and life force of all the Kings which also enables him to have the highest offense. He is the only King who can actually force a Damocles down on their own and walk away from it alive, whereas any other King who attempts to do so would certainly be killed, as well as hundreds of thousands or possibly a million if the population density is high enough. He could in fact act as an immortal suicide bomber if he made the effort to do so.
• Power Floats: The Silver Sanctum he can manifest enables him and his clansmen to casually defy gravity.
• Power Glows: Shiro starts emitting a silvery glow whenever he uses his powers as the Silver King.
• Relatively Flimsy Excuse: At the end of Season 2, he has become a teacher at Ashinaka High School using the cover story of being a relative of Neko, who has officially become a student.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: In his original body and in the second season, though not when he believes himself to be an ordinary high school student.
• Soulless Shell: After Colorless King changes bodies again, Shiro's original body is technically still alive, but in a comatose state due to his soul being in another body.
• The Strategist: His primary role in his clan is coming up with the combat strategies, while Kuroh does the actual fighting.
• Strong and Skilled: Not only is his power level ranked at A+ according to official materials, the highest power ranking in the story setting (and a level only shared by fellow kings Kokujouji and Hisui), his experience as the lead researcher of the Dresden Slate allows him to use his powers in a number of creative ways, including temporarily converting another clan's member into his own, controlling and amplifying Neko's cognitive manipulation powers, and even forcing a Damocles Down by raising his Weismann levels on demand. Kokujouji is the most powerful king in terms of raw strength, but Shiro remains unrivaled in terms of technical knowledge.
• Super-Toughness: He freefalls hundreds of feet onto concrete without any ill effects thanks to his immortality.
• Taking You with Me: In the final episode he traps the Colorless King's soul inside his body and manages to reach Mikoto in time, who he then urgently asks to kill him before the Colorless King can free himself. Mikoto happily obliges by punching a hole right through Shiro's chest, thus killing them simultaneously by destroying the body they were in. Shiro, being immortal, recovers.
• Teen Genius: As a teenager, he was a head researcher over the Slate and managed to unlock its secrets.
• Uncle Pennybags: He's referred to as an "international magnate" in the anime and a "wealthy foreigner" in the manga.
• Wealthy Yacht Owner: Sort of — the Himmelreich, and later the Schattenreich, are both blimps, but they are luxuriously made into sky yachts for the Silver King who rarely sets foot on the ground.
• Who Wants to Live Forever?: A short story released in K - beautiful pieces - depicts Shiro an unspecified amount of years after the series. Having outlived both Kuroh and Neko, Shiro now spends most of his time either dwelling on his past memories or wallowing in the despair of not being able to die. Thankfully, it turns out to be All Just a Dream.
• Wine Is Classy: He has a glass of wine in his hand in the flashback in the beginning of Episode 12, which goes with his sophisticated attire and surroundings to produce this effect.

Kuroh "Kuro" Yatogami

Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (Japanese), Matthew Mercer (English)

"In compliance with my late master's dying wish, I will slay the evil king!"

A stoic young man, vassal of the former 7th King, Ichigen Miwa. His goal is to complete his master's dying wish and defeat the "evil" King. Believing Yashiro to be said King, he saves him from the members of HOMRA to kill him himself. But after Shiro convinces him to be sure he's the evil king, his stance changes and his loyalty starts to focus on Shiro...

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• Ambiguously Bi: He blushes when he first sees Neko naked, and after he begins to trust Shiro the two share some borderline romantic moments. Despite their short time together he becomes extremely loyal to Shiro and dedicates himself to finding him after the first season.
• And Then What?: His spin-off manga shows Kuroh had no idea of what to do with his life after fulfilling Ichigen's final request to slay the evil Colorless King. Meeting Shiro and pledging his loyalty to him as his clansman gives Kuroh a new purpose in life.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: He always wears an elegant suit and tie in battle.
• Badass Longcoat: He wears a cool black longcoat.
• Cain and Abel: He is now enemies with his former senior and older brother figure Mishakuji Yukari. They seem to reach an agreement in the second season finale.
• Cassette Craze: The voice recorder he carries around has been used to record practically everything philosophical his former master once said to him. It even gets lampshaded by Shiro when he first finds about it:
  Shiro: Creepy!
• Catchphrase: Lampshaded by Shiro in the Drama CD.
  Kuroh: I am the vassal of the former seventh King, Ichigen Miwa - Kuroh Yatogami.
  Shiro: You know, you're saying it so many times... It's kind of sounding like your catchphrase.
• Chef of Iron: A deadly swordsman, as well as an excellent cook. He even carries around a briefcase with all of his culinary tools.
• Combat Tentacles: Kuroh's power appears to be greatly extendable "limbs" of telekinetic force, bearing a slight resemblance to a Diclonus's "vectors" from Elfen Lied.
• Come with Me If You Want to Live: He says this to Shiro when HOMRA is after him. Although he only saves Shiro from the HOMRA clansmen attacking him, so he can kill Shiro himself afterward.
• The Comically Serious: He takes everything far too seriously, even during the silly moments.
• Crazy-Prepared: He even learned how to fly a helicopter. In his own manga, it's hinted that his master trained him to learn all sorts of things at a young age despite living in the mountains for most of his life.
• Curbstomp Battle: Unless he's fighting Yukari or any of the Kings, any other Clansman who fights him is immediately given a beatdown.
• Dark and Troubled Past: He lived in a happy family until his parents died when he was 5, then was handed over to some relatives' house, before they also died from a fire. Nobody else would take him after that, and he was taken in by some really distant relative who was an alcoholic and gambler, who abused Kuroh and wouldn't even let him go to school. Eventually that person also disappeared somewhere, and Kuroh realized he'd been finally abandoned. He left the house and wandered around until he almost died in the snowy mountains before Ichigen found him.
• Defrosting Ice King: He goes from cold and aloof swordsman trying to kill Shiro to his close and loyal friend and clansman.
• Distracted by the Sexy: A naked Neko flusters him to the point he can't keep focus.
• Even the Guys Want Him: Shiro blushes a lot around him, and even jokingly calls Kuroh his wife.
• Flashback Echo: When Shiro moves in front of Neko as she is trying to defend him from Kuroh, Kuroh flashes back to his childhood when Ichigen Miwa protected him while he was trying to defend his master. It causes him to hesitate in his strike and give Shiro a second second chance.
• Full-Name Basis: He calls Shiro by his full name at first, as a sign of his mistrust towards him. However, by the end of Episode 6, he's begun calling him Shiro instead.
• Fundoshi: He wears one in the beginning of his manga, Stray Dog Story. Considering his traditional theme, it's possible this is his usual underwear.
• Hair-Contrast Duo: Black to Shiro's white.
• Happily Adopted: By Ichigen Miwa, after being cast out by his birth family.
• Hitman with a Heart: He's on a mission to kill the evil Colorless King, but he's not a heartless assassin, as seen when he's willing to do Shiro a last favor for the sake of his "ill little sister" and later, he's willing to make Shiro a nice last meal. After Shiro is able to reason with him, Kuroh decides to give Shiro the chance to prove his innocence before killing him.
• Holding Hands: Once with Shiro in the first season, but much more often in supplementary official art.
• In-Series Nickname: "Kuro" (in katakana) by Shiro, and "Kurosuke" by Neko.
• I Will Find You: From the end of the first season and throughout the movie his main goal is finding Shiro.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He gives the impression of being cold and somewhat short-tempered, mainly due to trying to kill Shiro when they first meet. Once Shiro can reason with him, Kuroh reveals he's a very kindhearted and compassionate person who is unquestionably loyal to those he cares about.
• The Jinx: He was treated as this when he was young. His parents died in a car accident when he was 5, he himself spent over 2 weeks in the hospital for rehabilitation. He was eventually handed over to his aunt and uncle, whose house burnt down soon thereafter, leaving him alone again. All his other relatives would not take him in because they believe that he was a source of misfortune.
• Katanas Are Just Better: He prefers katanas over other swords or firearms, as they symbolize his status and attitude as a samurai.
• The Knights Who Say "Squee!": He worships his former master, complete with Luminescent Blush and acting like a fangirl.
• The Lancer: He's there to back up Shiro at all times, but contrasts heavily with him in personality and outlook.
• Leitmotif: Yatogami Kuroh.
• Long-Haired Pretty Boy: He looks really good with that upper back length black hair.
• Longing Look: He gives one to the image of Shiro in Anna's marble at the end of the movie.
• Master Swordsman: Though he doesn't use it much in the first season, Kuroh is very good with it, only beaten by Ichigen and Yukari, though he surpasses Yukari in the end.
• Meaningful Name: The first kanji in his name means "dog", and the pronunciation "Kuro" alone means "black". This possibly contributes to his title as the Black Dog.
• My Master, Right or Wrong: When we first meet him, Kuroh is very willing to kill Shiro for a murder he may or may not have done without hesitation just because of his previous master's request that he kill the next Colorless King if he turns out to be evil.
• Not So Stoic:
  • He gushes madly about Ichigen Miwa, complete with Bishie Sparkle and Luminescent Blush.
  • When Shiro comes back in Return of Kings, Kuroh tries (and fails) to hide the fact that he's about to cry.
• Older Than He Looks: Downplayed. He seems to be around the same as Neko and Shiro (16/17) but he's 18/19 at his first appearance and 20 by the second season.
• Old-School Chivalry: Of the samurai code variety
• Real Men Wear Pink: He cooks, like, really well. In a pink apron. He also carries a sewing kit with him. He also can beat anyone except a King in battle.
• Samurai: He wields a katana, is incredibly loyal to his master and follows a code of honour where he judges people by their actions, rather than their personality or looks.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: Always well-dressed despite the occasion.
• The Stoic: Calm, collected and composed at all times, especially in battle.
• Student–Master Team: Apparently with Ichigen in the past, as seen in a flashback.
• Sugar-and-Ice Personality: He looks distant and cold, but is actually very loyal and kind to those whom he deems worthy of his respect and trust, like Ichigen Miwa and Kukuri. Later he becomes a close and caring friend to Shiro and Neko.
• Supreme Chef: Shiro and Neko can testify how good Kuroh's cooking is.
• Tall, Dark, and Handsome: A tall young man with long black hair and incredibly pretty looks.
• Team Chef: He is the one who cooks for his eventual friends Shiro and Neko.
• Tsurime Eyes: His eyes are narrow and sharp like his blade and unwavering conviction.
• Undying Loyalty: His loyalty to Ichigen Miwa knows no bounds. Also to Shiro/Adolf, after becoming his clansman.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: His relationship with Neko starts as hostile because Kuroh's intent to kill Shiro if the latter turns out to be the Colorless King. Eventually, as they come to trust each other, she comes to like teasing him for fun and while Kuroh still finds her annoying at times, they act Like Brother and Sister.
• Walking the Earth: The Stray Dog Story manga pretty much have him doing this in his search for the new Colorless King.

• Willfully Weak: Oddly, he does this in his battle with Reisi since he only tries attacking the king like a normal fighter, which naturally doesn't end well for him.
• The Worf Effect:
  • After beating Misaki twice without breaking a sweat, he gets totally owned by Reisi in Episode 7 and Mikoto casually throws him aside in Episode 11 without a glance, and easily shrugs off all his attacks. This is justified considering that they are Kings, and Episode 12 prove this as he proceeds to curb-stomp many HOMRA and SCEPTER 4 fighters.
  • Reisi and Mikoto's fights are interesting cases, as Kuroh is aware that they could wipe him off the face of the earth and is clearly afraid of them for that. As a result, he strikes a balance between fighting too weakly to provoke them, but just well enough to warrant getting his ass kicked and thereby serve as a delay.
• Would Hit a Girl:
  • He was prepared to run through Neko for protecting Shiro, and fights against Seri without holding back.
  • In Episode 11, he also doesn't hesitate to pin down a possessed Kukuri after she attempted to stab Shiro.
• Would Hurt a Child: He doesn't hesitate to fight Sukuna to defend Shiro, though this is justified since Sukuna is a dangerous enemy.

Neko

^{Click here to see her cat form} 

Voiced by: Mikako Komatsu (Japanese), Stephanie Sheh (English)

"Neko is Shiro's cat and Shiro is Neko's Shiro!"

A mysterious girl who appears before Shiro one day, claiming to have transformed from his cat.

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• Action Girl:
  • In her first real appearance, she managed to Curb Stomp Kuroh with her powers.
  • In the movie, she manages to fight off several guards from the Green Clan by herself.
  • In the second season finale, she manages to once again deal with JUNGLE members without any trouble.
• Animorphism: A variation. People see her as a tiny kitten until she changes into a human, giving the impression that she transforms. However, she doesn't actually shapeshift into a cat; she uses her powers to manipulate human senses so those around her perceive her as a cat.
• Badass Adorable: She's a cute girl who can make others see her as an adorable kitten. But don't underestimate her because her power to mess with human senses makes her a very troublesome opponent to deal with.
• Barbie Doll Anatomy: Neko walks around buck-naked, yet you won't be seeing any more than you would when looking at a barbie doll.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Throughout her harsh life as a stray cat, Shiro was the only one who did as much as to smile at her and pet her. She became greatly attached to him as a result.
• Beware the Silly Ones: She may be bubbly and flighty all the time, but underestimating her is a bad idea.
• Big Eater: She gulps down Kuroh's cooking as if it's nothing.
• Cat Smile: Her default expression, since she can turn into a cat.
• Cute Kitten: She looks like a pink fluffy kitten with Blank White Eyes in her cat form.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Neko is a survivor of the Kagutsu Crater. In her childhood, she was looked after by her mother and father afterwards, and she often used her abilities to have fun. Later on, members of the Gold Clan approached her home, and explained to Neko that her 'parents' in fact lost their only son after the crater, and that, unknowingly, Neko used her abilities to manipulate the couple's memories into thinking she was their daughter. Devastated, Neko lifted the illusion, only to be called a 'monster' by the couple. While alone, Neko remembered a book her 'father' read to her, called "I Am a Cat". Thus, Neko remembered how the cat in the book lives independently and without depending on others, hence decided to live as a cat named Neko. Afterwards, she lived as a stray cat on the campus of Ashinaka High School, frequently stealing or hiding from the occupants or robots. She didn't have anyone who was nice to her until she met Shiro.
• Does Not Like Spam: She doesn't like vegetables, being a cat and all.
• A Dog Named "Dog": Neko is Japanese for "cat."
• Empathy Pet: As Shiro's cat, she can understand when he's not feeling well.
• Expository Pronoun: Uses 'wagahai' to refer to herself. Clearly a Shout-Out to I Am a Cat (Wagahai wa Neko de aru), to the point of using that exact line to introduce herself. This is significant in that the story was part of the reason why she chose to live like a cat.
• From Stray to Pet: Neko lived as a stray cat struggling to survive on her own until she met Shiro and she kinda became his pet because he treats her well.
• Fun Size: Her cat form is incredibly small and cuter as a result.
• Funny Background Event: Source of many of these.
• Genki Girl: Extremely playful and energetic, even when someone is after Shiro's life!
• Godiva Hair: She has no clothing when she switches from her cat form to human form. Her long hair covers the naughty bits.
• Go Through Me: Played for Laughs. When Kuroh prepares to cut down Shiro in his room, Neko jumps in front of Shiro to protect him. Seeing as how she's naked, Kuroh reacts to the sight by blushing and then turning his face away in embarrassment, affording Shiro an easy getaway.
• The Heart: Her quirkiness helps reconcile Kuroh's and Shiro's personalities.
• Idiot Hero: She nearly blows her, Shiro, and Kuroh's cover big time because she was bored. And she did so by yanking around the steering controls for the helicopter they were in.
• Inconsistent Coloring: Neko's hair color seemingly changes from scene to scene depending on the lighting. Her hair can look really light pink, pale lavender, pink with white highlights, or white with pink shading. Because of the confusion, it's often interpreted in fan-art, cosplay and even some promotional artwork as bright cotton-candy pink.
• Inexplicably Awesome: Where she got her (very unique) powers is left even more mysterious than the rest of the powers in the series, which at least have a consistent shared origin. There are only three other characters who are Strains. Two of them are not in the actual show, and the other has less extravagant powers.
• Innocent Fanservice Girl: Since she spends most of her time in cat form, Neko doesn't like (or possess) clothes and even sleeps naked in Yashiro's bed. Yashiro spends much of Episode 2 trying to convince her to at least wear his jacket. Scenery Censor, Shoulders-Up Nudity or Godiva Hair are typically used in order to conceal her naughty bits.
• I Will Find You: With Kuroh, her main goal from the end of the first season and throughout the movie is to find Shiro.
• Leitmotif: "Kitten", an upbeat and playful tune.
• Mark of the Supernatural: She has a green left eye and blue right eye in her human form, which makes her look far from normal. She's not, of course, and is quickly identified as a Strain, an individual with supernatural powers that were not given by a King. Her specialty is creating illusions and modifying the memories of the people around her with her presence.
• Master of Illusion: She can easily mess with the five senses of her victims, thus making it seem as if she could create illusions.
• Memory-Wiping Crew: Revealed to be the one responsible for altering the memories of the people around her, including Shiro and the students at the high school, making them all believe that people they met for the first time were longtime friends. The memory-changing effect doesn't work on machines though and she has an "area of effect" limit.
• Ms. Fanservice: The time she spends without clothing includes even the ending theme.
• Naked First Impression: Suddenly turns into a human on Shiro's bed. Naturally flustered, he offers his jacket.
• Naked on Arrival: Her human form's first appearance has her naked. Justified since she's a cat so she usually doesn't wear any clothes.
• Naked People Are Funny: Both Shiro and Kuroh's awkward reactions to her nudity highlight this.
• Name Amnesia: When she chose to live like a stray cat, she discarded her original name and doesn't even remember it anymore.
• No-Sell: Her power of altering peoples' perception can be almost immediately dissipated by a King if they become aware of its effect. She also can't affect machines.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: "Neko" is the name she chose for herself after she decided to live as a cat. In the second season, her real name is revealed to be Miyabi Ameno.
• Only One Name: She used to have a proper name back when she lived as a girl, but has since abandoned it after deciding to live as a cat (Neko).
• Perception Filter: Neko can run around naked in her human form without anyone noticing, and when she bumps into someone they're not sure what happened. It's part of her power to manipulate people's senses.
• Plucky Comic Relief: Provides most of the upbeat comedy, as she's the only one consistently giddy and happy-ish.
• Randomly Gifted: She is a Strain, an individual with supernatural powers that were not given by a King.
• Rose-Haired Sweetie: She's a very energetic and playful cutie with rose-colored hair.
• Sharp-Dressed Man: When rewinding Shiro's memories, she wears an old-fashioned brown director's suit, complete with giant golf cap and baggy coat. Very 20s.
• The Smurfette Principle: She's the only girl of the main trio.
• Squishy Wizard: Her illusionary powers are amazing, but she's not much of a fighter.
• This Is My Human: She says "Shiro is Neko's Shiro!" and "I found you, that means you're mine!" like if he was her pet.
• The Trickster: Her illusions to slow down Kuroh include fluffy, giant cats with slasher smiles. She also enjoys seeing Kuroh slam himself into walls she suddenly produces. She continues to fight in this manner against others.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Neko and Kuroh fight like cat and dog (fitting into their Animal Motifs), especially early on because Kuroh is trying to kill Shiro under the suspicion that Shiro is the evil Colorless King. Over time, their squabbles become more playful in nature and they become so close they're Like Brother and Sister.
• Waistcoat of Style: During the aforementioned memory-recovery sequence.
• Wistful Amnesia: A variation in that those affected by her powers seem to experience remnants of being affected by it.

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