Characters / Paradox Live The Cat's Whiskers

Paradox Live Main Character Index
BAE | The Cat's Whiskers | cozmez | Akanyatsura
BURAIKAN | VISTY | AMPRULE | 1Nm8 | Gokuluck

Talented 4-member unit, solitary and dignified

Character page for the members of the rap group The Cat's Whiskers from Paradox Live. Beware of possible unmarked spoilers.

Working at the popular jazz bar 'Bar 4/7', The Cat's Whiskers combine four independent personalities in harmony. Lo-fi and jazz dominate their songs, being rather elegant despite their chaotic combination.

Character Designer: Komiya Kuniharu

Image Color: Navy Blue (main), Charcoal Gray (sub)

Lyricist: SIMON

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Tropes that apply to the group

• Animal Motifs: The Cat's Whiskers.
• The Bartender: They work at 'Bar 4/7' outside their day jobs and rapping.
• Designated Parents: Saimon and Yohei have this dynamic, with them taking care of Ryu and Shiki. Anne outright says that Yohei is more of a parent to Ryu than their own mother ever was to them.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Bordering on Ho Yay given the joseimuke setting. Yohei left the yakuza to form a duo with Saimon and waited a long time for Saimon to heal after the death of his wife. From then on, they ran the bar together.
  • Also to a lesser extent with Iori, who he somehow still gets entangled with despite going on different paths in life.
• Image Song:
  • From the Opening Shows:
    • "MASTER OF MUSIC" for Opening Show
    • "Ride Out for Opening Show-Road to Legend-
  • From the Stage Battle matches:
    • "Faith" for JUSTICE
    • "4 REAL" for PRIDE
    • "Mercy On Me" for LOVE
    • "One Shot One Kill" for TRAP
  • From the Exhibition Shows:
    • Life Is Beautiful
    • My Sweetest Love (feat. Kazuma Mitchell)
  • From the Road to Legend matches:
    • "Shooting Arrows for FATE
    • "No Matter What" for WILL
• My Greatest Second Chance: Inspired by BURAIKAN, Saimon and Yohei formed the rap duo XXXX (pronounced Quadra-X), which they stopped after Tsubaki's death. Upon meeting Ryu and Shiki and getting an invitation to the Paradox Live, they created a new rap group, the current TCW.
• Older Is Better: Their rivalry with BAE is kickstarted by Hajun pointing out that their music style is "outdated". The Cat's Whiskers then proceeds to win against BAE for that match.
  • For the Shuffle Team Show series, the song "New & Classic" is a debate between Saimon & Yohei and Allen & Hajun, still on this matter.
  • During Road to Legend, BAE wins against TCW and eventually becomes the grand winner, but TCW stands firm with their own style and identity.

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Naoakira Saimon (MC Name: kotonoha)

Voiced by: Ryota Takeuchi
Portrayed by: Yuki Kimisawa (2021-2022), Ryota Takeuchi (2023)

I don't want to lose anything... more than this.

Click ^here  to see him in the stage play (2023-present)

Click ^here  to see him in the stage play (2021-2022)

Linguistic professor by day, bar owner by night. A kind man who treats everyone kindly without discrimination and can't abandon anyone who is in trouble. He harbors a deep attachment to the bar he manages.

His character hashtags are #Dandyism, #A magician with words, and #Widower. His trauma is described in the official website: when he turned off his wife's life support device. His trauma hashtags are #A ephemeral smiling wife, #Electrocardiographic sound that does not bounce, #I don't want to suffer anymore.

Birthday: September 18

Age: 34

Image Color: Charcoal

Profession: University professor, bar owner

Hobby: Cooking

Weakness: Exercise, cries easily

Special Skill: Crossword puzzles

Twitter: @kotonoha0918

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• Chronic Hero Syndrome: Will NOT abandon anyone in need - the rest of The Cat's Whiskers were 'picked up' by him.
• Cool Teacher: His day job while not working at the bar is that of a linguistics professor - it's even revealed that BAE attends his lectures in college. Combined with the fact that he raps and you've got an impressive teacher.
• The Dandy: Dresses in a nice suit most of the time.
• First-Name Basis: He calls Yohei, Ryu, and Shiki by their first names.
• Last-Name Basis: He calls the BAE trio by their last names, being his students in university. Everyone else calls Saimon by his last name.
  • Notably, most of the cast refer to him by last name.
• The Lost Lenore: His wife Tsubaki passed away before the events of the series and her death is the cause of his trauma.
• Love Triangle: Yohei was in love with Tsubaki, who was Naoakira's lover at the time. Naoakira had an inkling of Yoehi's feelings, but this was never brought to light.
• Mercy Kill: He turned off his wife Tsubaki's life support as her condition continued to worsen after the Alter Trigger experiments.

Yohei Kanbayashi (MC Name: God summer)

Voiced by: Yu Hayashi
Portrayed by: Yuya Asato (2021-present)

What are you gawking at? I’m not some spectacle.

Click ^here  to see him in the stage play

Saimon's long-time friend and partner at managing the bar, who had ties to the Yakuza before turning over a new leaf. They used to be in a hip-hop duo prior to the main story. He is heavy drinker and quick to lose his temper. Blunt yet compassionate, he cherishes the spirit of hip-hop.

His character hashtags are #Looks after Ryu, #Tough-looking guy, and #Alcohol, cigarettes, and hip-hop. His trauma is described in the official website: his beloved camellia died. His trauma hashtags are #My beloved flower withered unknowingly, #I was there, but I didn't know anything, and #Cold piano.

Birthday: August 28

Age: 28

Image Color: Navy Blue

Profession: Bar master, former Yakuza member

Hobby: Cocktail making

Weakness: Machinery

Special Skill: Darts, Playing the piano

Twitter: @godsummer0828

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• First-Name Basis: He calls Ryu, Shiki, and Iori by their first names.
• Forgotten First Meeting: Yohei, who was depressed due to Tsubaki's condition and Saimon's decision to postpone XXXX activities, met Ryu, who ran away from the Alter Trigger facility. A few years later, upon meeting again due to Saimon, Ryu recognizes Yohei, but it isn't mentioned if Yohei remembers Ryu. Though it can be assumed that Yohei doesn't remember Ryu, given that he knew the kid he met was under abnormal circumstances due to mentioning a "facility" and later on he reacts violently upon finding out for the first time that Ryu is an Alter Trigger experiment.
• Former Teen Rebel: After graduating middle school, he joined the Suiseki group, where he was part of the family for two years. He left the group because he wanted to focus on rap and XXXX.
• Good Cop/Bad Cop: He had this dynamic with Zen back when both of them worked at CLUB CANDY as bouncers. Yohei was the 'bad cop'.
• I Will Wait for You: After Tsubaki's death, he ran Bar 4/7 alone and waited until Saimon returned.
• Last-Name Basis: Despite being close and long-time friends, he calls Naoakira with his last name Saimon.
• Love Triangle: He was in love with Tsubaki, who was Naoakira's lover at the time. He didn't act on his feelings out of respect for their relationship and them as his precious friends. Yohei's trauma, like Naoakira's, comes from Tsubaki's death.
• Mama Bear: He gets angry and screams at Kei after the latter tries to invoke a sense of self-pity onto Ryu. Later on, when Ryu runs away from home, he declares that he will protect Ryu, Saimon, Shiki, and the shop from Alter Trigger and any other threats.
• Older Is Better: Is the most personally offended when Hajun says TCW's music is outdated, and even brings it up in later conversations.
  • Funnily enough, he's the one who points out to Anne that instead of them personally delivering a map to Yohei in a dangerous place in the middle of nowhere, they could have just taken a photo and sent it to Yohei via phone.
• Pet the Dog: Despite looking rough, he went to find Shiki after he didn't return to the bar at his usual time. He even goes to an uninhabited facility inside the mountains, which is not in the official map of Japan, in chances that Ryu would be there after the latter ran away from home.
  • In the anime, during Shiki's especially difficult trap reaction upon seeing Nayuta perform, Yohei stays with Shiki despite experiencing a trap reaction of his own at the same time.
• Retired Badass: He used to be part of the Suiseki group.
• Smoking Is Cool: Often seen with a cigarette in his mouth. Iori calls him a heavy smoker.
• Teeth-Clenched Teamwork: During his time in the Suiseki group, he and Iori didn't quite see eye-to-eye.
• Tough Love: Unlike the gentle Saimon, Yohei is grumpy and speaks in an angry tone. After finding out Ryu was an Alter Trigger experiment, he comes to realize that he might have been too strict, but also vows to make sure he properly teaches Ryu what things are wrong and unacceptable.
  Ryu: If I'm with everyone and receive kindness, I'm sure that I'll be causing everyone trouble...
  Yohei: ARE YOU STUPID? WHEN HAVE I BEEN KIND TO YOU? IT'S ALWAYS YOU GETTING SCOLDED BY ME!

Ryu Natsume (MC Name: compla daimao)

Voiced by: Natsuki Hanae
Portrayed by: Kaito Hori (2021-present)

Whatever is fun is fine by me!

Click ^here  to see him in the stage play

One of the kids picked up by Saimon, currently training to be a bartender under Yohei. Childish and eccentric, he bewilders the people around him. Despite this, he is a mysterious and observant young man.

His character hashtags are #Ryu-kun is the best, #Ryu-kun is cool, and #Ryu-kun is Number One. His trauma is described in the official website: people not knowing who he is. His trauma hashtags are #Who was left behind, #Big house with white walls, and #Memory is like mixed juice.

Birthday: Let's make it April 1!

Age: 800 years old (or so he says)

Image Color: Mustard Yellow

Profession:Apprentice bartender!

Hobby: Fun stuff

Weakness: Ryu-kun has no flaws!

Special Skill: Flying across the sky

Twitter: @ryukunkawaii

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• Catapult Nightmare: After meeting Rokuta and hearing about the Phantometal experiments, he gets a nightmare where he was in a big white house, doing things with adults who said he was special and praised him when he did his best.
• Cloud Cuckoo Lander: His mind... is pretty out there. Kei implies that this is an effect of the Phantometal experiments.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Implied, as his only memory is playing with people in a white room. 1Nm8 reveals that Alter Trigger kidnapped orphan children to use in their Phantometal experiments. Ryu, who at the time was called Zero, was a special successful case, and so he spent more time being experimented on as compared to other children. Rokuta says he suddenly disappeared from the facility for unknown reasons.
  • In WILL, due to hearing Rokuta playing a song that he used to play in the facility (from the events of SHOWDOWN), Ryu remembers a bit of his past. There was a kind researcher in the Alter Trigger facility who took care of Ryu. Ryu's last memory of the researcher was hearing a gunshot as the researcher was helping him escape.
• Dissonant Serenity: In the Paradox Live 1st Album "TRAP" cover art, Nayuta and Ryu are notably the only people not in pain over going through their trap reactions. While Ryu is the sole character prior to the debut of BURAIKAN and the units debuting in the 2nd season immune to trap reactions, he's noticeably not smiling; one of the few times he has a serious expression.
• Doesn't Know Their Own Birthday: He states in his profile that he doesn't know when his is, so he puts down April 1st for the time being.
• The Fashionista: Anne and Reo praise his fashion sense, as the coat he's always wearing was customized by him without giving it much thought.
• Hidden Depths: Despite his weird and perky disposition, Ryu has times when he seriously contemplates about his identity and lack of memories, though this side of him is something he shows to TCW (and BAE in the stage adaptation), and especially to Shiki.
• The Hyena: Befitting his Manchild personality, he laughs quite a bit at inappropriate times.
• Manchild: He loves laughing whenever possible and has a very childish outlook on the world, never acting too seriously compared to most of the cast.
• I Am Who?: When Rokuta tells him about their experiences as experiments at Alter Trigger, and when Itsuki later calls him as such, Ryu insists that he's Ryu-kun, not Zero.
• Mood-Swinger: Tends to change his moods whenever he feels like it.
• The Nicknamer: He does not call anyone by their first or last names.
• No-Sell: Ryu is the only character who doesn't suffer trap reactions no matter how much he uses his Phantometal. However, it's never explained why. It may be because he is a special type of successful experiment.
• No Sense of Personal Space: To pretty much everyone, even to strangers. Especially Shiki. So it is surprising that when Kei hugged him, his response was negative and even calls Kei the "Emperor of the Dark Universe."
• Odd Friendship: Believe it or not, Hokusai and Shiki get along well with him.
• Third-Person Person: Refers to himself as "Ryu-kun".
• Those Two Guys: Frequently seen with Shiki. To the point that when Shiki goes out to confront his trauma about Nayuta and insists Ryu not to come with him, Ryu is saddened and mistakenly assumes that Shiki hates him.
• Two First Names: His last name "Natsume" can also be a first name.
• Vague Age: Even Ryu himself has no clue how old he is.
• Wistful Amnesia: The only things Ryu remembers about his past when asked by someone is of him playing with people in a white room. Other than that his head is all over the place.
• You Are Number 6: Rokuta and Itsuki refer to him as Zero.

Shiki Ando (MC Name: MC nanashi)

Voiced by: Junta Terashima
Portrayed by: Ryu Kiyama (2021-present)

This is about all I can do...

Click ^here  to see him in the stage play

One of the kids picked up by Saimon. A passive, withdrawn character. After running away from home, he was rescued by Saimon and started working at the bar. Now he lives there for free. He’s timid and lacks any self-confidence, but he possesses hidden talents, such as the ability to reproduce music he’s heard only once before.

His character hashtags are #Gloomy and unsociable, #The man least suited to hip-hop in Japan, and #True believer in Saimon. His trauma is described in the official website: couldn't stop his friend Nayuta Yatonokami from jumping. His trauma hashtags are #A sin you can’t repay, #Friends I couldn't save, and #Prayer no longer arrives.

Birthday: August 8

Age: 17

Image Color: Red Orange

Profession: High school student, bar hall staff

Hobby: Taking care of the bar cactus

Weakness: Intimidation

Twitter: @nanashisaboten

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• The Atoner: Shiki's Phantometal resembles a cross due to his desire to atone for Nayuta's death 2 years ago.
• Apologises a Lot: Always apologizes for being weak and a nuisance. Fortunately, the others, not just TCW but members of the other units as well, always reassure him that he's worth more than what he thinks he is.
• Butt-Monkey: Often on the receiving end of Ryu's antics.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Both his parents died in a car accident, and he is an only child. He was put into a institute which houses orphans, but ran away after the events with Nayuta.
• A Day in the Limelight: The LOVE drama focuses on his backstory especially.
• The Eeyore: He's a world-weary person who's rarely happy. Later albums reveal that he is getting better thanks to his interactions with the rest of The Cat's Whiskers and, to a lesser extent, Reo, Satsuki and Hokusai of Akan Yatsura.
• First Friend: To Nayuta, who believed that the only thing he needed in this world was his twin brother Kanata, and refused to let other people into his personal space due to the environment they grew up in.
• It's All My Fault: Shiki was the last person to see Nayuta the day he fell ill from the Phantometal experiments, and up till this day believes that he let Nayuta die. It's most likely the trauma he experiences during trap reactions.
• Meaningful Name: His MC Name MC Nanashi (MC名無し) literally means "MC with no name".
• Noodle Incident: Shiki's afraid of cozmez for some reason, but it's never elaborated on why. It's eventually revealed that Shiki used to be friends with Nayuta and his Guilt Complex from being unable to save him from falling off a rooftop was the cause of his trauma that he has to relive during the trap reaction.
• Odd Friendship: Despite being victim to Ryu's shenanigans most of the time, the both of them get along very well. He also frequently hangs out with the cozmez twins after Nayuta returns.
• Secret Relationship: Shiki and Nayuta's friendship was something that the latter hid from Kanata. Therefore, the Nayuta that Kanata created didn't have any memories with Shiki. After Nayuta's return, he properly introduces Shiki to Kanata as his friend, and later on, the three of them are said to often hang out together.
• Self-Deprecation: He likes to deprecate himself a lot.
• Those Two Guys: Frequently seen with Ryu. To the point that when Shiki goes out to confront his trauma about Nayuta and insists Ryu not to come with him, Ryu is saddened and mistakenly assumes that Shiki hates him.
• We Used to Be Friends: The drama from Love reveals that Shiki and Nayuta were friends 2 years prior to the events of Paradox Live and hung out in a secret spot in the slums together. However, one day after Nayuta was scarred from Phantometal experiments, he went to Shiki to return him a record, and then threw himself off a building. This traumatized Shiki leading to his Guilt Complex, but while Nayuta survived, he lost his memories and by the time the two met again Nayuta became hostile to Shiki and doesn't remember him anymore.
  • Eventually averted when Nayuta returns, and they rekindle their friendship.