Characters / Stray Dog Records

Armed Detective Agency

The most prominent members of the Agency at the time of the sequel

Facts
Faction Name: Armed Detective Agency
Type: Secretive but strong sense of justice
Goal: Trying to get by together as magical fighters
Atmosphere: Relaxed and calm
Ideology: Everything will be alright
Internal Relationship: Like a family
Keywords: Detectives, intelligence, family

A newly formed organisation that firstly consisted of Dazai's friends.

In General

• Badass Crew: Do not mess with these people. Best seen in the finale, where they leave a trail of destruction in their wake after raiding Fendthope.
• Leitmotif: Prospit Dreamers, a relaxing tune that also has its moments of heroism, fitting for their Humble Hero nature.
• Humble Hero: They do save the city at least once. Doesn't give them any kind of reason to be over-the-top, though.
• Occult Detective: What the 'detective' part of their name stands for.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: A Classical Anti-Hero orphan who just happens to be a weretiger, a Cloudcuckoolander Sociopathic Hero (who's also an ex-mafioso), a Control Freak Only Sane Man, an Insufferable Genius Manchild who's possibly a Fourth-Wall Observer, a Combat Medic with sadistic tendencies regarding patients, an incredibly naive Country Mouse with Super-Strength who is a Friend to All Living Things including an Artificial Intelligence, a Master of Illusion who goes from a Nice Guy to down right terrifying when he is fused with a sentient amusement park rumor, and a Little Miss Badass reformed assassin. Eventually lead by a Perpetual Frowner who is The Stoic and totally does not have a romantic relationship with the godfather of the local mafia.
• Non-Indicative Name: A variation. The 'detective' portion of their name is meant in the sense of Occult Detective work, not traditional detective work.

Atsushi Nakajima

First appearance: Chapter 1
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: 'Give me the will to keep living'
Weapon: Tiger claws and teeth
Magic: Transformation into a tiger along with a Healing Factor (is implied to function like Plot Armour)
Doppel: Hemera

A Puer Magi who arrives in Yokohama because he is kicked out of any other places he stays. His wish for the will to keep living has granted him regeneration powers, his tiger transformation aside. He hopes for a better future in the city, before finding out that it is far from what he expected to be.

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• All-Loving Hero: He's planning to save whatever he can save. Even if it's an enemy like Fitzgerald who he knows is out for the bounty on his head. As such, his empathy towards others and inability to completely dislike them is noted to be one of his greatest strengths.
• Animal Motifs: White tigers, of course.
• Animal-Themed Superbeing: Transforms into a tiger.
• The Determinator: This becomes especially a spotlighted trait of his in the sequel. An imagination scenario has Fitzgerald try to break Atsushi's Soul Gem over and over, only to see it intact everytime he tries to. This symbolizes this trait of Atsushi and his own Healing Factor in battle itself.
• Fanservice Pack: He already didn't wear a lot, but his top always covered his midriff with white. His new design omits the white and leaves his midriff bare.
• Leitmotif: The innocent Clementia.
• Naïve Newcomer: Poor boy doesn't know what he is doing at first by settling into Yokohama.
• Plot Armour: The author confirmed that his personal magic works this way.
• Sleeves Are for Wimps: It's hard to see, but he doesn't have sleeves and his legs are entirely uncovered. This is likely so that he doesn't have to rip off a lot everytime he changes his limbs into that of the tiger.
• Supporting Protagonist: While he is named the protagonist, he is not the leader of the Agency.
  • While the role he plays decreases in size the larger the Agency grows, certain moments are specific to Atsushi, i.e the memories in chapter 6 are followed by Atsushi and he also goes along with Dazai to the 10,000 Year Sakura. He also helps Kyouka after her encounter with Sigma.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Is creating all types of chazuke. He's gotten addicted to cooking channels, and he often tries out new recipes. Some have a better result than others.

Doppo Kunikida

First appearance: Chapter 2
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: For all his plans to have effect
Weapon: Notebook and pen
Magic: Item creation (via written words on paper, item cannot be larger than the notebook the paper is written in)
Doppel: Astraea

A very meticulous Puer Magi who does not tolerate error. At first presented as Dazai's friend, he is one of the people who is roped into Dazai's rumor investigation from the very beginning. He ends up being used by a rumor at first, but does not remember anything of it.

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• Emotion Eater: The main power of his Doppel is to drain victims from the will to do anything by charming them, making them braindead. It seems to feed on it and also give it to its master. Kunikida himself is appropriately bewildered by this and is a little bit ashamed over it as it is something he definetly doesn't want to do or be seen as someone who does things like this.
• Fanservice Pack: While very little changed with his redesign, one thing that was done is that the costume was a little shortened.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Interestingly enough, he forgot everything he did while under the influence of the Breakup Rumor. As he made up with Tanizaki after its defeat at Atsushi and Dazai's hands, it is possible that it is literally forgiven and forgotten.
• Leitmotif: Another Episode, a track that starts out simple enough, but grows into a large soundscape.
• Swiper, No Swiping!: In the sequel, he works on a plan to make Fukuzawa and Mori return...by just talking to them, invoking this trope.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: Seems to be this with Dazai.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Is still writing away in his books. He's renewed his contact with Katai.
• Writers Cannot Do Math: In the original he was a case of this. This universe justifies it as him growing out to be a prodigy due to the effects of his wish, however, the author has said in various Discord servers that they dropped math halfway through middle school.

Junichirou Tanizaki

First appearance: Chapter 2
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: 'I want a better future for me and Naomi'
Weapon: Dagger
Magic: Illusion projection (allows one to create illusions of duplicates, and make it seem as if someone has vanished in thin air)
Doppel: Maia

One of Dazai's many friends. He is shy and awkward, but has a very potent power which is quite versatile. He has a sister, Naomi, who is not a contracted person.

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• Adaptation Dye-Job: His hair is of a darker shade of red, likely to prevent confusion with Mark Twain (who has a larger role compared to the source).
• Brainwashed and Crazy: As early as in chapter 2, after trying to make things up with Kunikida. Luckily, Dazai is there to nullify it. More seriously, he temporarily becomes an antagonist due to being fused with a rumor in chapter 7. Although he is less of a straight played example in that case - he is just very, very relaxed...Snaps out of it after the coordinated efforts of the rest of the Agency.
• Distressed Dude: Is kidnapped in chapter 7.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: Rumor Tanizaki talks like a drugged person.
• Fanservice Pack: His redesign puts him in a slightly sexualized wizard costume.
• Fusion Dance: Underwent this with the rumor of the Chelation Mascot for most of chapter 7. It is unknown why he did it, and considering his personality it is likely that he was forced by the Rats to do so as it meant that the Agency had to face a dillemma.
• Leitmotif: Do You Remem8er Me?. Its melancholic tone is slightly held back by the intro being a slowed down version of Never Gonna Give You Up.
• Locked Out of the Loop: Missed all information that was revealed after chapter 6, because he was taken out of his house by the Rats and forcibly underwent a Fusion Dance with the Chelation Land rumor.
• Master of Illusion: His main power, but his innate magic is hallucinations. Design notes say that his costume is supposed to resemble a classic illusionist performer, or that of a high fantasy mage. The things he creates are not purely illusionary, however, as they can perform powerful melee attacks.
• Palette Swap: Rumor Tanizaki is essentially Junichirou but differently colored. Lampshaded in the story itself:
  Atsushi thinks that Tanizaki looks uglier like this: his hair is now a bright shade of teal, and his eyes are the same fuchsia color as his magic. His costume is a mish-mash of light blue, bright and rust red, and grey.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Tries out new things with Naomi. They've decided that they want to do several things before their lives end, so they've already done several things like tasting weird ice cream flavors and then rating them.
• Wizard Classic: Modeled after one costume-wise.

Ranpo Edogawa

^{Click here to see SPOILERS for the sequel's finale}

First appearance: Chapter 3
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: To live his dream while it lasts/ To prohibit the incubators from interfering with the automatic purification system for eternity
Weapon: None/ Pen
Magic: None/ Overwriting existences
Doppel: None

A fake Puer Magi who is introduced as being self-employed as a private detective. He has always the latest news on rumors, thanks to his 'Super Deduction'. However, after the story ends, he also seems to have gained the role of the Greek Chorus - for better or for worse...

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• Amateur Sleuth: His job. And not an incompetent one.
• And Then John Was a Zombie: Uses up the remainder of his magic in the first timeline of Chapter 10 to try to send a message into the past, and he witches out alongside the others once it’s sent ^note  And since Ranpo has massive karmic potential, his witch most likely destroyed the world alongside the Mirror Witch shortly after .
• Art Attacker: Fittingly, all his real powers have a writing theme. He can 'overwrite' (i.e erase) existences by scratching them out with his ink pen, and he can place 'signatures' over the city to observe multiple locations and gain intel that way.
• Apocalypse Maiden: In a similar manner to Fukuzawa. Due to having already had a fake contract and being able to follow the others thanks to his Rumor, he has enormous karmic potential and it is Fukuchi's idea to use him to fulfill the incubator's quota once he becomes a witch.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's quite the bragger, hasn't tended to his lawn for some time, the doorbell of his house doesn't even work, is not even a real Puer Magi and tells everyone that he has important information just to eat in a cafe, but he is also a solid source of information.
• Curse Cut Short: In the sequel.
  Ranpo: What in the flippity, flying, f-
  Fukuchi: Language.
  Ranpo: ...is happening?
• Fashionable Asymmetry: Only has wings on one half of his back.
• Fourth-Wall Observer: At first, he became this at the time of the informal sequel. Dazai and Odasaku speculate it is because of the exposure to the Book at the finale. In the real sequel, he becomes the Greek Chorus instead.
• The Gadfly: To the incubators in the sequel. They both know that the incubators have been willing to form a legit contract with him, but he also goes about it in the most (to the incubators) irritating way.
• Genre Savvy: When arriving at the crypt where the Book is kept. Luckily, it's false alarm.
  Ranpo: Yes...just look out for traps, will you? This entire situation just spells out 't-r-a-p'.
  Dazai: You've watched too many movies. Give me the pen.
• Great Detective: And you will know it.
• Greek Chorus: His role in the sequel is to be the magical fighter' chronicler, recording things that happen in the Kimochi War. In between scenes, he narrates the chapters' event and doing interviews with magical fighters about their plans for the future.
• Heroic Sacrifice: In chapter 5 of the sequel, Fitzgerald loses control of the four Kimochi stones he uses after hearing about Kyougoku's betrayal, and he starts attacking everyone indiscriminately, including his own people. Ranpo ends up shielding several Guild members. While his rumor ends up shielding him from the worst of the damages, he still takes a blow from the Kimochi-powered Fitzgerald as what's basically a normal person. Even though Yosano has healed him partially, his life would still be in danger if they hadn't taken him to the hospital.
• Meaningful Rename: His real name is Hirai Tarou. He renamed himself upon beating Poe in a contest as a symbol for his prowess.
• Mythology Gag: He wants to make sure that the friend Kunikida means doesn't live far so he doesn't have to use the train. In the original material, he didn't know how trains worked so he didn't use them.
• Non-Standard Character Design: While all designs fit nicely together in terms of aesthetic and colors, Ranpo's seems a mixture of bright colors and a stereotypical magical costume that does not fit at all, also in terms of colors. However, this is justified as this is how he genuinely sees himself. His costume is notably also the only one lacking black.
  • Subverted in his real magical form which undoes just about everything written above as it not only has black, it also lacks bright purple.
• Occult Detective: Of a sort. He doesn't actively investigate the matters but he is the go-to person if you have heard about something you presume is not exactly mundane.
• The Smart Guy: To make up for his lack of powers, he is this. He has brought two rumors to the table in the course of the entire story, and both with relatively complete information. Not to speak of him investigating the AI rumor all night.
• Split Personality: Discussed in the sequel. Ranpo now shares his headspace with the Rumor of the Wind Evangelist, and he asks it if he can be considered plural (considering that the Rumor is not in a plushie or anything else, but in his own head). The Rumor leaves the answer up in the air.
• The Team Normal: Atsushi initially assumes he's a Puer Magi, but Dazai reveals that Ranpo doesn't have any powers because his contract is incomplete. He's never seen fighting, probably because he can't. On that note, he also doesn't have a doppel form because his Soul Gem can't taint, and he's also the only one to have that lack. (Compare Kunikida, who does have a fully fleshed out one but is never actually used)
• Trash of the Titans: His garden is noted to be quite a mess.
• Wham Line: 'Don't cause this universe or timeline to end, will you?'
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Is still recording things together with his rumor. He's thinking of putting it on a blog or adapting it into a story in order for audiences to get more familiar with them.

Kyouka Izumi

First appearance: Chapter 4
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: 'Help me! I don't want to die! Please, let me live...!'(her parents were about to kill her under the influence of a Witch Kiss)
Weapon: Short sword and Demon Snow
Magic: Control over a Guardian Entity
Doppel: ??????

A Puella Magi who used to work for the mafia. When she is brought to Dazai's circle of friends, her rumor-speading and defending is traded for exterminating them instead. A tragic incident haunts her childhood, which was also the cause of her contract.

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• Empty Eyes: Atsushi typifies her with this, recalling her 'dull blue eyes' when recounting his experience at the water vendor to Dazai. It is then that Dazai recognizes her as being Kyouka.
• Fanservice Pack: Her new design bares her arms and legs.
• Forced into Evil: Like in canon, became part of the mafia after her parents died. Atsushi saves her, but this time accompanied by Tsujimura and Dazai.
• Gender-Blender Name: The notes explicitly say that her real name is the masculine Kyoutarou. It is unknown if this version of Kyouka is transgender or her parents simply made a mistake.
• Leitmotif: All her leitmotifs (Crystamanthequins, Crystalmethequins and Crystalanthology) lead back to the base melody of Crystalanthemums. In particular Crystamanthequins and Crystalmethequins emphasize on her Action Girl status, with warning sirens and metal sounds. ^note  Although the latter two leitmotifs also mix in the Mannequin motif, alongside Crystalanthemums, her leitmotif is said base melody and thus all tunes that were subsequently created from it.
• Little Miss Badass: The only character referred to as a girl, and not as a woman.
• Superpowerful Genetics: Explicitly averted. Her mother isn't mentioned to have Demon Snow as part of her kit whatsoever, although the sequel reveals that Kyouka's parents were both contracted assassins, and that - logically, as one needs to make a contract to become magical in the first place - Kyouka didn't inherit their powers and was born as a normal girl.
  • Furthermore, the worldbuilding documents say that romantic relationships and marriages between contracted people is somewhat rare.
  • While knowing this, it makes the fact that they got a Witch Kiss even stranger, since such a thing happpening to someone who has made a contract with Kyubey is not shown in canon. A subtle hint that it was Kyougoku who was behind it, not a witch, as he can apply it to anyone, not just normal people.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Often helps Atsushi but now also helps Yosano in the clinic. She's currently learning new things about how the human body works to apply in battle.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Art Initiates Life: When she was young, she unknowingly drew her original character in the Reality-Writing Book her parents got as loot. As a result, her original character became a Not-So-Imaginary Friend of hers.
• Batman Gambit: She asks the copy of Sigma in the pocket dimension for directions for the toilet, only not to follow them and searching in the backrooms instead.
• Repressed Memories: Repressed all memories from before her parents died, including her emotional attachment to Sergey because she had to be stone-cold in order to survive in the mafia.
• Tragic Keepsake: The charm she made for Sergey in the 'best friend necklace' sense. She finds it back when she already doesn't remember about him anymore.
• Wham Line: Delivers one in the sequel when asked if her parents were nice.
  I-I...don't remember...

Akiko Yosano

First appearance: Chapter 4
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: For the soldiers to live
Weapon: Medical equipment
Magic: Emergency healing (healing anyone on the brink of death)
Doppel: ??????

A healer Puella Magi who can heal anyone near death. She's passionate about dissections and also a feminist. Like many, her wish traces back to a tragic past.

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• Action Girl: Can stand on her own during battle. She even cuts off one of Caecilia's wings during the finale.
• Combat Medic: Is as good in fighting as she is in emergency medic aid. However, most of the time she's on screen, she is shown healing people.
• Early Installment Character-Design Difference: Her original design had a Labcoat of Science and Medicine and was a mishmash of brown and blue. Her new design has purple, dark blue and is modeled after a battlefield nurse.
• Healing Factor: Is introduced healing Dazai's wound (notably, when Dazai is not transformed).
• Leitmotif: it be like that sometimes is a jazzy track but with underlying sadness.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Gets assistance from Kyouka but is also learning new things. She's getting to apply her skills with a cleaver to meat.

Kenji Miyazawa

First appearance: Chapter 5
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: For strength
Weapon: Anything heavy enough to hurt when thrown
Magic: Increased strength after fasting
Doppel: ??????

A Puer Magi who was trapped in the radio tower. He has had a very close interaction with a rumor, and because of that, he can also track them down pretty well. His tremendous strength only works when he is on an empty stomach.

• Boy Meets Ghoul: Kenji's predicament in chapter 5 is that he befriends a Rumor and willingly falls into its labyrinth. The Rumor realizes that he shouldn't be together with it because its nature as a Rumor will have various negative effects on Kenji, but Kenji doesn't want to leave because of his hardships with moving into the city. Odds are that the strength he wished for was strength to move out of his old life and settle into his new one in the city.
• Country Mouse: Moved into the city, where people weren't as open as on the countryside. He found respite in the AI-barrier.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: His right arm used to have a white sleeve, but his left one doesn't. Averted in his new art.
• Leitmotif: Both Darling Kanaya and Virgin Orb are light-hearted, carefree tracks.
• Nice Guy: So much that Kyouka says that he is the only one capable of defeating the AI, a being made out of data.
• Stranger Danger: Initially thinks that Dazai, Lucy, Kyouka and Atsushi are out to harm him because they are new and strange. He needs the motivation of the AI to run to them as they are not hostile.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Beef. He even goes on a stamp hunt to win a year of free beef.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Goes on new stamp hunts now and then, and also goes to every fair, even if it's a handworking one. He has surprisingly nimble hands so he's created amigurumi (crocheted plushies), mostly of cows and other farm animals.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Clingy MacGuffin: Receives one in the initial sequel.
• Dissonant Serenity: When on the verge of death due to Akutagawa attacking him he...starts laughing uncontrollably.

Port Mafia

Facts
Faction Name: Port Mafia
Type: Criminal underground organisation
Goal: To keep Yokohama as their base of operations
Atmosphere: Cold and distant
Ideology: Don't need to care about others, only ourselves
Internal Relationship: Business-like
Keywords: Crime, bloodshed

In General

• Damn, It Feels Good to Be a Gangster!: Generally painted in an Evil Is Cool light. It also helps that their costumes are more traditionally vibed, with cloaks and long clothing in contrast to the more casually-dressed Agency members. This is exemplified by Dazai, who used to have a black capelet over his shoulders but removed it once he left the mafia. Their Leitmotif widely being considered a banger even before it became theirs also does not help the matter.
• Dark Magical Fighter: As per belonging to those who have made a contract with the incubators, as well as being part of organized crime, all members fall under this.
• Leitmotif: Derse Dreamers, a dark and brooding theme truly fitting of Yokohama's underground. The themes mixed in are Atomyk Ebonpyre and Endless Climb, made to be the battle themes of Akutagawa and Mori here.
• Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: To a lesser, but arguably villainous degree. A Card-Carrying Villain who gets downright psychotic when experiencing Body Horror, a nonbinary gravity user who also happens to be the vessel for a god, led by The Don who's in denial about his potential as a Bad Boss who totally does not have a romantic relationship with a certain katana-using Adjuster.

Ryuunosuke Akutagawa

First appearance: Chapter 4
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: For the power to destroy anything in his path
Weapon: His own clothing
Magic: Innate aura (i.e induces fear on targets)
Doppel: Nyx

The first obviously antagonistic Puer Magi Atsushi and Dazai meet. He has the main task of protecting rumors that are exceptionally strong, and is also tasked with the prevention of Kyouka's escape. But since this failed, he enters the final battle with the executives. Atsushi always calls him 'that prick'. He has history with Dazai.

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• A Sinister Clue: His Soul Gem is on the back of his left hand. (Right on the picture)
• Body Horror: His Doppel fuses with the top half of his face and his left hand. He can't see a thing when it's active. (not that he minds, though)
• Card-Carrying Villain: Except when encountering Dazai. Also on another level, as he says that those who accept grief in their hearts, fuse with his Doppel like he does, implying that he is aware of his despair and proud of it.
• Clothing Combat: If one thing can be said about him, it is that he gives a new meaning to 'killer fashion'. His robe is about the same length as his canon apparel, but actually has more fabric to utilize. This concept sheet◊ shows how it is supposed to work design-wise, and reveals it has three layers.
• The Dragon: To Kyouka and the Misery Rhyton rumor in chapter 4. A bit of a literal example, as he has dragon motifs.
• Hopeless Boss Fight: The three get their asses kicked hard by him before Dazai gets a grip on Akutagawa.
• Kick the Dog: In the sequel, he almost kills Kenji upon seeing that he has a bracelet.
• Kill It with Fire: Using his Doppel, he can burn down anything with the flame on it 'fueled by the eternal longing [he] posesses'.
• Leitmotif: Anima Mala and Atomyk Ebonpyre as a battle theme.
• Love Martyr: Just like in the source material. His Doppel turns this up a notch, (bordering on outright weaponizing it) as its form even is 'an obscured sufferer' and its nature is 'desire'.
• Mythical Motifs: Dragons. Specifically, eastern ones.
• Mythology Gag: In the manga, he was the one who was giving orders to Demon Snow. Here, he is The Dragon to Kyouka.
• One-Winged Angel: He summons the first Doppel the main cast has to fight against, and he would have succeeded if it were not for Dazai.
• Playing with Fire: Anything that touches the threads on his Doppel burns immediately. Yes, even Tsujimura's shadows.
• Red and Black and Evil All Over: His design bases itself from the black coat he wears in canon, and works in some red elements.
• Shout-Out: His Doppel is one to his namesake's short story The Spider's Thread.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Sometimes treats his sister to food. Is genuinely impacted by what happened and now has focused on other things than killing.

Chuuya Nakahara

First appearance: Chapter 5
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: --
Weapon: Gravity itself
Magic: Manipulation of gravity
Doppel: Arahabaki

First met in the rumor barrier of the Anonymous AI, Chuuya is the first contracted to use they/them pronouns in the story. They have a very short fuse and are quick to attack when enemies are in sight. However, Chuuya is not human, something Dazai points out later.

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• Adaptational Backstory Change: Downplayed example. Chuuya is still fused with Arahabaki in the past, but it also results Chuuya taking a nonbinary identity (since witches are genderless).
• Artificial Human: Chuuya is the result of an experiment conducted by the incubators, who wanted to see what happens if they would stuff an artificial witch into a human body. Answer: nothing good.
• Badass in Distress: After running off to search for Verlaine in Part 2, they end up getting captured by the Guild, leading to the Armed Detective Agency sending Dazai leading a team of mafiosi to rescue them.
• Chained by Fashion: Their costume seems to incorporate this, which is likely symbolic.
  • In general, Chuuya has a monster motif. The grey is supposed to represent a cage with chains, the red represents blood, and Chuuya is the monster itself.
• Coordinated Clothes: Both with Dazai (the 'monster' to his 'guard') and to Verlaine◊.
• Escaped from the Lab: Implied to have escaped the incubators at some point.
• Establishing Character Moment: 'I'm sorry, but that is not happening today!'
• Fiery Redhead: As usual.
• Leitmotif: Credens Justitiam. (alternate version)
• Non-Standard Character Design: While all mafia members shown have costumes that cover the entire body safe for the head and the hands, Chuuya's costume shows plenty of skin in comparison, as it leaves the arms almost entirely bare and there's pretty much nothing covering the upper legs. It gives a sense of incompleteness. Furthermore, while it is unclear in old artwork due to the poses, newer artwork including the one on this page implies that there's not a lot under it - whereas the other mafia members often wear layers of long clothing. It's especially apparent when they are lined up◊, where their clothing is almost skimpy in comparison.
  • Furthermore, additional (old) artwork shows that Chuuya's Soul Gem is different, looking more like a hybrid between a Soul Gem and a Grief Seed, along with also being chained.
• Odd Name Out: Arahabaki is not a feminine name, and is referred to with it/its pronouns, likely because it is an artificial witch.
• Otherworldly and Sexually Ambiguous: Identifies as non-binary because of Arahabaki.
• Mythology Gag: The trigger phrase (the phrase they utter before summoning their Doppel) is the exact same as the phrase for Corruption in the manga. Said summoning is commented on by Atsushi, who says that it looks like they don't have control over it, and it is very clear that Chuuya also enters Corruption during it.
• Sealed Inside a Person-Shaped Can: Dazai explains that Chuuya is a vessel for Arahabaki.
• Shock Collar: To go with the monster motif, their Soul Gem is inlaid in a collar that looks like this. This post calls it a dog collar.
• Sleeves Are for Wimps: Their costume features them, but they are ripped at the shoulders. This is likely for practicality and for showing Corruption. Notably, they and Verlaine are the only ones in the entire mafia whose costume do not feature long sleeves.
• Trans Tribulations: In a twist in chapter 9 of the sequel, Verlaine heavily implies that the reason why Chuuya uses they/them pronouns and identify as nonbinary is because Chuuya hasn't figured out what or who they are exactly, and thus identify as such as a sign of their inner turmoil.]
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Is very busy these days, they're pulling their weight as an executive. Wanted to follow Verlaine but they were not told where he went on purpose. They're also still figuring out their gender identity.

Ougai Mori

^{Click here to see him how he appears in chapter 8 of the sequel}

First appearance: Chapter 7
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: To aid in the protection of Yokohama
Weapon: Scalpels
Magic: Disregardment of rules (i.e Karma Houdini as long as his intent is to benefit or preserve Yokohama)
Doppel: Chrystel

The godfather of the mafia, who has to keep his relationship with Fukuzawa a secret. Fyodor forces him to use the mafia to spawn and protect rumors, but eventually he and Fukuzawa unite to fight against the Rats. A former doctor with ties to Dazai.

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• Adaptational Badass: In the Rats conversation, it is mentioned that they have the mafia on a short leash, and he himself says that he feels Fyodor's hot breath. Still, he has the gall to work together with the Agency - furthermore, his strange tendencies when it comes to love are not mentioned at all.
• Gondor Calls for Aid: Decides to help the Agency until the Rats are beaten...and continues to do so even afterwards since it's fairly obvious that working together in the Mob War is more advantageous.
• Karma Houdini: His personal magic, in a sense. Whatever he does, as long as he says it's to protect Yokohama, he'll be scot-free.
• Leitmotif: something, everything is wrong is representative of him as a whole, with subtly dissonant notes and all. Endless Climb is his battle theme.
• Mean Boss: Not him, but his Doppel represents this (and Bad Boss, too). He doesn't like it.
• Purple Is Powerful: Despite his eyes and Soul Gem being red, his Ability color is purple, his design is mostly purple, and even his Doppel takes the form of a purple (and gold) robe.
• Pragmatic Villainy: He works together with the Agency because of the sole fact that he really, really would not like to see Yokohama leveled and/or taken over by others, as the Port Mafia...well, wouldn't remain a Port Mafia. This also becomes evident in his wish.
  • Together with Fukuzawa, he genuinely betrays the alliance, but only so that said alliance has a common enemy to fight against and spark unity.
• Red Eyes, Take Warning: His eyes are candy red, and he's The Don of the mafia.
• Rule of Symbolism: His Soul Gem is placed on his heart, representing how his magic is desire-based and how his wish came from a deep desire to protect Yokohama.
• Strictly Professional Relationship: He pretends to have this with Fukuzawa. It doesn't really work out.
• Stripperiffic: Not usually, but in chapter 8 of the sequel his outfit changes upon enough fluctuations taking place in his Soul Gem, resulting in this. His new outfit consists of a huge display of fur on his shoulders, a Sarashi and red high heeled boots. Yosano lampshades it by remarking that he (and Fukuzawa) lost 50% of their clothing, alongside sarcastically wondering whether they can even run in those shoes.
• Tuckerization: His doppel/witch form is named after a person the author knows.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: His and Fukuzawa's factions still have their back-and-forth moments again, but they're not as hostile against eachother as they used to be. In some cases the Agency will sometimes help find culprits if they have committed a crime on the mafia's ground.

Paul Verlaine

First appearance: Chapter 1 (sequel)
Nationality: Japanese (originally French)
Wish: --
Weapon: Gravity itself
Doppel: Ines

One of the executives of the mafia.

• Badass in Distress: This happens when he disappears in the Mirrors.
• Demonic Possession: In the sequel, Andre Gide is possessing him.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Lost all his memories in the sequel, leading Chuuya to tell everything to him.
• For the Evulz: Lucy and Twain point out that his violence isn't specifically directed at those who have the bracelets, and he isn't aiming to acquire them. He simply intends to eradicate the Guild.
• Named by the Adaptation: Originally, his monstrous form was simply known as 'Guivre', which is French for 'wyvern'. Here, it receives the formal name of 'Ines'.
• Remember the New Guy?: Was supposedly the person who handled all the mafia's relationships with the Rats in the prequel, in which he doesn't appear.
• Shout-Out: His witch name seems to be a reference to Inèz Serrano, a character from the French play Huis clos by Jean-Paul Sartre. In the play, she seems to be the only character who understands the power of rhetoric and is somewhat of a Manipulative Bitch throughout it, frankly admitting that she is a bad person.
  • The play's Inèz's cause of death was a suicide by poison, possibly referring to how Verlaine is weak to it.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Went on a mission somewhere not in Japan, it's not known when he returns. They're saying it's to deal with an overseas syndicate.

Buraiha

In general

• Fire-Forged Friends: Unusual example. At first, they're not this. But then the Dark Era happens, one third of the trio dies and the other two third grows cold to eachother. But the dead one third comes back and eventually they play this trope straight.
• Heterosexual Life-Partners: Odasaku and Dazai. At first.
• Rag Tag Bunch Of Misfits: A former mafia executive with the power to nullify magic on touch who is ashamed over his darker side, a seer who had an angelic, genderless being with she/her pronouns stuck in his body, and a government member who used to be a spy in the mafia and created monsters, all best friends.
• True Companions: How they started out. At the end, they have returned to being this, and it crosses over to Fire-Forged Friends by then.

Osamu Dazai (Shuuji Tsushima)

First appearance: Chapter 1
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: 'Let me stop it, this instant'
Weapon: Guns, if any weapon at all
Magic: Nullification of magic on touch
Doppel: Lavinia

A somewhat eccentric Puer Magi who is known in a large part of the city for his nullifying powers that essentially makes him the anti-magic unit. He has been chasing rumors for as long as they began popping up in the city. His past is shrouded in mystery, but as an old friend of his turns up, more and more of it is revealed.

---

• Bandaged Face: It's right there. Apparently the bandage stems from the time Odasaku died, as he loosened it with his dying breath. He decided to keep it there as a Tragic Keepsake of some kind, and placed his Soul Gem there (possibly to symbolize that his Soul 'is with' Odasaku).
• Berserk Button: Bringing up the topic of his Doppel is...not a good idea. He will break down and get angry at you with Tranquil Fury.
• Boring, but Practical: Lacks any noticable combat skills, shoots to take out witches. Can also turn a Hopeless Boss Fight into a cakewalk with his Power Nullifier magic. (see Akutagawa and Chuuya with their respective Doppels, and Tanizaki)
• Broken Ace: Introduced as being known in the city and having a lot of friends that come in handy during the rumor investigation. He also still isn't over several issues in his past that come back.
• Dark and Troubled Past: Used to be part of a trio consisting of him, Odasaku and Ango. Odasaku used to dream, wanting to be a writer. Dazai and Ango made some ideas for him to work out in his stories. Shortly after, Ango disappeared and Odasaku went to look for him, only for it to be revealed that Ango was a spy. This broke up the trio and Odasaku eventually died. Dazai never got over it.
• Distressed Dude: Caecilia abducts him at the end of chapter 8 and seperates him from his Soul Gem. He is back in action by the latter half of chapter 9.
• Exact Words: Whatever he wanted to stop at the time, he wanted to do it himself. So he has to touch whatever he wants to nullify.
• Good Costume Switch: In the memories in chapter 6, mafia Dazai wears a black cape and has his blue Soul Gem near his throat. Notably, him wearing his Soul Gem in the shape it is now is a form of Tragic Keepsake.
• Harsher in Hindsight: Caecilia threatening to kill the Sakura rumor is because Dazai came up with the Sakura rumor for when the Buraiha would reunite in peace.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: He ends up stuck on the sword of Demon Snow at the end of chapter 4. Luckily, he gets better.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Receives Kenji's name upon harassing Akutagawa.
• Leitmotif: Sis Puella Magica! for his current self, and its Dark Reprise Signum Malum for his mafia self.
• Literal Metaphor: His Doppel's nature is restriction, representing his Stepford Smiler status, but also literally restricts his hands with red string.
• Loophole Abuse: At the Exact Words entry, you can see that he needs to touch the user to nullify something. But he works around it twice:
  • In chapter 8, he wraps himself in the gust of wind Mitchell summons, because he's not touching her.
  • In chapter 9 of the sequel, he can get into Anne's Room and warns Lucy that if he touches her, it's all over.
• Power Nullifier: His main magic, making him a crucial unit in dealing with enemy Doppels.
• Properly Paranoid: Atsushi initially calls him out for 'believing in that shit' when Kunikida tells the lore of the Breakup Staircase. But Dazai calms him down and says that they don't...that is, they don't believe in the lore. The rumors, however, are totally real.
  The rumors are not true. The fact that they become real, is.
  • That line is given extra meaning if you know that Dazai knows where the rumors are from.
• Stepford Smiler: So much that his Doppel's nature is restriction.
• Suicide as Comedy: Downplayed, but this is still Dazai we're talking about. At chapter two, Kunikida reacts with 'again' after Atsushi mentions how he found Dazai.
• Tomato in the Mirror: He is the one who came up with the Ten-Thousand Year Sakura in this universe.
  • Also, subtle Foreshadowing in this regard: All the way back in chapter 1, he says this:
  Yeah, [the rumors] kind of started with me.
• Tuckerization: His doppel/witch form is named after a person the author knows.
• Vitriolic Best Buds: With Kunikida.
• We Used to Be Friends: Zigzagged example with Odasaku. Back in the Dark Era, the two were the best of friends. Then Odasaku turned into a witch. But now, Odasaku returns and this trope seems to be subverted. However, for the remainder of the story, this trope is entirely played straight as The Heartless has taken over Odasaku. By the end of chapter 9, this trope is averted.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Is still missing his friends. Regularly visits the place where she vanished.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Violently Protective Boyfriend: Shows shades of this towards Odasaku. And with everything they've gone through, it's hard not to understand that.

  (When someone has just confused Odasaku for Caecilia): I don't know who you are confusing Odasaku with, but I do know [Odasaku] has nothing to do with whoever you think of.

Sakunosuke Oda

^{Click here to see SPOILERS for the sequel's finale}

First appearance: Chapter 4 (proper)
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: To decide the future himself
Weapon: None
Doppel: Caecilia

Dazai's best friend, who died four years ago in the Dark Era. He seemingly comes back from the dead in a strange turn of events, before it turns out that Odasaku is not who he seems to be.

---

• A Form You Are Comfortable With: Caecilia says that this is why she uses Odasaku's body. It is truly handier to manipulate others in human skin than as the Eyes Do Not Belong There Angelic Abomination she really looks like.
• Angelic Abomination: In general, Caecilia is based off traditional angel imagery. She plays a bit with the trope by looking like a Winged Humanoid, something angels are most often portrayed as. It being noted that she has another pair of wings reflects the biblical note of angels having three pair of wings ^note  One to hide their face, one to hide their feet and one to fly with . Her true appearance is far more monstruous, as her Doppel version shows. The author and artist also likes to call her 'angel bitch'.
  • Made even more obvious as the way to 'let her out' in the sequel is closing eyes, folding hands in prayer and saying 'Fear not'.
• Arc Words: Delivers them, and although it's a little downplayed, it's still important to acknowledge them in an attempt to wrap your head around what Odasaku's state is like in the sequel, once Caecilia became dormant, yet Odasaku now acknowledges her. This is in the form of an eventual trigger phase Odasaku would utter upon summoning his Doppel.
  Caecilia/Odasaku: I am you, yet you are not me.
• The Atoner: Becomes this in the sequel.
• Bad Powers, Good People: When the first arc is over, Odasaku gains access to Caecilia's powers, which consist of the likes of hypnotism and paralyzing powers. The entire kit is based around Mind Manipulation and the having of a Magic Eye. Odasaku prefers not to use these often because he doesn't like these powers (and everything Caecilia is) in particular.
• Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Rather literally taken in this case. Caecilia even explicitly says and writes that having Odasaku's body has some advantages to it when one considers that Odasaku had a nice reputation while he was alive.
• Breaking the Fellowship: Almost. Caecilia nearly kills the deliberately defenseless Sakura rumor because she doesn't want Odasaku to reunite with Ango and Dazai. This example is borderline The Fellowship Has Ended.
• Came Back Wrong: Fyodor revived him using the reality-writing Book. That is, his body.
• Chekhov's Gunman: In the sequel, the incubator explains that it itself has hijacked the automatic purification system and that it's been using it to experiment on those in it...but that the true master of the automatic purification system is Caecilia, who could even snag control away from it if she should want to.
• Clones Are People, Too: Not exactly 'clone' but witch form turned alter - in chapter 6 of the sequel, Odasaku immediately defends Caecilia when the incubator calls the latter 'an important data point to observe'.
  Incubator: She's still a valuable data point to observe.
  Odasaku: She's not data for you to observe. She's as real as any other person. You just don't get what that means, incubator.
• Dies Differently in Adaptation: Odasaku turned into a witch at the end of the Dark Era instead of just dying.
• Distressed Dude: In chapter 3 of the sequel, he is kidnapped by the Guild, who were aiming to use him to discover the locations of the next kimochi. Unfortunately for them, Caecilia is fronting during this, who not only has no idea where the next kimochi is and just continues to heckle with them.
• Eyes Do Not Belong There: In addition to Caecilia's wings being littered in them, she can wipe her face and only show many eyes in its place. They play a large part in her attacks.
  • In addition to that, the notes say that she isn't even using all her eyes, as she actually has a second pair of wings that would cover her feet. But because they're Awesome, but Impractical, she doesn't show them usually (but it is expected it would look something like this◊). In Doppel form, however, they can still be seen.
• The Heartless: Caecilia is opposite of everything Odasaku is: rude, self-absorbed and bad-mouthed.
• The Heavy: Although she is just one of the three Rats leaders (the others being Fyodor and Hawthorne), a lot of plans stem from her twisted mind. Hawthorne is the one who does most of the legwork in her name, as he's mainly an extension of her power anyways.
• I Know Your True Name: Caecilia notably calls Dazai by his true name. When she doesn't in the finale, everyone knows that Odasaku Came Back Strong.
• Image Song: Caecilia has one, Game Over. It's supposed to be from her perspective.
  And if you defy me, you won't survive me, you'll be damned
  'Cause I am the giant, I am the diamond, not a man
  (...)
  Can you battle with the devil?
  Or baby, is it game over?
  • In the sequel's chapter 9, she gets "Fly My Wings", which plays during her confrontation with Kimochi Fyodor and discusses the both of them, with the first part being from Fyodor's perspective and the latter bit being from her own.
• Insistent Terminology: A slightly different version. Although Caecilia says that technically, all witches are genderless, she insists on being addressed with she/her pronouns. Everyone, including the writing, seems to respect that. Mark gives her the feminine nickname of 'Demoness', and the title of chapter 9 even refers her to as 'Regina', meaning 'Queen'.
• Insufferable Genius: A huge Fatal Flaw for Caecilia. Because she (and Fyodor to another extent) tends to plan everything, she is convinced that her plans are foolproof. When things don't go her way, she resorts to sarcasm.
  Kyouka: She thought her plan was foolproof, huh...
• Irony: 'Caecilia' means 'the blind one'. Nevermind that she's the witch form of a precognitive.
  • In chapter 9, she says that she would be capable of mass hypnosis if she had her own, eye-studded wings. Not long after, she does indeed regain wings except they're now angelic, golden wings.
  • Furthermore, the wings that are covered in eyes are mainly taken from biblical angels, while Caecilia is everything that an angel is not. The similarity is not lost on Fyodor judging by the extra chapter, as she doesn't want to be called an angel despite seeing why he'd call her that.
• Logical Weakness: He cannot react to multiple events happening at the same time once he's predicted them. It also seems that he cannot attack and predict at the same time. When Caecilia is in his body, her enemies utilize this by attacking from different sides at the same time. This ends up costing her her wings.
• MacGuffin Super-Person: Goes for Caecilia in the sequel. Her and Odasaku's importance is because of their connection to the Kimochi that allows the both of them to find them and translate for them. This becomes even more important in Chapter 7, where the incubator ends the Kimochi after Caecilia in particular because their race recently realized that she's the only one who they know for certain can safely use the Kimochi to expand the automatic purification system, as her connection allows her (she had set up the plan where the Kimochi originate from, even if their existence was not planned) to bypass the extreme willpower requirement.
• The Mirror Shows Your True Self: The end card of chapter 6 has Caecilia walking on a bridge, with the water reflecting her true form.
• Multi-Gendered Split Personalities: Odasaku is a man, Caecilia is a woman. Fitzgerald finds himself correcting his own thoughts multiple times.
  Fitzgerald, in thought: If we all get killed here, we have to turn that man...I mean, that woman...into a witch.
• Possessing a Dead Body: The summary of what happens to Odasaku in the first arc.
• Power Makes Your Hair Grow: In the sequel's chapter 9, when Caecilia fuses with the powers of the Kimochi, her hair grows quite a substantial bit, up until it can reach her feet.
• Reformed, but Not Tamed: In the sequel, It turns out that when Caecilia went back and Odasaku became the predominant personality, him being awake caused her to turn into this, substituting her vision to align more with his. As such, Caecilia is one of the very few alters in fiction that care about their host, albeit it did take her some time - and her sociopathic ways become more Tsundere as she denies the former and is still quite a pottymouth.
• Stepford Snarker: Caecilia is only such a Deadpan Snarker because she's frustrated at life, at unobtainable things.
• Seers: Dresses like one to match his powers. Atsushi even likens his costume to that of a Fortune Teller when he first sees him.
• Stellar Name: Yep.
• Split Personality: Interestingly, Caecilia is treated by the other characters and the writing itself like a seperate entity; i.e the pronouns shift and the name too. She seems to be aware of it herself too, referring to Odasaku as 'the body'. This implies Odasaku's current state of being is not like Jekyll & Hyde since they're not entirely the same (although then, Caecilia would be the Hyde to Odasaku's Jekyll, obviously) but still, the two are really one, but not really. In the sequel, Ranpo outright confirms that Odasaku is plural.
  • In chapter 3, when Odasaku is kidnapped, Caecilia fronts to prevent Odasaku from telling the Guild where the next kimochi is (because she herself doesn't know) and proceeds to remain frontstuck for the entire week he remains there. When they are rescued, she is still at the front.
• The Sociopath: Caecilia. She shows very little remorse and responsibility for her action, doesn't care about any other life that's not hers (not even that of her source), and views others merely as pawns. She's also quick to anger and lashes out violently when angered, sharing many traits with that of The Sociopath. Furthermore, her witch nature being that of conviction means that she'll do anything and everything regardless of others if it furthers her scheme. However, she's a curious example in that the one she originates from is far from this.
• Third Eye: His Soul Gem is located on it to suggest it. When Caecilia is 'out' in the initial sequel, it turns into a literal third eye.
• Too Kinky to Torture: Discussed in the sequel when the Guild considers torturing Caecilia to let her reveal the location of the next kimochi. Mark suggests that that may not be a good idea precisely because of this trope.
• Walking Spoiler: What's exactly going on with him shapes the entire second half of the first arc.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: The both of them keep looking over the city and the people in it. Secretly also prepares for the future if they are ever in danger.
• Womanchild: Caecilia's monologue on paper from the extra chapter reads more like one from a particularly edgy teen girl.
• The Unfettered: Odasaku's life is based on his strong beliefs, that he shouldn't kill people and that he should do everything to reach a peaceful life with his adopted children. This gets cruelly warped upon becoming a witch, as Caecilia's nature is 'conviction'. She turns it into a merciless disregard of others as long as it furthers her plans.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Accidental Misnaming: Is a very strange victim of this in the sequel. Poe calls xir 'Demoness' because he genuinely thinks that the person standing in front of him is Caecilia. It isn't, and it sends Odasaku to a breakdown later on after Dazai tells Poe not to do that.
• New Powers as the Plot Demands: After the events of the first arc, Odasaku grew aware of his witch form and gained access to some of Caecilia's powers without fully waking her up, mainly centered around hypnotism and mental powers, which are both eye-themed. However, Odasaku doesn't make use of the former a lot since, well...
• Superpowered Evil Side: In the sequel, Caecilia seems to have become this to Odasaku, who can 'let her out' by closing the eyes, folding hands in as if in prayer and saying 'Fear not'.

Ango Sakaguchi

First appearance: Chapter 6 (first mentioned), Chapter 8
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: 'Give me memories'
Weapon: Guns with mass-manipulated bullets
Doppel:

The rumor maker. His power mainly involves psychometry, but he has learned himself an offensive power in the form of mass manipulation. To attack, he redirects mass into the bullets he fires. Ultimately, he can even crack a witch barrier with it. He actually works for the government, but is out of order during the story.

---

• Art Initiates Life: Came up with the ideas for the rumors, initially in the form of writing prompts for Odasaku to use.
• Ascend to a Higher Plane of Existence: Becomes the rumor ruler in the sequel's finale, ascending to the same plane as Odasaku.
• Chekhov's Gunman: He is mentioned as early as in chapter 6, as 'person C' in the definately-not-Dark-Era story. He is also the key to reuniting the Buraiha and his doppel/witch is instrumental for the Rats to eliminate the majority of Yokohama's magic.
• Gravity Master: This version makes him one, although in a different manner than Chuuya. Like the summary says, it revolves around the manipulation of mass and weight, including his own and that what he touches. This forms a large part of the rumors he creates, so that they have their own mass and weight.
• Heroic R Ro D: Suffers one together with Ivan Goncharov when Caecilia needs one more rumor in chapter 8, which would be capable of converting their gathered energy. He blacks out and she takes him away.
• Historical In-Joke: His creation of the Sakura rumor. One of his namesake's most known stories is called 'In the forest, underneath the blossoming cherry trees' and starts like this:
  Nowadays, when people look at the cherry blossoms, they think it's time to party. [...] But it's only since a few hundred years that they gathered underneath the cherry blossoms to drink, puke and fight. Back in the good old days, people were straight up scared to stand underneath a cherry tree. And they were right.
• Monster Progenitor: Is the rumor maker.
• Mythology Gag: Even if he's not addressed as such, the form he takes in the finale is the same result as Sakurango. He even retains the same Verbal Tic.
• Pronoun Trouble: Quickly averts this in the finale after fusing with the female Sakurako by immediately making it clear that he's now bigender and uses he/she pronouns, which is also reflected in the writing afterwards.
• Psychometry: His innate magic, from where he learned how to manipulate mass and weight. ^note  For those lost on how Psychometry leads to it, the word for 'heavy' has the same pronunciation as the word for 'thought/feeling' in Japanese
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: Accompanies the duo and is looking for ways to help using the rumors.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Ambiguous Gender: Before fusing with the female Sakurako, he says that the fusion would be 75% him and 25% Sakurako, which seems to be true judging by the results. This would make him 3/4th male and 1/4th female. He still uses he/him pronouns, however, and the topic isn't brought up after the merge.
• Fusion Dance: Undergoes his own in the sequel, with Sakurako in order to protect her and, retroactively, their friendship. It ends up being a variation on the Power Booster example; as he undergoes visable change, but the attitude of the rumor also impacts his mind (but not as lethargic as Tanizaki's was).
• Insistent Terminology: He is abducted in the sequel, not kidnapped since he is an adult and not a child.
• Mental Fusion: Sakurango results in Ango's strict attitude loosening up a slight bit as per the rumor's personality, and he eventually ends up liking it so that he remains fused with her.
• Mystical White Hair: Upon fusing with Sakurako, his hair turns white, all while making him presumably more powerful.
• Palette Swap: Subverted. While Tanizaki played this trope straight while being fused with the Chelation Mascot, Ango's costume also changes (albeit in a limited fashion) while being fused with the Sakura rumor.
• Punny Name: Sakurango.
• Verbal Tic: Substitutes l for | as Sakurango, and capital L with |_.

Rumor of the 10, 000 Year Sakura/ Sakaguchi Sakurako

First appearance: Chapter 8

Somewhere around here, there's a large green field, with a giant sakura tree in the middle. One day, when three blood brothers have laid aside their issues and reunite in peace, they will meet again there. The sakura shall then be in full bloom forever, to celebrate their happy reunion!

The girl which is the manifestation of the Rumor of the 10,000 Year Sakura. She is eagerly awaiting the return of three friends in peace. At the end, she gives herself the name 'Sakurako Sakaguchi'.

• Adaptational Backstory Change: Is the 'brainchild' of Dazai. She is also described as the daughter of three fathers in the sequel.
• Alliterative Name: Sakurako Sakaguchi. Interestingly, this only applies to her fanfiction version, for obvious reasons.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: She is not only the manifestation of a rumor, but also the physical form of the friendship between Dazai, Oda and Ango.
• Artificial Intelligence: Essentially is one. This becomes obvious in the sequel that her information processing is a little slow.
• Cherry Blossom Girl: A given, as the manifestation of the Sakura rumor.
• Genius Loci: Sort of. When Dazai visits the field in chapter 8 together with Atsushi, the tree is not yet blossoming. When the Buraiha reunites in the epilogue, the tree is in full bloom.
• Meaningful Rename: 'Sakurako' is for Cherry Blossom Girl. 'Sakaguchi' is...well, yeah.
• Non-Action Guy: Invoked example. She was created for when the Buraiha reunites in peace.
• Overly Long Name: Due to it not being translated. Subverted with her later, human name.
• Protectorate: As the personification of both the rumor itself and the Buraiha-friendship, she is the one standing in between the enemies of the three and them. Notably, she cannot fight.
• Verbal Tic: To show her artificialness in her voice, it is |shown like this|, much like in the source material. When she fuses with Ango, it changes into the l being substituted for |, and the capital L for |_.

Rats in the House of the Dead

Facts
Faction Name: Rats in the House of the Dead/Reorganized Rats
Type: Hidden malevolent clique
Goal: To eliminate all witches and magical fighters in existence
Atmosphere: Disconnected and strict
Ideology: Our Leader knows what's best for us
Internal Relationship: Like a boss with subordinates
Keywords: Destruction, solemnity

The main antagonist faction, initially led by Fyodor and Caecilia. In the sequel, Goncharov tries picking up the remnants of the organisation, to varying amount of success.

In general

Tropes applying to them in the first story

• Big Bad Duumvirate: The Rats are led by Fyodor and Caecilia, and on a lesser height, Hawthorne.
• Faceless Goons: They seem to have quite a few.
• Well-Intentioned Extremist: They are intending on erasing all suffering...by killing all people who have made a contract. To do so, Fyodor has already closed off the Incubators' access to the city as well as set up the doppel system, as an attempt to lower the amount of contracts and witches in one go.

Tropes applying to them in the sequel

• Big Bad Ensemble: Though the group started out as harmless and pathetic, the moment Oguri took charge, their threat level significantly increased, making them the secondary antagonist faction of Part 2 after the Guild.
• Ineffectual Sympathetic Villain: Despite claiming to getting revenge from their loss, they're pretty pathetic after Dostoevsky has already fled the sinking ship (hinted in the first story by him having left Fendthope at the time of the raid). The Guild makes quick work of numerous Faceless Goons when they try to stop their invasion, Odasaku and Ango laugh off their request to join them, and even the Armed Detective Agency basically ignores them since they're that little of a threat. Its only named member, Goncharov, is shown to be pretty sympathetic and completely non-threatening... at least before Oguri comes in and becomes the de facto leader of the group on a whim...
• Took a Level in Badass: This group becomes more dangerous and effective the moment Oguri came in and took the helm. One of the first things they do the moment they went on the attack was to put a jump on the government and then steal the kimochi bracelet under Ayatsuji's possession...by hacking his arm off. And there's also the things they do to sway others to their side, including the likes of Tsujimura and even Fukuzawa and Mori.
• Villainous Underdog: They believe themselves as such as they had lost the first time around. They are out for revenge which they hope to show with that everyone is equal.

Fyodor Dostoevsky

^{Click here to see SPOILERS for the sequel's finale}

First appearance: Chapter 6
Nationality: Russian
Wish: To be able to erase all contracts from existence
Weapon: Dagger
Doppel: Katerina

Fyodor is not often seen attacking, and his exact magic is unknown. Still, he proves to be a very dangerous Puer Magi with a strategic mind and gambits planned up until next year. Him being the leader of the Rats essentially makes him Dazai's arch-enemy. He often complains about Caecilia's behavior and purposefully triggers her from time to time, but appreciates her as an ally.

---

• Art Shift: While the author has largely moved on from pencils to ink pens, they decided that Fyodor did not look good◊ while rendered in ink pens, and thus usually sticks to using pencils for his hair, eyes and skin, but still uses ink pens for whatever clothing he's wearing, like this◊.
• Body Horror: His Doppel is fused with his arms◊ ^note  Which may reflect that in Dead Apple, his Ability's red gem was on his hand . Said Doppel is inspired by the object heads from the creator of The Human Game, the Panspermia gods by said creator's friend k25Ff, and Russian icons.
• Breaking the Fellowship: After the first story ends, he does this by seemingly starting a new organisation for himself.
• Doomsday Clock: In the sequel he carries around a pocket watch that ticks the moments until "midnight", which he alludes to getting closer throughout the story. From what we've seen it's likely that "midnight" is when he will abandon his last bit of hope, and will enact his plans to erase all magical fighters all from the universe.
• Light Is Not Good: His costume is primarily white other than his skin being pale, and that as the main antagonist. It also features golden jewelry.
• Manipulative Bastard: How he enacts his schemes, by using others. At the end he turns out to never have been in Fendthope to begin with, just like how he was not at the supposed base in the manga.
• Motive Decay: This is what Oguri accuses him of in the sequel. He had already left the Rats and, with it, the ideology he had been preaching among its members as early as the original's story's finale, taking on a new ideology after the experience. Oguri doesn't take this well.
• Non-Action Guy: Not seen in action. Everything he does is strictly behind the scenes.
• Pass the Popcorn: In the sequel:
  That's going to be a fun show. Be sure to get me some popcorn first.
• Rat King: His costume is meant to evoke this image. And, together with his nationality, the fact that he is the primary antagonist and that he likes to Break the Cutie, it is probably a reference to The Nutcracker in itself.
• Requisite Royal Regalia: To enforce aforementioned Rat King motif, his magical boy form appropriately adorns him with golden jewelry (a tiara, a necklace and a golden chain hanging from his shoulder), a fur-lined cape that trails behind him (his sleeves seem to be fur-lined as well), and lots of purple.
• Shout-Out: His Doppel name is one to Catherine Ward from Angels of Death.
• Troll: Chapter 8:
  Caecilia: Why is it that anyone who I ask to do stuff, is so god damn slow?
  Fyodor: A matter of personal preference, I think?
  Caecilia: It wasn't a fucking question! Why don't you ever understand anything I'm saying?
  Fyodor: Maybe I do.
• Vagueness Is Coming: His first appearances in the sequel mostly consisted of him musing to himself about some kind of watch nearing its midnight hour, though what that means exactly is kept vague.
• "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue: [[spoiler: Who knows?

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Gaslighting: It is not said outright, but he shows signs of this towards Sigma, who has discovered that Fyodor has been erasing his past life. He seemingly concedes and apologizes, but does this in such a way that he is laying the blame by Sigma and not by himself.
• Kick the Dog: Fyodor treats Sigma like a dog, by hitting him when he speaks up and reprimanding him for accidentally bumping into Kyouka.
• Complexity Addiction: His plan in the sequel is quite convoluted. At first, he traps Fitzgerald and Louisa in the pocket dimension of Sigma's Doppel. Then, he goes to the remnants of the Guild and says that they can have their leader and strategist back on two consequences. The first one is simply a sum of money, which they would give. The second one is that they have to switch allegiance - and this one is the crux of the plan. If they switch allegiance, Fyodor will free Fitzgerald and Louisa, but at that time, they are on opposite sides. With the remnants of the Guild on his side, Fyodor is sure to win against them ^note  Especially when knowing that Louisa does not possess any offensive powers. , and when he beats them, he has a lot of powerful servants to enact his further plans.

Ivan Goncharov

First appearance: Chapter 7

The creator of the rumor barriers.

---

• Dishing Out Dirt: How his magic initially manifested. Contact with an Adjuster turns it into Reality Warping.
• Out of Focus: Compared to the other members of the Rats. Not even his appearance is revealed in the extra notes (the image on this page is from a special New Years message the author drew), possibly because his color reveal in canon was relatively new when he was written in.
  • Subverted with the real sequel, as he becomes the leader of the Rat remnants...even though he isn't very successful with it.
• Stupid Evil: In the sequel. He tries to form a faction, but he isn't exactly good at it because he refuses to work together even if it is made abundantly clear that doing so is more beneficial, and the lack of any 'big' names makes them particularly vulnerable. Instead he begrudgingly closes a deal with the Guild to even come close to being threatening. He also tries to take back Odasaku and Ango while neither of them have any reason to go back.
• Villain: Exit, Stage Left: Intentionally subverted; Dazai explicitly tells the former Guild members that came to assist him to seek Ivan out so that he does not escape. He nearly managed to do so, though - thanks to his Reality Warping, he initially remains Out of Focus during the main raid on Fendthope. However, since Hawthorne is quite acquainted with his magic trail...

Mushitarou Oguri

First appearance: Chapter 3 (sequel)

The Rats' Adjuster. Eventually takes over Goncharov's group and renames it to the 'Reorganized Rats'.

• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: He's introduced as a whimsical oddball who's usually prone to strange behavior every now and then, but ultimately proves to be one of the most dangerous figures in the Kimochi war by virtue of his charisma, ability to get a good read on people, and his cleverness. Under his leadership, he managed to slowly turn the tides in the Rats' favor while playing mostly everyone else outside their faction like a fiddle.
• The Chessmaster: His most frightening skills in-story are his intelligence and charisma and he puts both to very effective use once he takes over as leader of the Reorganized Rats.
• Cloudcuckoolander: His thought processes are very unusual and oftentimes random, confusing those who don't know him very well.
• Driven to Suicide: In chapter 8 he admitted he planned to kill himself if his plan wasn't successful and had tried to become a Witch, certain he couldn't keep going with everyone denying his and Yokomizo's relationship.
• Heart Is an Awesome Power: His innate power is to erase tracks of crimes. He uses this to make it seem like the Agency's office was left untouched after they broke in, and later uses it to keep his entire plan a secret until he specifically tells the Agency what it is.
• The Leader: Though not initially, he takes the reins of leadership from Goncharov at the behest of Gogol shortly after his introduction in the story out of sheer interest.
• The Lost Lenore: He genuinely loves Yokomizo and was devastated when he killed himself to shield the world from solving his final mystery. It's hinted that Oguri's wish, and many of his actions and his general disposition towards humans are a result of him grieving his loss.
• Power Copying: His specific Adjuster's power allows him to temporarily borrow as well as transfer magic powers. In the sequel he uses this to fake a wound with Gogol's magic, and he's implied to have transferred some kind of Reality Warping power and granted it to Ivan to let the latter create rumor barriers.
• Pure Is Not Good: He unnerves Ayatsuji because despite his sheer ruthlessness in achieving his goals, Oguri wholeheartedly believes in the thought that the Rats were unjustly punished and that they should get revenge, without a hint of malice in him whatsoever. His Soul Gem is also yellow.
• Star-Crossed Lovers: He did have a boyfriend (or rather, a crush) at one point, but had to kill him in order to create the perfect mystery no one could solve, and to save Yokomizo from death by cancer.
• Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Up until he was forced to kill Yokomizo, that is. From then on, the death of his boyfriend broke him so much that he wished for him to be together with him forever, resulting in him becoming plural, which in turn results in people not understanding him and deeming him a lunatic for talking to something they can't see themselves. Understandably, all of this broke Oguri rather hard, and lashes out at people in order to make them stop hating him.
• The Unfettered:
  Sigma: You forced your lover to be stuck in your head for as long as you live?
  Oguri: What if I did?

Nikolai Gogol

First appearance: Chapter 3 (sequel)

A cheerful Puer Magi first introduced bothering Goncharov. His true allegiance is with the Decay of Angels.

• Ambiguously Gay: It's unsure whether the others referring Fyodor to as his boyfriend is teasing or genuine.
  • Chapter 8 at least has him consider Fyodor his boyfriend, but whether it's reciprocated remains unknown.
• Beware the Silly Ones: His seemingly carefree and whimsical nature belie a rather crafty individual underneath. Goncharov notes that he's downright terrifying when he's even just annoyed, not mad yet.
• Cloudcuckoolander: He's...completely lost it, or so it seems, treating the world around him like a big circus or gameshow, with himself as the host.
  'Alright, alright! But you won't win the great prize! Any good show host should introduce themselves, that's right! My name is Nikolai Gogol, and I was proooobably the person Oguri-chan was waiting for! I see he was so impatient, he already went in!'
• Double Reverse Quadruple Agent: Due to his own whimsical means, he ends up being this. He's introduced accompanying Oguri, making one liable to think he's a member of the Rats. Then he reveals himself to Oguri as being a member of the Decay of Angels, albeit with the implication that he's staying there for Fyodor more than anything else. But when push comes to stove in chapter 8, he saves Oguri from the brink of death and says that while he has a boyfriend, he 'has other friends too'. This is lampshaded by others:
  Oguri, on the phone: Do you think I'll believe that? Do you get it now? You ally yourself to one cause, and there's no hopping in between the two. No one wants someone they cannot fully trust.
• The Nicknamer: Shortens Goncharov to 'Gon' and calls Oguri, 'Oguri-chan', much to the latter's dismay.
• Pass the Popcorn: Asks if anyone else wants popcorn when watching the Guild and the mafia duke it out with the kimochi.
• Undying Loyalty: To Fyodor. He's seemingly with Fyodor's new organisation, the Decay of Angels.

Sigma (Sergey)

First appearance: Chapter 3 (initial sequel); chapter 4 (real sequel)
Weapon: Golden coins (function like shurikens)

The servant/slave of either Oguri or Fyodor, depending on which sequel you're reading. Quite taciturn and obedient.

• No Name Given: The chapter he first appears in doesn't name him. Chapter 7 finally names him and also gives him speaking lines.
• The Quiet One: In none of the sequels, he appears talking, in contrast to many other characters who do.
• Mythology Gag: His history as of Forgotten Promise is confirmed to be true in chapter 10.
• Split Personality: He wouldn't be the first, even though his case seems to be hazier; his first mention of it is that he's trying to keep his head from being taken over by 'that other voice'. Unlike all other examples, his one (which surfaces in chapter 7) doesn't seem to have a name, simply being addressed as 'Sigma(?)'.
  • In a twist, 'Sigma(?)' is the original personality, whose real name is Sergey. The unsecure worryward Sigma was created and put in place by Fyodor so that even if he physically left (which he ended up doing), he wouldn't escape Fyodor's influence.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Achilles' Heel: Finding the other charm and matching it means the end of his amnesia.
• Anthropomorphic Personification: The copy the three encounter in the dimension embodies Sigma's amnesia, as well as his inner despair.
• Artificial Human: He did not exist before Kyouka wrote her original character in the Reality-Writing Book.
• Body Horror: He may render himself lucky that he doesn't wake up while his Doppel comes out, because its description reveals that it is made from the blood inside his throat. It rightfully says that if Sigma were to wake up during it, he'd freak out.
• Dimension Lord: Subverted for himself, he has no idea he even harbors a pocket dimension, but played straight for the copy inside said dimension.
• Expy: His copy self harbors some similarities to World from Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends (Destination: Imagination, to be specific).
• Forced into Evil: It is very apparent through his silence and reluctance that he is not evil at heart.
• Laser-Guided Amnesia: Fyodor erased all his memories, which also erased his previous personality.
• Light Is Not Good: His Doppel, the summoning location aside, looks harmless enough, being a colorful thing with blue wings. It also harbors a clingy entity with clear abandonement issues who will stop at nothing to keep visitors inside the dimension.
  • Furthermore, his magical costume is bright white, and half of his hair is also white. In fact, it has a very similar colorscheme to Kyubey.
• Named by the Adaptation: Here, his real name is 'Sergey'.
• No-Sell: His copy seems to be unharmed by the attacks of Atsushi, Kyouka and Odasaku. The real way of harming it, however, is by finding the other charm and matching it with Kyouka's.
• Shrinking Violet: Oh, boy, is he ever. His introduction is a non-speaking one, and becomes an apologizing mess when Fyodor berates him twice (first for talking without permission, then for bumping into Kyouka by accident). However, this is sort of justified as he has no memories of his former sociable self, is treated like a dog and gaslit by Fyodor. Hell, the type of his doppel is 'anxiety'!
• Villainous Breakdown:
  Copy!Sigma: You were not invited at all! And now you're leaving, aren't you? Why must you leave? I'm not good enough, am I? You have to stay! All these people...I have to protect them from the outside, so no one must leave! I'll make you stay!
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Has potential to become one, and his copy self embodies this for him. He just wants to have people around him who like him and has several abandonement issues, if the quote above did not make it obvious already.
• Yandere: Not him, but his copy in the pocket dimension (a version that looks like him but with Prophet Eyes) is this to the extreme.

Former Guild

The most prominent members of the Guild at the time of the sequel.

Facts
Faction Name: Guild
Type: Rich organisation who can afford anything
Goal: Finding their leader/winning the war over the stones
Atmosphere: Somewhat relaxed but some tension lingering
Ideology: As long as we win, nothing's wrong
Internal Relationship: Everyone for themselves
Keywords: Luxury, trying to find their way

An American group of magical fighters that have the common denominator of being rather strong. This group, however, dissolved following the disappearance of their leader before the story started, and have now gathered in Yokohama to build it up again.

In general

• Badass Crew: Nearly every member of this club is rather strong by themselves so when they clash with the Agency and mafia in the sequel, both examples of this themselves...expect fireworks.
• Brilliant, but Lazy: As the sequel shows, Lucy and Mark are both very capable fighters, so much that Lucy even manages to score two bracelets (one of which she gives to Fitzgerald) and Mark also gets one by doing a Kill Steal. Outside of combat, though, they simply like to loaf around and do things a young couple would typically do, like playing board games.
• Face–Heel Turn: In the sequel, they work together with Goncharov whereas they worked together with the Agency previously.
• From Nobody to Nightmare: In the first story, the Guild is a scattered little club consisting out of Hawthorne, Twain, and Lucy, who are trying to find their leader, Fitzgerald, and meet up with the other members that have gotten lost. They also help the Agency from the moment that Atsushi accidentally meets Lucy, and even come Back for the Finale to fight the enemy together. Once their leader returns in the sequel, he immediately turns the Guild around into antagonizing the Agency and acting for themselves rather than allying them to anyone. As a result, they fight a lot with eachother in the second part.
• Leitmotif: "Flare", one of the motifs of the infamous 'Cascade'. It plays in-universe in Fitzgerald's head as he's about to let the kimochi take over his body.
• We ARE Struggling Together: It's highly hinted that the group, while seemingly fixed with their leader's return in the sequel, isn't entirely harmonious, with a special mention going to Steinbeck who admits that he hates working for his current boss. This comes to a head in chapter 6 of the sequel when Twain can easily stir up unrest within the Guild due to their rising tension with Fitzgerald's new decision.

Mark Twain

First appearance: Chapter 1, Chapter 3 (properly introduced)
Nationality: American
Wish: 'Please give me control'
Weapon: Sniper rifles, but can handle larger weapons with Tom and Huck
Doppel: ??????

The Puer Magi who saves Dazai and Atsushi, and then tells them what happened when Hawthorne was gone. Is currently dating his battle partner, Lucy. He calls Caecilia 'Demoness'.

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• Ascended Extra: Had a very small role in the manga. Here, he is the first POV character and it is hinted that he brought the Remnants to Yokohama, acting on what Caecilia told him. This is kept up in the sequel.
• Badass Longcoat: Wears a longcoat...or something like it in his magical boy form.
• Big Damn Heroes: Properly introduced performing this in chapter 6, saving Dazai and Atsushi. Does another one in the finale accompanied with his teammates Lucy, Nathaniel and Mitchell.
• Cute and Psycho: Not at all obvious, but he can be as psychotic as Lucy in the original series. This is shown in chapter 3 of the sequel when he intentionally calls the rest of the Guild to stop fighting with the government, freeing them up to try to attack the kimochi, only to Kill Steal them. Using a firebomb missile. All the while laughing psychotically.
• Driven to Suicide: In the sequel he decides that peace can never exist while someone like him is around, and so tries to smash his Soul Gem, but Lucy and Fitzgerald come Just in Time to stop him.
• Friendly Sniper: He is best suited for long range, but is agreeable enough.
• Leitmotif: "The Beginning Of Something Really Excellent".
• Mythology Gag: Him turning on the sprinklers to prevent Hawthorne's attacks from working mirrors the manga, where someone does exactly that.
• The Nicknamer: Shortens 'Nathaniel' to 'Nate' in the prologue and names Caecilia, 'Demoness'.
• Official Couple: With Lucy. In chapter 8 of the sequel, they're even forced to raise a child together.
• Serious Business: What sets him off in chapter 6 to stir up some conflict in the Guild? A release of a game he was hyped for being delayed.
• Violently Protective Boyfriend: Has no qualms about shooting Caecilia through her leg when she is about to attack Lucy.

Lucy Maud Montgomery

First appearance: Chapter 1, Chapter 5 (properly introduced)
Nationality: American
Wish: To realize her fantasy
Weapon: Anne
Doppel: ??????

The Puella Magi looking for Hawthorne. Initially apprehended by Atsushi to help catching Akutagawa, she is thankful to have met other contracted in Yokohama. She's currently dating her battle partner Mark Twain.

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• Chekhov's Gunman: Her ability plays an important role in both the capture of Ivan Goncharov and the protection of Ango.
• In Name Only: At first, she shares very little similarity to the Lucy in the source material. However, chapter 9 reveals she still has Anne's Room, and says that she used to be part of an old organization that went the way of the dodo and the sequel does provide us with more insight into her character as she is properly seen fighting enemies one-on-one, showing more of her actual character (and backstory, as she mentions her orphanage past).
• I Will Find You: Came to Yokohama with her partner and battle team. Then, the fight between Akutagawa and Hawthorne happened without her knowledge, leaving her to search for Hawthorne. She is overjoyed when she finally finds some of Yokohama's native contracted.
• Leitmotif: This thing that tries hard not to feel too girly but still uses delicate instruments like bells and harps, and is intersected by quiet moments.
• Not-So-Imaginary Friend: Her wish implies that Anne was originally an imaginary friend of hers.
• Pink Is Feminine: Played with. Her magical girl form is a pink dress, and while she doesn't seem too traditionally feminine, she still loves things like stuffed animals and playing board games.
• Powers Do the Fighting: Is properly seen fighting in the sequel, where her doll fights for her.
• Undying Loyalty: Is implied to be fiercely loyal to both Fitzgerald and Twain, to the point that she actually hands her first bracelet to the former. In chapter 3 of the sequel she does address this by her internal monologue that she wants to stop 'hiding' behind others and as such, kills the next kimochi and keeps its bracelet for herself.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

First appearance: Chapter 1, Chapter 3 (properly introduced)
Nationality: American
Wish: To be the emissary of God's Word on earth
Weapon: Blood Magic
Doppel: ??????

A Puer Magi who attacks Dazai for heresy. He is very devout, but disappears after this attack...only to reappear when his mind has already been altered. He has very powerful blood magic.

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• Back for the Finale: Comes back at the end when the Agency is fighting in Hotel Fendthope.
• Badass Preacher: Dresses like one, and is mentioned to be very devout.
• Blood Magic: His main magic.
• Brainwashed and Crazy: Up until chapter 8 midway. It goes so far that (just like in the manga) he doesn't recognize the ones he attacks before, nor recognize his former teammates.
• The Corruption: The brainwashment that has been enacted on him is implied to work like this. When he appears in chapter 6, Atsushi and Dazai are still able to discern that it is him by his trail. By chapter 8, Dazai initially confuses him for Caecilia when he appears, meaning that his trail has been taken over to resemble that of her. Tanizaki mentions that whereas his Fusion Dance was around 50%, Hawthorne's mind has been 90% corrupted by the hypnosis.
• Light Is Not Good: His magical costume is notably white and yellow, in contrast to his black daily wear. And on top of that, he spends almost half of the entire story brainwashed.
• Mythology Gag: The things that happen to him ( He loses to Akutagawa, Mitchell ends up in a coma, and he ends up being brainwashed and becomes a member of the Rats) are the exact same as in the manga.

Margaret Mitchell

First appearance: Chapter 6 (mentioned) chapter 8 (properly introduced)
Nationality: American
Wish: To restore her family's honor
Weapon: Blow You Away
Doppel: ??????

Hawthorne's lover, who almost sacrificed her life to protect him. After Yosano heals her, she is back in action again and is able to help Dazai get to Hawthorne using her wind.

---

• Blow You Away: Her powers.
• The Bus Came Back: Eventually comes back from her coma as Yosano heals her.
• Letting Her Hair Down: On the picture it's shown as down in contrast to her fancy updo in the original. After all, she doesn't need to worry about it being blown in her face.

Francis F. Scott Key Fitzgerald (Unmarked Spoilers)

^{Click here to see him how he appears in chapter 5}

First appearance: Chapter 1 (sequel)

The leader of the former Guild, who surprisingly reappears in the sequel.

• Adaptational Villainy: In the sequel he plays the role of Yuna, but he's arguably even worse than Yuna. Yuna was simply very hurt and became a Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds via Unstoppable Rage. Fitzgerald is a confident, grown man who has multiple businesses in the palm of his hand and his primary motif is money, and his secondary is the recovery of his daughter and the mental health of his wife, Zelda. All of his actions are calculated and calm. But even in the latter, it takes quite a while before he finally admits that he's forgotten his promise to Zelda at the altar to always be there for her, and realizes he's left her alone and the promise he ends up making with Atsushi is made out of pure Pragmatic Villainy (in contrast to Yuna genuinely trusting Iroha, as Fitzgerald is also someone who's convinced of Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!) as it's a mere ploy to keep Atsushi safe so that Fitzgerald can take the bounty on his head afterwards.
• Badassin A Nice Suit: Wears a paltry excuse for a suit as his magical boy costume.
• The Bus Came Back: Returns without an explanation as to how in the sequel, just in time to nearly completely curbstomp the Agency and Atsushi.
• Character Catch Phrase: "It's not over until I say it's over!". Caecilia quotes it in the sequel's finale.
• Cypher Language: In chapter 5, when the kimochi start taking over his body, he starts to talk in what seems to be gibberish. However, the note at the end of the chapter says 'three letters back', hinting that he's talking in a caesar cypher (all letters go 3 positions back). Decoding these lines gives results such as 'I'll bring you back', 'Zelda...I love you', 'It'll be alright, Zelda' and 'I'll bring her back to life'.
• Demonic Possession: Related to the above. Upon hearing that Kyougoku is yet another traitor whom he had not calculated in, he breaks down, allowing the kimochi to dominate his body and 'speak' through him. However, during this he's still Fighting from the Inside.
• Jerkass to One: To the Agency, Fitzgerald is intimidating at best and vicious at worst, but to his subordinates minus Steinbeck, he is a reliable Benevolent Boss. Even after knowing that Steinbeck might just defect for some time, he doesn't immediately kick him out.
• Leitmotif: A surprisingly solemn song led by a music box, and later on, the melody of 'Flare', titled 'Pilot Light'.
• Love Makes You Evil: The main reason why he wants to bring the purification system over the whole world? To purify his daughter, who is in a magic-induced coma. For this, he is willing to kill multiple people and potentially level an entire city.
• "Not So Different" Remark: To Tsujimura, of all people - and it's obvious he was being highly sarcastic there as he knows that Tsujimura not only has beef with the Guild, but also that he couldn't be more different from her: Tsujimura is an office clerk who fights for the government and, by extension, Yokohama, and has been pushed into a position of leadership, and Fitzgerald is a multimillionaire CEO who owns multiple businesses, primarily fights for and with money, and is implied to have founded the Guild himself.
• Pragmatic Villainy: After chapter 5 he promises to work together with Atsushi and trust him...but Atsushi sees quickly that this is a ploy to keep him safe so that Fitzgerald can have the dibs on his bounty.
• Rummage Sale Reject: Only goes for half of his body, but this happens when he's wearing four kimochi all at once.
• Shadow Archetype: Surprisingly, to Dazai. Assuming that he is still not over what happened to his daughter and his wife, he is essentially a good look at how Dazai would have turned out if he allowed his grief, anger, and suicidal tendencies completely consume him had he not have Atsushi by his side to prove to him that everything that happened was never his fault.
• Silly Rabbit, Idealism Is for Kids!: Firmly pushes this on Atsushi in chapter 3.
  Fitzgerald: You don't get what I mean. You guys are the same as the incubators. Trying to stop this war is pointless, tiger. You've already figured out I'm here for the bounty on your head, but you know what irritates me the most about you?
  Atsushi: ...
  Fitzgerald: Your idealism.
• Took a Level in Jerkass: He used to be much more benevolent, but his daughter ending up in a coma and his wife going delusional as a result really brought out the worst in him, even to the point of forgetting the promise he made with Zelda at the altar.
• Would Hit a Girl: Considers hurting Caecilia to let her spill the beans.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise

• Locked Out of the Loop: Strong and mature as he is, having stayed out of Yokohama has done something to him. Chapter 2 implies that he didn't even fight the Doppel he encountered out of sheer fear and panic, and out of lack of knowledge what they are.

Louisa May Alcott

First appearance: Chapter 8

Fitzgerald's trusty strategist and the Guild's Adjuster.

• Hikikomori: Steinbeck implies this in the sequel when he says that she spends a lot of her time alone, holed up in her room during which she is unavailable to do any Adjusting work.
• I Will Find You: Was searching for Fitzgerald. At the time of the sequel, she has managed to find him and bring him back.
• Leitmotif: idk man you name it im tired. Yes, that is its name.
• Non-Action Guy: She states that she has no offensive powers, which is the reason she was attacked.

John Steinbeck

First appearance: Chapter 1 (sequel)

Weapon/Magic: Grape vines

Wish: To have a job that can sustain him and his family's wellbeing

A somewhat sour member of the Guild who hides his disdain for his boss with a facade of cheeriness.

• Accidental Murder: He almost does this to Chuuya in the latter part of chapter 1. It's hinted that he had been planning on letting Chuuya go as they didn't know anything about the current situation of the Rats, and had covered the entire floor in vines to prevent Akutagawa from getting to him, but Chuuya, on the brink of an emotional breakdown, ends up summoning their Doppel and almost dies.
• Be Careful What You Wish For: He wished to have a job that could sustain him and his family. Which he got...only to be employed under a boss whom he absolutely loathes.
• Being Evil Sucks: Absolutely despises the fact that he has to work under Fitzgerald, but has no other choice.
• Beware the Quiet Ones: He might be one of the more calm members of the Guild, but he's also making plans to kill the big shots of the Guild and take over.
• Green Thumb: His main ability is to control grapevines, and he often uses them to either impede others or to make the surroundings impenetrable. With this, he's noted to be quite an effective opponent to fight against.
• Leitmotif: Piwates '​,​:​^​] . Yes, that is also its name. It's a calm tune with a slow rhythm that nonetheless gives the feeling that he's scheming something.
• Remember the New Guy?: A newly introduced member of the Guild, he only appears starting from the true sequel on, but belongs as much by the Guild as the members who appeared in the original story. This is actually a minor plot point since neither Steinbeck has fought against the Agency or the Agency has ever fought against him before, and this is something that Fukuchi reprimands him for.
• Too Many Belts: In his magical boy form. Odds are they're either representative of vines or symbolic of the way he's 'tied down' by his job.
• The Unfettered: Slowly but steadily he becomes this. It reaches a head after Fitzgerald decides to create a pact with Atsushi after which people often comment on how he's really lost all fear.

Others

Yukichi Fukuzawa

^{Click here to see him how he appears in chapter 8 of the sequel}

First appearance: Chapter 2
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: 'Give me control over what [you] do'
Weapon: Katana
Magic: Adjustment (i.e tampering with other's magic)
Doppel: Samuele

The local Adjuster Atsushi meets. He is a veteran with the same powers as an incubator, and uses his sword to fight because he has no inherent offensive powers. But he is still a force to be reckoned with and even Kunikida has not managed to beat him even once. He is very afraid of his own Doppel, and it is unknown why...

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• All There in the Manual: Mentioned to be pretty darn afraid of his Doppel in the description, but it does not happen in the story itself. The extra character page gives the description of said Doppel:
  Doppel of regret. Its form is [x]. The master of this emotion feels a deep-rooted fear for it, but nonetheless accepts it. The large statues it consists of, are actually a separate being altogether that whisper orders at the main body their gaze is permanently fixed at. But because its master has taken the place of said main body, he cannot help but follow their orders. This obedience belongs to the highest tier and should be noted as highly unusual. It is forever stuck in this state, aimlessly ordering around its fully hypnotized master who effortlessly moves to its whims. As a result, everytime it is summoned, he curses it. If he continues to make use of this power, he may as well grow to be less strict with his subordinates.
• Apocalypse Maiden: It has been hinted that, should his witch form mature and emerge fully (that is, not as a doppel) it may very well encapsulate the entire city as its barrier.
• BFS: The katana in his old art looks like it's at least half his body size, long enough to count as an odachi.
• Big Good: Starts out as a neutral Adjuster but slowly crosses the Neutral No Longer line as he has to involve Mori. In the sequel he supposedly becomes the leader of the Agency.
• Da Chief: Has this air around him, as a Japanese one.
• Face–Heel Turn: He's slowly driven into cynism in part 2, and it is ultimately him not feeling understood that makes him turn on Yokohama and become the villain as to unite people against him.
• Famed In-Story: Says that he is known among the crowd. Obviously, not for his Adjusting abilities, but for other stuff he won't elaborate on.
• Fanservice Pack: Earlier drawings of him had him wear pants, the redesign doesn't.
• Fights Like a Normal: Attacks witches and the like with his katana, due to his innate magic not being offensive.
• Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique: Quick example in chapter 9 where he gets the location of the Soul Gems by holding the tip of his katana at a lackey's throat.
• Kimono Is Traditional: His magical outfit isn't a far cry from his normal wear - it has his Soul Gem added, lacks his Coat Cape and it has a considerable shorter length, but is otherwise mostly the same - which may be due to him not idolizing the life of a Puer Magi. However, despite it being basically an edited kimono, his collar does fold the "wrong" way as visible on the image, which hints at his Lich state. This is on purpose, considering Fukuchi's collar also folds this way in the link below. ^note  Normally, all kimonos are folded left over right, and the reverse only applies when dressing a corpse for burial.
• Mirror Character: To Mori, but also to Fukuchi, down to their costumes◊.
• Mythology Gag: In the original, Fukuzawa had the power to subdue the magic of his subordinates, leading to them gaining more control over it. In here, Fukuzawa is an Adjuster like Mitama and Livia who can bring out the hidden potential of a Soul Gem at the cost of one Grief Seed per Soul Gem.
  • This is also a point that deviates from the Magia Record canon, as it's said that Adjustment can only be learnt if the user made a wish in the form of a curse, and he didn't. However, the wording he used was so direct that this is his only power.
• Neutral No Longer: At first he's a neutral Adjuster, but he's already introduced together with Kunikida, Tanizaki and Dazai. When Chelation Land turns out to be on the mafia's land, Fukuzawa decides to take one for the team and contacts Mori, which is the moment he has definately sided with the newfounded Armed Detective Agency.
• The Stoic: And it's just as bad as it's good. On the good side, it allows him to stay relatively unburdened by the life of a Puer Magi and the things he sees when Adjusting, and it makes him a good, undistracted leader. On the other hand, Angst? What Angst? is not in action as it turns out that he does have a lot of anxiety built up over the years which he hides behind a stone mask, so much that it isn't even an item in the story. However this does come to a head in the sequel where he says that he was never truly understood for wishing to have the powers of an incubator and becomes evil.
• Strictly Professional Relationship: Insists that Mori and him have to pretend to be this during the entirity of the deal. It doesn't work out that well.
• Stripperiffic: Not usually, but in chapter 8 of the sequel his outfit changes upon enough fluctuations taking place in his Soul Gem, resulting in this. His new outfit consists of a Badass Longcoat, a Sarashi and...not much else. Yosano lampshades it by remarking that he (and Mori) lost 50% of their clothing, alongside sarcastically wondering whether they can even run in those shoes.
• Tuckerization: His doppel/witch form is named after a person the author knows.

Government

Facts
Faction Name: Government Division for Magical Affairs
Type: Reigning governing organisation
Goal: Handling the city's own magical fighters in their own pace
Atmosphere: Like a typical business
Ideology: We know what's best for Yokohama's future
Internal Relationship: As colleagues
Keywords: Authority

In general

The special division of the government that keeps magical fighters in check. According to Tsujimura, it is supposed to keep anyone from wrecking havoc.

• Home Base: The building in the middle of Yokohama.
• Patriotic Fervor: Though they are not seen, the unnamed characters who belong to the government are heavily hinted to have wished for the city itself instead of any personal desires. In chapter 7 of the sequel, Ayatsuji points out that those people were more liable to defect to the Rats because they are fighting for an abstract ideal instead of for something direct, like a loved one.
• Sir Not-Appearing-in-This-Trailer: Santouka is absent, at least he's not directly mentioned by name.

Mizuki Tsujimura

First appearance: Chapter 4
Nationality: Japanese
Wish: To 'carry her mother's power in her honor'
Weapon: Casting a Shadow
Doppel: ??????

A Puella Magi from the government. She fights and defeats the Misery Rhyton together with Dazai and Atsushi, and returns for the final battle too. She has shadow magic which she can use to attack and to defend.

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• Ascended Extra: Was mostly the Hero of Another Story in Gaiden, and her only on-screen appearance is in 2 occasions on Dead Apple. Here, she has a larger role and plays a significant part in the takedown of the Mysery Rhyton.
• Back for the Finale: Saves Kyouka by doing a Big Damn Heroes at the finale.
• Badass Bystander: Initially appears to be just another bystander at the misery water vendor. However, she says later that she has been investigating this rumor for some time.
• Black-and-White Insanity: Downplayed. There are no middle ground in her perception of morality, making her antagonize the Guild and the Rats more, even after understanding their motives. She is still vigilant after the Guild stops thrashing Yokohama once and for all, and hesitant to cooperate with the Rats.
  • It comes to a head in chapter 8 of the sequel, when she chooses to defect to the Rats because she believes their vision of a world where the underdogs win will allow her to enforce the government's morality on normal people and make them stop hurting each other. It's only when Ayatsuji firmly speaks to her to help her understand that oftentimes people only do bad things out of desperation or because they themselves have been hurt does she realize how simplistic her worldview was and repent.
• Casting a Shadow: Her main magic, both used to attack and defend. Tsujimura actually questions her own wish that resulted in this, as the powers were originally her mother's. Despite wording it as if she wanted to carry over her mother's honor, she actually just wanted her mother's powers. She thinks of herself as selfish because of this.
• Leitmotif: "White", likely to contrast Ayatsuji's theme.
• Mythology Gag: Her involvement in Kyouka's case (including her saving Kyouka in the finale) is rather fitting, considering that in the original, Kyouka's Ability was transferred through a method learned from Tsujimura.
• Skilled, but Naive: While there's no doubt about her strength as a magical girl, it's another story about how ready she is as a person. She's surprised that majority of magical fighters do not exactly care what the government's division of magical fighters wants or for the city itself, with most just wishing to have something in their immediate vicinity. She also struggles with difficult emotions like hatred or violent despair, which causes her to especially antagonize the Guild. Her inexperience also causes her to fluctuate between extremes; her acting as if she decides for the entire government division causes dissatisfaction within said division, and when she attempts to correct this, she thinks that one-sidedly breaking an alliance with a host that helped her group many times without telling even her close confidants is the way to go.
• To Be Lawful or Good: Her main struggle in part 2 is between whether she should support the Agency or remain independant as per being the government and technically the third part maintaining the city. This leads to her regularly making promises allying the government with the Agency only to want to pull them back later when she gets some slack for it and later on promising to ally the government to the Agency, mafia and Guild only to get back on it in the same chapter.

Ayatsuji Yukito

First appearance: Chapter 8

• An Arm and a Leg: Poor Ayatsuji gets his arm hacked off by Reorganized Rats' Sigma so they could steal the Kimochi bracelet he earned for themselves...and succeed. Thankfully, he gets his arm reattached with the help of Yosano.
• Bad Powers, Good People: Touches upon it in chapter 7 of the sequel and calls it an example of why not everything is black-and-white because he is an example of this trope himself.
• Brutal Honesty: Gets Tsujimura back by just calling a spade a spade and saying exactly why her interpretation of her ideology is wrong. Unusually for this trope, it helps.
• Does This Remind You of Anything?: In chapter 4 of the sequel, he suddenly loses his bracelet in one quick moment he didn’t see coming. Even after he’s brought to Yosano who heals his arm, he thinks to himself that no matter how good Yosano’s healing job is, she can’t bring back his bracelet because she obviously only heals his body (i.e what’s physical, not mental). To add on to it all, after he’s healed, he can’t stop rubbing his healed arm as if it’s dirty. Luckily, Ayatsuji actually gets his bracelet back at the end of the chapter.
• Early-Bird Cameo: His appearance in chapter 8 is this, as he gets a larger role in the sequel.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Slaps Tsujimura in chapter 6 in the sequel when she considers calling the whole alliance with the Agency, mafia and Guild off right after she had decided to give it a green light with very much this in mind.
• Leitmotif: "Liquid Negrocity", the base melody of the infamous "Black".
• Loophole Abuse: His sole magic is killing the culprit of a crime with an accident. He makes use of this cleverly by counting the kimochi's attacks against him as a crime, killing it. This is noted to take up quite some magic, though.

Kyougoku Natsuhiko

First appearance: Chapter 2 (both sequels)

A Boxed Crook who works together with the government for parole. Except he isn't, and he's really a member of the Decay of Angels.

• Appropiated Appellation: According to him, the location he came from disdained Puer Magi as they thought of them as dangerous onmyouji. Look at his costume.
• Asian Fox Spirit: The mask he wears is a blue kitsune mask.
• Boxed Crook: The mixed reactions he gets from the Agency is because he is a criminal currently managed by the government. He helps the government in exchange for eventual parole.
• Evil Sounds Deep: Is noted to be a criminal, and his voice is so deep and impressive even when just discussing matters that no one wants to hear an angry Kyougoku.
• Fashionable Asymmetry: His left arm (from his own perspective) is covered by his sleeve, but his right arm isn't.
• Good Scars, Evil Scars: His body has various scars and burn marks because of the long-term abuse from the people of his previous home, who tried to drive him out after learning that he's a magical boy. He is technically able to heal the scars, but instead chooses to keep them to remember that it's futile to reveal the existence of magical fighters to the world.
• Leitmotif: Even in Death, no doubt because of the use of a koto sample.
• Small Role, Big Impact: He doesn't play a very active role, but him not showing up at the battle and killing off all backup Fitzgerald had is what breaks the latter and decides much of the chapter's second half. Furthermore, his true allegiation being the Decay of Angels also implies his role growing later on.

Tropes unique to Forgotten Promise:

• Establishing Character Moment:
  Give me something of that junk and something that doesn't resemble dishwashing water.
• Hypocrite: He says to Fitzgerald that he doesn't like strangers, yet he is working with a Russian man.
• One Degree of Separation: The one who sent the witch kiss to kill Kyouka's parents and this man? The very same.
• Screw the Rules, I Have Supernatural Powers!: His Witch Kiss can be put on anything with a logical thinking mind and feelings, and does not limit itself to just normal people. This is significant when you know that Kyouka's parents were a rare Battle Couple who both had a contract under their belt.

Hunting Dogs

Facts
Faction Name: Hunting Dogs
Type: Strong but neutral military group serving the government
Goal: Acting out their given missions
Atmosphere: Mostly none, since their members act apart
Ideology: We will remain neutral in this war
Internal Relationship: A dysfunctional family
Keywords: Strength, neutrality

In general

An extremely strong military group that's de jure linked by the government, but de facto remains neutral and unallied to the government.

• Home Base: They apparently have one, but they also travel and can set up camp anywhere they're stationed.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: The backstories of Tecchou and Jouno imply that having this with their wish is somehow necessary for the members of the Hunting Dogs.
• Super-Soldier: They are a group of these, and are enhanced to such a point that Ayatsuji says that just fighting one will result in massive losses on your side.
• Team Switzerland: Fukuchi clarifies that their motto is to protect magical fighters by providing a neutral third party in conflicts. As such, their leader Fukuchi offers his Adjustment services to anyone who needs them, taking a neutral stance in any conflict that they may run into. Fukuchi has taken this to also count for Adjusters asr well and as such considers Fukuzawa a failure to the Adjuster ideals as he took sides during Yokohama's battle against the Rats, siding with the Agency and making a deal with the mafia.
  • Harming any of them is also taboo, as well as fighting in any area that they have set up camp in - mainly because trying to pick a fight with them in this way ends in a Curb-Stomp Battle with you on the losing side anyways. In Chapter 2 of the sequel, Tecchou interrupts a skirmish between the Agency, mafia and the Guild to tell them that they're on Hunting Dog property and to please take it elsewhere. The fighting parties deciding to honor their neutrality pays off when Fukuchi decides to protect Ranpo.

Fukuchi Ouchi

First appearance: Chapter 1 (sequel)

The leader of the Hunting Dogs who also Adjusts as a side-job. An old acquaintance of Fukuzawa.

• Adaptational Heroism: Instead of the secret Big Bad he's just Team Switzerland's leader in this story. The closest he comes to any villainy is scolding Fukuzawa for being Neutral No Longer. Hell, he even protects Ranpo later on!
• Power Copying: A variation. He's able to copy powers from others, but he's also able to grant them to others temporarily. This is shown when he gives Yosano Tanizaki's illusion power. It's unknown whether this is the same thing as Oguri does, even though Fukuchi has never been shown using someone else's power for himself or Oguri has been shown giving them.
• Team Switzerland: He seemingly treasures this value quite highly when it comes to his Adjusting job, as he will take requests from anyone if he has the time (like from Steinbeck). This is also why he's at odds with Fukuzawa, who sides with the Agency.

Tecchou Suehiro

First appearance: Chapter 1 (sequel, unnamed)

One of the Hunting Dogs.

• The Dreaded: He can walk into a battlefield and cease all the fighting without saying a word.
• Hidden Depths: He mentions in his report that he has had some basic Adjustment training from Fukuchi.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: His backstory reveals that He was locked up and neglected in the past and he wished to see the plum blossoms again. He did so, but got locked up immediately afterwards. He escaped with his newfound powers anyway.
• The Stoic: His reports to Ranpo are, as the latter describes, 'awful dry'.

The Decay of Angels (UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Facts
Faction Name: Decay of Angels
Type: Secretive underground terrorists
Goal: To eliminate magical fighters from existence and bring peace
Atmosphere: Relaxed at first but there's unease
Ideology: Suffering can only end by our acts
Internal Relationship: United by strong codependant bonds
Keywords: Nihility, decay, cynicism, resignation

A mysterious group first showing its head in the sequel. During the ongoing war, they seem to prefer to watch until a certain 'midnight hour' strikes. For the tropes on the individual members, check the folders of Fyodor Dostoevsky, Nikolai Gogol and Kyougoku Natsuhiko.

In general

• Cynicism Catalyst: For all members sans Gogol, the various misfortune and tragedies they've seen and experienced form the crux of their cynical outlook.
• The Mole: Gogol and Kyougoku act as moles in the Rats and in the government, respectively.
• The Prophecy: Fyodor seems to believe in a prophecy regarding an apocalyptic event, with the revealing of magical fighters to the general public being one of the steps in said prophecy that will lead to doomsday. Fyodor possesses a pocketwatch which counts down to doomsday, with the seconds ticking away as the sequel progresses.
• Recycled In Space: Having Fyodor as their apparenty leader, their ideology is very similar to what the Rats' used to have, only with an added layer of cynism, resignation and a doomsday clock.
• You Can't Fight Fate: The base of their ideology. The members of the group have all accepted their eventual fates that come with being magical fighters (i.e to die a dishonorable death without the populace even remembering your name) , and believe that even those who desperately struggle against it shall succumb to their fate anyways.

Unaligned

Andre Gide (MAJOR UNMARKED SPOILERS)

Andre Gide

First appearance: Chapter 6 (flashback and sequel)

The Puer Magi whom Odasaku fought and killed at the end of his life.

• Death Seeker: Still retains this, and arguably even more since he already failed to completely die once.
• Posthumous Character: He's long dead by the start of even the first story. Even so, tragedy properly starts the moment he dies.
• Mrs. Robinson: Gender-flipped. Gide explicitly states that he chose Verlaine because he apparently seemed younger than himself. This freaks the latter out understandably.
  • This is also a Historical In-Joke as Verlaine was born in the year Gide died, and the latter had a pronounced preference for younger men.
• Villainous Breakdown: In the finale.
  'You don't get it! You don't get it at all! I've tried, tried so many times to explain this to you. Look, we were denied everywhere, and who were to blame? Everyone but us. It's not our fault that the world didn't want us! It's not my fault that fate chose my soul to persist after death and suffer like this! If it was anything that could be denied...why am I here, then? Why is this world so shitty? All I want to do is to die, to have an eternal rest! Why can't I have that?'
• Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: Arguably. He was once the leader of a group that was kicked out because of reasons they couldn't have possibly known, his soul being unable to rest after death while he already was a Death Seeker at the end of his life and finding his entire group annihilated. This also causes him to having to carry all the cumulated despair of all Mimic members that already died. Understandably, all of this has driven Gide mad, having nothing left to accomplish, and tries to finish things off by trying to destroy it all - for if Mimic couldn't find a home, so no one will.