In feudal Japan, a ruthless young punk named Tobei committed innumerable crimes. He was put to death after only 16 years of life. He spent the next 300 years in Hell, refusing to repent and trying to escape. One day, Lady Ema, the regent of Hell, offers Tobei a way out. Using a magical wooden sword named Togari, he must collect sins (called "Toga") in the world of the living, enough so that his own may be pardoned. Tobei readily accepts. When he is released, he inadvertently rescues a girl named Itsuki, who also becomes the first person to show him kindness.
Togari ran from 2000 to 2002 in Weekly Shonen Sunday with only 68 chapters in 8 volumes, and had no solid ending, but a sequel series, Togari Shiro, ran in Monthly Comic Flapper from 2009 to 2011.
Togari provides examples of:
- Asshole Victim: The first people Tobei killed were a group of nobles who were going to test a new blade on him, simply because he was there. He was probably six or seven years old at the time.
- The Atoner: Tobei eventually decides that he actually wants redemption.
- Attempted Rape: Occurred a couple times throughout the series. The first time, Itsuki was rescued by Tobei's arrival. The second is a part of Wish's backstory.
- Black Eyes of Crazy: The physical manifestation of Tobei's inner darkness has these.
- Blatant Lies: "[Itsuki's] nothing to me... so get your filthy hands off of her YOU PIECE OF CRAP!" Notable because it seems he really does believe that Itsuki means nothing to him, even he flies into a murderous rage towards her kidnapper.
- Catapult Nightmare: Tobei has a nightmare in which he sees Itsuki at the mercy of a vicious stranger with a knife to her throat. Tobei runs to save her, but is held back by his many victims. The stranger begins to slit Itsuki's throat, taunting Tobei with his own opinion that the weak deserve to die. It's then revealed that the stranger is Tobei. Suddenly Tobei finds himself crouched on the ground, a bloodied knife in his hand, and a dead Itsuki leaning on him. He wakes up screaming in horror.
- Continuity Nod: Itsuki, angry at Tobei's disregard for human life, punches him in the face. She later apologizes, saying she just meant to slap himnote . Later, as she's searching for him after he's run away, she thinks "When I find him, I'm going to sock him one. I mean slap him. With an open hand."
- Cool Old Guy:
- The homeless old man who helps Tobei out and gives him some life-changing advice. His eyes are nearly always shut and he has a semi-permanent Playful Cat Smile.
- Itsuki's grandfather certainly counts, too. He knocks Tobei on his ass when they first meet.
- The Determinator: Tobei is the poster boy, definitely. 300 years in Hell couldn't break him.
- Deus ex Machina: Invoked by Ami, when he covertly lends a helping hand by snapping the ropes binding Itsuki. He even name-drops the trope.
- Dissonant Serenity: This is exactly what makes Sena so pants-crappingly terrifying. He's always got a calm smile on his face.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: Tobei doesn't even know what "thank you" means.
- Gotta Catch 'Em All: Tobei must collect 108 Toga in order to be released from Hell.
- Half-Human Hybrid: Implied to be the case for Lady Ema.
- Harmful to Minors: Tobei's childhood consisted of eating garbage, passing out from hunger, and getting beat up by adults who didn't want him around.
- Heel Realization: Tobei didn't care about being a bad guy and a killer, even after befriending Itsuki. Only when Itsuki is kidnapped and nearly killed does Tobei realize that the many people he'd murdered had all been as terrified and in pain as Itsuki was, and it's too late for Tobei to take it back or make it right. Cue Vomit Discretion Shot and Heroic BSoD.
- Identical Stranger: Sena looks almost exactly like Tobei, though this has yet to be brought up after the initial reveal.
- In the Blood: Many people comment on how Itsuki is a "chip off the old block" and got her courage and toughness from her father.
- Ironic Echo: Tobei says several times in the first couple of volumes that the weak deserve to die. Then he has a nightmare in which he watches his past self slit Itsuki's throat while taunting him with that phrase.
- Meaningful Rename: Tobei got his name from the first person he ever killed as a child. Later, after a young boy that Tobei saves learns that he has no family name, he tells Tobei that he can have his name, Ogata.
- My God, What Have I Done?: After Tobei rescues Itsuki in volume 6, he has visions of his victims crying out for help or for mercy, equating them with Itsuki. He nearly becomes physically ill, and then is assaulted by nightmares and voices reminding him of what a monster he is.
- Mystical 108: 108 days to collect 108 sins.
- Naked First Impression: Tobei had no clothes in Hell, thus he had no clothes after being resurrected. Poor Itsuki had to deal with naked first and second impressions.
- No Social Skills: Tobei, by virtue of not having any sort of guardian growing up.
- Plucky Girl: Itsuki, despite her Tears of Fear during the most dire of situations, stays strong, even punching her kidnapper in volume 6, though it turns out he hits a lot harder.
- Posthumous Character: Itsuki's father was murdered ten years before the series takes place.
- The Power of Hate: The Toga feed on the hate and malice of their human hosts. Togari itself turns the inner darkness of its wielder to become stronger.
- Redemption Demotion: Justified in an interesting way. Tobei's weapon, Togari, gains strength from the inner darkness of its wielder. If Tobei protects an innocent or otherwise acts virtuously, Togari weakens as Tobei's inner darkness lessens—also making Tobei more vulnerable to Togari taking control of him. At the same time, Tobei's Restraining Bolt ensures that if he sins too much, he'll be returned to hell. Dramatic tension arises from Tobei struggling for balance between "too evil to live" and "too nice to be effective." This can lead to widely varying power levels for him in a single fight, depending on his actions.
- Redemption Equals Death: An interesting variant: If Tobei succeeds, he will not continue living with Itsuki. Instead, he will be reincarnated and live a new life that way.
- Redemption Quest: The reason Tobei is trying to collect the Toga is so he can be redeemed and completely released from Hell.
- Restraining Bolt:
- If Tobei sins while on earth, he will lose his head all over again. Whenever Tobei thinks about or tries to commit a sin (murder, theft, etc), the scar on his neck from when he was beheaded starts bleeding, mostly as a warning. Varies from gushing to only dripping, depending on how badly he wants to commit said sin.
- In addition, if he hurts another human, he'll be hit back with even greater force. Not that this always stops him. In fact, it usually only stops him when it would potentially prove fatal.
- Troubling Unchildlike Behavior: Tobei began killing people when he was, at most, eight years old.
- What Is This Thing You Call "Love"?: Tobei has never experienced kindness or friendship, and it makes him uncomfortable enough to leave Itsuki and her family and live on the streets throughout volume 5.
- Will They or Won't They?: It's hard to tell if Tobei and Itsuki's feelings for each other are platonic, familial, or romantic.
- Would Hurt a Child: Plenty of the sinners Tobei fights don't mind threatening children with harm. At least one of them not only had killed several children, but was about to kill a pregnant woman when Detective Sawazaki intervened.
Togari Shiro provides examples of:
- Improbable Infant Survival: By now Tobei's practically rescuing babies by accident.
