Characters in the novel Unlock City. Warning for spoilers ahead.
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Outside the High School
Takahagi Koudai
The protagonist of the novel, a somewhat lazy young man who works at a security company and likes to play videogames. Ends up getting dragged into the investigation both by being the recipient of an unusual email hinting at things to come, and by his coworker, Atsuki. His initial apathy towards the situation disappears when his sister becomes endangered.
- The Confidant: Finds himself playing this role for both his father and Atsuki, the former having often come to him in times of stress in the past and even divulging confidential facts about the current case, and the latter opening up about his criminal record during their own investigations.
- Hidden Depths: A hopeless slackoff who's constantly comparing things to video games and movies in his head due to his obsession with them, but deeper down has a keen investigative mind (once properly motivated) and some mild abilities in hand-to-hand combat due to training from his father.
- Nepotism: Was employed in his security company through the sole fact that his father is a high ranking police officer.
- The Slacker: Not as much now that he’s been forced into a steady job by his family, but in the past he preferred working part time, easy jobs so he could sit around playing video games.
- Unwitting Pawn: A weirdly non-malicious example. Atsuki lists Koudai as his "Supporter" and therefore makes him a part of the game without his knowledge, with the intent of using him to win the game. However, winning the game also makes it stop, so it's a good thing for Koudai and his sister that Atsuki manipulated him this way.
Kayama Atsuki
Koudai’s coworker, a fan of computers and video games and the one who initially pushes to investigate what's going on. On the surface just a pretty face, but reveals both a fondness for hacking and an ambiguous past over the course of the novel.
- Frame-Up: Eventually reveals that he has a criminal record, though despite his propensity for hacking into other people’s computers he swears he was framed.
- Karma Houdini: Though it's unknown how culpable he was in Evillious Net's activities as a player in their "game", as per their rules he's been cleared of any and all criminal charges incurred during his investigation.
- Otaku: Obsessed with games and anything to do with computers—interestingly enough this is contrasted with his devastatingly handsome good looks.
- Playful Hacker: Admits to Koudai that he hacked into the security company’s computers for his investigation, and has a history of hacking for benign purposes (though arrested for it at one point). His involvement in Evillious Net throws the playfulness into question, however.
Mekage Mika
A former classmate of Koudai who now works in the Tsuruki police department’s traffic division. Ends up caught up in the investigation as part of her job alongside her partner Takatomi, and by name appears to be related to the owner of the Mekage Shrine.
- Alliterative Name: Mekage Mika.
- Blood from the Mouth: After Shinichi stabs her.
- Fair Cop: A traffic cop who is absolutely adorable.
- May–December Romance: May have possibly had one with Shinichi, although it's never confirmed. They were close enough though that her partner Takatomi thought they were an item, and they were on first-name basis.
- Not What I Signed on For: She's horrified by the loss of life that the "game" has caused, in particular by the bear, and has a breakdown of conscience with Shinichi.
- Unwitting Instigator of Doom: She was given the instructions on how to be the game's "Starter" (putting an object in the shrine Black Box) by Allen without being told the significance of her actions. In addition to that, her using a bear charm is what makes the bear the "Master"—something even Allen wasn't expecting.
- Unwitting Pawn: She doesn't seem to even know anything about Evillious.net. She just received mysterious e-mails and followed them out, not understanding how much chaos it was going to cause.
The Director, Shinichi
The department director of the security firm where Koudai works.
- Bad Boss: Not particularly abusive to his employees early on at least—indeed, his only real crime for much of the novel is going on an "outing" and not coming back for a long time. Although as he’s a cold blooded murderer who killed Mika, so he’s probably not the nicest guy to work for.
- Everyone Calls Him "Barkeep": He's referred to as "the director" by his employees—a name isn't given for him until chapter 4, by Mika, to signify she knows him on a more personal level.
- May–December Romance: Might have possibly had one with Mika, although despite how well they seem to know each other Koudai thinks that it's not really like him to go tom-catting around with a woman two decades younger than him.
- Nominal Importance: Played with. Earlier in the book, when he's just Koudai’s boss who quickly fades out of the narrative, he's referred to just as the “director”. Later, when he’s revealed to be a part of the organization that’s behind everything, his name is given as Shinichi.
Inside the High School
Takahagi Otoha
Koudai's younger sister, a member of the music club at Tsuruki Highschool, playing a trumpet. While she's not shy to an extreme degree she's not the type to make a lot of friends, sharing a little bit of her brother's reclusive laziness.
- Action Survivor: As one of the students trapped in the school, a completely normal teenage girl who has to survive against a Super-Persistent Predator bear.
- Bunnies for Cuteness: While she no longer loves them as much as she did in elementary school after realizing how smelly and annoying they are to take care of, Otoha has an association with bunnies, particularly in Koudai’s narrative when he uses a small stuffed bunny she made for him once as a charm for his phone after resolving to save her.
- Improbable Weapon User: Throws her trumpet at the bear when it attacks. In her defense, she wasn't expecting it to do any damage.
- Unwitting Pawn: A discussed aversion. Seiryuu is penalized for not making her his "Supporter", as she's the one who defeats the bear and thus could have unknowingly helped Seiryuu win the game.
Seiryuu Kouji
A ne'er do well leader of a pack of three boys that attend Otoha's school, with an interest in the occult.
- Delinquent Hair: Dyed his hair brown, although Otoha doesn't know if it was actually black originally.
- Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Hangs out with crude friends, mocks Otoha at a few points, and has a dim view of other people. But he still rescues Otoha from the bear during a confrontation rather than leave her behind to save himself. Although his Evillious Net membership casts this into doubt.
- Last-Name Basis: While this is true of most people in the story, it sticks out among the students as most of them go by their first names with each other—Even his friends use his family name. His first name doesn't get revealed until the end, in the letter to Evillious Net members.
- Terrible Trio: Forms one with his friends, Yasu and Taka.
Mr. Nonomiya
Otoha's adviser, and a teacher at Tsuruki Highschool.
- Dirty Coward: Seiryuu claims so, telling Otoha that he pushed him in front of the bear to save himself before getting eaten anyway.
- Wardrobe Flaw of Characterization: Wears a blue tie that’s messily tied, indicating he's a rather disorganized person.
Shihogi Kanoe
The director of the music club at Tsuruki Highschool. The first murdered by the bear.
- Class Representative: Appears to have been this before getting murdered, her enthusiasm for the music club and busybody attitude (even going so far as to chide Nonomiya, a teacher, for his bad dressing habits) making her somewhat disliked by a few people, including Otoha.
- Ludicrous Gibs: All that remains of her body when Otoha finds it.
Spoiler Character
Allen
The head of Evillious Net. Doesn't make an appearance in the novel proper, but does write a notice at the end summarizing the results of the event.
- Affably Evil: Not much is known about him but his letter to the Evillious Net players is very polite and professionally worded.
- The Man Behind the Man: Appears to be the organizer of the "Games" that Evillious Net plays.
