Tatsumi

Tatsumi is a young fighter who has set out along with two childhood friends to make a name for himself and earn money for his village. He is a kind-hearted person who wants everyone to live happily, but has no problem with becoming violent if his friends or his ideals are threatened.

After the corruption and evil of the The Empire is revealed to him, and the cause of the death of his friends, he is invited to join Night Raid, a group of assassins that are affiliated with the Revolutionary Army currently at war with the Empire. He eventually accepts the invitation and slowly begins to accept his new life and trade, while still grieving over the loss of his friends and beginning to learn about his new ones.

Bio
Tatsumi spent his whole childhood in a small village where he became close friends with Sayo and Ieyasu. It appears that he was well respected in his village as the elder gave him a unique idol of their god. Tatsumi also trained under the tutelage of a retired soldier, learning the art of swordsmanship, hand-to-hand combat, and blacksmithing. After Tatsumi, Sayo, and Ieyasu set off on their journey, they become seperated when attacked by bandits, leaving Tatsumi alone. In the opening chapter of the story, Tatsumi is first revealed fighting an Earth dragon. Using his skills in combat, he defeats the danger beast with ease. Later, he enters one of the Empire's cities, where he meets a young lady who offers him military connections in exchange for money, conning him out of all of his savings. He is later taken in off the streets by a wealthy girl named Aria. Soon, the mansion is attacked by a group of assassins known as "Night Raid", and after a struggle, the girl who conned Tatsumi out of his money earlier shows up, and is revealed to be a member of Night Raid herself. She interrupts the fight between Tatsumi and Akame, and reveals that Aria is actually a sadist who tortures innocent people, including Tatsumi's friends he left the village with. Knowing the truth, and furious at the death of his friends, Tatsumi slays Aria himself. Night Raid and particularly Leone(the con girl) are impressed by his potential and officially invite him to join their group of assassins. After considering their offer, Tatsumi accepts his new life in the killing trade.

Still devastated over the death of his childhood friends, Tatsumi was hesitant to accept Leones' offer to join at first. Leone shows him around the hide-out and introduces him to the other members of Night Raid: Akame, Braht, Schere, Mein, Rabac and then Boss. Suspicious that they will kill him if he refuses, he asks what will become of him. Boss assures him that they will not kill him should he refuse, but tells him he would not be allowed to leave, and that he would be able to work for Night Raid as a laborer, earning money to send back to his village should he wish. She explains Night Raid's purpose and goals, and Tatsumi finally accepts the offer to join the Assassin's guild.

He is first paired up with Akame to be trained by her and also share her duties as well(cooking). While working with her, the two bond as they learn more about each other. Soon, he is given his first official mission to assassinate Ogre the Demon, while Leone and Akame deal with a corrupt merchant named Gamal. Tatsumi deceives Ogre and lures him into an abandoned alley, where he tells him he wants to join the Imperial Guard, but once Ogre turns his back on Tatsumi, he attacks. During the fight, Ogre threatens to kill the client who hired Night Raid, as well as the rest of her family in revenge. A very angry Tatsumi is then able to overpower Ogre and ultimately kill the corrupted Imperial. Afterwards he states that he didn't take any wounds at all. Upon returning to the hideout, Akame promptly strips him to see if he was lying to save his pride, and is greatly relieved when she found that he was not lying, saying that she has lost many friends from poison, because they didn't report their wounds.

He is next put under Mein who pulls rank over him the whole time he is paired with her. He learns more about the Empire and the other Night Raid members and begins to form a friendship with her, although she still often teases him. He remains paired with her when they go on their next mission: to kill a relative of the Prime Minister; Iwokura. While Mein kills Iwokura with one shot the remaining members of Night Raid are left to deal with his bodyguards. Tatsumi and Mein retreat as her job is done and Tatsumi is not strong enough to face the bodyguards. While leaving he learns why Mein fights against the Empire. One of the Guards however escapes and attacks Mein, and Tatsumi latches on to the attacker, telling Mein to take the shot(at close range). When she starts to object, he tells her he has faith in her. Mein kills the attacker, and is about to accept Tatsumi before he hits her on the forehead, complaining that she nearly killed him as well. The two return to the hideout, having grown a bit closer after this experience.

Tatsumi is then paired with Akame and ordered to recover a Teigu from the serial killer Zank The Beheader. He learns from Akame about the weapon relics known as "Teigu". He is then tricked by Zank who creates an illusion of Sayo to lure Tatsumi to him, and he is separated from Akame in the process. While Tatsumi holds his ground against Zank, the serial killer uses his Teigu Spectator to give him the upper hand, and he proves too much for Tatsumi, Akame however arrives just in time to save Tatsumi, and defeats Zank with her superior speed and will. The pair return with the Teigu to the hideout. Still unable to accept the death of his friends, Tatsumi is found at his friends' gravesite by Akame, who tells him to help her get dinner ready.

He then is placed under Schere, who at first disliked him but is unable to recall why. She trains him by making him swim in heavy armor. He learns why she fights against the Empire and why she is in charge of training (he enjoys the last reason). Later at a Night Raid meeting, Boss had him to try on Spectator, and the Teigu rejects him as a user, but not before Tatsumi uses its special ability to see Schere, Mein, and Akame in their underwear. He asks if there is Teigu that can bring the dead back to life and is deeply hurt when the other Night Raid members tell him that there is no such Teigu. Schere notices that there is deeper reason to this and finds him at the graves of his friends, trying to hold back tears, stating that he had hoped there was a Teigu able to bring the dead back. She hugs him and tells him that it is okay to cry. Schere comforts him, holding him in her arms. He thanks her for her kindness, and from that point the two become closer. He is finally able to let go of his friends and accepts their deaths. Next, Tatsumi is placed with Leone and sent with her to the Capital to complete a mission. He learns that she is very popular in her home district. The two are separated when a gang of men she had swindled out of coin come after her. He then meets Seryuu, who helps him find the bar he was ordered to find, and reunites with Leone there. They enter the targeted building and witness a gang kill a drugged prostitute, a girl that Leone knew from the streets. Together, they eliminate all the gangsters in the building. When he asks Leone what will happen to the girls, she replies that it isn't their problem, but then tells him that she knows a doctor who will look after the wounded girls if she asks him to. Tatsumi notes her kindness with a smile and she "marks him" as hers. Tatsumi wonders how the other team (Schere and Mein) are doing.

Mein returns to the hideout, sharing the bad news of Schere's demise at the hands of Seryuu Yubikitas. Tatsumi and the rest of Night Raid are devastated and enraged. Tatsumi begins to leave to get revenge on Seryuu, but is stopped by Braht, who tells him to stop acting childish. He is told to help Akame with cooking dinner while Mein recovers. Still in distress himself, Tatsumi wonders how Akame can stay calm and collected when one of their comrades has been killed.

Tatsumi is sent Leone to kill the Kobores Brothers under orders from the Revolutionary Army HQ. The two complete their mission, slaughtering the brothers, and as they are leaving, Tatsumi hears a child's voice calling for his father, who was one of the brothers. Angry at himself, Tatsumi leaves quickly. The next morning, Tatsumi attempts to clean the bloodstain from his sword while thinking about how the boy only saw the Kobores brother as a good father, instead of the villain he actually was. Leone shows up and tells him that he could scrub the sword for his entire life, but the stain of blood would never fade. While she tries to cheer him up, he asks where she got her Teigu and why she fights the Empire. While he finds that her reasons give him strength, he is still troubled. Later that night as he goes to eat, he witnesses Akame preparing Schere's favorite food to offer to her grave, and Tatsumi tells her that he admires the way she can remain so unaffected, and that losing a friend is something that he will have to get used to like her. Akame grabs Tatsumi, and tearfully tells him that she will never get used to losing her friends. Tatsumi realizes that she was just as affected as he was, and swears to her that he will never put her through the pain of losing him.

He begins training with Akame with a new determination, unwilling to stop until he becomes strong enough to live up to his promise with her. He is interrupted by Braht, who offers to train Tatsumi so he can become stronger, Tatsumi accepts and goes with Braht to Mt.Fake, where he and Braht fight against tree beasts as part of his training. The two bond as they put their lives on the line battling the danger beasts of the mountain. When the two return to the hideout, Night Raid has a meeting to discuss the Prime Minister, who has begun to order his political enemies to be killed, simultaneously using Night Raid as a scapegoat and blaming them for the assassinations. Boss also notes that Esdese has returned to the Capital, having finished with her campaign against the Northern Tribes. Lastly, Boss notes that she has lost contact with the Night Raid away team, and worries that they have been wiped out. Braht and Tatsumi are then assigned the task of protecting another of the Prime Minister's political enemies, who is aboard the cruise ship, "Ryuusen".

Tatsumi and Braht arrive at the luxury liner and board, Braht uses Incursio's stealth ability to scout out the area for potential attackers. The Three Beasts arrive at the same time and begin to search for their target. Tatsumi learns of Braht's past, and the reason why he fights the Empire. Braht then must retreat to the interior of the ship as the time limit on Incursio's stealth ability had been reached. Braht then leaves for the interior of the ship, leaving Tatsumi in charge of watching for the assassins. While he is gone, Tatsumi is weakened by the Teigu Scream's music, and the crew and most of the guests are put to sleep. Tatsumi is attacked by Daidara, whose Teigu gives him a major advantage, but Tatsumi is able to hold his own until Braht shows up. Braht tells Tatsumi to watch his battle closely and memorize his movements, as the other members of the Three Beasts arrive. Braht evades their attacks, leaping high into the air, knocking out Nyau, and quickly uses Neuntote to cut Daidara in half, killing him instantly. He then begins to fight with River, his former superior from his days with the Empire. Still able to fight, Nyau attempts to play Scream to give River an advantage but is stopped by Tatsumi. While Braht fights River, Tatsumi keeps Nyau from interfering but is unable to keep him occupied for the whole fight and Nyau defeats him, stopping Braht from landing the killing blow on River. While Braht ends up defeating River, he is poisoned and wounded. Tatsumi grabs Braht and attempts to escape with him, but is stopped by Nyau who uses his trump card, growing to full adult size. Braht entrusts Tatsumi with his sword, saying that it is Incursio's key and to use it. Tatsumi's will is so strong that the Teigu's core evolves to match him. With this new power, Tatsumi kills Nyau in one punch. Braht succumbs due to his wounds and the deadly poison that River used in their fight. Tatsumi sobs as his friend and mentor passes away before him. He then takes the rest of the Teigu along with him back to the Night Raid hideout.

Some time after this event, Meins injures were completely healed, and she immediately began to train in order to become stronger and avenge Schere. She finds both Akame and Leone helping Tatsumi and Rabac train, sitting on their backs as they do pushups. Tatsumi tells her that he is training so he can use Incursio more effectively, and to be able to use its stealth ability for a longer period of time. Rabac adds that he and Tatsumi are now the only men left in Night Raid, so he better start getting serious. Boss arrives to tell everyone that she is leaving for The Revolutionary Army HQ, in order to hand over the Teigu that Tatsumi gathered. Before leaving, she places Akame in charge, and offers Tatsumi some words of comfort, telling him that he is strong. Leone tells Tatsumi that Braht had faith in his abilities, and was sure that he would someday become extremely powerful.

Tatsumi heads to the capital hide-out, which is disguised as a bookstore owned by Rabac. The two head down the stairway to the secret room to find an intoxicated Leone already there. Rabac informs him that Mein's face has been put up on wanted posters, meaning that they are now the only ones left who can walk though the streets of the capital by day. Tatsumi asks about the new police group formed called the "Jaegers", and their leader Esdese. Rabac tells him that a few years ago there was a group of savage tribes in the south-west of the Empire that rose up in rebellion. Many thought that the Empire would win due to the fact that the tribe only had 10,000 soldiers while the Emperial military sent 120,000. However, the environment proved the tribes' greatest weapon, as the outskirts of the Empire were a harsh environment, and the soldiers were born near the capital, with no experience of such unforgiving terrain. When all seemed lost, the Empire sent General Najenda and Esdese to reinforce the army. Esdese froze a lake that had effectively cut off the army from the tribes' main village, and using the frozen surface as a bridge, the forces crossed over and defeated the tribe. Esdese then took the captured leaders, and forced them to watch while she had her forces perform mass rape and murder of the tribes civilians, to discourage rebellion in the future. Tatsumi however was confused by this, and stated that the incident would only create future rebellion, Rabac tells him that future rebellion is exactly what Esdese wanted.

Rabac tells Tatsumi that the Empire is holding a tournament, in which the winner will obtain a large cash reward, and that he should enter so he can send the money back to his home village. Esdese oversees the Tournament personally, which the Empire had staged in order to find a new user for the Teigu Ecstasy. Tatsumi enters the Tournament under the guise of a blacksmith from the countryside, and wins the tournament, showing his great skill, fearlessness and confident smile. Unknowingly fulfilling all of Esdese's requirements and capturing her heart.

Esdese herself came down to meet Tatsumi and give him his reward. She places a collar around his neck to the shock of everyone present, and drags him off to the Jaegers' headquarters.

Equipment and Skills
Tatsumi wields a short sword and initially does not possess a Teigu. His skills in battle are recognized first by Leone and later by the rest of Night Raid, who serve as his mentors. Tatsumi's skill in battle at the beginning of the story has been shown to be quite formidable. He was able defeat an Earth Dragon, a dangerous first class Risk Species, with ease. Tatsumi was also able to hold his own during early battles, even without a Teigu.

Later Tatsumi inherits Incursio and forces it to evolve to match his movements. Following Braht's death, Tatsumi trains himself even further in order to fully master the Teigu, unlocking it's abilities rapidly. He is proficient in hand-to-hand combat and excels to the point where he can defeat highly skilled martial artists. Tatsumi also develops a sixth sense to become more aware of his surroundings. He is also skilled in blacksmithing, able to forge and repair weapons.

Relationships
Braht: Tatsumi thinks of Braht as a mentor and older brother type figure, and calls him "aniki". It is hinted that Braht is attracted to Tatsumi, of which the latter is uncomfortable with. Still, the two become close over their short time together. Tatsumi is devastated when Braht is killed by River. Braht's teachings have made a significant and permanent impact on Tatsumi as an assassin, emotionally and physically. Tatsumi often recalls Braht telling him to not let his emotions control him and to be aware of his surroundings, such as when he was captured by Esdese and had to keep his identity a secret. Tatsumi trains hard to live up to Braht's expectations, and to be able to handle the Teigu that was passed down to him.

Akame: Akame is the first member of Night Raid to cross swords with Tatsumi, and comes very close to killing him. Later, they become friends, and Tatsumi discovers that Akame is actually a very caring person who hates to see her friends hurt. She worried about Tatsumi when he goes alone on his mission to kill Ogre.As well as other battle he is in before he gains Incursio. The two become closer over time.

Leone: Tatsumi is almost instantly attracted to Leone thanks to her outgoing personality and ample chest size. He seems to forgive her for stealing his money, and they become good friends. He is also able to laugh with her and make jokes. Leone seems to show interest in Tatsumi, calling him "cute" at several points of the story as well as literally "marking" him as her future man. He calls her "Nee-san." They have the closet relationship among Night Raid.

Schere: Tatsumi becomes friends with Schere after she comforts him while he was mourning the deaths of Sayo and Ieyasu. In that short time they spent together, they developed a friendship. He is devastated when she is killed at the hands of Seryuu.

Mein: Initially treating Tatsumi with dislike, Mein eventually warms up to him when they work together to fend off an attack on Night Raid's hideout.

Esdese: The sadistic ice queen discovers Tatsumi when he competes in(and wins) the fighting tournament. Winning the general's heart with his smile, Esdese falls in love with him at first sight. She instantly declares Tatsumi as hers and drags him off with her. Although Tatsumi attempts to persuade Esdese to side with him and the Revolutionary Army, she still insists on serving the Empire.

Sayo: She was his childhood friend, and set off with him on his journey to the capital. The two were very close and in his fight with Zank it is shown that she was the most important person to him.

Ieyasu: Tatsumi's other childhood friend that left the village with him. The two were close and could easily laugh with each other.

Boss: Tatsumi greatly respects Boss, and her abilities. He is shown to be in awe of her strength at one point.

Rabac: They get along well enough, though Rabac is comically jealous that Tatsumi is becoming a "lady killer." Rabac sometimes takes advantage of Tatsumi's innocence, such as sending him to peep on Chelsea while bathing to see how she would react in order for him to assess the danger. He was however worried when Tatsumi was kidnapped by Esdese even though he didn't state it.

Chelsea: While greatly hurt at her early statement about Night Raid being too "soft", Tatsumi realizes she meant no harm and was only worried about their well-being. He respects her abilities, and knowledge of battle.

Susanoo: While Susanoo has only been part of Night Raid a short time, Tatsumi quickly warms up to him.

Trivia

 * His name means "Sleeping Dragon"


 * The first creature he is shown fighting is an Earth Dragon, a possible reference to his name.


 * His parallel in the Jaegers is Wave.
 * His Teigu matches his hair colour.
 * Tatsumi is apparently a fan of the manga Hatsukiai, which is published in Gangan Joker, the same publication that Akame Ga Kill! appears in.