Jerome Hongō is a character from the anime and manga series Killing Bites. Known by the alias Brute Bear, he is a tall and muscular man with a stubble beard and shoulder-length hair. His physical presence is imposing even before his transformation, standing at 186 centimeters tall. As a Brute, a human who has undergone a bestialization operation to gain animal traits, Jerome transforms into a gigantic brown bear covered in fur, which dramatically amplifies his already formidable power.

Before becoming a Brute, Jerome was a professional sumo wrestler who had risen to the rank of Makushita and was known as the strongest fighter in his division. His life changed dramatically three years before the events of the main story when he was stabbed by a fan who believed he was involved in match-fixing. In self-defense, Jerome killed the attacker with a single slap. The incident revealed that his hands had become lethal weapons, leading him to retire from sumo in search of a place where he could freely use his destructive strength. This desire ultimately led him to undergo the Bestialization Operation, becoming the Bear Brute to further enhance the power of his already deadly palm attacks.

Jerome's most defining characteristic is the incredible destructive force of his slaps. Even before his transformation, his slap had enough power to kill a man. After becoming a Brute, this ability evolved into what other characters describe as one of the most destructive forces in the Killing Bites tournament. The force is so immense that a single slap can throw a tree or deliver a fatal blow. When Hitomi Uzaki, one of the main fighters, blocks one of his attacks, she remarks on its incomparable destructive power, and another character, Tani Yoke, praises him for possessing such overwhelming strength.

In the story, Jerome serves as an opponent in the early stages of the Killing Bites tournament. He is a member of the Mitsukado Zaibatsu, one of the powerful conglomerates that sponsors Brutes to fight in secret death matches. Despite his fearsome reputation and immense physical power, his role in the combat narrative is surprisingly brief. When he faces Hitomi Uzaki during the first round of the tournament, she incapacitates him in less than a second with a single move. This swift defeat highlights the vast gap in skill and ability between even a powerful brute like Jerome and the series' main combatants.

Regarding his personality, specific details about his demeanor and temperament are not extensively documented. However, his actions and backstory suggest a man who discovered his own lethal potential by accident and then actively sought an environment where he could exercise that power without restraint. Rather than shying away from the violence he is capable of, he embraced it by undergoing a procedure to make himself even stronger. His past as a respected sumo wrestler turned killer and his subsequent decision to join a brutal tournament indicates a complex individual driven by a need for purpose and an outlet for his destructive abilities.

Jerome maintains a key relationship with Hitomi Uzaki, though it is an adversarial one defined entirely by their single, decisive battle. His fight against her serves to establish the threat level of the protagonist and the high stakes of the tournament. Beyond this, his affiliation with the Mitsukado Zaibatsu places him within the larger power structure of the series, but specific interactions with other members of the organization are not detailed. His short but impactful appearance demonstrates the brutal nature of the Killing Bites world, where even a former champion and a bear brute can be defeated in an instant by a more skilled opponent. The character shows minimal development, as his defeat comes swiftly after his introduction, cementing his role as a formidable but ultimately secondary obstacle in the larger narrative.