TV-Series
Description
PFC Tokishige Usami is a superior private in the Seventh Division of the Imperial Japanese Army, serving directly under First Lieutenant Tokushirou Tsurumi. He is a man of average height and muscular build, with pale skin, dark eyes, and a boyish, pleasant face that sharply contrasts with the violence he is capable of. He comes from a farming family in Shibata, Niigata, the same region as Tsurumi, and grew up with his parents and three siblings in a village household.
From childhood, Usami trained at a local judo dojo, where the older Tsurumi first noticed him and praised him as the most talented of the young students. The two knew each other from the time Usami was about twelve years old. During those early years, Usami formed a close friendship and rivalry with a schoolmate named Tomoharu Takagi. When Takagi was preparing to leave for a military school in Tokyo, Tsurumi encouraged him and remarked that his strength of will was not inferior to Usami's. Unable to bear the thought of losing his position in Tsurumi's regard, the young Usami killed Takagi during a bout by crushing his throat. Tsurumi witnessed the act and helped conceal it as an accident involving a horse, an event that bound the two men together as accomplices. From that point, Usami's life became inseparable from Tsurumi's plans.
In terms of personality, Usami presents himself as cheerful, polite, and approachable, speaking in a friendly manner that gives an impression of harmlessness. This outward demeanor hides an intensely combative and ruthless nature. He shows no hesitation in using lethal force, acts without mercy toward anyone he considers an enemy of Tsurumi, and remains entirely unbothered after committing brutal acts. He is described as one of the most dangerous men in the series, with the temperament of a loyal fighting dog, brave and devoted to his master but prone to dangerous jealousy. Despite his ferocity, he is also capable of careful analysis and methodical thinking when a task requires it. While investigating a series of murders in Sapporo, he examined crime scene residue in a highly unorthodox manner to predict the culprit's movements, a method that left his companion deeply unsettled and earned him an infamous nickname. Usami's devotion to Tsurumi is the defining feature of his personality. He craves Tsurumi's recognition above everything else, reacts with visible pleasure to praise and even to punishment, and famously had a set of crude figures that Tsurumi drew on his face permanently turned into tattoos so that the marks would never fade. His attachment is possessive and obsessive, rooted not in ideology or military duty but in the fact that Tsurumi was the first person to genuinely acknowledge his worth.
Usami's primary motivation is to remain Tsurumi's most valued subordinate and to be recognized as his number one. He understands Tsurumi's calculations and chooses to follow them willingly, making his loyalty deliberate rather than blind. His sense of self-worth is entirely dependent on Tsurumi's approval, and he is willing to kill, spy, infiltrate, and sacrifice himself to serve Tsurumi's ambitions.
Within the larger conflict over the tattooed skins, Usami acts as Tsurumi's personal aide and enforcer. He takes part in missions across Hokkaido, at one point infiltrating Abashiri prison undercover as a guard until his identity is exposed. Later, he travels to Sapporo with Special Duty Sergeant Mokutarou Kikuta to investigate a serial killer and to recover tattooed skins. During the confrontation at the Sapporo Beer factory, he encounters Hyakunosuke Ogata, a former Seventh Division soldier who had deserted and turned against Tsurumi. Usami gains the upper hand in their close-quarters fight, but Ogata, while pinned down, loads a bullet into his own mouth and fires it at point-blank range, wounding Usami in the abdomen. Despite the injury, Usami flees on horseback to deliver the tattooed skins and evidence of Kikuta's betrayal to Tsurumi. Ogata then shoots him through the chest from a concealed position, firing through a building window to hit him at a distance. The wound proves fatal.
Usami's death is the culmination of his relationship with Tsurumi. He collapses near Tsurumi, who cradles him and bites off his little finger, swallowing it in a manner that mirrors how Tsurumi keeps the finger bones of his deceased wife and daughter. Tsurumi tells Usami that he will live on as his number one friend. Receiving this acknowledgment, Usami dies contentedly, expressing that he is so happy he could climax. His final act is completing his duty as a soldier, ensuring that the evidence he carried reaches his commander. His death also represents the completion of Ogata's development into a sniper, as the shot that killed Usami demonstrated extraordinary precision through an obstructed line of sight.
In terms of notable abilities, Usami is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant with exceptional judo skill, sharp reflexes, and the physical strength to overpower trained soldiers, as shown when he defeats Ogata in a fight. He is also highly resilient, continuing to ride and carry out his mission with fatal wounds. His investigative ability, though expressed through disturbing methods, proves effective, and his complete lack of hesitation makes him a reliable and dangerous instrument in any violent situation. Throughout the story, his trajectory moves from an insecure farm boy seeking recognition to a soldier whose entire existence is devoted to one man, and his arc ends with the acceptance he spent his life pursuing.
From childhood, Usami trained at a local judo dojo, where the older Tsurumi first noticed him and praised him as the most talented of the young students. The two knew each other from the time Usami was about twelve years old. During those early years, Usami formed a close friendship and rivalry with a schoolmate named Tomoharu Takagi. When Takagi was preparing to leave for a military school in Tokyo, Tsurumi encouraged him and remarked that his strength of will was not inferior to Usami's. Unable to bear the thought of losing his position in Tsurumi's regard, the young Usami killed Takagi during a bout by crushing his throat. Tsurumi witnessed the act and helped conceal it as an accident involving a horse, an event that bound the two men together as accomplices. From that point, Usami's life became inseparable from Tsurumi's plans.
In terms of personality, Usami presents himself as cheerful, polite, and approachable, speaking in a friendly manner that gives an impression of harmlessness. This outward demeanor hides an intensely combative and ruthless nature. He shows no hesitation in using lethal force, acts without mercy toward anyone he considers an enemy of Tsurumi, and remains entirely unbothered after committing brutal acts. He is described as one of the most dangerous men in the series, with the temperament of a loyal fighting dog, brave and devoted to his master but prone to dangerous jealousy. Despite his ferocity, he is also capable of careful analysis and methodical thinking when a task requires it. While investigating a series of murders in Sapporo, he examined crime scene residue in a highly unorthodox manner to predict the culprit's movements, a method that left his companion deeply unsettled and earned him an infamous nickname. Usami's devotion to Tsurumi is the defining feature of his personality. He craves Tsurumi's recognition above everything else, reacts with visible pleasure to praise and even to punishment, and famously had a set of crude figures that Tsurumi drew on his face permanently turned into tattoos so that the marks would never fade. His attachment is possessive and obsessive, rooted not in ideology or military duty but in the fact that Tsurumi was the first person to genuinely acknowledge his worth.
Usami's primary motivation is to remain Tsurumi's most valued subordinate and to be recognized as his number one. He understands Tsurumi's calculations and chooses to follow them willingly, making his loyalty deliberate rather than blind. His sense of self-worth is entirely dependent on Tsurumi's approval, and he is willing to kill, spy, infiltrate, and sacrifice himself to serve Tsurumi's ambitions.
Within the larger conflict over the tattooed skins, Usami acts as Tsurumi's personal aide and enforcer. He takes part in missions across Hokkaido, at one point infiltrating Abashiri prison undercover as a guard until his identity is exposed. Later, he travels to Sapporo with Special Duty Sergeant Mokutarou Kikuta to investigate a serial killer and to recover tattooed skins. During the confrontation at the Sapporo Beer factory, he encounters Hyakunosuke Ogata, a former Seventh Division soldier who had deserted and turned against Tsurumi. Usami gains the upper hand in their close-quarters fight, but Ogata, while pinned down, loads a bullet into his own mouth and fires it at point-blank range, wounding Usami in the abdomen. Despite the injury, Usami flees on horseback to deliver the tattooed skins and evidence of Kikuta's betrayal to Tsurumi. Ogata then shoots him through the chest from a concealed position, firing through a building window to hit him at a distance. The wound proves fatal.
Usami's death is the culmination of his relationship with Tsurumi. He collapses near Tsurumi, who cradles him and bites off his little finger, swallowing it in a manner that mirrors how Tsurumi keeps the finger bones of his deceased wife and daughter. Tsurumi tells Usami that he will live on as his number one friend. Receiving this acknowledgment, Usami dies contentedly, expressing that he is so happy he could climax. His final act is completing his duty as a soldier, ensuring that the evidence he carried reaches his commander. His death also represents the completion of Ogata's development into a sniper, as the shot that killed Usami demonstrated extraordinary precision through an obstructed line of sight.
In terms of notable abilities, Usami is a formidable hand-to-hand combatant with exceptional judo skill, sharp reflexes, and the physical strength to overpower trained soldiers, as shown when he defeats Ogata in a fight. He is also highly resilient, continuing to ride and carry out his mission with fatal wounds. His investigative ability, though expressed through disturbing methods, proves effective, and his complete lack of hesitation makes him a reliable and dangerous instrument in any violent situation. Throughout the story, his trajectory moves from an insecure farm boy seeking recognition to a soldier whose entire existence is devoted to one man, and his arc ends with the acceptance he spent his life pursuing.