Deadman Wonderland/Characters
Ganta Igarashi
Voiced by: Romi Park (JP), Greg Ayres (EN)
The Hero, Ganta is a Mistaken for Murderer and imprisoned in Deadman Wonderland after his entire school class were massacred by the "Red Man". Implanted with the Red Man's Branches of Sin, Ganta earns the nickname Woodpecker, becoming a Deadman. Wishing to gain freedom, Ganta meets the cheery Shiro, a long lost childhood friend, and tries to survive in the prison against the other inmates, Deadmen and the Red Man.
- Awesome but Impractical: His Ganta Gun turns his blood into bullets. The thing is, while all the other Deadmen's fighting styles let them recycle blood easily, Ganta's does not. Meaning he shoots out his own blood to fight, without getting it back. You can probably figure out why this is bad.
- That strange stone in his chest seems to help with the blood loss, and the gun in itself is insanely fast -- the bullets can break the sound barrier and leave shock waves as a result. He can also spew out multiple bullets, and "charge" them for more powerful blasts nearly instantly. Now if only he could do something about the debilitating heart attacks...
- His power is also far more dangerous than others' by dint of being, well, essentially a gun, which is instantly fatal. Most other powers need some set up or are slightly limited (Senji's blades aren't all that sturdy and require closed distance, for example). Of course, Ganta's not really a murderer.
- Bad news, folks. As powerful and useful as it is, it will eventually kill him, possibly by shutting down his brain and heart.
- Badass Adorable
- Berserk Button: He goes berserk every time the Red Man is mentioned.
- Bloody Murder: He uses his blood as ammunition for his gun.
- Combat Pragmatist: Very good at using the environment to his advantage, and throws in headbutts and such.
- Determinator
- Flipping the Bird: He flips off the audience of the Carnival Corpse when they demand that he kill his defeated opponent.
- Gray Eyes
- In-Series Nickname: He earns the name "Woodpecker". Coincidentally, there's a recurring little nursery song about Woodpeckers that's pretty relevant to Ganta.
- Heroic Resolve
- Marked Change: When using his improved Ganta Gun.
- Mistaken for Murderer: Deliberately setup to end up in Deadman Wonderland by Shiro's other self, the Wretched Egg.
- Ordinary Middle School Student: At least until he encounters the "Red Man".
- Parental Abandonment
- Took a Level in Badass
Shiro
Voiced by: Kana Hanazawa (JP), Monica Rial (EN)
A mysterious but cheery Albino girl, Shiro becomes Ganta's closest friend in the prison. A bit of an airhead with a child-like mind and love for eating bread and candy, Shiro is actually Ganta's Forgotten Childhood Friend. Actually the Wretched Egg responsible for killing Ganta's friends, the upbeat Shiro being one side of her Split Personality. Her antics as the Wretched Egg in her and Ganta's youth traumatized Ganta into forgetting she ever existed.
- Berserk Button: Don't bully or insult Ganta if you value your life.
- Cloudcuckoolander: She seems blissfully unaware of her surroundings.
- Covered with Scars: Under her spandex suit, her body is covered with scars.
- Cute Bruiser: Holy crap.
- Dark and Troubled Past: During her childhood, she was subjected to horrible experiments to test her powers.
- Frankenstein's Monster: Under her bodysuit, her body is badly scarred.
- Forgotten Childhood Friend: A very tragic variant.
- Genki Girl
- Healing Factor: She can regenerate any damaged tissue instantly.
- Heroic Albino
- Idiot Hair: She has a permanent cowlick in front of her hair.
- Kick Chick
- Manic Pixie Dream Girl: Deconstructed.
- Meaningful Name: Her name means white in Japanese.
- Only One Name
- Pet the Dog: Kinda. While she doesn't kill the lamb that the crazy evil scientists put out for her to use her branch of sin on, she brutally massacres all the scientists. However, considering how much they deserve it...
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: Sort of. While she's not evil, she is dangerous.
- Sensual Spandex: And it's the same colour as her skin...
- Split Personality: She created her Wretched Egg personality to deal with the trauma of being experimented on as a child. Seeing her gory destruction forced Ganta to repress his memories of her in shock.
- Split Personality Takeover: In the later chapters of the manga, her Wretched Egg personality takes complete control.
- Sweet Tooth: She loves candy.
- White-Haired Pretty Girl
Yoh Takami
Voiced by: Yuuki Kaji (JP), Aaron Dismuke (EN)
An inmate who Ganta befriends, Yoh is a kleptomaniac who works for Tamaki as a mole. Yoh is actually in prison to keep an eye on his sister Minatsuki, a Deadman.
- Big Brother Instinct: Yoh is in Deadman Wonderland to earn the freedom of his sister, Minatsuki, who killed their father.
- Blue Eyes: In the manga.
- Brother-Sister Incest: Minatsuki accuses him of this on a regular basis after her fight with Ganta. This is even Played for Laughs. It's otherwise left ambiguous as to whether there is any substance to those claims.
- Brown Eyes: In the anime.
- Consummate Liar: He's as good at lying as he is stealing.
- Curtains Match the Window: He has brown eyes to match his brown hair.
- The Mole: Spying on Ganta for Tamaki.
- Ganta actually figures this out on his own, but flat out doesn't care. He's just glad to have someone around whose (relatively) sane and friendly.
- Peek-a-Bangs: His bangs cover his left eye.
- Stepford Smiler
- Sticky Fingers: He loves to steal, which got him in trouble with Warden Makina in the first episode.
Kiyomasa Senji
Voiced by: Masayuki Kato (JP)
The first Deadman who Ganta meets, Senji is known as Crow. He uses his Branches of Sin to form blades extending from his forearms. Enjoying a good fight, Senji supports Ganta after he defeats him in a fight in the Carnival Corpse.
- Badass
- Big Damn Heroes: He loves making these.
- Blade Below the Shoulder: Made of his own blood.
- Blood Knight
- Expy: it may or may not be a coincidence, but he looks a lot like a smaller, thinner Kenpachi Zaraki, especially after losing an eye.
- Also apparently an expy of one Tenge Sazen, an obscure fictional eye-patched and amputated samurai.
- Eye Scream: Loses his right eye as a penalty for losing a fight to Ganta.
- Eyepatch of Power
- Fan of Underdog: Supports Ganta at his match with Minatsuki.
- Handicapped Badass: Losing an eye. And then an arm.
- Had to Come to Prison to Be a Crook: Before coming to prison, was an honest cop.
- He-Man Woman Hater: Is easily flustered by skimpily dressed women.
- Heroic Build
- The Last DJ: Prior to coming to Deadman Wonderland, was the last honest cop on the police force.
- Please Put Some Clothes On: He says this to Shiro the first time they meet.
Senji: Argh! Just put this on, lady! Full-body tights are too risque!
- Sociopathic Hero
- Spiky Hair
- Tattooed Crook: He has the initials DSMK tattooed above his right eyebrow, which represents the names of his dead friends in the police force.
- Took a Level in Badass: He was already a badass, but when confronting Mockingbird, who has dozens if not hundreds of powers, and his two agile, gun-wielding guards, Senji is able to hold off all of them with his close range blades, eventually killing the guards and giving Mockingbird a hell of a fight. This after being trashed by the Mockingbird earlier.
- Walking Shirtless Scene
Minatsuki Takami
Voiced by: Iori Nomizu (JP), Leah Clark (EN)
Yoh's sister. A Combat Sadomasochist, Minatsuki is a bit of a psychopath and enjoys harming others, caused by the abandonment of her mother during the Tokyo earthquake ten years ago. Yoh looks out for her, although she believes he is obsessive. She has a fondness for flowers, and her Branches of Sin extend from her hair.
- Ax Crazy
- Blood Knight: She loves to fight.
- Brother-Sister Incest: Accuses Yoh of this on a regular basis after her fight with Ganta. This is even Played for Laughs. Again, it's not clear if it's just Refuge in Audacity on her part, or if there is actually truth to any of her claims.
- Brown Eyes
- Chained by Fashion: Goes around with her wrists loosely chained together for no apparent reason. Evidence seems to suggest it's because she likes it.
- Combat Sadomasochist: Gets off on the feelings of pain and betrayal she causes in others. She's not totally uncomfortable with being hurt herself, either.
- Cute and Psycho
- Cuteness Proximity: To an armadillo. She actively tries to fight it.
- Defrosting Ice Queen: Has become much less of a Blood Knight and even a bit more optimistic.
- Evil Cannot Comprehend Good: She goes ballistic upon learning that Yoh knew she was lying all along, and still cared for her as a sister.
- The Fake Cutie: Was this in the beginning, until she dropped the act all together.
- Innocent Flower Girl: Inverted. She acts shy and sweet and grows flowers, but her nice personality is just an act.
- Freudian Excuse: During the earthquake, she was shaken off and abandoned by her mother as their home collapsed around them.
- Genre Savvy: Acts like an innocent Damsel in Distress in order to get a wannabe Knights in Shining Armor (like Ganta) to protect her and go easy on her if they are picked to face her. So when she drops the act and literally stabs them in the back, they won't see it coming. It's not the first time she's pulled this particular gambit.
- Little Miss Badass
- Lovable Sex Maniac: A more deadlier version. In her fight with Ganta, she says she gets off by looking at the faces of people in pain. But she seems to have stopped this.
- Mommy Issues: Her cruel nature comes from her mother leaving her to die in the Great Tokyo Earthquake.
- Never Be Hurt Again: To keep anyone from abandoning her the way her mother did, she deliberately acts as crass and cruel as she can so that no one will ever get close to her.
- Prehensile Hair: Her Branch of Sin.
- Rape as Backstory: By her father. Later implied to be a lie.
- Self-Made Orphan
- Sir Swearsalot: She's one of the most fouled-mouth characters in the manga.
- Sociopathic Hero
- Traumatic Haircut: Lost most of her hair during a Penalty Game after losing to Ganta.
- Villain Decay: More or less dropped all antagonism after Ganta defeated her in their fight, and joins the heroes in their ventures afterwards. All of her more disturbing traits are increasingly downplayed, as well.
- Whip It Good: "Whip Wing"
Masaru "Chaplin" Sukegawa
A friendly Transsexualism known as Peacock. He was imprisoned after murdering a woman his lover was caught with. He is a Wholesome Crossdresser and acts as an announcer for the Carnival Corpse matches.
- Bare Your Midriff
- Boke and Tsukkomi Routine: Likes to try and drum these up with Minatsuki. It rarely works out.
- Femme Fatalons: Averted. She has long nails, but she's not a bad person.
- No Sense of Personal Space
- Loveable Sex Maniac: She's harmless, though. Just an audacious flirt.
- Transsexualism: M to F
- Spiky Hair
- Stripperiffic: Her usual outfit is a black halter top with black panties, fishnet stockings, a vest lined with fur, and high-heeled boots.
- Wholesome Crossdresser
Itadaki "Masu" Kazuya
Voiced by: Akira Harada (JP)
A bizarre Big Eater, Masu appears to be able to eat anything. Serves as comic relief.
- Big Eater: Eats absolutely everything.
- Bilingual Bonus: His last name and nickname when combined is 'itadakimasu', a phrase spoken by Japanese before a meal.
- Extreme Omnivore: Again, he'll eat absolutely everything.
- Flat Character: Was introduced in the same manner as the other major Deadmen, but was quickly reduced to comic relief.
Idaki Hitara
Known as Condor, Idaki claims all of his actions are told to him through his dead daughter who "speaks" to him through the headphones he wears. He believes he is responsible for his daughter's death.
- Cool Old Guy
- Curb Stomp Battle: After deciding that Ichi and Hajime were incapable of killing him (and getting his blood all over the room), he ends the fight with a snap of his fingers.
- Eye Scream: Via a fork held by his enraged daughter Yuki.
- Hearing Voices: Claims that his daughter constantly advises him through his headphones. She's doesn't; the headphones are silent.
- The Insomniac: He hasn't slept in nearly forty years. Even Ichi and Hajime's "Mix Soft," an extremely potent sleeping poison, couldn't put him under.
- One-Scene Wonder: He's more or less background scenery, but his one dedicated chapter contains one of the manga's most touching moments.
- Playing with Fire: Ignites his blood to fight.
- The Stoic: To an almost inhuman degree.
- Survivors Guilt: He blamed himself for his daughter's suicide, saying he killed her. This confession is what landed him in the prison to begin with.
Chief Guard Makina
Voiced by: Takako Honda (JP), Colleen Clinkenbeard (EN)
The chief guard of the prison, Makina takes nonsense from nobody and is more than willing to wound an inmate who gets on her bad side. She has a firm disliking for Takami, and investigates the true purposes of Deadman Wonderland.
- Authority Equals Asskicking
- Badass Normal: The most badass non-Deadman character.
- Blue Eyes
- Boobs of Steel
- Even the Girls Want Her: Her assistant is in love with her.
- Handicapped Badass: Wheelchair-bound after fighting Wretched Egg.
- Heel Face Turn: Surprisingly, her simplistic view of justice allied her with the heroes, instead of against them.
- Hero of Another Story: Her Knight Templar tendencies forced her to try and uncover the conspiracy surrounding Deadman Wonderland on her own from the other side of the fence, as it were.
- Jerkass: In her introduction. However, her rather one-dimensional view of justice inadvertently sided her with some of the more moral prisoners against the warden, after which she was a useful ally. She just kind of settled down after that.
- Katanas Are Just Better: She carries a katana around at all times and isn't afraid to use it on other prisoners.
- Lady of War
- Reasonable Authority Figure: Or the closest thing you can get to one in a series like this.
- Shiny Midnight Black
Kasuga Kyouko
Voiced by: Chika Horikawa (JP), Mary Morgan (EN)
Makina's assistant, Kasuga is Les Yay with her boss, often praising her and asking her personal questions which Makina often answers.
- The Chick
- Kid Appeal Character
- Meganekko
- Yes Woman: To Makina.
Tsunenaga Tamaki
Voiced by: Junichi Suwabe (JP), Eric Vale (EN)
The childish but intelligent assistant warden and promoter of Deadman Wonderland, Tamaki believes he is the mastermind behind the prison and its secrets. A Villain with Good Publicity, Tamaki is seemingly allowed to get away with all of his vile actions due to his status.
- Actor Allusion: Four Eyes, Zero Soul? check. Experimenting on deadmen? Check. Complete Monster? Relius Clover, anyone?
- Amoral Attorney: He posed as Ganta's lawyer during his trial, making sure that Ganta would be found guilty.
- Ax Crazy
- The Chessmaster
- Driven to Suicide: Shot himself in the head to prevent Toto from taking his belief that the prison was his game.
- Faux Affably Evil
- Four Eyes, Zero Soul: His polite facade conceals a nasty personality.
- For the Evulz: His motivation for his actions essentially boils down to his gaming computer melting down.
- From Nobody to Nightmare: He was a reclusive gaming addict who lived with his mother and then the Great Tokyo Earthquake happened.. .
- Good Hair, Evil Hair: He has slicked-back hair, which is a classic hairstyle of a villain.
- Manipulative Bastard
- Otaku: Was a gaming otaku before the Great Tokyo Earthquake.
- Psychopathic Manchild
- Unwitting Pawn
- Villain with Good Publicity
Toto Sakigami/ Rinichirou Hagire
Voiced by: Miyuki Sawashiro (JP)
The true antagonist of the series. Toto Sakigami, or Mockingbird, has been missing since he won the previous Carnival Corpse tournament but reappears claiming to know Shiro. Seemingly a nice guy, he is actually a Complete Monster, with a diet of Branches of Sin.
- Adorkable: And at the same time, incredibly creepy.
- Ambiguous Gender: Deliberately, though s/he tends to slip up and use gendered "I"s. May have to do with all the body surfing s/he's been doing.
- He's later confirmed to be male by his not!older sister.
- Big Bad: Rinichirou Hagire
- Body Surf: Hagire can possess people's bodies and overwrite their personality completely, going from body to body.
- Came Back Wrong: After winning the last Corpse Carnival, he lost all of his Branches of Sin, his body became a fragile Frankenstein's Monster construction, and his personality did a complete 180. See Body Surf for the reason why.
- Cloudcuckoolander: Seemed to be slightly delusional and very playful before the last Carnival Corpse tourney.
- Cross-Dressing Voices
- Cute and Psycho
- Frankenstein's Monster: His appearance. His body is falling apart and needs to be constantly replaced with fresh parts from other deadmen.
- Grand Theft Me: Had his body stolen by the Chairman and Big Bad, Rinichirou Hagire, the man responsible for torturing Shiro into becoming the Wretched Egg.
- Living Emotional Crutch/Morality Pet: His "older" sister Yosuga, whom he's sworn to kill and be killed by (thus giving them both impetus to survive anything and everything else until then).
- Mad Scientist: Hagire was a lunatic even before he started body-hopping. His interference is what made the experiments on Shiro turn into utter atrocities.
- Man Child/Psychopathic Manchild: Was by all accounts vicious in battle, but outside the ring is childish and playful, hardly paying anything serious mind.
- Mega Manning: After doing it enough times, it more or less resolves into an all purpose Shapeshifter Weapon made from his blood anywhere on his body. Wings, tentacles, blades, wings made out of blades, etc.
- Older Than They Look: Once Hagire got a hold of his body. Interestingly, Hagire body hopped from an old geezer into Toto.
- Parental Substitute: Toto himself isn't one, but the he more or less adopted Yosuga as his "older" sister, despite her being younger than he is. They've resolved to kill each other and so won't let themselves be killed by anyone else.
- Say It With Stars
- Yandere: Hagire, to Wretched Egg. To an obscene degree.
Karako Koshio
Voiced by: Kumiko Itou (JP)
A member of the Scar Chain gang hoping to expose the prison's true purpose. Known as Game Fowl. She has a crush on Nagi.
- Action Girl
- Battleaxe Nurse: The good variant, of course. Though her friends think the occupation is at odds with her nature, her aspirations to Proper Lady-hood would make it an obvious career choice. The "Battle Axe" part is sadly just Karako being herself.
- Oddly enough, in practice she appears to be an expert trauma surgeon, despite being specifically noted to be a nurse.
- Badass
- Badass in Charge: Eventually leads Scar Chain and the Wonderland reclamation forces against Toto/ Rinichirou Hagire.
- Dark-Skinned Blond
- Good Old Fisticuffs: Her Branch of Sin hardens her blood around her hands and feet, giving her blows increased strength.
- The Lancer: To Nagi. Later takes his place.
- Number Two: Before becoming the Number One.
- Proper Lady: Likes to claim to be one, though most people beg to differ.
- Supporting Leader
- Taking Up the Mantle
Nagi Kengamine
Voiced by: Daisuke Ono (JP)
The leader of Scar Chain, known as Owl. He had a relationship with a female Deadman until she was killed during a Carnival Corpse match by Azuma.
- Amnesiac Dissonance
- Ax Crazy
- Fake Memories
- Go Out with a Smile
- Having a Blast
- Memento MacGuffin: His locket and his scarf.
- Not Brainwashed: He tells Karako he is quite sane before going on a rampage against Scar Chain.
- Taking You with Me: Dies holding down Genkaku so Ganta can kill him.
- Tragic Keepsake: His dead wife's scarf.
Rokuro Bundou
Voiced by: Jun Fukuyama (JP)
The technical expert of Scar Chain.
- Black Eyes
- Expy: Looks like L and acts like Light from Death Note.
- Large Ham
- The Mole: For the Undertakers.
Azuma Genkaku
Voiced by: Toshiyuki Morikawa (JP)
Leader of the 1st Undertaker Platoon. A self-proclaimed "super monk", he kills people under the belief it will free them from their suffering. He wields a guitar which doubles as a pair of machine guns.
- Ax Crazy
- Cold-Blooded Torture: To Nagi
- Depraved Homosexual
- Foe Yay: Towards Nagi
- Go Out with a Smile: Though chapter 40 indicates that he's still alive, but unconscious and in critical condition.
- In Love with Your Carnage: Towards Nagi.
- Insistent Terminology: He's not a monk, he's a super-monk.
- Law of Disproportionate Response: Doesn't bat an eye at a bunch of people dying, but breaks down crying when Shiro destroys his electric guitar.
- Nietzsche Wannabe: Believes he is "saving" people by killing them.
- Rape as Backstory
- Stalker with a Crush: Towards Nagi.
- Trigger Happy
- Yandere
Daida Hibana
Voiced by: Natsumi Takamori (JP)
A member of the Caretaker Division, Daiba is a psychotic little girl who carries a huge sword around with her.
- Ax Crazy
- BFS: Wields a sword twice her size.
- Blondes Are Evil
- Creepy Child
- Curb Stomp Battle: She gets ripped to shreds after stumbling across the newly revived Toto.
- Detached Sleeves
- Freudian Excuse: When she was a young girl, she was repeatedly tortured by her mother.
- Gray Eyes
- Improbable Hairstyle: A riduculously long ponytail that somehow stands almost straight up.
- Knight Templar: She has a very twisted sense of justice.
- Little Miss Badass
- Mummies At the Dinner Table: When arrested, said she was taking orders from her dead mother.
- Tyke Bomb: Known as the kindergartner killer.
- Whip Sword: Her weapon of choice.
Azami Midou
An ordinary inmate who Ganta befriends. She has a pet armadillo. Turned into a Caretaker, but snaps out of it thanks to Ganta. Decapitated by the Wretched Egg.
- Brainwashed and Crazy: After becoming a Counterfeit deadman.
- Delinquents: Was the leader of a girl gang.
- Madness Mantra/Survival Mantra: "I'm alright. I'm alright. I'm alright."
- The Mole: For Makina.
- Rose-Haired Girl
- Tsundere: Towards Ganta.
Chan and En
A pair of Creepy Twins who work for Toto.
- Creepy Twins
- The Dragon: To the chairman.
- Half-Identical Twins
- Love Martyr: Knew that Toto/Hagire didn't love them back, but died for him anyway.
- Major Injury Underreaction: To use their Branch of Sin, they each cut off an arm.without so much as flinching.
- Single-Minded Twins: Literally, due to their Branch of Sin.
- Taking the Bullet: For the chairman.
The Red Man/The Wretched Egg
The true identity of the Red Man who killed Ganta's classmates and the origins of the Branches of Sin. The other side of Shiro's personality, created through brutal experiments on Shiro as a child, her unlocked power causing the Tokyo earthquake.
- Ax Crazy
- Dark Action Girl
- The Dreaded
- Evil Albino
- Healing Factor
- Hero-Killer
- Person of Mass Destruction
- Samus Is a Girl
- Slasher Smile: Comes with it's own sound effect, skrkt.
- Super Empowering: The source of the Nameless Worm that gives deadmen their powers.
- Super-Powered Evil Side
- Worthy Opponent: Seems to view Ganta as one. Most likely because she remembers just how much of a Determinator he was as a child, actually proving her wrong when she called him weak. Keeping in mind her insane cynicism borne of endless torture, Ganta was probably the only spark of humanity that ever got through to her. Though it inspired fascination more so than hope.