Riddle Story of Devil/Characters

Tokaku Azuma
No. 1 of Class Black, our protagonist. Tokaku is a cold, brusque girl hailing from the infamous Azuma Clan, a feared family of skilled assassins whose lineage can be traced back to ancient times. Although Tokaku appears strong with her stoicism, she is rather mentally weak, easily influenced by others, and made few decisions for herself prior to meeting Haru. It is revealed in Episode 2 that Tokaku is a "virgin", as Isuke puts it, and has never killed anyone before, despite being a very talented assassin. During her time in Class Black, Tokaku becomes Haru's protector, for reasons even she does not fully understand.


 * Class Representative: She was briefly elected to the role of Dorm Rep. by Mr. Mizorogi before handing the responsibility off to Kōko in Episode 2.
 * Defrosting Ice Queen: Only toward Haru, though. She is still just as cold as she ever was to everyone but Haru. In fact, Tokaku becomes even more hostile as their classmates dwindle.
 * Hero Secret Service: Tokaku is single-handedly serving this role for Haru against eleven other trained assassins.
 * Image Song: "Paradox" by Ayaka Suwa as Tokaku Azuma, the Ending Theme of Episode 1.
 * Knife Nut: Her Weapon of Choice is a long knife, though she is also quite the markswoman.
 * Super Reflexes: Tokaku is noted to have exceptionally quick reflexes and impressive reaction time.
 * Terse Talker: Tokaku doesn't say much, and is very too-the-point when she does. She does become somewhat more verbose with Haru as the story unfolds. Still not what could be called chatty though.
 * The Nose Knows: Tokaku has a very keen sense of smell, describing Haru as smelling "kind of dusty; makes me want to sneeze" and at least two of her classmates as "putrid". Kaiba even directly attributes her sense of smell to her slumbering "wildness".
 * Weak-Willed:
 * You Gotta Have Blue Hair: Though no mention is made of it in-series, viewers can distinguish Tokaku as a member of the Azuma Clan by her blue hair and matching Icy Blue Eyes.

Haru Ichinose
No. 13 of Class Black, our second protagonist. At first blush, Haru seems like the epitome of the Naive Everygirl. She is cheerful, kind, sincere, and naïvely tries to be friends with everyone, no matter how sketchy they are. It's easy to assume that she is oblivious to the fact that the classmates she's so eager to befriend are all assassins hired to kill her in cold blood, but Haru admits that she knew the truth of Class Black from the beginning and still hoped they could be friends, declaring her intention to survive Class Black and graduate with flying colors.

There is more to Haru Ichinose than meets the eye.

""Even if Haru is killed, she will not die.""
 * Beware the Nice Ones: Haru will give anyone the benefit of the doubt, even people who are literally being paid to kill her, but the moment they betray that good faith, she shows them just why there were twelve of them against one of her.
 * Charm Person:
 * Covered with Scars: Haru's entire torso is littered with scars, and there are four that round the circumference of her upper arms and thighs. She is uncomfortable with people looking at them.
 * Ignorance Is Bliss:
 * Image Song: "Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow (Kinō, Kyō, Ashita)" by Hisako Kanemoto as Haru Ichinose, the Ending Theme of Episode 2.
 * Motor Mouth: Downplayed. Haru can cheerfully carry on a one-sided conversation with Tokaku without any problems, but she knows when to shut up too.
 * Plucky Girl: Haru is determined to remain optimistic, even though the world has been trying to beat that out of her since day one. She wants to trust the best in people and remains hopeful that Class Black doesn't have to end in tragedy to the very end.
 * Staying Alive: Haru is a heroic version. It's a promise of Heroic Vow proportions for her. For all the people who died for her, she has to survive. She can not let their sacrifices be in vain. She will keep smiling and living as her family would have wanted her to.


 * Secret Legacy: Played With.
 * Self-Made Orphan: Nio tells Haruki point-blank that Haru killed her entire family.
 * Talking in Her Sleep: She apparently dreams of her late mother quite a bit.
 * X Marks the Hero: Haru has an X-shaped scar on her chest, above her breasts.
 * X Marks the Hero: Haru has an X-shaped scar on her chest, above her breasts.

Isuke Inukai
No. 2 of Class Black, a selfish and haughty girl. She is quick to express her opinion, threats of murder and verbal abuse in every other word, and boss around other people, such as making Haruki call her "Isuke-sama" ("Mistress Isuke" in the English dub). Isuke's only family are her gay parents, who she has no actual blood relation to and loves dearly.

Isuke is the 9th student to be expelled from Class Black.


 * Alpha Bitch: Isuke is a catty, self-centered, bossy Jerkass, but she does have redeeming qualities, and her love for her parents has a humanizing effect on her domineering, bitchy self. See: Jerkass Woobie below.
 * Dark and Troubled Past:
 * Don't Tell Mama: Inverted. In this case, "Mama" is the one teaching Isuke how to kill people for a living, and it's her Papa, who has a legitimate job and is apparently unaware of Eisuke's true occupation and plan with Isuke, that gets kept in the dark.
 * Even Evil Has Loved Ones:
 * Has Two Daddies:
 * Gender Blender Name: Haruki even Lampshaded it in the first episode. Her name is actually a variant of her "mom" Eisuke's name.
 * Image Song: "Angelic Smile ♥ (Tenshi no Smile)" by Azuma Asakura as Isuke Inukai, the Ending Theme of Episode 9.
 * Jerkass Woobie: If you really take the time to think about it, Fridge Logic should point out that most of Isuke's personality flaws and more glaring issues can be traced back to maladaptive behaviors not unreasonable for someone with her particular Backstory. (Which was probably intentional, since the story is marketed as a psychological thriller.)
 * Knife Nut: Isuke's Weapon of Choice is a matching set of trench knives which she is quite proficient at Dual-Wielding. She only had one trench knife in the manga but was still very capable of using it.
 * Mommy's Little Helper:
 * Princess Curls: Isuke is not an actual Blue Blood princess, despite what she seems to think, but the Royal Brat variety of Ojou spewing constant verbal abuse. On the other hand, it's likely that her attitude and pronounced Greed were a way of coping with her Dark and Troubled Past, which is a bit of a doozy.
 * Princess Curls: Isuke is not an actual Blue Blood princess, despite what she seems to think, but the Royal Brat variety of Ojou spewing constant verbal abuse. On the other hand, it's likely that her attitude and pronounced Greed were a way of coping with her Dark and Troubled Past, which is a bit of a doozy.

Kōko Kaminaga
No. 3 of Class Black, the class representative; a quiet, bookish, and somewhat aloof girl.


 * Badass Bookworm: At the end of her episode, it's revealed that Kōko got the highest score on midterms. She is also an assassin.
 * Class Representative: Kōko volunteered herself for this role in her debut episode and simultaneously assumed the position of Dorm Rep. from Tokaku, who hadn't wanted the responsibility to begin with.
 * Dark and Troubled Past:
 * Image Song: "Across the Fate" by Haruka Yoshimura as Kōko Kaminaga, the Ending Theme of Episode 4.
 * Irony: Tokaku says it best:
 * Mentor Occupational Hazard:
 * Stuff Blowing Up: Improvised and purpose-made explosives are Kōko's Weapon of Choice.

Hitsugi Kirigaya
No. 4 of Class Black, an innocent young girl. She has a bad sense of direction, as demonstrated when she got lost on her way to Myōjō Private Academy.


 * Flower Motifs: When she was introduced, Hitsugi had a daisy background. In Japan, daisies mean "faith", and in English, they mean that and "innocence, loyal love, purity, cheer, and simplicity" as well. The flowers on her desk after being expelled with Chitaru are white roses, symbolizing purity and innocence.
 * Girls Love Stuffed Animals:
 * Image Song: "Poison Me" by Mami Uchida as Hitsugi Kirigaya, the Ending Theme of Episode 6.
 * No Sense of Direction
 * Older Than She Looks: Although Hitsugi's actual age is not mentioned in either the manga or anime, it can be inferred that she is the same age as other members of Class Black, which would make her fifteen years old and a definite case of this trope.

Shiena Kenmochi
No. 5 of the Black Class, a cheerful and slightly scatterbrained girl. She is better at analysis than she is at assassination, and was able to figure out Chitaru and Hitsugi's fighting styles just by watching them closely.


 * Trope
 * Trope
 * Trope

Haruki Sagae
No. 6 of Class Black, a tomboyish yet fashionable girl who is always shown eating pocky. Haruki is rather carefree, calm and relaxed—to the point where she even views her own death in a calm fashion—but is sensitive about her adoptive family, in which she has many siblings, and wants to keep them protected and safe at all costs.


 * Graceful Loser
 * Image Song: "No-Big-Deal Sympathy (Dōtte koto nai Sympathy)" by Fumiko Uchimura as Haruki Sagae, the Ending Theme of Episode 5.
 * Trope

Suzu Shutō
No. 7 of Class Black, a somewhat sly girl who likes being physically active and fit.


 * Graceful Loser: After her attempt on Haru's life was thwarted, she calmly bid her farewells and left.
 * Image Song: "Suzukaze (Cool Breeze)" by Chika Anzai as Suzu Shutō, the Ending Theme of Episode 7.
 * Love Hurts:

Otoya Takechi
No. 8 of Class Black,


 * Image Song: "Concentration" by Manami Numakura as Otoya Takechi, the Ending Theme of Episode 3.
 * Nightmare Fetishist
 * Trope

Chitaru Namatame
No. 9 of Class Black, a princely and mature young woman. She was the one who showed Hitsugi the way when the latter got lost on her way to Myōjō Private Academy, and has since rarely been apart from her.

Hitsugi Kirigaya and Chitaru Namatame are the 5th and 6th students to be expelled from Class Black, respectively.


 * Bifauxnen
 * Flower Motif: Chitaru is associated with red roses, which represent passion and deep emotions. Be it through love, longing, devotion, respect, or even something as bittersweet as sorrow or regret, a red rose most conveys depth of sentiment and are closely associated with romance as a result.
 * Image Song: "Poison Me" by Sachika Misawa as Chitaru Namatame, the Ending Theme of Episode 6.
 * Something About a Rose: Roses have been an obvious Flower Motif for Chitaru from the moment she was introduced, but the only time she interacted with an actual, physical rose was when she gifted one to "Juliet" (Hitsugi) in the play.
 * Something About a Rose: Roses have been an obvious Flower Motif for Chitaru from the moment she was introduced, but the only time she interacted with an actual, physical rose was when she gifted one to "Juliet" (Hitsugi) in the play.

Nio Hashiri/
No. 10 of Class Black, Nio is an energetic and upbeat girl with a knack for peeping into other people's businesses, though she occasionally shows a more dangerous side. Despite being part of Class Black, she is also affiliated with the Academy in some way, working for the chairwoman Yuri Meichi.


 * Blondes Are Evil
 * Evil Smells Bad: Tokaku thought that she had a "putrid ocean stench" in the first episode.
 * Image Song: "Survival" by Yoshino Nanjō as Nio Hashiri, the Ending Theme of Episode 11.
 * Red Eyes, Take Warning: Technically, her eyes are sort of reddish-orange, but the point still stands.

Sumireko Hanabusa
No. 11 of Class Black, a girl with a frail body who is the daughter of a company CEO.


 * Image Song: "Mechanism of Life (Inochi no Karakuri)" by Miho Arakawa as Sumireko Hanabusa, the Ending Theme of Episode 10.
 * Wicked Cultured
 * Trope

Mahiru/Shinya Banba
No. 12 of Class Black, Mahiru is a shy and timid girl who often has trouble speaking for herself. She is easily subject to bullying, and is often defenseless. However, when the sun sets, Mahiru's split personality, Shinya, takes over. Shinya is the complete opposite of Mahiru, having an aggressive, hostile and almost unstable personality.


 * Dark and Troubled Past
 * Every Scar Has a Story:
 * Eyes Are Unbreakable: Banba does not seem to have suffered any loss of sight in her left eye, despite the scar cut through it.
 * Image Song: "Escape at Midnight (Mayonaka no Tōbō)" by Yuka Ōtsubo as Mahiru/Shinya Banba, the Ending Theme of Episode 8.
 * Slasher Smile: Shinya's default expression, complete with More Teeth Than the Osmond Family.
 * Split Personality: Shinya, the Jekyll to Mahiru's Hyde who takes control when the sun sets.
 * Shrinking Violet: Mahiru in a nutshell.

Ataru Mizorogi
Class Black's homeroom teacher, an eccentric, enthusiastic, and dedicated man unaware that the girls in his class are assassins. Whenever a student is expelled for failing to kill Haru, he is told that the student has transferred out due to unknown circumstances.


 * Locked Out of the Loop: Mr. Mizorogi is completely oblivious to the fact that twelve out of thirteen of the students in his class are assassins, and they would all prefer to keep it that way. There is even a rule forbidding anyone from outside the loop to be let in.
 * Trope
 * Trope

Yuri Meichi
The chairwoman of the school and supervisor of the Black Class.


 * Trope
 * Trope
 * Trope

Kaiba
A mysterious man who is Tokaku's teacher. Kaiba is often seen rolling dice, and has a black-and-white motif and colour scheme. He periodically sends Tokaku riddles via text messages,


 * Trickster Mentor
 * Trope
 * Trope