Un-Go/Characters

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.


Shinjuurou Yuuki

Mocked around Japan as "The Defeated Detective," he has a habit of showing up at the wrong time and reaching the wrong conclusion. In reality, he's the one person willing to dig deep down to discover the truth about each case, even if Rinroku and the government simply spin his findings to fit their own pre-determined narrative.

  • Determined Defeatist
  • Hero with Bad Publicity: Pretty much his schtick. The government paints him as incompetent so that no one pays attention to his investigations. The lack of scrutiny from the public gives the government less reason to actually hinder his investigations, so he has a bit more room to work.
  • Heroic Self-Deprecation: He seems to have a bit of Survivors Guilt over events in his past and doesn't hold too high of an opinion of himself.
  • Great Detective: Despite his bad rep, anyone who spends two minutes with him knows he's the real deal.
  • Jade-Colored Glasses
  • Knight in Sour Armor
  • The Last DJ: The only alternative to his work is conventional law enforcement, which can only too easily be manipulated. The implication is that with the government withholding as much information as it does and at the same time appearing to be highly efficient, honest detectives of any sort have been phased out.
  • Mysterious Past: Unless you watch the prequel OVA, the only words about Yuuki's past come out in split-second flashbacks and some inferences to past events.
  • Rousseau Was Right: His underlying belief is that the citizens of Japan can handle the truth that the government hides from them and that allowing them to do so will be not only empowering, but necessary for any kind of recovery from the recent war.
  • Seeker Archetype: Searches for the truth wherever he can in order to keep his promise to Inga.
  • Shell-Shocked Veteran: As shown in the prequel, he was possessed by Inga and forced to eat the souls of his fellow bandmates one-by-one, and then watched as his crush, Yuuko, committed suicide only to have her body possessed by Inga at the end. This event has been driving him even into the present.
  • War Is Hell: He doesn't really like any celebration of it, such as making martyrs out of scared, desperate young men by leaving out the "scared and desperate" part.
  • Witness Protection: After the events of the prequel, "Yuuki Shinjurou" becomes his official name because his real one is now associated with a murderer who was shot by the police.

Inga

A shapeshifting demon created from the true thoughts and feelings of Japanese warriors from centuries ago, one who can draw out the true souls of anyone nearby and consume them. After Inga ate the souls of his bandmates and possessed the body of his dead crush, Yuuki made a deal with her to only use her power to draw out the truth from various people in exchange for not killing them. Inga draws out people's souls by asking them one question which they are compelled to answer truthfully and is able to consume their souls that way, and Yuuki uses Inga's power to solve his cases.

Rinroku Kaishou

The head of JJ Systems who has a feed into practically every computer and surveillance system in Japan. Rinroku is considered the new savior of the country considering he can use his vast network of contacts and technology to solve any case at any time. Even when Yuuki discovers the truth about his cases, Rinroku simply spins the information to fit whatever narrative he wants, and because he cooperates with the government no one besides Yuuki ever calls him on it.

  • The Chessmaster
  • Control Freak
  • Corrupt Corporate Executive / Corrupt Politician: he's set up to be one but the jury is still out whether he actually is or not.
    • He's not corrupt, but he's got way more power than any man or woman deserves, and he abuses the hell out of it for generally good reasons.
      • Until Episode 0. Where it's implied that he's the one who got Japan to go to war in the first place.
  • Hobbes Was Right: Like Shinjurou, he believes that the people of Japan deserve a better life. Unlike him, Kaishou believes that the public are too weak and scared to know the real truth behind any of these cases, and builds whatever narrative is necessary to keep them content.
  • Mission Control

Rie Kaishou

Rinroku's daughter who admires her father and wants to be a detective like him, but often uses Yuuki as more of a role model in that regard, calling on him more often for help than her father.

Izumi Koyama

A special prosecutor from Japan's Public Prosecutor Office. She often works with Rinroku in launching an investigation and also constructing a public report after the investigation has concluded. She has a grudge against Yuuki and his methods, but reluctantly lets him work on her cases.

Seigen Hayami

Izumi's assistant who represents the police in Japan, often working with her on cases.

Kazamori Sasa

An RAI (Robotic Artificial Intelligence) created by her "father" Komamori Sasa. Kazamori is capable of uploading herself into anything electronic (even refrigerators) and downloading any information off the internet.

Bettenou

An otherworldly being and a mysterious friend of The Novelist, capable of manipulating the thoughts and actions of anyone nearby. In the prequel OVA, she took a human-esque form around the same time as Inga, later assisting Serada with his formation of a cult based around her. Similar to Inga in that Bettenou is an artificial god created from the thoughts and feelings of Japanese warriors who carried her symbol centuries ago, but formed from different words than those that created Inga.

The Novelist

A writer who was locked in prison for violating the government's censorship laws, yet seems to have a role in his "story" for Yuuki, along with other inmates at the same prison.

  • Mr. Exposition: Gives crucial information regarding Bettenou in the final arc, leading to the solving of the case.
  • Smug Snake
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