Ayatsuji Yukito ✦

Yukito Ayatsuji (綾辻 行人,, Ayatsuji Yukito?) is a detective of the Ayatsuji Detective Agency. Infamously known as the Homicide Detective (殺人探偵,, Satsujin Tantei?), he is branded by the Special Division for Unusual Powers as a Special A-Grade Dangerous Skill User due to his high-risk ability named Another, but due to his powers of observation, he is occasionally commissioned by the Special Division to resolve certain cases. Agent Mizuki Tsujimura is assigned as his minder who accompanies him in his cases, including ones masterminded by his archnemesis, Natsuhiko Kyōgoku.[1]

Appearance Ayatsuji has a short wavy blond hair and gold eyes. He wears half-rimmed, light-colored sunglasses, a pair of dark gray gloves, and a flat cap. He dons a jacket with a yellow ochre base with a red collar that he usually drapes over a white shirt with a vermilion-based checkered border and a gray knit vest. He also wears dull orange checkered knickerbocker pants and beige boots. He usually carries on his person a Japanese smoking pipe and a female ball-jointed doll.

Following the task force's ambush in the manga, Ayatsuji changes into another outfit that consists of black ribbed turtleneck top beneath a light-colored, high-collared, double-breasted, and knee-length coat with dark linings at the edges, held together by a waist belt tied in a half bow at the back;[3] he either buttons up his coat completely or leaves it unbuttoned to expose his turtleneck sweater around his clavicle area.[6] Mostly obscured under his coat are a pair of light pants tucked in light-colored, knee-length, fold down boots designed with black toe and heel caps, tied together at the edges of his pants with buckled straps. He retains his flat cap, gloves, and sunglasses, and he still keeps his smoking pipe hidden on his person.[3][7][8]Personality Ayatsuji teases Tsujimura (Gaiden manga) Ayatsuji teasing Tsujimura. Ayatsuji appears as a cold and emotionless man. He is considered to be fairly odd and detached, as he has a basement full of dolls. Beneath his calculating and snide exterior, he appears to have a kind side to those he forgives, such as keeping a cat and loving it. He is not talkative unless in regard of insulting someone, and tends to make snide remarks and chide others for their lack of understanding. Ayatsuji can be rather expressive and playful, doing silly gestures such as imitating a dog to respond to Tsujimura's statement of reporting him to her higher-ups.[2] Ayatsuji also thrives off her reactions, claiming he wants to preserve her bitter expression via a doll-maker. He frequently teasing Tsujimura about changing into a maid uniform[9] and being his servant, and for fun, ordering her to lick some leaves and shows disappointment when she refuses.[10]Befitting a detective, Ayatsuji is highly intelligent and observant. When deducing, he remains blank-faced and unexpressive, using his wit and logic to outsmart his opponents, and he easily succeeds in finding the truth. He is called the “Homicide Detective” and carries a deathly and imperturbable air, and he is highly dangerous enough to be seen as a threat by the government and to be put on the list of Extremely Dangerous Ability Users. Due to his rather cocky air, he calls people simple-minded and doesn't hesitate to tell people they lack of brains when he explains a case. [11] Additionally, he does not take higher-ups seriously and flaunts his more rebellious streak, ignoring orders from the Special Division, slipping through a sniper team whenever he wanted to, and even sabotaged the security cameras in his agency building in the past, causing them to stop installing cameras from then on.[9] When confronted with his defiance by Tsujimura, Ayatsuji tends to delay the topic and distract her. Despite his aloof persona, Ayatsuji occasionally breaks his poker face. He show fragments of emotion and his harshness tends to alleviate slightly. Ayatsuji displays anger and fury typically towards his archnemesis Kyōgoku and his schemes, including upon witnessing a married couple commit a double suicide in front of him. He also cares for Tsujimura and shows a rare side of himself when he plans to give his life to ensure her safety, and even when he expresses his irritation towards Tsujimura’s recklessness, Ayatsuji is described to greatly appreciate her odd sense of intellect and looks forward to the rest of their partnership.[1]

Ability Main article: Another Another (ANOTHER,アナザー, Anazā?) causes an accidental death to a person or a group who either killed or attempted to kill, so long as the investigation can prove the suspect acts with the intention to kill and the case is under the commission of Ayatsuji.

Once the ability activates, which Ayatsuji cannot control, the suspect will be found dead regardless of the location, with the causes of death varying. Even if the commission is cancelled half-way through, the activated ability cannot be terminated nor neutralized, and the convicted suspect will die in an accident.

Due to his ability's danger, plans to assassinate Ayatsuji get submitted to the higher-ups in the Special Division two to three times a week, but such plans continue to get rejected due to the usefulness of his ability.[1] Ayatsuji claims to have been a detective for 20 years, having solved 50,000 cases and killed two billion people with his ability,[12] though the truthfulness behind this statement is unknown. It is also not known when his ability first activated, though it is hinted that his ability may have been killing criminals in accidents ever since his childhood.[13]

It is implied that Ayatsuji has known Kyōgoku from years ago possibly as a mentor figure, after Kyōgoku remarked on Ayatsuji's remembrance of "his class" during his reappearance.[14] At some point, Ayatsuji also began being commissioned by Sakashita through third parties and used the detective's ability to take down his political rivals, subsequently climbing to his position as deputy director of the Ministry of Justice.[15

Background Ayatsuji claims to have been a detective for 20 years, having solved 50,000 cases and killed two billion people with his ability,[12] though the truthfulness behind this statement is unknown. It is also not known when his ability first activated, though it is hinted that his ability may have been killing criminals in accidents ever since his childhood.[13]

It is implied that Ayatsuji has known Kyōgoku from years ago possibly as a mentor figure, after Kyōgoku remarked on Ayatsuji's remembrance of "his class" during his reappearance.[14] At some point, Ayatsuji also began being commissioned by Sakashita through third parties and used the detective's ability to take down his political rivals, subsequently climbing to his position as deputy director of the Ministry of Justice.[15?]

Ayatsuji claims to have been a detective for 20 years, having solved 50,000 cases and killed two billion people with his ability,[12] though the truthfulness behind this statement is unknown. It is also not known when his ability first activated, though it is hinted that his ability may have been killing criminals in accidents ever since his childhood.[13]

It is implied that Ayatsuji has known Kyōgoku from years ago possibly as a mentor figure, after Kyōgoku remarked on Ayatsuji's remembrance of "his class" during his reappearance.[14] At some point, Ayatsuji also began being commissioned by Sakashita through third parties and used the detective's ability to take down his political rivals, subsequently climbing to his position as deputy director of the Ministry of Justice.[15Five years ago, Ayatsuji was dispatched to Reigo Island to resolve a case where 17 murderers and one mastermind killed tourists in secret. After solving the case, his ability activated and almost instantaneously killed all 17 suspects sans the mastermind, each in a different accident. From then on, Ayatsuji was included in the list of Extremely Dangerous Ability Users, branded as a Special A-Grade Dangerous Skill User and began to be closely monitored by the Special Division for Unusual Powers.

Almost at the same time, Ayatsuji's life was spared by Mizuki Tsujimura due to undisclosed circumstances. In exchange, Tsujimura requested Ayatsuji to help her fake her death, so the detective made it look like his ability killed the woman in the murders. Three years after the incident, Special Division rookie agent and Tsujimura's daughter—similarly named Mizuki Tsujimura—takes on the job as Ayatsuji's minder.[1]