☆ Fem! Zanka Nijiku ❣ ❄

Species Human Gender Female Age 19 Height 178cm (5’10”)[2] Eye color Dark Blue Relatives Unnamed Father Unnamed Mother Kyouka Nijiku (Older Sister) Goka Nijiku (Older Brother) Affiliation Hell Guard (formerly) Nijiku Family Cleaners (Akuta)

Occupation Hell Guard trainee (formerly) Cleaner (combatant)

Biographical Profile Status Date of birth Febuary 3rd[3] Vital instrument / jinki(s) Lovely Assistaff

Zanka Nijiku (ザンカ・ニジク, Zanka Nijiku) is one of the main characters in the Gachiakuta manga and anime series. She’s a member of the Cleaners in Team Akuta.

Zanka was born into the prestigious Nijiku Family and was expected to become a Hell Guard like her older sister and brother. To fulfill this expectation, she enrolled in the Central Hell Guard Training Academy in the Kamuatari District as a trainee, where she quickly rose to the top of her class. However, her dominance was short-lived when another trainee, Hyo, joined[7] and surpassed her abilities. Zanka realized that she couldn’t hope to compare to a genius like her.[8] Disheartened, Zanka ran away and met Enjin, who inspired her to become a Cleaner and become strong enough to surpass geniuses.[9][10]

Appearance Zanka is a tall, slender teenager with dark brown hair slicked back into a mullet and accented with blond streaks that complement her piercing navy blue eyes. Her unique look is further defined by her eyebrows, which are shaved into a pattern resembling three distinct lines, and her pierced ears, from which hang long, dangling tassel piercings.

Her Cleaner uniform is notable for its deliberate, almost ceremonial design. It features a considerably baggier cut than her peers' uniforms, with wide, open sleeves and loose-fitting pants that allow for freedom of movement. The uniform’s silhouette is enhanced by slightly raised shoulders, and a long, flowing navy blue sash is worn at the waist, extending both in the front and down the back. Like many of her fellow Cleaners, she carries a large utility bag at her waist, secured by a sash that crosses her chest.

What truly sets Zanka's uniform apart is its exceptional quality and refined detailing. Her Cleaner badge is particularly extravagant compared to the standard issue, reflecting his status. This elevated presentation is a direct result of her standing as a "young master" or "lord" in the Ground, a position that grants her a superior level of refinement and distinction among the Cleaners[11].

On the surface, Zanka maintains a calm and composed exterior, a stark contrast to the chaotic, emotional turmoil she often experiences within. While she strives to present a placid demeanor, her volatile inner state of anger, disgust, or excitement can erupt in sudden, exaggerated outbursts. Despite her efforts to suppress emotions, she frequently gets caught up in the antics of her more whimsical teammates, momentarily dropping her serious, no-nonsense facade. Her teammate, Tomme Mima, acknowledges Zanka's grounding influence, crediting her as one of the few who can "knock any sanity" into their eccentric members. Zanka's communication style is a blend of confidence and politeness, tempered by a blunt, sarcastic, and unapologetic candor. She also speaks with a notable Chūgoku dialect, as does everyone from Kamuatari.

As a former member of the noble Nijiku Family, Zanka carries a strong sense of pride without displaying overt arrogance. Her internal worldview divides people into two categories: "average" and "genius." While he once saw himself as a genius, a humbling defeat at the hands of a truly gifted individual forced him to reclassify herself as average and become more humble. While fostering a deep-seated resentment toward "geniuses" and their seemingly effortless greatness, Zanka treats them with cordiality and even attempts to hide her jealousy, as seen in her interactions with Hyo and Rudo.

Having accepted her "average" and/or "mediocre" status, Zanka is now driven to surpass geniuses through sheer hard work alone. This relentless pursuit is, as Enjin astutely observes, a battle against her own weaknesses, which makes her mentally strong. Zanka's maturity is further evidenced by her refusal to blame others for her failures and her dislike of pity. Her keen observation skills and critical thinking make her an invaluable asset to the Cleaners. Even her boss, Arkha Corvus, relies on Zanka for her insightful analysis, such as his ponderings over the growing mysteries surrounding Rudo and the Hell Guard. This combination of maturity, intelligence, and capability earns him widespread respect among her peers.

Overall Abilities: Zanka proves to be a formidable combatant, displaying high speed, strength, and agility in his fighting style. She is the expert in handling Vital Instruments, most notably demonstrated in her own proficient handling of her own. Enjin himself, a seasoned Giver, gives high praise to Zanka's abilities and deemed her the best handler of Vital Instruments in the Cleaners. As former Hell Guard trainee in the Academy, Zanka was at the top of her class and received different types of training before dropping out, such as handling of weaponry and hand-to-hand combat. Zanka also received private training by his family, including her older sister Kyouka Nijiku, who taught him to dodge gunfire.

Enhanced Strength: Zanka demonstrated great brute strength, capable of killing Trash Beasts, shattering rocks, and breaking human bones with the impact of her blows. In her second fight with Jabber, Zanka lifted a large, heavy chunk of earth from the ground with her Vital Instrument, which she hurled at him, forcing him to use his awakened claws to shield himself from the impact.

Enhanced Speed: Zanka has demonstrated great agility in combat, wielding her Vital Instrument with great speed and precision, keeping up with Jabber in combat. Her reflexes are so sharp that he can easily dodge bullets due to his older sister's arduous training, she is able to react appropriately even to irregular attacks with unpredictable trajectories.

Great Intellect: Zanka also proved to have a sharp, tactical, and keen mind, deducing the workings of Vital Instruments quickly and forming a plan to counterattack them or use them to his advantage. In her battle against two Raiders, sh quickly figured out to counter the clever application of their Vital Intsruments. Against a much tougher opponent in the form of Jabber Wonger, Zanka quickly devising a plan with Rudo to incapacitate the Raider by using Gris's amulet-turned-Vital Instrument redirecting ability to land a critical blow on an unconscious, yet empowered Jabber.

Vital Instrument Proficiency: As stated by Enjin, Zanka is the best Vital Instrument user among all the Cleaners, knowing and harnessing the full potential of her weapon. Her experience allows him to unravel the abilities of his opponents' Vital Instruments and devise the best ways to counter them. Her experimentation allows her to instruct people like Rudo, who are naïve in the use of their powers, to use them in more creative and improvised ways, as in his fight against Jabber.

Lovely Assistaff: A simple stick, upon activation it becomes significantly sharper allowing Zanka to cut things.[12] It’s strength also increases, allowing Zanka to kick up large amounts of dirt from the ground.[13] Zanka's agile and fluid fighting style allows her to use her entire body in full force to swing his Vital Instrument to deliver a deadly blow to enemies.

Zanka can stick Lovely Assistaff to the ground allowing him to utilize vibrations to sense people or objects in the area even when her vision is obscured.

Inverted Spikes: Zanka can invert the spikes on Lovely Assistaff, allowing her to quickly pierce Trash Beasts with his Vital Instrument.

Likes: Foods with flavor, people who work hard to achieve their goals[16] Dislikes: Bitter foods, geniuses, people who think they’re geniuses[17] Zanka's Vital Instrument, Lovely Assistaff, seems to be based on a Sasumata. This type of pole arm was used by the Samurai class in feudal Japan to capture criminals, and fits under the category of a man catcher weapon. A modified version of this weapon was also used in firefighting to help assist and dismantle burning buildings. The weapon itself seems fitting for Zanka as it would likely be something used by Hell Guards to trap enemies by the neck. Zanka's accent in Japanese is the Chugoku dialect, but in the manga's English translation she has a Southern accent. In a popularity poll hosted by Kodansha's K Manga app, Zanka placed third with 998 votes.[18] In a popularity poll hosted by the Shounen Magazine Pocket app, Zanka won first place.[19] According to Kei Urana, Zanka's body odor smells like incense.[20][21] On days off, Zanka spends her time training.[22]