|| Zanka Nijiku 🪽

Species Human Gender Male Male 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. He’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 his older sister and brother. To fulfill this expectation, he enrolled in the Central Hell Guard Training Academy in the Kamuatari District as a trainee, where he quickly rose to the top of his class. However, his dominance was short-lived when another trainee, Hyo, joined[7] and surpassed his abilities. Zanka realized that he couldn’t hope to compare to a genius like her.[8] Disheartened, Zanka ran away and met Enjin, who inspired him 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 his piercing navy blue eyes. His unique look is further defined by his eyebrows, which are shaved into a pattern resembling three distinct lines, and his pierced ears, from which hang long, dangling tassel piercings.

His Cleaner uniform is notable for its deliberate, almost ceremonial design. It features a considerably baggier cut than his 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 his fellow Cleaners, he carries a large utility bag at his waist, secured by a sash that crosses his chest.

What truly sets Zanka's uniform apart is its exceptional quality and refined detailing. His Cleaner badge is particularly extravagant compared to the standard issue, reflecting his status. This elevated presentation is a direct result of his standing as a "young master" or "lord" in the Ground, a position that grants him 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 he often experiences within. While he strives to present a placid demeanor, his volatile inner state of anger, disgust, or excitement can erupt in sudden, exaggerated outbursts. Despite his efforts to suppress emotions, he frequently gets caught up in the antics of his more whimsical teammates, momentarily dropping his serious, no-nonsense facade. His teammate, Tomme Mima, acknowledges Zanka's grounding influence, crediting him 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. He 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. His 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 himself 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 his jealousy, as seen in his interactions with Hyo and Rudo.

Having accepted his "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 his own weaknesses, which makes him mentally strong. Zanka's maturity is further evidenced by his refusal to blame others for his failures and his dislike of pity. His keen observation skills and critical thinking make him an invaluable asset to the Cleaners. Even his boss, Arkha Corvus, relies on Zanka for his 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 his peers.

Overall Abilities: Zanka proves to be a formidable combatant, displaying high speed, strength, and agility in his fighting style. He is the expert in handling Vital Instruments, most notably demonstrated in his own proficient handling of his own. Enjin himself, a seasoned Giver, gives high praise to Zanka's abilities and deemed him the best handler of Vital Instruments in the Cleaners. As former Hell Guard trainee in the Academy, Zanka was at the top of his 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 his 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 his blows. In his second fight with Jabber, Zanka lifted a large, heavy chunk of earth from the ground with his Vital Instrument, which he 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 his Vital Instrument with great speed and precision, keeping up with Jabber in combat. His reflexes are so sharp that he can easily dodge bullets due to his older sister's arduous training, he 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 his battle against two Raiders, he 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 his weapon. His experience allows him to unravel the abilities of his opponents' Vital Instruments and devise the best ways to counter them. His experimentation allows him 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 him to use his 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 his vision is obscured.

Inverted Spikes: Zanka can invert the spikes on Lovely Assistaff, allowing him 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. Kei Urana's mother thought Zanka was a woman at first. Zanka's accent in Japanese is the Chugoku dialect, but in the manga's English translation he 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 his time training.[22]