Difference between revisions of "Tatsuya Sudou"

• 0. The Fool
  • Joker: He was Sudou's master before the King was killed in the line of duty. It evens out, since he's not Joker anymore either.
  • Yu Narukami: Despite not being a hot girl, Sudou is not immune to Yu's irresistible charisma. It's tough being a main character.

• I. The Magician
  • Alistair Crawford: Implied Sudou was Shion Katsuragi's boyfriend. It's a miracle no one died.

• II. The High Priestess
  • Yukiko Amagi: She tossed him some heals during Caracol and is also fiery. Not much beyond that yet, though.
    • Maboroshi: Fought alongside her/him during the final battle against the Spirit of Maboroshi.

• III. The Empress
  • Tsukiko Otonashi: One of Sudou's liaisons to the other branches of the NWO, SEBEC's fall has shifted her into a position as a corporate ally of the government arm. She's extremely learned in matters both mystical and technological and, though they do argue at times, they generally get on well.
  • Mitsuru Kirijo: Seiichi's love interest. Sudou's conflicted over Mitsuru due to this fact, though he no longer considers killing her as a way of winning back Seiichi's unfailing loyalty. He's well aware it wouldn't work.
    • Maboroshi: Amadeus challenged Mitsuru on the battlefield, and won the ensuing (extremely enjoyable) duel by the barest margin.
  • Susumu Kamiya: Nika's bestie and Sudou's newest errand boy, as it were. Sudou doesn't hold Susumu's tendency to avoid combat against him, at least; Susumu has other talents.

• IV. The Emperor
  • Masahiko Irie: Masahiko causes the former executive a great deal of consternation, especially with this "Kagutsuchi" organisation of his. Sudou finds him pretentious, sanctimonious, self-righteous, and a lot of other very hypocritical things. Sudou recently dealt the Yakuza Prince a blow by calling the latter out and ordering the Dragons to open fire when the boy strolled up into Club Zodiac and refused to leave when so instructed. The Red Dragon was certain this is only the first of many -- and he was right, given how the subsequent rematch went.
    • Maboroshi: Amadeus despised the Hatamoto at first sight, though could not explain why.
  • Nika Rumyantseva: SO ADORBS. Sudou finds Nika's rage beautiful as well, though it's a different kind of beauty. It's safe to say he's very fond of the gaijin girl.
    • Maboroshi: As Agna Rothschild, Nika was Amadeus' favoured servant and boon companion.

• V. The Hierophant
  • Tatsuzou Sudou: Dad. The one person Tatsuya hates above all others, especially now that he doesn't hate certain other people anymore. He's less afraid of Tatsuzou than he used to be, though; now, he just has a serious craving for revenge.
  • Shinjiro Aragaki: They have more in common than either would like to admit, the two Leos. It's been learning this that's eased Sudou's feelings on the boy, though there's still a good deal of mistrust there. The fact that Shinjiro's Shadow attacked Sudou in the latter's own home shortly after his death doesn't help.
    • Maboroshi: Masako Aragaki, her husband's narrow defeat in mind, challenged Amadeus herself in the hopes of bringing him to justice for the deaths of a pair of Revolutionary samurai. Cevri Sultana's subsequent interference very nearly resulted in the Graf's death.
  • Yui Utsuki: Former Stregite, now a Dragon. Helped out when Sudou and his band of merry (wo)men raided Sumiyoshi HQ, and has since proved she deserves her position. He does think she's awfully...young.

• VI. The Lovers
  • Ginji Sasaki: A former founding executive of the Masquerade, and the only one who didn't defect with Sudou after the latter's death. Despite this, Sudou finds he can't really hate the guy for some reason. Maybe it's Ginji's charm, maybe it's their previous long-standing working relationship, maybe it's just the plain fact that Sudou's less likely to take offense at every little damn thing nowadays.
  • Mikage Kohama: Spurred on by a combination of concern for her safety and disgust for Masahiko Irie, Mikage recently returned to Sudou's metaphorical embrace. After Maboroshi's end, he finally gave into her advances.
  • Lisa Silverman: One of Jun's friends. She finds Sudou creepy and disturbing, a fact no one can really argue with.

• VII. The Chariot
  • Yoh Yamagatani: Yoh likes punching things. Sudou is an excellent challenge. That's pretty much it. The kid seems to think they're friends, but Sudou would be hard-pressed to recall the kid's name if asked for it.
  • William Blazer: An American expat working for the NWO, he's a good employee...even if Sudou has been giving him more unnervingly knowing smiles of late, for some reason.
    • Maboroshi: The Graf's battle with Bureza ended in a draw due to outside interference, and none too soon for Tenchi Bridge.
  • Chie Satonaka: An employee of the KDA, Sudou inadvertently hired Chie with a blank check and an instruction. He used her account to post to the Darkside board one time; it earned him a whacking with a newspaper. They get on well enough, for all that.
    • Maboroshi: They fought together to bring down the zeitgeist of Maboroshi.

• VIII. Justice
  • Katsuya Suou: Sudou nearly killed Katsuya's brother, the aftermath of which disgraced the Suous' father and put Katsuya on the path to becoming a police officer -- unfortunately, not the career he wanted. It's pretty safe to say Katsuya hates Sudou, though it's harder to say whether that hatred is returned. Katsuya both amuses and annoys Sudou, and the several fights they've had have done nothing to erode either. If anything, it's made their occasional cooperation that much funnier...
    • Maboroshi: The Graf and the baker met at the Yume Festival, where literally everything was adorable.
  • Mitsuki Kohama: Sudou enjoys pushing her buttons, and isn't afraid of making implications around her -- after all, she can't do anything about the fact that her sister works for him, can she?

• IX. The Hermit
  • Shizuka Taniguchi: One of the former executives. She seems to have a close relationship with Haruna Satou, though not one Sudou's had much opportunity to observe in the wild.
  • Izo Imaizumi: Izo came to Sudou's high-rise in the hopes of succeeding where he'd failed with Masahiko Irie; that is, in convincing the yakuza leader to separate supernatural matters from those of the family. Unfortunately for Izo, he was unsuccessful here as well -- or so he left thinking, anyway.
  • Rei Saionji: Tatsuzou's personal assistant, and therefore instantly and irrevocably on the younger Sudou's shit list. They've exchanged snubs and jabs, and more recently had a very public fight. Initially it was Sudou's attempt to revenge himself for Rei's actions during Maboroshi, but became something more once he discovered the cracks he'd made in Rei's icy demeanor.
    • Maboroshi: Assigned to make sure the Graf didn't get into any trouble, Nagato Iwatari performed his service to the best of his ability, if grudgingly, until the night he purposely failed to prevent von Leonbrandt's assassination.
  • Eien Seida: After gaining some very disturbing insights into the former executive's psyche via accidental contact, the young psychometrist ambushed Sudou to learn the truth of his death. Their subsequent proved much more open and frank than perhaps either of them had anticipated.

• X. The Wheel of Fortune
  • Junko Kurosu: Jun's mother, Akinari Kashihara's ex-wife, and one of the founding executives of the Masquerade. Junko defected with Sudou after the latter's death, but never relinquished or lost her Crystal Skull (which is now probably in use as a funky planter or something). The two are (perhaps predictably) great friends, and often attend classy social events together.
  • Jun Kurosu: Kashihara-sensei's son, Jun gave Sudou something to believe in and live for when he was on the brink of utter despair. He cared for the boy when they were both young, cares for him still, and will fight anyone who would try to harm Jun -- especially if they come seeking revenge for anything Jun did as Joker-sama.

• XI. Strength
  • Enoha Koinose: Enoha's neesan waves cannot be denied, even by Tatsuya Sudou. Science fact.
    • Maboroshi: She brought him back from the brink after the demon dragon attacked, and for that von Leonbrandt agreed to help restore Enoha's father to her. He succeeded only in obtaining assurances that her family would be compensated for the crops they could not harvest, but that was service enough for the kindhearted farmer.
  • Thora Kobayashi: Once affiliated with the Tower Arcana, Thora has now undergone a shift Sudou hasn't fully investigated, but which he suspects is related to her falling out with Shirou Sekigawa. The King and the Oni have history, to be certain. In particular, Sudou -- aware of certain details of her past -- believes Thora's even more chained than before. He does like fighting her, as well.

• XII. The Hanged Man
  • Tohya Kidzuki: She wasn't Hanged when they met, but Sudou counts the ex-KNOWS member as one of the few Darkside affiliates he can tolerate. Recently, the former executive gave her a new katana to replace the one she'd been wielding -- knowing very well there might come a day when she was forced to turn it against him. He was quite pleased when she did.
    • Maboroshi: Though they had their arguments, the Graf respected Tohru Kidzuki as a warrior -- especially when it was the samurai who contributed most (including the killing blow) in their battle against the lycanthrope True in Golden 44.
  • Baofu: Sudou has an odd sort of alliance with the tap buster, owing to their mutual hatred for the former's father. They may very well defeat the old dragon one day...or, at the very least, they'll die trying.

• XIII. Death
  • Seiichi Miyamoto: Sudou's best friend, inexplicably. The two men have a complicated relationship that has come a long way from the business arrangement it initially was. Sudou genuinely cares for Seiichi -- in fact, he cares for him past the point of foolishness, or even simple good sense. It was Seiichi who pushed Sudou out of a critical moment of existential crisis as well, prompting another stage of development after the latter's death. And of course now they both wear eyepatches, because apparently the cosmos decided they needed to be similar somehow, or something. They have a good business relationship too, especially these days.
    • Maboroshi: Graf von Leonbrandt felt compelled not to dismiss the shifty magistrate Bayushi out of hand for reasons he couldn't explain. They encountered each other once again in the Deep Reach, and a final time at the Yume Festival.
  • Haruna Satou: A fellow dreamseer and Mayan scholar, Sudou had the unenviable task of breaking the news to Haruna that the paradise for which they'd strived was a lie. He felt worse about this than he did when informing the other executives, due to the nature of their connection. After discovering how she'd dealt with the news, he offered her a new path -- a chance to punish the deceivers. She took it.
    • Maboroshi: Despite being devoutly Catholic, Amadeus valued the gypsy seer Zora's advice and companionship -- and the amusement her squabbles with Agna provided.
  • Eikichi Mishina: Another of Jun's friends. Eikichi landed the final blow on Sudou on the airship, finally putting an end to both the latter's mad rampage and his life. Also kind of a dweeb, even if his Shadow very much wasn't.
  • Miwa Saitou: One of the Shinsengumi, and impressively learned in the occult and other esoteric matters. He's fond of Miwa in his way, which causes her no end of discomfiture -- especially now that he's firmly ensconced himself and his expert opinion in her preparations to summon an eldritch horrorterror. (This will go well.)
    • Maboroshi: Their several arguments, most conducted after Amadeus' death, resulted in an enmity that cost the miko an ally in her final battle against Sae Katsuragi.

• XIV. Temperance
  • Naomi Suzuno: The two wealthy half-breeds have a complex relationship, one that exists even in spite of Tatsuya Suou's hatred for Sudou. He seems to have some platonic affection for the Spencer heiress that extends beyond the bounds of what might be thought sensible for people in their position, but the root of it is really very simple: Apart from his respect for her as a person, Sudou sees in Naomi what he might have been had the circumstances of his birth been like hers. It's one of the reasons he goes out of his way to be polite and mannerly when dealing with Miles Spencer, who seems to like Sudou for some inexplicable reason.
    • Maboroshi: The blind priestess shot the Graf in pitched battle, distracting him from his target Mitsuru Aragaki.
  • Shion Katsuragi: She and Sudou were acquainted -- friends, even -- in high school thanks to track meets, and he developed feelings for her during that time. Twelve years later, their month-long shared dream provided the impetus for a real-life reconnection, one that resulted in a professional relationship before quickly snowballing into a personal relationship as well. Now that these two fierce lionhearts are lovers, what will be the fallout...?
    • Maboroshi: Amadeus fell in love with Soranna, the fiery Englishwoman whose Artemis-like love of hunting and refusal to wed was famed across Europe. When she disappeared, he resolved to search for her -- even after his death and entry into the Deep Reach. There, he found Sae Katsuragi, the fae Guide of the Reach, whom she became after being sent there by misadventure. He continued to love her irrespective of her claim that she knew no "Soranna," and returned with her to the sunlit world after the defeat of the Spirit of Maboroshi.

• XV. The Devil
  • Daisuke Itami: Daisuke is a pro at getting under people's skin, and Sudou is no exception. Something else is going on there, though...
  • Mariko Ohmukai: They've had (weird, vaguely sexual) encounters, one particularly violent evening resulting in, for Mariko, lasting infertility. Shortly thereafter she detonated in a spectacular and very public meltdown; since then, Sudou's heard nothing about her, good or bad.

• XVI. The Tower
  • Anna Yoshizaka: The fourth founding executive of the Masquerade. They've historically been partners, and there may have been more beneath the surface at some point. Whatever the truth, Anna is very important to him.
  • Takahisa Kandori: Kandori broke Sudou's trust by nearly killing Anna and, while Sudou repaid the favour, the incident irrevocably destroyed their once-close relationship. It's for the best, really; a few months after their fight, Kandori was killed by some teenagers seeking to prevent the end of the world. Good riddance.
  • Mikiya Ryouhara: Their relationship is very...stabby.
    • Maboroshi: They met at the Yume Festival, where Amadeus found himself puzzled by Ryouhara's Western-style military uniform.

• XVII. The Star
  • Shiko Mori: A former SEBEC experiment, Shiko became a Leo Mask after Kandori's fall and, later, was elevated to Dragon status as a reward for her loyalty to Sudou during the dethroned King's rebellion. He's accepted her feelings, but not her recent resignation: there's definitely something going on here, something very likely to be related to the horrors he's discovered about her past...

• XVIII. The Moon
  • Akari Hoshi: Once King Leo's minion and chief occupational hazard, Akari has become more of a sister-slash-daughter to the former executive. Abandoning her parents entirely, she's taken up residence in Sudou's flat (where she has her own room) and is now legitimately his ward. She appears to have forgiven him for taking her hostage at the Sky Museum, even though the entire episode resulted in her Shadow becoming ascendant and possessing her. As a reward for attempting to overcome her Possession, Sudou recently gave Akari a kitten...then told her she'd die if she weren't cured, leaving the kitten without anyone to take care of it. #1 Dad, right???
  • Maya Amano: Now that the Voices are gone, Sudou finds he's half-awed, half-chastened by the woman he hunted for so long. Alone of all the people he's harmed over the years, Maya is the one who stirs genuine feelings of regret in the former executive's battered heart. Especially because she's forgiven and accepted him, taming the proud creature further.
  • Kohaku Tsukino: Crooked cop, courier, spotter, and bootlicker extraordinaire, Kohaku received his induction into the supernatural at Sudou's inadvertent hands. Subsequent encounters have proven to Leo that the cop is extremely useful...and to Kohaku, that the once-executive is fucking terrifying as hell. The departure of the Voices hasn't changed this, it would seem. Of course now Sudou's actually offered to employ him directly, which is good -- especially since it'll get the now-PTSD'd cop the psychiatric help he wouldn't otherwise receive.
    • Maboroshi: After successfully assassinating Graf von Leonbrandt, Itsuki found himself confined to the Deep Reach, having been himself killed by Nagato for his crime. Amadeus met him there, and the two struck up an ironic friendship -- one that persisted even when Itsuki was reideated as Rufus Ashworth, a long-suffering Englishman in the Graf's service.

• XIX. The Sun
  • Tatsuya Suou: Sudou's namesake. While the elder Tatsuya can't find it in himself to hate Suou anymore (seems it's all burnt out), and in spite of the fact that they no longer appear to occupy the same metaphysical space, they're still opposed for various other reasons. At least they don't give each other headaches just by being near each other, though there is still an uncomfortable spiritual intimacy there. Additionally, Sudou continues to be puzzled and angered by the fact that Tatsuya pities him.
  • Kyo Enda: Following, Sudou's assault on Yisa Taimiev, Kyo ambushed the older Sun one Yumezaki Dark Hour. He took further offense to Sudou's equating them as monsters -- and the final stroke was the former executive explaining his reasoning. The fear that overtook Sudou upon seeing Kyo's subsequent tentacular form was exquisitely delicious; the dragon's panicked assault, less so. It's probably safe to say their relationship from here on out will be somewhat less civil, at the very least.
    • Maboroshi: The demon dragon, dubbed Malak al-Maut by the Princess Cevri, nearly succeeded in killing Graf von Leonbrandt despite the latter's powerful assaults of fire and holy light. Though Amadeus swore he'd get the beast back (and take its head home to Austria), he never got the chance.

• XX. Judgement
  • Shirou Sekigawa: At this point Sudou kind of doesn't care anymore, to be quite honest.
  • Yisa Taimiev: He wants to see her beautiful fury again, and is upset about being denied it the way he was. She will learn not to deny him, next time.
    • Maboroshi: Cevri Sultana's mere existence enraged the devoutly Catholic Graf, who missed no opportunity to insult and belittle her. Once he realised who she truly was, his compunction led him to attempt to end her suffering by granting her the pure death of fire.

• XXI. The World
  • Nyarlathotep: FUCK YOU GHOST DAD
  • Philemon: Legitimately believes in him. Yeah, Sudou's just as surprised as you are.

Being the sort of man he is and occupying the sort of positions he does, Tatsuya Sudou has a fairly large retinue of unawakened NPCs who show up from time to time on-screen. Save Maria von Leonbrandt, those featured here comprise the core of the Red Dragon's personal staff. This list is not exhaustive, and is subject to change.

• III. The Empress
  • Maria von Leonbrandt: Mom. An Austrian diplomat and his wife were sent to Japan during World War II and, when the War ended, never left. Maria was born a few years afterwards. After obtaining a first-rate education, she found a position as a secretary in the Foreign Ministry (it was the 1970s, after all) and there attracted the notice of a young minister...you get the idea. Their relationship turned rocky after Tatsuya was born, and steadily declined over the next decade. When Tatsuya was eleven, she died...as far as he knows, anyway. He idealises her, misses her terribly, and visits her grave often. And, of course, hates his father all the more for (among other things) having her killed.

• IV. The Emperor
  • Mamoru Kadou: A former Leo Mask, he's the leader of the Tatsu-gun. He's also often called upon to serve as Sudou's swordbearer.

• V. The Hierophant
  • Norio Fujibashi: The first of the previous Sumiyoshi-kai oyabun's lieutenants to swear fealty to Sudou after the latter's coup. He manages a good deal of the SK's ops, and has proven himself completely trustworthy.

• VII. The Chariot
  • Satoshi Kurosawa: Sudou's chauffeur. Exceptionally skilled at removing bloodstains from automobile interiors.

• IX. The Hermit
  • Akira Sugibayashi: Sudou's saiko-komon, a relatively recent graduate of Fra Mauro. He's young for his position, but so is his boss.

• XI. Strength
  • Narumi Harumiya: Another former Leo Mask, Narumi has known her boss in a personal capacity for some years -- since college, in fact. These days, she acts as his personal assistant, and is virtually incorruptible.

• XIV. Temperance
  • Makoto Matsumoto: Sudou's private chef. Proficient in many different types of cuisine -- most notably those with a heavy reliance on spices -- and trained as a butcher.

• XVII. The Star
  • Hitomi Akiyama: Sudou's maid. Much more competent than most people expect. Subsequently rumoured to be a ninja in disguise.