Tsurugi Hitomoshi

**Tsurugi Hitomoshi** (火燈剣) is a minor antagonist featured in Danganronpa Kirigiri, and mentioned in *Danganronpa: Togami.* He is an assassin that was hired to hunt down and kill Rei Mikagami.

## History

### Prior Life

In the past, Tsurugi Hitomoshi was scouted to be apart of Hope's Peak Academy as their Super High School Level Rock Climber. Upon graduation, he spent time abroad tackling dangerous cliffs which earned him fame. After that, he turned towards performance art, and began to scale historical monuments such as the Eiffel Tower or Angkor Wot. Unfortunately, this garnered him negative feedback that eventually resulted in him being blacklisted by the climbing community. In disgrace, Tsurugi eventually became an assassin that only those in the underworld really know about. He's become infamous for appearing out of nowhere, and using his intense grip strength to kill someone as easily with one finger, bend a gun barrel with one hand, and its rumored that he once grabbed and crushed an officer's heart through a bulletproof vest with his bare hands.

### First Battle Of The New Duel Noir Challenge

Tsurugi took upon a contract to assassinate Rei Mikagami and, on January 10th, traveled to Meyua Station to complete the job. Without any climbing equipment, he scaled the Meyura Station and awaited for Rei to appear on the rooftop, though not before murdering the Chinese and Russian agents that were also sent after Rei by snapping their necks with his hands. When the allied detectives of Yui Samidare, Kyoko Kirigiri and Licorne arrived, Tsurugi had taken to hiding again on the side of the building. When Yui approached the fence, having noticed a slight disturbance over there.

With the jig up, Tsurugi climbs up, tears a hole through the fence with his fingers and approaches the trio. Kyoko takes aim with her gun, but before she could fire, Tsurugi charges at her, knocking her to the ground and sending the gun onto a nearby water tank. He rushed towards Yui and clamped his hands around her throat. Before he could kill her, Kyoko smacked him in the back of the head with a nearby sign. He bled, but didn't flinch as he released Yui and grabbed Kyoko by the throat.

Before he could kill her, Licorne tossed his jacket into his face and goaded him into coming at him. Tossing Kyoko aside, Tsurugi charged at him. However, when he went to grab Licorne, he wrapped his tie around Tsurugi's right arm. Due to the thin wire inside the tie, Tsurugi couldn't break free of it and moving it more just caused it to bleed further. Still, Tsurugi pressed on and Licorne was only barely able to dodge his left arm. Finally, Tsurugi cornered Licorne.

Right before he attacked, Tsurugi asked Licorne his name before he killed him. It was then that Licorne revealed that he was Rei Mikagami. Considering himself lucky, Tsurugi reeled back with the intent to kill Licorne with one punch, but suddenly collapsed unconscious. The wire that had cut into him was also laced with a poison. Licorne deduces that with his muscular body, Tsurugi wouldn't die, but he would be rendered unconscious and unable to move for a short period of time.

Later on, after it was revealed that Licorne was Rei Mikagami himself, he suspects that one or all of the assassins that came after him was hired by Gekka Ryūzōji and that since they were still alive, they would report back to Gekka on their findings. This implies that, despite his injuries, Tsurugi would still have the skill to be able to able to escape Meyura Station even as authorities would surround the building to contend with the fire that Night Flyer started.

### World Domination Proclamation

Sometime after Suzuhiko Ōtsuki arrived in Cesky raj, he would soon start in fighting with many members of the Clan of Assassins, who were also contracted to assassinate Byakuya Togami. Suzuhiko would later than mention Tsurugi had worked in the same assassin business as him. In addition, he also made fun of Tsurugi's killing methods revolving around the use of his fingers and how cliche it was. Given the use of past tense Suzuhiko used in reference to him, its implies that Tsurugi may no longer be working as a hitman. Though whether its because he retired, died or was arrested remains unclear.

During the event, Blue Ink noted that assassins from the world over would have been gunning to kill Byakuya and muses to herself upon witnessing some assassins get caught up in a crowd of villagers that seemed to have caught the Despair Disease, and be unable to really fend off their attackers. Having such hitmen be stopped prior to getting to their target may have been a reference to Tsurugi and his peers being defeated before they could reach Rei, which would be possible given how such novels reference each other.

However, gives the K2K System's unreality effects, it makes it unknown if what happened really was what was transcribed.

## Appearance

Tsurugi is Japanese and has a rather muscular body, complete with a shaved head. He wears a tight wetsuit that covers three-fourths lengths of his body. In addition, he also carried a small chalk bag on his back.

## Personality

From his interactions, Tsurugi is a relatively quiet, but intense individual who would willingly use his own power to try and kill anyone who gets in his way. Given his approach on the rooftop, Tsurugi is a pragmatic fellow that prefers to lay in wait for his targets to come by, before leaping out to ambush them for the kill. From what Yui noticed when Tsurugi attacked them, he didn't do so out of hatred or blood lust, but had an expression that resembled an athlete that was just giving it his all, leading credence that his career a hitman is merely a way to relieve his old days as a respected climber. Befitting a former athlete, Tsurugi loves a good challenge and eagerly went to attack Licorne after being goaded. While he is capable of creatively using his talent for his career as an assassin, like using it to hang off a side of a building with no equipment, his overconfidence in his abilities has lead to his downfall. He respects those who put up a good fight and even wished to ask for Licorne's name so he can remember him after he kills him. Likewise, his attacks on the trio proves he has no problem killing people who aren't his target, including minors.

### Copycat & Night Flyer

Just like Tsurugi, those two were hired to kill Rei Mikagami. However, its noted by Licorne that the three aren't working together, and it would be best to consider all three as acting like rivals to each other, wanting to kill Rei themselves without interference.

**Enemies:**

### Yui Samidare, Licorne & Kyoko Kirigiri

Wanting to recruit Rei Mikagami into helping against the Twelve Zodiac Duel Noir Challenge, this meant the trio would be naturally opposed against the assassins looking to kill him. Getting the jump on them, Tsurugi held no regards to trying to murder the trio and nearly succeeding in ending Yui & Kyoko. During this process, he was relatively silent until his fight with Licorne, where he openly grew to respect the kid for putting up a challenge and even requested his name to remember him by. However, he also was overconfident and was easily ensnared by Licorne's traps, which proved to be his undoing.