Zenjirou Sasamoto

**Zenjirou Sasamoto***(笹本 善治郎; Sasamoto Zenjirō)* is the main male protagonist and the first-person narrator of **DxD: Black**. A first-year student of Kuoh Academy and the youngest son of four children, the sole male of such, Zenjirou is the current host of the Sacred Gear of the Heretic Plague Dragon Amurokros, Destroyer Astra and the Queen in Lavinia Allocer's peerage.

## Appearance

Zenjirou is somewhat a skinny, feminine-looking young man with gray eyes in a constant frown, white messy hair and fair skin. According to himself, his body frame "resemble a girl's", and according to his mother Satsuki, he's "skinny, but his shoulders are broad". According to Lavinia, his face would often go pale and sweaty easily when put into an embarrassing situation that made him uncomfortable.

He usually wears Kuoh's male uniform with proper black blazer, white shirt with dark lines, matching pants and brown shoes during school periods.

After Volume 8 and his training at Mt. Issei, Zenjirou's hair is dyed black and has gained several scars across his chest and body, as well a more toned body and muscles.

## Personality

At the start of the series, Zenjirou was naturally anti-social and lacked a lot of social ability with many of his peers. This caused him to debate things more within the confides of his own head rather than speak out loud in objection to most things. He is also notably very easily nervous or flustered whenever he is put on the spot, making him very easy prey for Lavinia's and Aria's teasing, and quite intimidated by Takeshi and Robinson's negative remarks.

Later in the series, is revealed that Zenjirou has a strange inferiority/high complex, in which while he sees himself as worthless and weak, he has the ambition to become even stronger in order to be noticed. He has also shown shades of a very determinated person, and deep pride as the harbringer of Issei's legacy, Yami's legacy and his own. It is also noted that he has a great fear in being alone, and his biggest phobia is to be forgotten by his friends and family. After the happenings during both the Rating Game and the Miyama incident, Zenjirou becomes even more protective about the girls in his life, swearing to protect them until they know take care of themselves. He also becomes even more level-headed and calm, a great sault in his development, as he developed a more romantic relationship with Lavinia. He also seems to have a rather fetish for swimsuits.

According to his sisters, he's a great cook. He can also sew and take poetry classes.

## History

Not much is know about his past, except he's the youngest son of Hajime Sasamoto and his newest wife Satsuki, full-blood brother of Futaba. He had two unnamed childhood friends that apparently vanished from his life after an unnexplained incident and it is constantly bullied by his older sisters, whom claims he's a pervert, which caused him to never make lasting contact with other people, so in the end he just stopped trying and became aloof.

He enrolled in Kuoh academy because it was the closer school from home, and since the first day, he developed a crush on Shiori Kamiyama.

## Powers and Abilities

**Master Swordsman -** According to Aria, Zenjirou has the skill to easily learn swordsmanship, which Zenjirou himself claims that it came from his father Hajime, who's a master kendo-practitioner. During his training at Mt. Issei, Zenjirou managed to be able to fully polish his own swordsmanship skills, that combined with his sharper senses and better magical affinity, makes him a formidable foe. In Volume 11, after his training with Alexander Ryder, Zenjirou's ability has improved to the point of outclassing Miyuu Ichinose.

**Enhanced stamina -** Upon becoming a reincarnated devil, Zenjirou developed a stronger stamina, which increases as the series progresses. Even without the Fusion-senjutsu with Yoko, he manages to maintain control over his heartbeats and sense of rhythm as he fights with Annabelle and Takeshi. Further in the story, after his exhausting training at Mount Issei, Zenjirou became a lot more durable and stronger.

**Enhanced strength -**Upon becoming a reincarnated devil, his strength also increased, as he claimed that 'he couldn't even lift a fly'. After his traning at Mt. issei, he became not only stronger, but faster as well, since he could endurance Jin-Yong massive fists and powerful punch barrages.

**Enhanced senses -** Upon becoming a reincarnated devil, Zenjirou gained sharp senses and reflexes, as he is able now to hear better than a regular human being and defend himself against Annabelle's barrages. In order to survive his training in Mt. issei later, Zenjirou developed further senses and surviving skills.

**Queen -** Being reincarnated with a Queen piece made Zenjirou able to use traits of the [Rook], [Bishop] and [Knight] pieces.

**Dragonification -** Due to him giving up several pieces of himself in order to compensate his sanity and life to Juggernaut Drive. As a result, Zenjirou can now freely turn any part of his body into that of a Dragon, by concentrating his thoughts on the specified body part.

* **Immense Physical Capabilities:** Due to Dragons being the most powerful creatures in existence that even gods feared, Zenjirou likewise became physically stronger as a result.
* **Power Excursion:** As a side effect, Zenjirou began to emit a strong aura around him. To most people, it is quite toxic and makes them feel ill, but to his peerage it bolsters their strength due to their evil pieces being specifically his.
* **Flame Blaze:**

**Flight -**

### Pride Eater

**Pride Eater(誇り滅殺; Puraidoītā) -**Also known as "Pride Destroyer", is Zenjirou's first attempt of original magic, in which he stabs his female foes in the chest, and put two magic circles around her breasts. On command, the magic circle activates a curse on the victim's breasts, causing them to shrink. The energy left by the breasts turns then into [BURST] energy for Zenjirou, refilling his stamina and energy, the bigger the bust size, the more he regains energy.

* **CLOTH EATER -**

### Orgasm Aim

Also known as the **Whispers of Lust**,, is the second of Zenjirou's signature moves which he uses against females. To use this Zenjirou must come into physical contact with a opponent. After any form physical contact, a pink magic circle appears on their back, and after a few seconds the opponent feels immense pleasure that drives them into a frenzy, and can only go out of the frenzy when either, Zenjirou removes the magic circle or if the opponent sircums to the pleasure and "release" (i'm sorry).

* **Paizuri Black Crawler** (偽りの囁きの冷糸パイズリ・ブラック・クローラー, *Paizuri burakku kurōrā*), also known as the **Cold Threads of Lying Whispers**, is a more diverse version of Orgasm Itonia. This time, instead of direct contact, Zenjirou can create from his hands cloth-like black tentacles that moves on it's own, searching for the nearest victim. Once binding itself to the victim, Paizuri Crawler will search for every weak spot on the victim while also massaging their entire exposed body, and attack said spot until the victim gives up to sensations.

### Harmlessness

**Harmlessness***(無害; Mugai)*, also known as **True Neutrality***(完全中立性; Kanzen chūritsu-sei)*, is an innate ability of Zenjirou, said to be the complete opposite of Darkness/Killing Intent. It's an exclusive metaphysical ability which allows the user to become a completely 'harmless person', being unable to harm others, while at the same time being unable to be harmed.

### Darkness

**Darkness**(*闇; Yami*), also known as **Killing Intent**(*完全殺気; Kanzen Sakki*), is another innate ability of Zenjirou, that gives him the nickname of the "Peaceful Murderer". Said to be the complete opposite of Harmlessness/True Neutrality, it is described as a palpable feeling of dread and despair one is able to project onto their peers with the intention of harm or even death. Unlike mental strength and endurance and Harmlessness, Darkness is mostly provoked instinctively, although one is able to hone such ability in order to avoid detection or to target it onto a particular person

### Cross Moonlight Dragonar

Also known as **Earthbound dragon's red moonlight piercing blade** is one of Zenjirou's few "regular" attacks he invented during his training with Alice Evangelista and the Weiß team.

## Equipment

### Destroyer Astra

**Destroyer Astra**(異端疫病龍の籠手ディストロイアー・アストラー, *Disutoroiā asutorā*), also known as the **Gauntlet of the Heretic Plague Dragon**, is Zenjirou's sacred gear. A high-tier Sacred Gear candidate to become a Longinus, which holds the spirit of the Heretic Plague Dragon, Amurokros, one of the Evil Dragons, originally slain by Saint George. It takes the form of a silver and green gauntlet emissing a black bane, on the wielder's left hand, that has the ability **[Destroy]** which causes destruction to incoming attack before they land a direct hit. The penalty is that the attacks must be long ranged and close-combat attacks within 10 metres cannot be destroyed. After training with Alexander Ryder, Zenjirou obtained the ability **[Equate]**, which absorbs enemy attacks and redirects an energy of the same force back at them. In Volume 17 after his activation of Juggernaut Drive, Zenjirou unlocks the ability **[Drain]**, has the ability to absorb the powers of those he has made contact with, and, if in large amounts, can absorb the will power of those he has made contact.

#### Bane Dragon Queen Drive

**Geisterdrachen: Bane Dragon Queen Drive** *(奥義: 地上龍の疫病遺産ガイスタードラヘン：ベインドラゴンクイーンドライブ,* Gaisutādorahen: Bein doragon kuīn doraibu - Also known as "**Secret Technique: Plague Legacy of the Earthbound Dragon**", is an ability born from Issei Hyoudou's **Illegal Move Trianna**, and Zenjirou's sub-species for Balance Breaker of the Destroyer Astra. Similar to it, Zenjirou can use the **[CHANGE]** command to modify his Destroyer Astra and combine other pieces' signature abilities to overcome the weakesses of others. After his encountering with Yagura in the White room, Zenjirou received this ability in order to slowly but steadily develop Balance Breaker.

* **[SONIC BUSTER EMPRESS] -** Zenjirou combines both the speed of the Knight Piece and the strength of the Rook piece to deal strong and highspeed attacks. While not able to use magic in this form, he has greater strength and speed.
* **[FAIRY BLASTER PRINCESS]** - He combines the magic affinity of the Bishop piece and the speed of the Knight piece to run and use magic at highspeed, being able to leave explosive afterimages in case his foes tries to catch him midrun. Zenjirou don't possesses any remarkable offensive abilities in this form, but he can create a massive barrage of **[DRAGON SHOTS]** and other magic abilities too fast for his enemies to keep up with.
* **[DRAGON SMASHER QUEEN] -** Zenjirou combines the strength of the Rook piece and the magic affinity of the Bishop piece to deal massive blows enhaced with explosive magic. His speed is reduced in this form.

#### Brass Armament Plate Mail

**Brass Armament Plate Mail**(死体岬の異端龍ブラス・アーマメント・プレート・メール, *Burasu Āmamento purēto mēru*), also known as the **Corpse Mantle of the Heretic Dragon**, is the Balance Breaker of Heretic Destroyer Astra, that creates a bronze dragon-themed armor around Zenjirou with green jewels and silver forearms. Unlike most scale mails, the armor around the back and forearms are noted to be particularly bulky, which according Zenjirou, can make it hard to fly sometimes.

#### Juggernaut Drive

**Juggernaut Drive -** Also known as the **Dragon of Supremacy**, is a form unique to the Dragon-type Sacred Gears. Due to his surpressed hate and anger for being dragged around by those around him, plus other conflicting emotions such as confusion, denial and hipocrisy, Zenjirou accidently activated Juggernaut Drive during his training at Mt. Issei. However, due to Yagura's intervention, he reached only the incomplete state of it, without losing any fraction of his lifespan. Due to his past, the chant is a lot more ominous and violent than the original, as it goes:

**I, who has yet to awaken.**
**I am the Evil Plague Dragon who consumed upon the heresies against God.**
**I despise the "Infinite", and devours the "Dream".**
**I shall become the Evil Dragon of the Heretical Plague,**
**and drag you from the peaks into a golden inferno!**
#### Sin Dragoon Coronation

**Sin Dragoon Coronation**(地上龍の七死体星兵器庫シン・ドラゴン・コロネーション, *Shin doragon koronēshon*), also known as **Earthbound Dragon's Seven Corpse Star Arsenal**, is a specialized technique used by Zenjirou from the Highschool DxD: Black continuity. By "channeling" and "linking" the Evil Pieces from his fellow peerage members, Zenjirou can change his Scale Mail armor into seven different forms based on the individual abilities of his comrades. Some of them includes:

* **Heretic Blazing Lust Mage,** also known as **Solar Evil Dragon Magician**, is the Scale Mail form based on the Bishop Tasha Campbell. In this form, Zenjirou's armor adopts a darker tone of green and silver and has both the ability to control flames by instantly summon the Campbell's fire magic rune, although in a weaker form, and immense stocks of Firepower in its four wings, which can transform into massive magical missile silos and gattling guns that fire magic bullets.
* **Heretic Gula Fortress,** also known as **Rigid Evil Dragon Castle**, is the scale Mail form based on the Rook Dai Liu. In this form, the Scale mail possesses immense strength and it's claws becomes giant club-like appendices, which can cause small-scale earthquakes by hitting the ground, while the armored parts receives a massive upgrade and becomes bulkier and harder to penetrate.
* **Heretic Envy Reaper**, also known as **Poisonous Evil Dragon Miasma**, is the Scale Mail form based on the Bishop Sasha Whiswain. This form of Zenjirou's armor takes an ethereal form and covers it with a long crimson mantle, simulating one used by Grim reapers, and it can ooze from it's helmet a corrosive miasma that can destroy even other Scale Mail in a matter of seconds, plus enhanced magical afinity, specially fire-based ones.
* **Heretic Wrath Asuramaru**, also known as the**Six-Sword Evil Dragon Asura**, is the Scale Mail form based on the Knight Miyuu Ichinose. In this form, Zenjirou can materialize six katanas out of sheer energy alone, based on Miyuu's Seven Sins swords, and create razor winds with it, with also the ability to bend space for a second in order to control it's tragetory.
* **Heretic Black Automaton**, also known as the **Ancient Evil Dragon Inventor**, is the Scale Mail form based on the Pawn Shoda Ichimoji.

#### Amurokros Queen Chevalier Overdrive

**Amurokros Queen Chevalier Overdrive (**赫疫病龍帝の天戴冠式アマーロクロス・クイーン・シェバリェー・オーバードライブ**, *Amārokurosu kuīn shebarī ōbādoraibu*; lit. Heavenly Coronation of the Crimson Plague Dragon Emperor**), sometimes shortened to just **"A²×A²**", is the ultimate form in **Sin Dragoon Coronation**. By specifically channeling Lavinia, and thus her position as a King, Zenjirou can channel the rest of his peerage into his Queen Piece, and reach a form that combines all of traits of the Evil Pieces and change the color of his armor to Crimson, bronze and Black. In this form, Zenjirou has all the special abilities inherited from the other transformations, while eliminating a good part of it's weaknesses, much more like Issei's own **Cardinal Crimson Promotion a**nd Yaminari's **Brass Drachen Altar**. In order to enter this state, Zenjirou recites the following chant:

**[I, WHO IS ABOUT TO AWAKEN]**
**[AM THE EVIL EARTHBOUND DRAGON WHO WILL USURP THE PRINCIPLES OF DOMINATION AND SUPREMACY]**
**[I SHALL SURPASS THE INFINITE CRIMSON HOPE, AND TURN UNBREAKABLE SILVER DREAMS INTO REALITY]**
**[I WILL BECOME THE BRASS DRAGON EMPEROR THAT ROARS THROUGH INFINITE AND BEYOND]**
**[SO HEAR MY CLAIMS AND BOW! ME AND MY BROTHERS SHALL BE WAITING YOU ALL AT THE ATOP OUR THRONES!]**

### Ix

The **Holy-Demonic Dragon Sword Ix***(聖魔龍剣イクス; Seimaryu Ken Ikusu)*, usually romanized as just **IX(, *Ikkusu*)** is the exclusive sword of Zenjirou Sasamoto Being the fusion of the Holy Sword Naeglingand Rhongomiant, plus Zenjirou's, Yagura's, Takeshi's and Amurokros' own energy mashed together into the blade, Ix is considered a physical aberration that it shouldn't possibly exist even in the realms of the current reality, thus receiving the exclusive classification of **Transcendent Sword**(超越剣; Chōetsu ken). Since it has the power of both Naegling and Zenjirou/Yagura/Takeshi, it has the power to slay dragons, holy creatures and devils.

## Trivia

* Images and profile from the character Lux Arcadia from the **Undefeated Bahamut Chronicles** series, and Kurogane Ikki from the **Chivalry of a Failed Knight** Series.
* His given name, "Zenjirou" (善治郎) is derived from "zen" (善) meaning "virtue", "ji" (治) meaning "govern", and "rō(u)" (郎) meaning "son".
* He's the Tsukkomi to Lavinia's boke.
* He is hinted to be an anime/pop-culture expert(but not in the point of being an Otaku), as he has a vast knowledge of 'Hollywood satanism', and makes several movie/anime/music references.
* He has an unexplained hatred for stripped panties(shimapan).
* After the Rating game with Berolina, he gained the title of 'Monster of the underworld' due to his Pride Eater ability, and even a corresponding villain in the Oppai Dragon series.