Sumeragi Kensei

Spoiler Alert!*Note that there are marked spoilers below. In order to reveal the spoiler, hover over the blurred text.*

> 「*A righteous hero and a villain... who gets to decide that? Do you think you have the right to decide that?*」
>
>

## Sumeragi Kensei

* Character
* Stage

* 2020
* 2023

## Name Information

### Appellations

* Ore (Pronoun)
* Kensei-sama (Sara)
* Sumeragi (Takahisa, Yuto, Renge [in private])
* Sumeragi-san (Anthony. Inaba)
* Sumeragi-shachou / President Sumeragi (Benedict)
* Kumichō / Boss (Kazuomi)

## Personal Information

### Role

Entrepreneur
Head of the Kurojou

## Actor

### Portrayed By

Inoue Masahiro
井上正大

* 1st
* 2nd

## Name Information

### Appellations

* Ore (Pronoun)
* Kensei-sama (Sara)
* Sumeragi (Takahisa, Yuto, Renge [in private])
* Sumeragi-san (Anthony. Inaba)
* Sumeragi-shachou / President Sumeragi (Benedict)
* Kumichō / Boss (Kazuomi)

## Personal Information

### Role

Entrepreneur
Head of the Kurojou

## Actor

### Portrayed By

Inoue Masahiro
井上正大

**Sumeragi Kensei** is a character in the ROAD59 franchise and is affiliated with the Kurojou-gumi.

## Profile

The leader of the Kurojou-gumi, who looks down on others with a haughty and arrogant attitude to the point that his casual smile hides the dim hint of cruelty in his eyes. He is publicly known for being the head of a large company which has its hands in much of the urban development of the Tenkai Ward, so he frequently appears in the media. However, he has left many people feeling discontent and resentful under his authoritarian and high-handed way of rising in the underworld at once.

## Appearance

Kensei has slightly tanned skin and medium-length platinum hair. His eyes have a slanted shape with a chartreuse color and his demeanor is very pompous. His attire consists of an olive-green pinstripe suit, with the jacket having a lime green interior, and loafers with white socks. There is a pin in the shape of the Kurojou *daimon* on his lapel.

## Personality

While Kensei is normally laid-back and nonchalant, his domineering temperament causes him not to tolerate any sort of disobedience targeted toward him. He will not hesitate to get rid of anyone, even his subordinates, that tries to get in his way of his goals, resulting in him being quite sadistic and cruel. Kensei can also be quite violent as he torments his victims and is shown to lash out at the Hiiragi sisters whenever they do something to his displeasure.

## Background

The second stage play mentions that Kensei inherited the Kurojou from his brother, thus the company that he heads acts as a *kigyo shatei* (企業舎弟) for the Kurojou, the Japanese equivalent of a front company. However, very few know that he is actually the head of a yakuza clan, and he doesn't seem to worry much whenever someone discovers this secret. With his powerful status, he is feared by many, even his subordinates, and Tenkai residents such as Inaba are under his debt.

## Abilities

Kensei makes no attempt to engage in physical combat as he possesses personnel at his disposal, but when he has someone at his mercy, he takes the chance to kill them off with his handgun. It is stated that his Jingi allows him to see the future, but he reveals that he is not in fact a Jingi user.

## Relationships

### Shinonome

* Yutsuma Kaya: Kaya recognizes Kensei from his appearances on television as well as his status as the president of a large corporation. Thus, sis distraught to find out that he is actually the head of a yakuza clan. Kensei goes through great measures to make the Kurojou capture Kaya, but despite her open resistance, he sees her as nothing but a tool for him to gain the *Yamata-no-Orochi-no-Kubi's* power.

### Kurojou

* Hiiragi Renge: She serves him and follows his bidding with her sister. Renge has always held deep hatred towards his dictatorship and his way of treating her sister, thus she aimed to take revenge against him by working behind the scenes with PHOENIX to rebel against Kensei. According to the second stage play, Renge states that Kensei has killed someone important to her, therefore she is worried that he could do the same to Sara.
* Hiiragi Sara: She serves and does his bidding with her sister Renge. Moreso than her sister Renge, Sara is obsessed with Kensei to an unhealthy extent, though he usually shrugs off her affection. Because of this, she is easily manipulated by him.
* Kurogane Kazuomi: His aide. Surprisingly, Kensei isn't as aggressive towards Kazuomi as he is with others and seems to have trust in him, though he won't hesitate to put him at gunpoint if he shows any defiance. He will also bring up his past with the Hakurou in attempt to arouse him, although Kazuomi ignores his provocations.

### PHOENIX

* Benedict Lorenzo Vasari: Benedict and Kensei seem to have a vague relationship with each other as demonstrated when they had negotiated in the past to discuss business affairs for their respective corporations. While they seem to have an "interest" in each other, Kensei feels as if Benedict's connection to the mafia could be a threat towards his influence in the Tenkai Ward and is possibly trying to take him down.

## Stage Plays

### 1st Stage Play

Spoiler Alert!*Note that there are unmarked spoilers under the collapsed section. Proceed to read with caution, or don't read at all!*

Kensei makes his first appearance when the Kurojou successfully apprehends Kaya and takes her to their headquarters to meet him. Kaya recognizes Kensei from his appearances on television as well him being the president of a large corporation. As a result, she is distraught to find out that he is actually a yakuza head, which he nonchalantly confirms.

He reveals to Kaya about his plan to use her as a tool to claim the **Yamata-no-Orochi-no-Kubi**, which resides in the depths of the Tenkai Ward. She expresses hostility against this plan and Sara attempts to likely harm Kaya for her audacity, but Renge stops Sara, claiming that she's "Kensei's precious treasure". Because of her actions, Kensei rebukes Sara by slapping and stepping on her, which disturbs Renge as she turns her back away from them. Kensei then has his personnel accompany Kaya away while he is left alone with Kazuomi. Kazuomi questions Kensei on what he plans on using the Orochi for, but Kensei responds with a vague answer.

In the next scene, Kaya, still under the Kurojou's clutches, bears witness to several Kurojou lackeys assaulting on Inaba. Kaya pleads for Kensei to stop them, but Kensei coerces her to activate the Orochi's power in order for them to stop. Kaya refuses to do so, and as a result, Kensei summons Renge to kill Inaba right before Kaya eyes until Sho, Shion and Suzuka arrive to halt the situation. They get into battle with the Kurojou and Inaba finds an opening to evacuate Kaya to safety, prompting Kensei to go after the two.

To Kaya and Inaba's misfortune, Kensei ends up catching up to them. He attacks Inaba in front of Kaya to once again coerce her into following him. Before she considers, Suzuka interferes to claim Kaya for the Hakurou, fighting off the Hiiragi sisters. While the others are distracted, Renge manages to catch Kaya at knifepoint, much to Kensei's commend. However, members of PHOENIX arrive, and it is revealed that Renge had betrayed the Kurojou to act as a spy for PHOENIX. She and the other PHOENIX members end up leaving with Kaya in their possession, and Kensei is forced to retreat with Sara before a bomb implanted by PHOENIX sets off.

Subsequently, Sara starts fretting over her sister's betrayal and thinks that it could be a misunderstanding, so she pleads to Kensei to forgive Renge, but he brings her no avail. Kensei instead puts her in a chokehold and questions if she was working for PHOENIX as well, but she frantically assures him that she's only loyal to him. To see if her claims are legitimate, he orders her to kill Renge, which puts her at conflict. Kazuomi enters and offers to do to the task instead, but Kensei stops him, instead bribing Sara that she could obtain his Jingi's blood if she is able to kill Renge and retrieve Kaya back. Despite her initial reluctance, she is convinced to follow his orders and departs.

As Sara drags on her task for too long, Kensei intentionally shoots at them, knowing that it would hit Renge since she'd protect Sara from it. He orders Sara to return to him, but she refuses, stating that even though she lives for his sake, she does not want to live in a world without her sister. Therefore, she asks Kensei to kill her as well, and without further question, he fulfills her wishes. Kazuomi, who had accompanied him, asks Kensei if he knew (due to his Jingi) that the Hiiragi sisters were destined to die, which he confirms. He puts Kazuomi at gunpoint if he has anything to else to speak on and Kazuomi assures him of his loyalty. Kazuomi is then ordered by Kensei to kill the rest of PHOENIX and the former takes his leave. Right before the scene ends, Kensei uses his and Renge's ammunition to shoot at the sisters' corpses. Then walking over to the already deceased Sara, he apologizes to her, admitting that he was not in fact a Jingi user and had nothing to offer to her, immediately shooting her corpse proudly once again.

Kensei makes his last appearance during a standoff between the members of the Shinonome, Kurojou and the Hakurou, who all corner Kaya and Bakuto. Before they even get a chance to fight, Kaya stops the conflict by unleashing her Jingi, which was too powerful for all of the parties to withstand and results in them withdrawing.

### 2nd Stage Play

Spoiler Alert!*Note that there are unmarked spoilers under the collapsed section. Proceed to read with caution, or don't read at all!*

Accompanied by his personnel, Kensei, controlling a tracking drone, is first seen entering a building to hunt down a manager from his company. Said manager had gambled himself into debt, so he loaned money from a casino without knowing that it was actually operated by the Kurojou. Therefore, Kensei demands the man to pay him back his interest. The manager drops a bag of money to Kensei, concluding that this will make it the end of their relations. Suddenly, Bakuto and Takahisa intercede, much to Kensei's annoyance as he requests them not to interfere in his business. To Takahisa's recommendation, the Kurojou personnel check the bag of money given to them only to discover that its counterfeit, prompting Kensei to try and kill the manager, but Bakuto stops him with his Jingi. Kensei commands his personnel to take care the duo while he answers a phone call from Kazuomi, who was currently after Kaya and Yuto. After hanging up, he advises whether it's okay for Bakuto and Takahisa to remain where they are, since their "pink-haired boy" was in danger, much to their alarm. But while they are distracted, the manager manages to escape and Kensei orders his personnel to go after him, then taking his own leave.

Kensei and his personnel end up catching up to the manager, putting the president at gunpoint. Before putting him down, Kensei asks him on Ichijo's whereabouts, but when the president acts as if he doesn't know who Ichijo is, Kensei shoots his leg. Once again, Kensei gives him two options; to answer his question quickly, or, to answer his question after he's "filled with holes all over" his body. The president to decides to go with the former, but before he even gets a chance to answer, a gunshot from somewhere else hits him (presumably from Ichijo), forcing Kensei and his personnel to retreat.

Later on, Kazuomi arrives at Kensei's office per request. Wanting to know if he found Ichijo or not, Kazuomi instead tells him that he learned that Ichijo works for illegal casino, much to Kensei's intrigue. Kensei realizes that the casino referred to would have been the one that "that president" planned on purchasing, but Kazuomi assures him that the president he's talking about will not be much of a threat to the Kurojou. Kazuomi then questions why Kensei is so concerned about him, and to answer his question, Kensei recalls a negotiation that he had in the past with Benedict.

The scene skips to a flashback where Kensei, accompanied by the Hiiragi sisters, converses in business affairs for their respective corporations. In their conversation, Kensei mentions an unresolved incident about a CEO who had apparently been murdered without the culprit being found. Therefore, he notes that Benedict had arrived here with good, yet coincidental timing, causing brief unease in the latter's tone. Before Benedict leaves, Kensei warns him to be careful on his way due to the recent dangers in the Tenkai Ward, in which the former acknowledges by dropping his handkerchief as a farewell. Renge is prompted to return the handkerchief back to him until Kensei smacks her across with it, much to Sara's shock. Kensei, suspect of Benedict, commands Sara to identify Benedict, but she gives him unspecific answers before he forces the truth out of her, requesting her to look into him. Before the scene ends, Sara affirms to Kensei that she will kill anyone who stands in his way, and Kensei wonders if she'll be able to do so "when the time comes". Kensei puts his faith in her, and she departs to prepare his next business meeting, likely the one that Renge stopped Ichijo from engaging in as implied in the subsequent scene.

The flashback then ends. Hearing Kensei's story, Kazuomi remarks that he must have really favored the Hiiragi sisters for trusting them enough to arrange such an important meeting, but Kensei replies that he didn't really like them, rather, his brother did, whom he inherited the rest of the Kurojou from. Changing the subject, Kensei learns from Kazuomi that Benedict is not only linked to an overseas mafia, but is rather the leader of their Japanese branch. Finally realizing Benedict's intentions, Kensei orders Kazuomi to infiltrate his casino and gain proof of a counterfeit bill, planning to report said casino to the police in order to get Benedict in trouble.

Scenes afterwards, as the conflict with PHOENIX grows more turbulent, Kensei snarks at news of the Hakurou getting caught up in the trouble. Hearing this, Kazuomi attempts to leave in a hurry, but Kensei stops him as he doesn't want to get involved into their conflict. Though Kazuomi tries to speak up, Kensei puts him at gunpoint, questioning if he's that desperate to save his old friends, in which the former denies. Seeing through his lie, Kensei ends up deciding to leave with Kazuomi and partake in the conflict.

Kensei makes his last appearance in front of the Shinonome, and due to their weakened state, he orders Kazuomi to finish them off. Kiyonobu attempts to fend off for them, but Shizuka intercedes, telling the Kurojou that if they want to fight the Shinonome, they'd have to fight the Hakurou first. Though this puts Kazuomi at a panic, Kensei has no qualms with it and attempts to make his personnel attack them until police sirens ring from the distance, forcing him and the Kurojou to retreat.

## Gallery

### Illustrations

* Promotional Art
* Twitter Art
* Manga
* Miscellaneous

Full Body IllustrationFull Body 2023 IllustrationFranchise PromoKurojou MembersLeaders' ChibisROAD to Party Key Visual**ROAD to Party Countdown:** "Your former boss is quite the noisy one, Kazuomi."

2021 April Fools' Comic No.2Gidora's Illustration for ROAD59's 2nd Stage Play"New Life" Support Campaign Illustration

ROAD to Party Illustration**LINE Sticker**: "Hmm."
### Cast

* Promotional Images
* 1st Stage
* 2nd Stage
* Other Media

1st Stage2nd Stage

4Gamer - November 2020 Interview4Gamer - November 2020 Interview4Gamer - November 2020 Interview4Gamer - November 2020 Interview4Gamer - November 2020 InterviewCUT - January 2021 Issue4Gamer - March 2021 Interview4Gamer - March 2021 Interview
## Etymology

* **Sumeragi** (皇) means someone of superior power, specifically an emperor.
* **Kensei** (賢誠) can be split into two parts. **Ken** (賢), translates to "wisdom" or "intelligence", and **Sei** (誠), translates to "sincerity" or "truth".

## References

* Official Website Profile

1. ↑ Kensei's Twitter Overview