Masashige Azuma

"*Life is something that is both a blessing, and one pain in the goddamn ass!*"
—Masashige Azuma

**Masashige Azuma** (東正成. *Azuma Masashige*) is a student in Class 1-E located in Kunugigaoka Junior High School, who, like his fellow classmate Korechika Hōjō, used to be in Kunugigaoka's baseball team, but unlike Korechika, Masashige Azuma got himself in Class E is because he failed to keep his grades in check, and was thus transferred to Class 1-E. While he would have a chance to bring himself back into the ranks of Kunugigaoka's other classes, unfortunately, the problem comes from the fact that Masashige is, according to the words of Jirocho Shimazaki, "an idiot who doesn't know any better", so much so that he is often beaten by any roaming Class A students passing by. This only made things worse as his temper against the Class A students only landed him in even more trouble, thus ensuring that Masashige would stay in Class 1-E, forever. However, his life would come to an unexpected turn of events due to the moon being destroyed and that he along with the entirety of Class E is involved with one mission; kill an entity known as Korosensei.

## Appearance

The appearance of Masashige Azuma is that he has blonde hair and dark brown eyes. His hair looks to be spiky like that of a cactus, to which Masashige himself takes with great offense. He appears to be muscular, owing to the training to which Masashige has to be a baseball player in the future.

When it comes to his clothing, he is shown to be wearing a black blazer, unbuttoned to show that he is wearing a white shirt.

## Personality

There can be one thing that people can identify when it comes to Masashige Azuma, and that he is much of a "boneheaded idiot" according to students of Class A. The embodiment of a problematic student, Masashige isn't that well-liked by the other students in Kunugigaoka. In fact, Masashige's tendency to skip classes and be a general nuisance to all involved is probably what got him in Class E, not helped is that Masashige was formerly in the baseball team.

Furthermore adding on to his delinquent-like personality, he acts like a tough man, believing that strength is based on physical appearance and being aggressive.

## Abilities

**Baseball Skills:** On par with Korechika Hōjō, Masashige Azuma is shown to be skilled when it comes to playing baseball, and that's when he incorporated some of his skills in baseball into assassination.

**Knifework:** Aside from his baseball skills, due in part because of training by Yoshinaka Watanabe, this means that Masashige Azuma is at least skills with knifework.

## Etymology

* Masashige's surname **Azuma** means "the east" (東), according to an archaic style.
* His given name **Masashige** can have different means depending on the kanji, but it can mean "correctness" or "proper; straight, direct; genuine, true" (正) (**masa**) and "to become" or "to do something" (成) (**shige**).

## Behind the Scenes

* He is physically based off of **Ryuji Sakamoto** from **Persona 5**.
* His given name comes Japanese samurai Kusunoki Masashige.
* Masashige's surname comes from the Azuma-gumi, a yakuza organization.
* His ranking is based off of Shan Tinggui from Water Margin.
* His birthday of December 25 corresponds with the Coronations of William the Conqueror and Matilda, George Washington's crossing of the Delaware River, the Battle of Tucapel, the Baptist War, and the ending of the Battle of Hong Kong.
* His birthday also happens to be the same day that English physicist Isaac Newton, Papal States ruler Pope Pius VI, and American baseball player Pud Galvin is born.
* The same birthday also happens to correspond that Christian Saint Anastasia of Sirmium, Emperor Taishō of Japan, and English politician William Cavendish, 1st Duke of Newcastle happened to have died.