Akio Chage

**Akio Chage** (茶下 昭雄 *Chage Akio*) is a character featured in *Danganronpa Kirigiri*. Akio is an occult researcher who, after taking pictures of a UFO, was sent to the auction at Norman's Hotel Duel Noir by Men in Black.

## Appearance

Akio has lightly tanned skin and is fairly tall. He has short, dark brown hair covered by a baseball cap. He has a light brown stubble and wears black shades. Akio chose to wear a typical black baseball outfit with white details (matching his hat) to the auction because that's his idea of formal wear.

## Personality

Akio is an eccentric man who claims to know “just a little bit” about the conspiracies of the world. He is very superstitious and a huge fan of the occult. He works day and night trying to prove the existence of various cryptids. When things go awry at the Duel Noir, he believes it to be the work of US governments organizations and blames things on conspiracies regarding his misfortune.

Akio doesn't mind getting pushed around, as shown when he dealt with the Men in Black. Despite his work he is not planning on keeping it to himself and is rather friendly, such as when he plays cards with Seiunsai Toyano'ō, Yūzen Minase and Meruko Mifune. However, he is not unflappable and gets quite scared when learning he was in a life or death situation, and even sweating immensely as the first auction drew near. He is also fairly knowledgeable concerning past scandals, such as remembering Mifune's former fame, and a bit about technology usage such as him immediately putting together that there was a scrambler in place preventing the group from getting phone calls out.

## History

### Norman's Hotel Murder Case

Akio is first shown as one of the ten people locked inside Norman's Hotel. When Yui Samidare goes around to introduce herself to the others, Akio introduces himself as a man who knows "just a bit" on the conspiracies of the world, pointing out that there must be something in place preventing them from contacting others and states that he was brought to the auction after he took some photos of a UFO. It wasn't his first time seeing one, just the first time he could get good photos. However, after Akio took the pictures and started to wonder where to send them did the Men in Black arrived. They confiscated his camera and gave him an invitation to the auction.

During the remaining greetings, Akio states that he had heard about Meruko and her psychic powers, and expresses sympathy concerning how she ended up getting her name dragged through the mud. Later on he is shown playing cards with the other inhabitants, when a door opens. After Suisei Nanamura opens it - to reveal a dining room, and he is shocked when Norman appears and explains the events concerning how the Duel Noir operates. Throughout the encounter, he wonders if various conspiracies are to blame for their predicament and is openly unnerved by the ordeal, and even begins spell chanting after witnessing the murder of Taehime Uozumi.

After Taehime Uozumi was killed, he participated in the first auction. However, he (alongside most of the group) didn't bid after Suisei made a grand display of showing his bag of money before making the first bid. When it came to determining the rooms, he stopped Minase from claiming his on his own, though was considerably dejected when he got the farthest room. Right before the participants entered their room, Akio went to Yui and explained that he saw Mikado Shinsen in several old photos next to disasters that claimed a multitude of lives. Upon seeing Shinsen there, he says that he believes that he is the Grim Reaper that has come to claim their lives and see how they react when they face death. When Yui asked why Akio would tell this to her, he said there wasn't much of a reason beyond sixth sense.

Later that night, he would become the second victim of the Duel Noir, having been strangled to death in his hotel room by Sae Yozuru. Later on after beating Sae, she explains that Akio was one of her several targets, and that his end of the world conspiracies drove her widow mother to sell off their possessions prior to her suicide.

## Trivia

* The name "Chage" (茶下) means "giver of tea".
	+ Chage's name is probably a reference to *Shibata Shūji* (柴田 秀之; born January 6, 1958), a Japanese musician known under the stage name of CHAGE (チャゲ) as part of the popular music duo CHAGE and ASKA. The reason for the reference lies in how similar Akio and Shibata look.
* "Akio" (昭雄) means "shining hero" - which is somewhat ironic considering how he simply let Men in Black send him to Norman's Hotel without opposition and how he was the first person to be killed.
* Akio's hat bears the styled English initials of his name, CA.
* Considering his major investment into aliens, cryptids and conspiracies, it is possible he may even be aware of the Rhinogradentia, however it is never stated officially.