The World Ends With You

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The World Ends With You
The World Ends With You
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The World Ends With You
Overview

"Aaand so it begins! Black's played their disc, White to move! Every region is yours for the taking! It's flip or get flipped - erase or face erasure! That's how you play the Game! A minute to pick up, a lifetime to perfect... Don't sweat it too much: ya ain't gonna get it right the first time around, so just play the game and keep it louuud! And if I see ya discs tryin' to make any quiet moves... I'll break the board in two."
— Susukichi to Rindo and Fret.

Kaichi Susuki (周々木 鹿一 Susuki Kaichi), nicknamed Susukichi (ススキチ Susukichi) is a Player in NEO: The World Ends with You, and a member of the Ruinbringers.

Appearance[]

Susukichi is a very large man with a larger muscled upper body than lower body. His skin tone is swarthy in complexion. He has short blond hair with sideburns and his eyes are a very pale light brown. He is shown to have some sort of black tribal-like tattoo on his right arm, and in battle he removes his shirt to reveal more tattoos on his body, notably around his chest. He is usually seen with a toothy grin, and his teeth are notably triangular and sharp, like a shark’s teeth.

He wears a backwards white cap and a black T-shirt with a printed white deer skull not too dissimilar from a Noise symbol. He wears grey shorts with white vertical stripes on them and white sneakers with black soles. He accessorizes with golden chains around his neck with a padlock on it and gold chains on his left wrist. His clothes are Monocrow brand.[2]

Personality[]

While his impressive physique gives off an intimidating air, Susukichi is actually a bit of a friendly chatterbox, rambling in his surprisingly high voice. He can be extremely competitive and boastful towards Players weaker than him, like how he first treated Rindo and Fret. His words often confuse others as his ramblings usually doesn’t make sense, but he is willing to go out of his way to help new Players, such as Rindo and Fret by teaching them how to Scan for Noise, meaning while he is competitive, he has a sense of fairness, even if he comes across as condescending of others’ lack of knowledge. He is very aggressive in nature, and is notably short-tempered when he is provoked. Despite him being fair at times, he is perfectly capable of deceiving others, such as how he told the Wicked Twisters that he would give them points if they completed a task for him only to reveal later that he was lying.

Susukichi loves the board game Reversi and speaks and thinks in its competitive, possessive, black-and-white nature. He can't handle any "gray" line of thinking that happens to challenge his worldview, calling it his one weakness and becoming furious when asked questions with open-ended or no answers. He carries the game's discs with him and often calls other people "discs". His speech is notably lazily slang-written and he oftentimes refers to others as "bro". However, he is much smarter than he may appear.

According to the Secret Reports, he cares the most about his fellow Reapers out of all the Shinjuku Reapers. He is affectionately referred to as "Big Su" by Shoka and it's later revealed he considers Shiba's recent way of thinking "nonsense" and is willing to go against him and even end him, referring to it as an act as a "bro" and "knocking some sense into him." He also acknowledges a bit sadly that Shiba might just be lonely as he is always alone and watching the Crossing, and is the only one to do so.

Story[]

Background[]

Susukichi likely became a Shinjuku Reaper when he was 19 years old. He also was an elite Reaper[3]. When Composer Hazuki Mikagi wished to purify Shinjuku, he recruited Angel Tanzo Kubo as the Executor. Kubo gave powers to Shiba and began controlling his personality making Shiba believe that he himself was the executor. Susukichi, along with Kaie Ono suspected foul play and tried to find the truth, but their efforts were futile against the Higher Plane[4]. At some point, Susukichi lost his elite status along with every other elite.

After Shinjuku was Inverted, the surviving Shinjuku Reapers moved to Shibuya. Shiba made the Ruinbringers, making himself leader and recruiting Susukichi and a now-Soulless Tsugumi. While others such as Shoka believed he was still loyal to Shiba[5], Susukichi was planning to overthrow Shiba at some point.

NEO: The World Ends with You[]

Susukichi first appears in TheREAPERS'game (Week 1, Day 1), explaining how to scan to Rindo and Fret. He reports to Shiba and Tsugumi at the end of DeeP DivE (Week 1, Day 3). REAL(eyes/ize/lies) (Week 1, Day 4) is about Susukichi tricking the Wicked Twisters into not participating in the day's mission: he lies to the Wicked Twisters that the Ruinbringers as the winning team can rewrite the rules and offers to share some of their points with the Twisters if they erase the Noise possessing Ryoji. He stalks them for most of the day and thanks them for helping Ryoji when they finally erase the Noise possessing him. Fret asks for the promised points and Susukichi laughs and reveals he was lying. He threatens to fight, but Koki Kariya intervenes and orders him to not add injury to insult for a new team when Susukichi is winning. Susukichi complains that Kariya is no fun and leaves, knowing not to cause trouble around a Reaper.

While the Ruinbringers do not participate in Scramble Slams, Susukichi is mentioned by Motoi Anazawa at the end of In2 the ✖ing (Week 1, Day 6): he suggests that asking Susukichi about the Reversi strategy "breaking the diagonal" could make him berserk. While it is framed as advice, Motoi is attempting to sabotage their fight so Susukichi defeats the Wicked Twisters[6]. In the day's epilogue, he visits Kaie's fortune-telling shop at Spain Hill. He foretells trouble in social life, difficulty in Susukichi finding who he seeks but a beauty in the search, and recommends Susukichi changes his perception and lets his curiosity explore the unseen possibilities.

Susukichi serves as the boss for GamE thEorY (Week 1, Day 7). He texts Rindo a poorly-taken selfie of him at Tipsy Tose Hall and tells Rindo to find him. When they get to Tipsy Tose Hall, Susukichi is nowhere to be seen - he then texts a similarly poor selfie of him at O-East. Susukichi is also missing from O-East and sends them a photo at Shibuya Hikarie, and then a photo at Expressway Underpass. Before the Twisters arrive, the Deep Rivers Society challenge Susukichi and he defeats them. The Wicked Twisters without Minamimoto face Susukichi, and Rindo asks him for his opinion on "breaking the diagonal". He is ambivalent, which makes him furious, and attacks Rindo. Rindo uses Replay to find Susukichi's weaknesses and convince Minamimoto to join them. He is then almost defeated by the Wicked Twisters, but attempts to attack Rindo. He is stopped by a mysterious hooded man who comes in between them - Susukichi thinks this is Neku Sakuraba but it is actually Daisukenojo "Beat" Bito. Susukichi forfeits the fight, but Shiba appears and renders the Wicked Twisters' victory null and void due to the third-party aid. Reinstated as the winning team again, Kubo asks Susukichi for the Ruinbringers' wish as their leader is absent. Susukichi asks to play for another week.

Susukichi's first appearance in Week 2 is shortly after the Player mistaken to be Neku reveals himself to be Beat and grabs Tsugumi. Susukichi asks Beat to let Tsugumi go - he does and Tsugumi goes to Susukichi's side. He suggests playing Reversi with Beat by saying he could "bust out the board" and they could "go for a round", which Beat misinterprets as referring to skateboarding. While Susukichi is absent for most of Week 2, the Wicked Twisters along with the Variabeauties begin to plan a way to force the Ruinbringers into last place, causing them to be erased.

They enact their plan in CHECKMATE! (Week 2, Day 7), in which Susukichi again serves as a boss. At the beginning, Kanon plans for the Wicked Twisters to defeat Susukichi while the Variabeauties subdue Tsugumi to prevent each other for coming in as backup, and then for the Wicked Twisters to join the Variabeauties in fighting Tsugumi after. Motoi tells Rindo that Susukichi was found at O-EAST. Rindo texts Kanon to tell them to start the plan, but Susukichi starts moving. During the chase through 104, Scramble Crossing, and then a detour to TOWER RECORDS via Center Street, Tipsy Tose Hall, and Spain Hill, Tsugumi defeats the Variabeauties, leaving them in last place. Rindo uses Replay to turn back time and find a shortcut to TOWER RECORDS - Shoka uses her Telewarp to throw the Reapers off their trail so they can then go to TOWER RECORDS without a detour. They defeat Susukichi and seemingly knock him unconscious - Motoi volunteers to watch Susukichi. Shortly after the Wicked Twisters defeat Tsugumi's Noise form Grus Cantus, Susukichi recovers, overpowers Motoi, and is able to join Tsugumi at West Exit Bus Terminal. There, Shiba reveals himself as leader of the Ruinbringers and that both Susukichi and Tsugumi are Reapers as well. Shiba cheats to make the Ruinbringers win and begins another week of the Game.

Susukichi comes when Ayano Kamachi is erased in Dearly❤beloveD (Week 3, Day 2), intending to support her in the fight against the Wicked Twisters. He credits Ayano for distracting them and allowing the Reapers to spread more Plague Noise. During Day 5, Shoka texts Susukichi about Neku Sakuraba, Tsugumi's predicament, and the Dissonance of Shiba's powers. Susukichi promises to help them on the next day.

In 🡐stabbed (Week 3, Day 6), Susukichi talks to the Wicked Twisters, curious about the legendary Neku. Susukichi offers to reveal Shiba's location if they find him, and Shoka pressures the group to agree. Similar to Week 1, Day 7, Susukichi texts Rindo photos of him at different places. He firsts texts a photo at the Scramble Crossing, but when the Wicked Twisters are en route by Center Street he has moved and taken a photo at Expressway Underpass. He gets them trapped inside Shibuya River to protect them from Shibuya's destruction. He instructs them to stay until the game is over. Shoka asks Rindo for his phone and sends him abrasive text messages begging him to tell her where Shiba is. Rindo's Replay activates, and despite being warned against using it by Neku, he travels back to stop the Wicked Twisters from going inside. The group finds Susukichi at the Expressway Underpass where they defeat his Noise form, Cervus Cantus. Susukichi tells them he underestimated their power and implores them to defeat Shiba who no longer cares about anyone else. Shoka asks Susukichi why he kept his plans to himself since they were already against Shiba anyway - he replies that he thought he was strong enough to defeat Shiba and did not think he would lose to the Wicked Twisters before he could make a plan. Neku correctly guesses he trapped the Wicked Twisters inside the Shibuya River to protect their Souls from destruction, something that Sanae Hanekoma also called an "excellent idea" in his Secret Reports. Susukichi then is erased in a flash of light.

Abilities[]

As a Reaper, Susukichi is extremely powerful and has his own Noise form. He is shown to have abnormal stamina, getting up soon after being defeated. In battle he is not very agile, and moves very slowly, and can be easily out maneuvered by the party by simply dodging in tandem before he charges. Engaging in direct combat is tricky because his attacks are fast and can easily pummel his foes with his sheer strength. Instead one can attack from a distance using a Pin that can fire projectiles. Also one most avoid his unique psych, which creates multiple white-colored discs on the battlefield that if any of the party members are standing on one such disc, Susukichi will then flip them to reveal a black underside which will cause massive damage. One can simply stand in between the gaps of the discs to avoid being damaged when he flips them.

Relationships[]

Ruinbringers[]

Main article: Ruinbringers

Tsugumi Matsunae[]

Main article: Tsugumi Matsunae

Not much is known about Susukichi's and Tsugumi's relationship other than the fact that the two are teammates. According to Kanon, Susukichi acts as Tsugumi's bodyguard, protecting her when she's in trouble and even speaking up for her against their boss when she acts on her own or fails a mission. ? ] 

Wicked Twisters[]

Main article: Wicked Twisters

Rindo Kanade[]

Main article: Rindo Kanade

Fret[]

Main article: Fret

Etymology[]

周々木 Susuki means "circumference, circumference, tree", most likely referencing his love for Reversi. 鹿一 Kaichi is made from the kanji for deer and -ichi, a male name ending. The kanji for deer and tree being in his name could be a parallel to Tsugumi Matsunae, which roughly means "thrush on a pine seedling". However, the deer also references his Noise form.

His nickname, Susukichi, is derived from adding the -ichi name ending of his given name to his family name. (Susuki Kaichi)

Quotes[]

  • "You kids must be the newbies! Oooh, fresh outta the box, ain't ya?"
  • "Ya just couldn't help yourselves, could ya? Shoulda made a quiet move and teamed up with a pro... ...instead of paintin' a big ol' target on your backs."
  • "Ya start in last place, ya get stuck down there, and before ya know it, ya get erased! You're one hell of a poison disc, bro!"
  • "Hah! You discs don't even know what game you're playin'! I'd say it's only a matter of time 'til somebody sweeps ya. Won't be us, though - not yet at least, seein' as you're startin' so far behind."
  • "Aaand so it begins! Black's played their disc, White to move! Every region is yours for the taking! It's flip or get flipped - erase or face erasure! That's how you play the Game! A minute to pick up, a lifetime to perfect... Don't sweat it too much: ya ain't gonna get it right the first time around, so just play the game and keep it louuud! And if I see ya discs tryin' to make any quiet moves... I'll break the board in two."
  • "You're frontier discs. Ya got nothin' but potential!"
  • "Whaddya say? That oughta at least keep ya outta last place for this week, eh? And lemme remind ya that you discs're in DEAD last!"
  • "I ain't sayin' it—just strongly implyin' it. So what'll it be?"
  • "Think about it: the week's already half over, and right now you're gettin' swept. But with a little help from the Ruinbringers, who knows? Ya might even manage to gain a tempo or two and shoot to the top!"
  • "Well, well... They ain't doin' half-bad. Let's see what their next move is."
  • "Yo! Gotta hand it to ya. Now my buddy can finally get back to doin' what he does best. Ya discs did good today. Well, see ya tomorrow!"
  • "P... P-p-pffft... PFFFWAAAHAHAHAHA! Oh, man. I can't believe ya discs really fell for it—a textbook swindle!"
  • "At first I was just gonna have a friendly chat, Player to Player. But then I saw how gullible ya were and I couldn't help myself! GWAAAHAHAHAHA!"
  • "Yep! A big, fat lie—and ya fell for it!"
  • "Awww, what's-a matter? Ya mad, bro? Well, what're ya gonna do about it? If it's a fight you're lookin' for, I'm rarin' and ready to go!"
  • "Heh. You Southsiders ain't havin' any fun, so ya won't let us have none either, huh?" - to Kariya
  • "Hmph. I know better than to make any loud moves with a Reaper around. But I gotta say, there's somethin' strange about those powers of yours... A minute to pick up, a lifetime to perfect... Let's just hope you discs learn to let loose before the week's over...or before someone else sweeps ya. Well, that's my cue!"
  • "I don't give a flippin' disc about beauty! Just tell me where I can find 'em. There's only a few suspects left on the board, and we still don't even know if we're talkin' black or white here."
  • "YO!!! its ssukichi! yuo bros raedy to strat the Gaem or what!? ill even let you mkae the frsit move lol" - Susukichi texting
  • "now lets plzayh!
    *play"
    - Susukichi texting
  • "Yo yo yo! I was wonderin' when you Wicked Twisters would show your faces. It's rude to keep people waitin', y'know."
  • "What—didn't ya get the memo? He thought he could wedge himself outta defeat, but I outflanked 'im. Gahahaha! And I'm gonna sweep you discs next—and your anchor, too!"
  • "That's... Of all the possible plays in all of Reversi, it's the one move I'm still on the fence about... It's weak! But sometimes it ain't! It's downright infuriatin'! Every disc, every move, is either black or white. Ya only got two options. Nothin' in between. BLACK! OR! WHITE!" - Susukichi asked about "breaking the diagonal"
  • "Ain't nothin' that makes me madder than shades of gray! I was thinkin' I might go easy on ya. Maybe even let ya have a few free moves. But now... Forget sweepin' the board—I'm gonna break it in two! GRRRAAAAAAH!!!"
  • "That all ya got, river rat? Was hopin' we could keep at it a li'l longer... ...but I guess it's time to say buh-bye! Them's the rules, after all."
  • "I ain't got any weaknesses. Or maybe I do... Nothin' makes me madder... than when punks ask me questions that ain't got no answers!"
  • "Bwahaha! Just the disc I wanted to see! With you on the board, things are finally startin' to get interesting. No holdin' back! I'll flip every last one of you!"
  • "Heh. I gotta admit, ya almost swindled me with that opening there. But I see your strategy now. Gahaha! This'll be one for the record books!"
  • "Ya sure about that, bro? Might wanna take another look at the board before declarin' yourself the winner. I still see plenty of openings! Graaaaaahhh!!!"
  • "Hm...heheh. Too bad, Wicked Twisters. You might've thought the Game's over, but we're goin' another round! Catch ya on the flip side."
  • "Next time, I'll bust out the board and we can go for a round, bro."
  • "Bro... It's like you discs were playin' on a whole 'nother board. Guess this means ya wedged your way into first place."
  • "What...are you discs...schemin'...?"
  • "Looks like I was too late. The boss pulled out all the stops with that one. Nobody coulda survived it—not even a tough gal like her. But it ain't like her to make a loud move like that. She musta been willin' to do anythin' to make you two a pair again."
  • "GAHAHA! You get right to the black-and-white of it. I like that, bro."
  • "Me three, bro! To tell ya the truth, I'm gettin' sick of all these rematches. I'm ready to pack up the board and bounce."
  • "Shibuya's always...so friggin' loud. But here, all the voices get drowned out. Kinda calms me down, y'know?"
  • "You discs form a more balanced edge than I thought. Gwa...haha... Do me a favor. Take down the boss for me...will ya? He wasn't always like that. He used to be more...human. Now he don't care what happens to any of us—even if we get erased. Like we don't even matter. Once he got his hands on those new powers of his, they turned 'im into a real poison disc. Now he thinks he's god tier."
  • "Haha...hahahaha... That's what ya do with leaders. Ya follow 'em, y'know? The truth is... I thought I was strong enough, but I was wrong... Strong enough... ...to take him down myself." - about Shiba
  • "Passin' judgment on Shibuya like he's tryin' to do just don't sit right with me... Once he started spouting that nonsense, I wanted to sweep 'im off the board with my own two hands... As a bro. Knock some sense into 'im—y'know?"
  • "'Cause I didn't think I'd lose to ya before I could make my move. Heh. I guess I sorely underestimated you discs. And now, it's up to you to take care of him."
  • "Y'know, part of me wonders if he's just lonely. He's always starin' out at the crossing, waitin'. You oughta find him somewhere around there."
  • "It's all up to you now... Your move, White. Make it count."

Trivia[]

  • It is mentioned by the character designer Gen Kobayashi that Susukichi's love for Reversi is reflected in his monochromatic outfit. He also mentions, "While I hadn't settled on a specific brand to be associated with this character, I later realized that Susukichi must be a fan of Monocrow since he likes black and white."[2]
  • Susukichi is an extremely poor typist, as shown by his texts full of errors and typos. Rindo jokes this is because of his "sausage fingers".
  • He is the tallest known character in the series at around 6'6", and the most muscular as well, even moreso than Yodai Higashizawa.
  • The line "A minute to pick up, a lifetime to perfect.." is similar to the marketing slogan used for Parker Brothers Othello sets: "A minute to learn, a lifetime to master." (Which was actually originally "Five minutes.." and said by Zach Braff about Texas Hold-Em Poker.)
  • An early meme associated Susukichi with a quote from wrestler Scott Steiner about his three-way match at TNA Sacrifice 2008. This was sufficiently popular that a version of the speech was recorded by Max Udell, Susukichi's VA.[7]
  • The Cervus Cantus battle is a major homage to the Yodai Higashizawa Ovis Cantus boss fight. They are fought at the same place, many of Cervus Cantus' attacks are similar to Ovis Cantus, and the both battles take place during the rain.
  • The game that Susukichi plays may in fact be Othello, not Reversi. The two are often confused, but Reversi is an older game which was superseded by Othello and is no longer played at tournament level. Reversi has different rules for the starting position (Othello uses a fixed position, Reversi allows players to choose) and the end of the game (Othello ends when neither player can move, Reversi ends when one player cannot move), plus the potential giveaway: Othello introduced the tradition of using monochrome pieces. Reversi sets were made using any two colors.

References[]

  1. NEO: The World Ends with You: Official Guidebook + Setting Documents Collection (新すばらしきこのせかい公式ガイドブック+設定資料集 Shin Subarashiki Kono Sekai Kōshiki Gaidobukku + Settei Shiryōshū) exclusively released in Japan, July 2021.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Interview with Tetsuya Nomura, Tatsuya Kando, Hiroyuki Ito, Tomohiko Hirano, Gen Kobayashi, and Miki Yamashita. Originally published December 23rd, 2021 in Famitsu.
  3. Come🡒🡐back (Week 3, Day 4)
    Shoka: Can't say I do... The only ones who might know where Shiba is are the elites.
    Beat: Whozzat, then?
    Shoka: No one, unfortunately for us. Before, it was Kaie, Ayano, Susukichi, and...Kubo, I'm pretty sure.
    Fret: Kaie was an elite? That's legitimately surprising.
    Shoka: I know, right? Well, he's just a regular Reaper now. All of them are. Shiba's taken over the whole hierarchy of the Game for himself.
  4. SHIBUYA (Week 3, Day 7'')
    Hishima: Kaie and Susukichi immediately noticed a change in your demeanor. They suspected foul play and sought to uncover the truth. Sadly, their efforts proved futile, as would any opposition toward a being of the Higher Plane.
  5. Come🡒🡐back (Week 3, Day 4)
    Shoka: Yep. But even though they've been demoted to sheep, Susukichi and Kubo are gonna stay loyal to Shiba to the end.
  6. DesireDestination (Week 2, Day 6)
    Motoi: Believe me, I've had my eye on you Wicked Twisters for quite some time. Seeing as you survived my attempted sabotage of your duel with Susukichi.
  7. @snacksudell tweet
Characters in NEO: The World Ends with You
Rindo KanadeFretNagi UsuiBeatShoka SakuraneNeku SakurabaSho Minamimoto Shiba MiyakazeSusukichiTsugumi Matsunae Fuya KawaharaKohei ToyohashiKatsuhiko Tanimaru Kanon TachibanaMaito Minami Motoi AnazawaSumio Tanaka Koki KariyaUzuki YashiroCoco AtarashiSho Minamimoto Shiba MiyakazeTanzo KuboAyano KamachiKaie OnoHishima SakazukiShoka SakuraneSusukichiTsugumi MatsunaeTsugumi Matsunae's brother
Shopkeepers
AadivAika KuribayashiAkari MinaminoAkira IshiwaAoi KyobeGenzo KoitabashiHirofumi ItoguchiHiromu TakaharaIzumi AriyoshiJo MakitaJun SonobeKana InadaKaoru NitobeKeiichi OkadaKen DoiKohei SuzukawaLinda WatanabeMai IseyaMasayaMichihisa TadashimaMiharu NakanoMiki SaionjiMiko YamamotoMitsuhide TojoMomoka OwadaNaoto KuwataRei MogiRenka SakumaRieko KawaharaRina TodoRintaro NakagawaRyojiRyoma UtsumiSakura KogaSayoko MorohoshiShinobu SatoSumire ChibaSuzu ItoTakumi MiyanoTamao SasaiTomoko HirasawaTomoyuki KondoTsukihimeWataru KoketsuYotsuba SanoYudai MikiYumi Takita
Other Characters
Ammonia BanksBuddy RapidsEiji OjiEiruGo ModoriyamaHazuki MikagiHide TakenouchiHonoka KondoItsuki KanedaJoshuaKashikiKen DoiMachastreeManami AkitaMarino OriharaMKNMr. MewReaper CommentatorRhymeRiko SekinoharaRyojiSanae HanekomaShiki MisakiShuntaro HarimaTaka the HandymanTaku IhamaTomonamiYoko NorimotoYuika KagaYusei Iseya
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