Tosai "Fret" Furesawa

Overview

Gallery

Tosai "Fret" Furesawa
Nicknames	Fret Lord Tosai (by Nagi) Mr. Big Smart Expert Man (by Shoka)
Age	16
Birthday	April 20th
Gender	Male
Height	Around 170cm (5'7")
Race	Human
Latent Ability	Remind
Affiliations	Wicked Twisters
Classification	Player
Status	Alive
Voice Actor(s)	Chiharu Sawashiro (Japanese) Griffin Burns (English)

"Geez, why not go ahead and crush my entire soul while you're at it? Guess I've gotta work on my delivery."

— Fret to Kanon Tachibana

Tosai Furesawa (觸澤 桃斎, Furesawa Tōsai), nicknamed Fret (フレット, Furetto) is a Player, a member of the Wicked Twisters, and a main character in NEO: The World Ends with You. He is Rindo Kanade's classmate from high school. While walking around Shibuya, Fret gradually entered into the Reapers' Game, along with Rindo.

Appearance

Fret is a boy with blue, bordering purple eyes and brown hair with blond highlights. His hair is styled in an undercut with most of it brushed away from his face, save for a small section he lets fall down at the front. His outfit consists of a white, v-neck shirt, black vest, gray scarf, red plaid capris, and white shoes. He accessorizes with a black and white wristband, as well as a white, beaded necklace, a thin black choker, two white helix earrings, and a golden earring with two crossing arrows. He has a black snapback cap strapped at his rear.

Personality

On the surface, Fret appears to be a happy-go-lucky and easy-going boy; or at least tries his best to be. He boasts the ability to get along with just about anyone and enjoys talking to people. He enjoys walking around town with his buddy Rindo, and sometimes has fun lightly teasing him in a light attempt to draw him out of his shell. He is very outgoing, extroverted, and quick to introduce himself and try to make a friend or ally. However, while he styles himself as a natural conversationalist, he prefers to keep things light, subconsciously avoiding subjects that are too serious. He is also curious, like when he deduced there were different types of Reapers from Uzuki Yashiro saying Shibuya Reapers. Koki Kariya calls it an "inquisitive streak". He often attempts to flirt with and give exaggerated compliments to Kanon Tachibana and agree with whatever she says, sometimes even when it could be bad for him to do so. He also briefly talked a bit suggestively about Shoka Sakurane earlier in the game, when he mentions that the Game seems too crazy to be real but he sure hopes the Reaper girl is real, implying he might generally act a bit flirty with some girls. He also persistently tries to be friendly with Nagi Usui and hopes they can be friends despite her not seeming to like him at all.

However, it turns out Fret puts on a front, which is why Nagi doesn't like him at first and considers him "fake:" in reality, he has a self-conscious side and forces himself into trying to be likable because he believes most people just want to be friends with those who make them feel good in the end. He is described by his designer Gen Kobayashi as someone who is not very good at facing people. He is actually secretly very cynical about relationships, feeling no one really appreciates the quality of being "genuine" from people. After a tragic and apparently traumatic friendship which left Fret hurt, he began to try to make himself likable to everyone with an often forced happy attitude, suppressing and sidelining his real emotions like anger and sadness. This often results in him trying to avoid conflicts and arguments, as well as the aforementioned dark subjects. However, especially during Week 2 when the hopelessness of their situation hit him, Fret appeared more negative and irritable, especially towards Rindo, as he can be impatient with his indecisiveness when it's really detrimental to their group. He also refers to Rindo's frequent complaints as "bitching".

Despite everything, Fret truly does value relationships, as he got unusually angry when a disgruntled Purehearts member tried to make a woman in the RG destroy all her relationships. His time in the Reapers' Game and interactions with Kanon encourage him to be more true to his own feelings; Kanon is able to pick up on Fret not being genuine with himself and she helps him see the value in expressing how he truly feels. Fret describes at one point that he originally assumed Kanon is someone who just tries to have fun like him, but later understood that she also knows how to be serious and felt that she is in fact not like him but better. He appears to greatly respect and admire Kanon for this. Towards the end of the Game, Fret begins to improve himself and tries to be more genuine to honor Kanon. He decides to play Elegant Strategy, hoping Nagi's favorite game will help him become a better communicator. Like Nagi and many other young women seen during the game, he seems to take a liking to Lord Tomonami, taking a note of how much he smiles at him in the game and wanting to see where it goes.

Rindo in an argument with Fret.

Unlike Rindo, Fret can be impulsive and tends to speak and act before thinking, leading him to sometimes say and do things that are silly or obnoxious on the spur of the moment, like spending all of his money on pins or scanning Noise without giving Rindo a warning. Rindo occasionally gets fed up with this behavior sometimes, leading to some arguments between the two. Fret can seemingly appear a bit slow-witted at times and seems to not know much about some rather well-known scientific facts and historical figures, though it's unclear how genuine this is and it could be just part of his attempt to create a front that other people will find funny. Fret also likes to use references in his speech, such as "kweh?" like a Chocobo when he is confused, and loves to use the term "galaxy brain" much to Rindo's annoyance and embarrassment.

Fret is a bit of a fashionista with an eye for clothing, once talking about an outfit being completed.[1] Fret is stated as being someone who cares about his appearance and takes pride in being thought of as "adorable" and "cute" and seems hurt when thought otherwise.[2] He seems to enjoy receiving attention, as he confidently offers to pose for a picture when Tanzo Kubo mentions that everyone's been talking about the Twisters. Along with fashion, he is also knowledgeable about trends, magazines and celebrities, all of which his buddy Rindo seems to find confusing whenever he talks about them.

Story

Background

Fret once had a male friend. Fret tried to be there for him, asking about his problems, but Fret was unable to help. This friend suddenly disappeared without saying goodbye to him, even though they were supposedly best friends, and it is implied that his friend took his own life. Afterwards, Fret began to wonder what the point of taking anything seriously was, and began to hold serious topics at arm's length.

Fret was also a fan of Eiji Oji and used to read his blog "F Everything", although he mentions he "grew out of it" and that the Prince's apathetic lifestyle did not jive with him any more.

At some point, Fret had a chance encounter with Itsuki Kaneda. Inspired by Fret's easygoing style, Itsuki awakened to his flirtatious side. Fret has also inspired Yudai Miki to be more outgoing.

NEO: The World Ends with You

Prologue

Fret learning about Swallow.

On a regular day in Shibuya with Rindo, Fret meets Rindo at the 104 Building which he nicknames "wunafo". Fret gifts Rindo a Reaper Pin. The duo grab lunch together. During their meal, Rindo suddenly becomes being engaged with his phone, and Fret seems somewhat hurt by this, due to Rindo focusing on his phone instead of their time together. Fret learns Rindo has been contacted by his FanGO friend Swallow who is in Shibuya, and points Rindo in the direction of an in-app monster he wanted to catch. Fret encourages Rindo to meet Swallow, but the plan is quickly derailed when they inadvertently enter the Reapers' Game.

Fret before the truck lands on him.

Initially thinking the colorful explosions and fighting must be some sort of movie set, the two realize that the danger might be more real than they thought. Rindo is suddenly struck with a vision of Shibuya in ruins, though he snaps back to the present moment. He and Fret attempt to run away, and Rindo feels a sense of deja vu. As they flee, Fret appears to be crushed by a truck thrown by a stray Noise (however, this seems to contradicts the game's logic, and it is unclear if Fret simply phased through it due to being in the UG). As a result, Rindo screams in shock and horror as he is suddenly transported to a green, void-like space. After this, time rewinds, and Rindo is once again standing with Fret in front of the fight. This time, he guides Fret in the opposite direction of the truck and is able to prevent him from getting crushed. After this, they enter the Reapers' Game more directly.

Week One

On Day One, Rindo and Fret encounter Shoka, who sets up the RNS or "Reaper Networking Service" for them, and Susukichi, who explains scanning and fighting Noise. He solves Day 1's puzzle with Fret, but on their way to defeat the target at Shibuya Hikarie, Fret gets them into an overwhelming Noise fight. Sho Minamimoto rescues them and berates them for their weakness. While Fret idolizes him and thinks of him as a new teammate, Rindo is apprehensive about Minamimoto's help. They defeat the boss, but their team isn't mentioned in the results.

Week Two

To be added.

Week Three

To be added.

Abilities

Remind

Fret using Remind to jog a Reaper's memory.

Fret's unique psych, Remind, jogs people's memories and helps them to remember things they have forgotten. A minigame will start when Remind is activated in which the player must tilt the left and right sticks in the correct positions to reassemble the scattered memory. In the prologue, when Fret and Rindo witnessed a battle between a Player and a Noise, neither Fret nor Rindo could remember what psychokinesis was, until the word came to Rindo. It is possible Fret used his powers to jog Rindo's memory (which could be supported by his uttering, "C'mon, think!"), which would make this the first instance of Fret using Remind, though he would not be aware of this ability until Day 2.

Items

Threads

There are ten Threads that give bonuses when worn exclusively by Fret.

Icon	#	Name	Threads Slot	HP Bonus	ATK Bonus	DEF Bonus	Style	Ability
	9	Cropped Pants	Bottomwear	10	0	17	15	Fret: ATK Boost
	106	Cloak	Topwear	43	0	108	135	Fret: ATK Boost III
	113	Bohemian Sandals	Footwear	0	8	13	35	Fret: DEF Boost
	152	Wool Scarf	Accessory	0	0	50	170	Fret: Jackpot
	219	Flannel Shirt	Topwear	28	0	63	45	Fret: DEF Boost II
	220	Down Vest	Topwear	32	0	68	95	Fret: DEF Boost III
	222	Faux-Vintage Jacket	Topwear	48	0	108	95	Fret: DEF Boost III
	232	Wallet Chain	Accessory	0	6	6	65	Fret: HP Boost II
	259	Christmassy Coat	Topwear	34	0	85	70	Fret: ATK Boost II
	263	Ninja Costume	Full Body	131	0	131	130	Fret: HP Boost IV

Relationships

Rindo Kanade

Main article: Rindo Kanade

He has been friends with Rindo for some time, and the two are classmates at the same high school. They often hang out together in Shibuya, and frequent various shops and restaurants together in their free time. They are quick to form a team upon joining the Reapers' Game, and seem to work well together.

Nagi Usui

Main article: Nagi Usui

Fret and Nagi cooperating to save Kanon.

Nagi notices Fret's easy-going conversational style is a façade, and dislikes him for that. Throughout the Game, Nagi tends to ignore Fret or criticize his demeanor and ideas, resulting in multiple arguments. Several times when Fret responds to something she said, she mentions, "I don't believe I was speaking to you." Fret gives her the nickname Nagirl and although she seems bothered by it at first, Fret keeps calling her Nagirl and Nagi does not protest, implying she has stopped caring about it. Despite how Nagi tends to respond to him, Fret still makes his best efforts to communicate with her.

As time goes on, their relationship becomes slightly less hostile, but the turning point is Week 3, Day 5. During a confrontation with a false Kanon, Nagi encourages Fret, and in a conversation afterwards, she discusses how she's come to discern Fret's "humanity" and the pain he tries to hide, even expressing admiration at how easily he can hold a conversation with anyone.

After the Game ends, she helps Fret get into Elegant Strategy and use it as a tool to improving his communication skills. By this point, she has started referring to him as "Lord Tosai", signaling their newfound friendship.

Kanon Tachibana

Main article: Kanon Tachibana

Fret with Kanon Tachibana.

It is heavily implied Fret has a crush on Kanon Tachibana, a woman 7 years older than him, as he blushes a lot when he first sees her. Fret is also very attracted to Kanon in Another Day's alternate universe, even saying "Daaaaaayum" when he sees her and almost getting tricked by her due to her beauty. Fret wants to trust her, although Rindo does not understand Fret's trust of Kanon and writes it off, suggesting during an argument that Fret would throw himself off a building if Kanon asked. This causes Fret to become upset and offended, feeling Rindo views him like a fool.

Fret admires Kanon, and so she gives him some friendly advice when she becomes upset after he claims he will follow her to the "ends of the earth", saying he "really means it". She notes that Fret says the kindest, most encouraging things, but that they are almost too nice that they start to sound disingenuous, and that it feels he does not really mean what he says. Kanon implores Fret to be genuine not with others, but himself.

Fret says goodbye to Kanon before her death.

When Rindo asks about how Fret views Kanon, Fret downplays his feelings, suggesting Fret may not feel comfortable confiding such feelings to Rindo. However, he later explains to his friends that he ultimately respects and admires Kanon for the kind of person she is. He explains he originally assumed she's the type who just wants to have fun like Fret himself, but as Kanon later explained she knows how and when she needs to get serious, something Fret felt he was lacking and he figured Kanon is someone much better than him. Fret was greatly saddened when Kanon died and told her he was serious about her. Kanon gently told him she can tell his heart is on it this time and she's charmed. All of her advice causes Fret to re-evaluate the way he talks to others and improve himself, fondly remembering her.

Quotes

• "So what are we thinkin' here?" (Using Remind)
• "Let's get down to business!" (Using Remind)
• "C'mon, think!" (Successful Remind)
• "Try to remember!" (Successful Remind)
• "Man, I am starving!" (placing order)
• "Aw, man! that really hits the spot!" (eating loved food)
• "This tastes pretty good." (eating liked food)
• "Umm... Anyone want the rest of mine?" (eating hated food)
• "Hey, can't spell "confusion" without "fun", right?"
• "Really grinds my gears that those liars are still winning."
• "For flavor, Rindude! Ya gotta immerse yourself if ya wanna have fun. C'mon! Ye olde treasure await-eth!"
• "Geez, who are you - Doctor Zoolittle?"
• "If Mr. Minami were here, he'd say something like, "We need to biggify our numbers, 'cause math, kid!""
• ""i BiD yOu aDiEu." Gimme a break." (mimicking Shiba)
• "...Daaaaaayum." (seeing Kanon in Another Day)

Battle Quotes

• "Feel the burn!"
• "Alright! Who wants a piece of Fret?" (entering battle)
• "Ready? Galaxy brain, activate!" (entering battle)
• "No sweat for Fret!" (entering battle)
• "Think we bit off more than we can chew here." (entering battle with low HP)
• "Uh... we sure we can handle this?" (entering battle with low HP)
• "Exquisite timing!"
• "Burn, baby!" (when using Fire affinity pin)
• "How was that?" (attacking)
• "Was that cool or what?"
• "We're on a roll!"
• "It's gonna blow!"
• "Like a boss!"
• "Let's keep it going!"
• "What WILL he do next?!"
• "Ain't no stoppin' us now!" (Rindo:"We got this!")
• "Was that cool or what?!" (Rindo:"Not bad, I'd say.")
• "Did I do that?!" (Rindo:"You sure did!")
• (Rindo: "Got it!") "Nice one, Rindude!"
• (Rindo: "Hey, not bad!") "Just doin' my job!"
• (Rindo: "So far, so good!") "Let's keep it goin'!"
• "Nice one, Nagirl!" (Nagi: "Uuuuuugh.")
• "That went pretty well!" (Nagi: "I suppose.")
• "Thanks for the assist!" (Nagi: "'Twas nothing.")
• (Nagi: "No foes can fell me!") "Or me! Don't forget about me!"
• (Nagi: "An adequate performace.") "That's... like a C plus!"
• (Nagi: "Just doing my job.") "Like a boss!"
• "Booyeah!" (Beat: "Booyaka!")
• "Keep it up, Beat!" (Beat: "I gotchu!")
• "I'm gettin' pumped!" (Beat: "Keep it up, brotha!")
• (Beat: "Keep it up, Fret!") "Will do, Beat buddy!"
• (Beat: "Time to get wild!") "Just not too wild!"
• (Beat: "Follow me, yo!") "Copy that!"
• "Did you see me just now?" (Shoka: "Wasn't watching.")
• "Exquisite timing!" (Shoka: "You're welcome.")
• "That was awesome!" (Shoka: "I was pretty great, wasn't I?")
• (Shoka: "That's my cue!") "Take it away!"
• (Shoka: "Get wrecked.") "Yikes..."
• (Shoka: "That didn't totally suck.") "I know right?!"
• "We're gonna win!" (Neku: "Fret! Focus!")
• "How was that?" (Neku: "Right on time.")
• "Perfect timing!" (Neku: "Nice work.")
• (Neku: "That was pretty good.") "I learned from the best!"
• (Neku: "Nice work, Fret!") "Ha-HA!"
• (Neku: "Alright!") "Perfecto!"
• "Whaddya think?" (Minamimoto: "Not bad.")
• "Nice integration!" (Minamimoto: "How derivative!")
• "Funky Fret and my Mina-man!" (Minamimoto: "Golden!")
• (Minamimoto: "Eh. Coulda gone worse.") "You think so?"
• (Minamimoto: "Don't miscalculate!") "I'll try not to!"
• (Minamimoto: "Follow my lead.") "Gotcha!"
• "It's..." (Everyone: "Showtime!!!") (initiating Killer Remix)
• "Where you going, Rindude?" (running away)
• "Look at that! A gold star!" (★-grade victory)
• "The Wicked Twisters are on top!" (★-grade victory)
• "Alright, could've been worse." (A-grade victory)
• "That's not so bad, right?" (B-grade victory)
• "Well, everyone has their off days..." (Low rank victory)

Etymology

His surname uses traditional kanji. "Fure" (觸) can mean contact (as in physically touching), announce, and conflict, while "sawa" (澤) means swamp.

His first name consists of "tou" (桃), which means peach, and "sai" (斎), which is Buddhist in its origins, meaning "religious abstinence" or "purification". Martial arts experts end their name in -sai and has a similarly dated feel. This stern, antiquated forename creates an ironic contrast with his carefree attitude. Tosai also refers to a variety of the plant called the geum coccineum, specifically the "geum tosai", adding to the theme of characters being named after plants and flowers.

His nickname, Fret, comes from a guitar fret. Like Beat, Fret has an antiquated full name and a musical themed nickname. In Japanese, "Fret" is "Furetto" (フレット) which seems to be a combination wordplay on the first letters of both his surname and first name: the "Fure" in Furesawa and the "To" in "Tosai".

Alternatively, his nickname can be taken to be ironic, since he has a happy-go-lucky demeanor and the word “fret” refers to someone being worried, or even anxious.

Trivia

• Fret was designed by Gen Kobayashi. According to him, Fret's signature color is pink.
• Concept art shows Fret's hair may have been blond or black.[3] He was once envisioned as being a more darker, serious character but this was changed in the final game to him being more happy-go-lucky and upbeat; at least on the surface.
• Fret's appears to be crushed to death in the prologue, although this has been debated by fans as to what happened as this seems to contradict the logic that RG vehicles should not affect players in the UG. This has led to the theory that Fret was unharmed by the truck flipping and never died, and did not answer back due to shock or being unable to hear Rindo while inside the phased through truck. Also a point of confusion is how Noise in the UG could cause a truck flipping in the RG. For more information, see Prologue#Trivia.
• According to the director of NEO regarding the cast's food preferences, Fret prefers his food to be a little out of the ordinary.
• Fret's basic white shoes mirror Rindo's and are supposed to be a visual metaphor for the two friends being connected. The two major protagonists having clothing to represent their connection is similar to how Neku Sakuraba and Shiki Misaki wore yellow wristbands.
  • There are also more parallels between Shiki and Fret. They are the extroverted partner to the introverted protagonist, both wear cheery facades, both have identity issues exacerbated by their relationship with a friend (Fret's unnamed friend and Eri), and both are into fashion.
• In the Japanese version, Fret occasionally calls Rindo "Rin-chan". This was localized as the nickname "Rindude", though it does not carry the same "cutesy" effect.
• The four members of the Wicked Twisters introduced in NEO each have a theme color (seen in the background of their sprites) corresponding to the codenames Neku and his partners were assigned in Another Day; in Fret's case, he and Beat are both yellow.
• In the English version, Fret often makes pop culture references which were absent in the Japanese version:
  • Fret sometimes says "Kweh?" when he is confused. This is a reference to the sounds that Chocobos make in Final Fantasy.
  • Fret once says the phrase, "Now let's mosey!" This is most likely a reference to a line Cloud said in the original Final Fantasy VII.
  • Fret scans someone in the RG while looking for "Neku" on Week 2, Day 2. In the English localization, he says they had saw someone "acting kinda sus" and that they might be an "impostor" or "Neku". While the word "sus" itself can be traced as far back as the 1920s, when used in conjunction with "impostor", this instance of Fret's dialogue is more than likely a reference to the video game Among Us, where players must find suspicious players who might be impostors. As the Japanese version does not reference Among Us or the idea of there being an "impostor", this can be seen as somewhat spoiling a plot twist.
  • In the English localization, Fret says, "And I oop!". This is a reference to Jasmine Masters.[4]
  • Fret says, "Guess you should fear the Reapers". This is likely a reference to the song "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue Öyster Cult.
  • When asking Nagi how she came to the UG, Fret asks Nagi if she died in a crazy taxi explosion, a possible subtle reference to the Crazy Taxi video game series.
  • When mocking Shiba, Fret says, "i BiD yOu aDiEu." Alternating caps for sarcasm and mocking began becoming widespread on the Internet in 2017 after a meme involving SpongeBob.