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

"All that's left in the world is me."
— Tsugumi after the Inversion in A New Day

Tsugumi Matsunae (松苗 亜末 Matsunae Tsugumi) is a Reaper in NEO: The World Ends with You, and a member of the Ruinbringers.

She first appeared at the end of The World Ends with You -Solo Remix-. She later appeared in A New Day, an epilogue created for The World Ends With You: Final Remix.

Appearance[]

Tsugumi pissed

Tsugumi is a teenage girl with long pale blonde hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. When she is possessed, her eyes are slightly darker and they have a red ring around the pupil. She wears a white button-up blouse with a plaid red-and-white ribbon around the collar and a matching plaid red-and-yellow skirt with a small black ribbon on the front. She wears dark grey stockings. She has wired white and red headphones, sleeker than Neku Sakuraba's headphones. From the beginning of A New Day to the end of NEO: The World Ends with You , she carries Mr. Mew with her.

Personality[]

Tsugumi seems to be closed off, unwilling to engage with others unless she must, similar to Neku. She speaks in a very cold, emotionless, and robotic tone, bordering on monotone. She is generally not very expressive, and only shows emotion when she is in a particularly desperate situation, she is usually perpetually frowning, rarely smiling. When troubled, she will become openly distressed. She only shows negative emotions in these rare instances, such as fear and anger. She is very stubborn and refuses to accept defeat in battle until she is completely incapable of continuing to fight.

However, this personality was only that of the possessed version of her Soul inhabiting her body. When she is freed from her affliction and is returned to her normal state, she becomes much more cheerful and kind. She smiles often and is very grateful to the people who restored her. She is rather soft spoken, but can be assertive when the situation calls for it. She is good at communicating with others, and was even able to convince Shiba to lend his aid to the Wicked Twisters. She actually sought to help save Shibuya by sending visions to Players, which displays her kinder true nature.

Story[]

Background[]

Tsugumi has been friends with Coco Atarashi since before coming to the UG.

Tsugumi and her brother were Reapers in Shinjuku. They presumably died in Shinjuku and won the Reapers' Game, choosing to become Reapers. Her brother eventually become the Conductor of Shinjuku. Tsugumi and her brother likely had high Imagination, with Tsugumi's latent ability called "Trailer" which lets her emit visions to others with high Imagination such as Neku Sakuraba and Rindo Kanade.

Around three years before the events of NEO: The World Ends with You, Shinjuku's Composer, Hazuki Mikagi, wished to "cleanse" the city and recruited Angel Tanzo Kubo to carry it out. Instead of Hazuki getting his Conductor's permission, Kubo infiltrated the Reapers and manipulated Shiba Miyakaze to be his pawn. Tsugumi was suspicious of Kubo and allied herself with her brother. Tsugumi kept her friend Coco updated on the situation. Somewhere around this time, Coco gave Tsugumi a Mr. Mew doll, the very same one that Shiki Misaki used during her own Game.

Eventually, in an act of vengeance, Kubo stripped her of her Soul and Reaperhood, causing her to became a Player. Kubo later succeeded in bringing about the Inversion upon Shinjuku, erasing the entire city and its citizens, though the Reapers managed to flee. Tsugumi met up with her brother in the midst of the city's erasure and tried to escape with him, but her weakened brother used the last of his power to help Tsugumi escape by sealing her Soul within the Mr. Mew plush. As the rules of the city decree that a Shinjuku Reaper is erased after losing their status, this was the only way for her to survive. She acted through no will of her own, with Kubo using this opportunity to trap her Soul further with a Plague Noise. However, her true mind was still able to send messages to Neku Sakuraba and Rindo Kanade using her latent Trailer ability. A possessed version of Tsugumi's soul was brainwashed by Shiba and inhabited her body after he granted her back her Reaperhood. The other Reapers noted that it seemed like Tsugumi's personality had changed, not knowing what really happened to her.

Out of entertainment, Shiba would make Tsugumi be a member of the Ruinbringers and rig the Reapers' Game dozens of times so that the Ruinbringers would always win, spreading a half-truth that the Ruinbringers merely wanted to keep playing for the thrill; while it was true for Shiba and Susukichi, it was not for Tsugumi.

The World Ends with You -Solo Remix-[]

Solo Remix Unknown

Tsugumi's first appearance.

A single screenshot of Tsugumi Matsunae at the Scramble Crossing appeared at the end of the Secret Ending. This marked her first ever appearance in the series.

The World Ends with You: Final Remix (A New Day)[]

Hype-chan remix-teaser

Tsugumi in Neku's vision.

She first appears in a mysterious vision seen by Neku, following another vision where Shinjuku is erased. In it, she is seen wandering down Meiji-Dori Avenue in Shibuya after Shinjuku is Inverted. While Neku is unable to determine who the girl is, the Mr. Mew in her grasp prompts him to seek out Shiki in Shibuya.

At the end of the chapter, Shinjuku is subject to an Inversion, whereupon the city is Erased and Noise are set upon the RG. Tsugumi is the only survivor of the incident, and Joshua and Hanekoma speculate that she formed a psychic connection with Neku that resulted in his future visions. It is reasoned that she is the cause of the visions that Neku sees throughout A New Day.

NEO: The World Ends with You[]

Tsugumi familiar

Rindo finds Tsugumi familiar.

Tsugumi is first seen after the Ruinbringers are declared the Game's winners on Week 1, Day 7, although she simply stares and wanders off.

On Week 2, Day 1, she retrieves the reward pin for defeating the Houseleon and introduces herself to Rindo and the Wicked Twisters. Rindo finds her strangely familiar, but she leaves after saying little else.

Tsugumi is seen again on Week 2, Day 2, where the day's mission is to find the mysterious individual presumed to be Neku Sakuraba. The Wicked Twisters seek to recruit "Neku" to their team, but Tsugumi manages to find and defeat "Neku" before the Wicked Twisters can. Before Tsugumi erases "Neku," Rindo uses his Replay ability to turn back time, narrowing the possible location of Tsugumi and "Neku"'s battle to the West Exit Bus Terminal. They save "Neku" from Tsugumi by fending off her Mr. Mew dolls, after which "Neku"'s identity is revealed to be Beat. Susukichi then appears to rein in Tsugumi for the day.

TsugumiCantLose

Tsugumi refuses to give up and let the Twisters defeat her.

On Week 2, Day 7, the Variabeauties assist the Wicked Twisters in a plan to defeat the Ruinbringers, distracting Tsugumi while the Wicked Twisters go after Susukichi. At first, Susukichi manages to delay the Wicked Twisters long enough for Tsugumi to defeat the Variabeauties, but after Rindo turns back time, the Wicked Twisters defeat Susukichi quickly enough to arrive before Tsugumi defeats the Variabeauties. Tsugumi fights them with her Mr. Mew dolls again, but after the dolls are defeated, she refuses to concede defeat and transforms into Grus Cantus. The Wicked Twisters prevail again, only for Shiba to reveal that the Ruinbringers, Tsugumi included, are composed of Reapers and that they had been rigging the Game in their favor. Soon afterward, Coco discovers Tsugumi's Mr. Mew doll, heavily damaged.

Tsugumi alone

Tsugumi trapped in her own mind.

On Week 3, Day 5, per Neku's request, the Wicked Twisters meet Coco on Cat Street, whom they learn about Tsugumi's situation from. Coco discovered that Tsugumi's Soul was trapped inside her Mr. Mew doll, and worries that her Soul would stay trapped inside if Mr. Mew was not repaired, with the only person capable of repairing it being Shiki Misaki. In order to communicate with Tsugumi, the group dives into her mind within the doll using Nagi Usui's ability and defeat the Plague Pachy there. Tsugumi thanks them for saving her, revealing herself to have been the one emitting visions to Neku and Rindo in order to save Shibuya from being Inverted like Shinjuku had been. She wishes the group good luck in doing what she was not able to do.

On Week 3, Day 7, Coco met Shiki in order to repair Mr. Mew, and Tsugumi's Soul is returned into her real body. She, alongside Hishima Sakazuki, reason with Shiba to convince him to fight against the Plague Noise alongside everyone else. In the ending, Shiba tells Tsugumi about how he plans on rebuilding Shinjuku and she decides to return to Shinjuku to help him do so, along with Hishima and Kaie Ono. Tsugumi thanks Shibuya and wishes to return someday.

Party in the 'Buya (Another Day)[]

In the alternate universe, Tsugumi helps to run the Reapers' Romp and gives out stamps at Miyashita Park. She appears to be much more outgoing with an obsession for Lord Ishimoto of the Death March, rivalling Nagi's own obsession. It is mentioned she met Nagi last Christmas during Ishimoto's dinner show and they have not talked since then. Tsugumi purchased all 5 versions of Ishimoto's latest album just so she could get the unique covers. She also bought exclusive t-shirts and towels. Rindo describes Tsugumi's interaction with Nagi as a "pissing contest" to see who's the bigger fan. Tsugumi takes amusement that Nagi does not have tickets to Ishimoto's latest show and refuses to stamp her card. After a boss fight with Tsugumi's Noise form, Tsugumi is impressed and stamps the card, then seemingly fades from existence as if she died; after the Wicked Twisters leave, she reappears as if nothing happened.

Abilities[]

As a Reaper, Tsugumi is very powerful, enough to be selected as a member of the Ruinbringers and has her own Noise form. She is also capable of telepathically sending visions to other people using a psych known as Trailer. Similarly to Shiki, she fights using the Mr. Mew doll that she carries with her, and she’s able to manipulate the doll to fight on her behalf and she can duplicate the doll to make multiple copies of them to also fight on her behalf. These dolls range in size and the party simply needs to defeat one after the other, and while avoiding their attacks.

Relationships[]

Susukichi[]

Main article: Kaichi "Susukichi" Susuki

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. When Beat grabs Tsugumi during their fight in Week 2, Day 2, Susukichi asks him to release her. When Beat relents, Tsugumi immediately goes to Susukichi's side and leaves with him.

Shiba Miyakaze[]

Main article: Shiba Miyakaze

Although not a lot of interaction is seen between them, it is suggested Shiba views Tsugumi as a tool, particularly after Shiba became influenced by Kubo. Shiba deprived her of her bodily autonomy when he effectively brainwashed her Soul. Despite Shiba using her as a pawn, they do seem to respect each other to some degree; when Tsugumi confronts him, he does listen to her, while she does not hold much anger towards him for hijacking her body. It is highly possible Shiba and Tsugumi go back several years at least, due to her brother once being Shinjuku's Conductor. By the end of the game, they decide to work together to rebuild Shinjuku.

Coco Atarashi[]

"Oh, how I wish she could tell us what happened... My dear, sweet Tsugumi..."
— Coco to Tsugumi's body, VisioN (Week 3, Day 5)
Erm

Coco concerned about Tsugumi.

Coco considers Tsugumi one of her closest friends, to the point that she caused the events of A New Day to save Tsugumi from the Inversion.[2] The Secret Reports imply she is the one who took the Mr. Mew that sealed Tsugumi's Soul into Shinjuku[3] and was confirmed by series director Tatsuya Kando.[4] Coco protects the Mr. Mew Tsugumi is sealed in and visits Kaie's fortune-telling shop, presumably asking about how to save Tsugumi. When Neku arrives in Shibuya, she is able to enlist the Wicked Twister's help to Dive inside the doll, erasing the Noise inside with Tsugumi and talking to her.

Quotes[]

  • "I am Tsugumi Matsunae. A Ruinbringer."
  • "Goodbye."
  • "I can't lose."
  • "I must fight."
  • "I have orders. I'll complete them!"
  • "Target acquired!"
  • "Too late... It's all over... Somebody... Anybody... I can't move. I'm trapped... Somebody... Do something... Let me out... I'm trapped... I don't want to be alone anymore..." - Tsugumi trapped inside Mr. Mew
  • "Thank you. I appreciate you going out of your way to help me."
  • "You're right: it was I who sent those visions out into the world. And it seems you two received them. I pick up signals sent by your future selves, and relay those signals to you as warnings here in the present."
  • "To help you survive... But also...to help you save this city from Shiba. Yes. The Noise he spawned are capable of phasing between the UG and the RG, eroding the barrier between planes little by little every time they do."
  • "Indeed. It's Dissonance—just like Shiba's abilities. It defies the rules of reality. You came to the UG without dying. But neither a Player nor a Reaper could have made that happen. That's Dissonance."
  • "I'm sorry, but I don't know... I wish I did. I nearly got erased trying to find out. All I know for sure is that this Dissonance is very real."
  • "Listen—Rindo, Neku... I'm glad you two were able to receive my messages. But they weren't just warnings for your sake. They were also my way of asking for your help. I wasn't able to save Shinjuku, but...it isn't too late to save Shibuya. I don't know what's going to happen to me. There's a very real chance I might be trapped in this doll forever. So please, do what I can't."
  • "That's... ...very kind. Good luck out there."
  • "He used you to erase Shinjuku. That's the reason Kubo approached you in the first place. I have reason to believe he may have been an Angel sent to destroy the city. Assuming he was, everything begins to make sense. He hid among the shadows, granting you the powers that would help him erase Shinjuku. Then, he donned the guise of a Reaper, and began to monitor those of us who survived."
  • "Because they were worried about you. I heard their hearts crying out in pain. Kaie, Susukichi, Ayano, and Shoka... ...even Hishima. None of them could bear to look at the monster you'd become. And ever since you received those new powers, you shut me out. You stopped listening."
  • "Then allow me to show you the truth you've been ignoring. The hour of reckoning is drawing near. Just once, I need you to see what cruel fate awaits us. Shiba, open your heart to me."
  • "In that case...is it all right if I go with you? I admit it isn't bad... ...but there's no place like home, right? And if you're going to restore things to the way they were, then I want to help."
  • "Thanks for everything, Shibuya. See you again someday." - Tsugumi as she leaves Shibuya

Etymology[]

Like many characters in the series, both her first name and last name are uncommon names in Japan.

"Tsugumi", written with the katakana ツグミ, is the word for a type of bird known as a thrush, though the kanji for her name (亜末) is different from the kanji used to write "tsugumi" meaning "thrush". Her name is similar to other bird symbolism in NEO, with her own Noise form being based on a crane.

Her surname Matsunae (松苗) means "pine seedling". Her full name creates the imagery of a small bird on an extremely small tree.

Trivia[]

  • Tsugumi always wears her headphones, she is never seen not wearing them and doesn’t seem to take them off, even when others are speaking to her or she is speaking to them, her headphones do not seem to cause difficulties when addressing others, hinting that she doesn’t listen to music with them and possibly instead wears them for decoration.
  • Nomura drew Tsugumi with the assumption that she would be the new heroine for NEO. However, her role was later scrapped and Shoka became the new heroine instead. Despite this, Nomura still considers Tsugumi to be the heroine of the Shinjuku side of the story.
  • There are some potential plot holes regarding Tsugumi, specifically regarding her acquisition of Mr. Mew. She had to have had it during the Inversion of Shinjuku for her brother to place her Soul within it. However, Shiki is shown to have the doll not long before the Inversion of Shinjuku. This means that there is a very small time frame for the doll to be given to Tsugumi. Additionally, it is not stated if Shiki gave up the doll or if it was taken by force.
    • An interview revealed that the Shibuya Reaper that took the doll to Tsugumi was Coco. According to director Tatsuya Kando, there was a story behind why Mr. Mew was given to Tsugumi through Coco, but due to the sheer length of the scenario, they made the decision to omit it.[4]
    • Another rather strange element of Tsugumi is her design. When Nomura drew her in a school uniform, she was likely simply just a conceptual character with no defined backstory origin, and probably envisioned as a living school girl in the RG. It is unclear why Tsugumi would wear a school uniform when she has apparently been deceased for some time as a Reaper.
  • In NEO, Tsugumi's 3D overworld model is always shown from the front. Accordingly, her model has a low polygon count and is single-angle - because it is only viewed from the front, her rear side is flat and lacks depth.[5]
  • Prior to the reveal of NEO: The World Ends with You, Tsugumi had no official name and was often called "Hype-Chan" by fans due her appearances in Solo Remix and Final Remix being used to create excitement for NEO. Her name was revealed as Tsugumi Matsunae in the NEO: The World Ends with You announcement trailer released November 23rd, 2020.

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. VisioN (Week 3, Day 5)
    Neku: Basically, Coco was really desperate to save Shinjuku from being destroyed.
    Shoka: But why? She's from Shibuya. Not like she had any stake in what went down.
    Coco: Well, I couldn't simply ignore a cry for help.
    Shoka: From who?
    Coco: My dear friend in Shinjuku. She told me the situation was quite bleak. Which is why I pulled this pauper and prince in to help me out! But, unfortunately, we were too late. Shinjuku was already gone...
  3. Secret Report No. 19 of NEO: The World Ends with You.
    Knowing he was defeated, Shinjuku’s Conductor used the last of his strength to save his sister’s Soul in a stuffed animal. That stuffed animal belonged to one Shiki Misaki. A Shibuya Reaper must have taken it to Shinjuku.
  4. 4.0 4.1 Interview with Tetsuya Nomura, Tatsuya Kando, Hiroyuki Ito, Tomohiko Hirano, Gen Kobayashi, and Miki Yamashita. Published in Famitsu, December 23, 2021.
    Famitsu: Is the Mr. Mew plush that Tsugumi carries around the same one that Shiki had? Also, I know that Tsugumi has Mr. Mew because she got it from her friend Coco, but how did Coco get Shiki's Mr. Mew? What sort of connection is there between Coco and Shiki?
    Kando: The Mr. Mew that Tsugumi has is indeed the original belonging to Shiki. Also, there is a story behind why Mr. Mew was given to Tsugumi through Coco, but unfortunately, due to the sheer length of the scenario, we made the decision to omit it. It'd be nice if we were able to deliver this scenario in a way that complements each character.
  5. @WriterPark tweet
Characters in The World Ends with You
Neku SakurabaShiki MisakiBeatJoshuaRhymeSota HonjoNao 777BJCoco AtarashiKoki KariyaMegumi KitanijiMitsuki KonishiSho MinamimotoTenhoUzuki YashiroYodai Higashizawa
Shopkeepers
Aily UenoAkira YoshiiAnna AoiAyu HamaguchiBanzai AyanokojiFumi GotodaFumiko NishimuraHideki KikuchiHikaru KoikeHT MasuokaJun OdajimaKeiichi OkadaKen DoiKyoMakoto MikiMasanori ItoMay KurokawaMie SuzukiMiki KosakaNana MajimaPrincess KRayca HoshiRikako TodaSanae HanekomaShigemi KonnoShigemori IwataShinta IwataTadafumi SatoTak KimuraTatsuya OmuraTsubasaYoji IwataYosh IshinoYumi SheenaYuu Narumi
Other Characters
AiCATEiji OjiEriFutoshiItaru YokoyamadaKen DoiMakoto MikiMinaMr. MewNeku's best friendPin ProfSanae HanekomaShrimpShuto DanTsugumi MatsunaeWizard of SlamVice Wizard of Slam
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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