Tsuzuki, Asato

都筑麻斗

Asato Tsuzuki serves as the story's main protagonist. Born in 1900, he died at the age of 26 and became a Shinigami. Although he died at 26, he appears slightly younger, likely because he died in a hospital after an eight-year stay. He is 97 years old at the start of the first book. He is the oldest employee in the Shokan/Summons division, aside from Chief Konoe, and the lowest-paid, owing to his perceived incompetence.
Tsuzuki enjoys sake, apple pie, Cinnabon, teasing Hisoka, and sleeping. He is notorious among his fellow Shinigami for his slacker tendencies and voracious appetite. His favorite color is light green, and he maintains a flower garden containing tulips and hydrangeas.
Beginning with the second volume, Last Waltz, more details emerge regarding his relationship with his sister. In Tankoubon 5, Storybook, he gives his nameless female role, previously known only as 'girl,' his sister's name, Luka. She had introduced him to dancing and gardening, skills at which he is quite adept, as well as cooking, which is about as edible as poison. These culinary attempts invariably result in some sort of adverse reaction, as demonstrated in Volume 4, Hokkaidō. (The Queen had gone missing, and upon her later discovery, it was learned that she had eaten a muffin made by Tsuzuki, which Yuma and Saya had accidentally left behind. This was the cause of her disappearance, as she could not recall how she had ended up outside her 'kingdom.')
Throughout the series, Tsuzuki develops an immediate closeness and affection for his current partner, Hisoka. He shares a good friendship with Watari, and a sometimes strained relationship with Tatsumi, who was once one of his partners. Tsuzuki gets along with most of the Meifu employees, with the notable exceptions of Hakushaku, who constantly hits on him, and Terazuma, with whom he has a fierce rivalry. Tsuzuki's relationship with Muraki is very tumultuous; although Tsuzuki hates him for his cruelty toward Hisoka, himself (and, actually, pretty much everyone he meets), Tsuzuki's desire to sacrifice himself rather than hurt anyone else prevents him from killing Muraki in cold blood.
Though he is easily one of the most cheerful members of the cast, he hides a dark secret from his past. Both the manga and anime reference terrible deeds he committed in life. It is suggested that Tsuzuki murdered many people, in some way or another, whether intentionally or as a by-product of something else; this is brought to Tsuzuki's attention during his demonic possession by Saagantanasu, a powerful demon who appears in the Devil's Trill Arc. Doctor Muraki reveals to him, based on his grandfather's research, that Tsuzuki was a patient of the elder Muraki for eight years and that Tsuzuki is, in fact, not quite human. During that time, he stayed alive without food, water, or sleep, and was incapable of dying from wounds, as shown by the many times he tried to commit suicide but failed, except for one last time. Muraki suggested that Tsuzuki may possess demon blood [shown], and Tsuzuki found this incredibly hard to deal with.
Tsuzuki wields the power of 12 Shikigami as well as ofuda magic. He also has incredibly high stamina, able to take massive damage to his body without being killed and healing almost immediately. Though later this was shown to be a trait for all Shinigami, he was the first one shown to have this ability, which appears to be tied to his pre-death abilities.