Kuro Kiyosumi

Hometown: Kamakura Height: 178 cm

Kuro is a reserved and stoic young man who often behaves less like a teenager and more like a middle-aged person. Though polite and cordial in formal situations, he’s clueless and uncomfortable during casual interactions due to his sheltered upbringing. He’s extremely out of touch with modern society; he frequently talks about “the youth” despite being young himself, and he struggles to understand the nuances of popular culture. He is surprisingly open-minded and willing to try new things despite this, as he believes traditions such as the tea ceremony must adapt in order to survive. Unfortunately for his unit, his fascination with the modern world sometimes manifests itself in verbose and confusing monologues.

Beneath his cool exterior, Kuro is surprisingly hot-blooded. Although he usually serves as the rational head in Sai’s antics, he is easily swept up in competition and prone to making rash decisions when he becomes engrossed in a game. His competitiveness extends to his idol duties as well, and as a result he possesses an incredibly strong work ethic. He believes skill isn’t something one is born with, but rather the product of rigorous practice and work; the word “talent,” in his opinion, is only used to make the situation more palatable.

This attitude often causes him to overwork himself, as he views himself as Sai’s weakest link due to his inexperience, but encouragement from his unit has helped him gain more self-confidence over time.