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Nezumi is a main character in the novels, manga, and anime of No.6.



Appearance

Nezumi has gray blue hair that is shoulder blade length and wears it in a short, but visible ponytail, leaving his fringe and strands of hair hanging at the sides of his face, his eyes are a light gray. Rather than using a hair tie, Nezumi seems to tie his hair using some of his hair and tying it in a knot. In the light novel, his hair is shorter and only comes to his ears.  In episode 2 of the anime, he wears a cloak (made of superfiber) which he soon took off to cover the enemy's eyes temporarily before holding a knife to his chin. He also used it to cover Shion and himself when they jumped out of a car (also in episode 2). He noted that he is taller than Shion (by 8cm). He wears beige pants (he tucks in the left side into a boot and the other is left as is and appears tattered), a leather jacket with multiple pockets and wears his cloak around his neck when not using it, when it is like this it looks like an over large scarf. He has a fairly muscular, yet slender, build.

Nezumi at 12

Nezumi (age 12)

When he was 12 years old, his hair was chin length and slightly shorter than when he turned 16 in the anime. He wore a gray over-sized shirt with a wide collar and a pair of dark gray shorts. When he was 12, he was slightly shorter than Shion and Shion said that he looked like a little girl.

Personality

Nezumi is an outwardly rude, irritable, collected, and upfront person. Inukashi even goes as far as calling him an "outright demon". Nezumi acts very sarcastically, and is a very theatrical individual.

Nezumi demon

Inukashi's opinion

Nezumi reaction

Nezumi's reaction to Shion naming the mouse.

Nezumi has a deep rooted hate for No. 6 and when questioned by Shion, he refuses to give reason in favor of keeping Shion's image of the city. Though introduced as a criminal, it's later revealed that his detainment was for questioning and research. Nezumi is impossibly smart for someone with no formal education; he has the ability to repair and build robots intelligent enough to follow instructions, and has basic math skills on top of impressive reading skills. His knowledge stems from both experience as well as books.

Nezumi is a classic literature buff; his living quarters are filled with books. Nezumi also works at the local theatre, under the stage name "Eve" the only role Nezumi appears performing as is Ophelia from Hamlet, which leads most to the inference that he is cast as predominantly female roles.

Throughout the series Nezumi's personality goes through some drastic changes, his "live for yourself" resolve crumbles which results in him parting ways with Shion at the end of the series, deciding that he had become too attached. 

History

Young Nezumi

Nezumi as a child.

Twelve years ago, his people, including his parents and friends, were killed in the Mao Genocide conducted by powers behind No. 6. As a result, his back was scalded and he was left with a gruesome keloid scar. Nezumi's people were an ethnic group known as"Forest People", more formally the Mao Clan. They were a peaceful group who lived in harmony with nature. Ever since this incident, Nezumi developed a hatred and desire for revenge against No. 6. He was rescued and raised by an old woman of the same race.  This woman also harbored a hatred for No. 6 and wanted revenge, this environment lead to his rage against the city to grow.  She was killed in a futile attempt to kill the mayor of No. 6 when Nezumi was ten.  This same failed attack landed him in the Correctional Facility, where he met Rou, his self reported God-father.  He lived there for 2 years, until Rou commanded him to leave.  Rou had him sent off to the "Moon Drop" as a research subject (as the last of the "Forest People"), giving him a knife and telling him to escape.  The escape did not go as planned, and he found himself at Shion's house severely wounded when a bullet coated in anticoagulant. He is known as by No. 6 as VC-103221. He appears to know something about the No.6 city that he does not wish to divulge.


Plot

Nezumi was first shown staggering to the outside of a tunnel, appearing to be injured on his shoulder. He made it out alive and is seen promising himself that he would not die a meaningless death.

He then appeared in front of Shion as he entered the window leading to his room. Shion, then twelve, was surprised by his sudden appearance but before he could say anything Nezumi quickly silenced him with a choke hold. Shion then saw Nezumi's bleeding shoulder and offered to treat the wound. Nezumi was shocked by this sudden request. Shion's mother then spoke through the intercom asking if Shion opened the window. He said yes and but did not warn her of Nezumi's presence. Nezumi released Shion and he asked if the wound was from a bullet. When Nezumi responded Shion was shocked to know that anyone other then the hunting group even possessed weapons. "There are those who hunt and those who are hunted" when Shion didn't understand he told him that its best for him to not know.

Nezumi saves Sion

Nezumi saves Shion.

Four years later, Nezumi learns from his robotic rats that Shion was on his way to the correctional facility. He traces the police car in which Shion was being transported and rescues him. He leads him to the "Western District", just outside No. 6, and lets him stay with him. Nezumi later saves Shion from a fatal parasitic infection. When he learns that Shion wants to save the city from the infection -- thus contradicting what Nezumi desires -- he tells him that he would become his enemy if he carries out with that plan.

Powers & Abilities

He's bright and has the animal-like ability to sense danger. He is noted to be agile and strong, proven when he survived the Correctional Facility. Hand-to-hand combat and knife fighting are his forte. He also appears to be fairly comfortable in shooting. Also, as stated in the novels, Nezumi is the last singer of the Mao and has that ability to control Elyurias.


Relationships

SionNezumiKiss

A "goodnight" kiss

Shion: He first met Shion when he entered through his window. When Shion asked if Nezumi wanted him to bandage the wound on his shoulder, he was rather taken aback, but agreed. He was telling him that the city was just used as a brainwashing project to enslave people and that it was not perfect. Shion immediately agreed with him, surprising Nezumi.

Nezumi seems to, in a sense, care for Shion deeply and he sees him as innocent. He admires the fact that Shio

n wants to find a better way of doing things than killing but tells him he's foolish for thinking so. It's unknown whether Nezumi and Shion have romantic feelings toward each other, but a few hints are given off every time Shion is an issue. For example, in episode 7 Shion gives Nezumi a "goodnight kiss", but this was in fact a "goodbye kiss", also used as a thank you to Nezumi for all he's done for Shion. Shion also didn't want to involve Nezumi with the rescue of Safu in fear of Nezumi getting hurt. Then, in No. 6, when Shion kills a guard for harming Nezumi, Nezumi feels it's his fault and shows a surprising amount of emotion when he cries for making Shion do such a thing.

Shion shoots

Shion Shoots

And despite his belief that survivors are the winners, after Shion is killed, in the anime, he chooses to stay in the correctional facility and sing for Shion's soul rather than run away from the collapsing building; further proving that they harbor romantic feelings for each other. Another hint that they have romantic feelings for each other is seen in Episode 10, when Nezumi states, "I have fallen", after thinking about Shion; however the true meaning of what he says is unclear at the time, it later becomes more clear. Nezumi and Shion kissed in a romantic sense during episode 11, promising each other they will meet again. 

Nezumi has shown signs of being protective over Shion, as he helps him out in his own special way throughout the series to help him adjust to life in the West Block, but it was most prominently shown in episode 11. In said episode, Nezumi lies to Shion, in order to calm him, that he used Safu as an excuse to blow up the Correctional Facility and said the line, "At the end of the day, y

Nezumi remembers

ou and I are just..." right when he was about to say strangers, an officer spots them and aims his gun at Shion; Nezumi quickly runs in front of Shion and takes the bullet for him. This is very significant because throughout the series, Nezumi states that once you find something to protect, you lose, Nezumi tried denying the fact that he loved Shion to the point where he would protect him up until that point where he lays his own life on the line to protect Shion.

Throughout the series, the two have moments that are suggestive and can be interpreted as attraction; Nezumi tries comforting Shion when he first notices the changes due to the parasitic wasp, even saying he preferred Shion's new white hair to his old brown hair, offered to help him dye it back if wanted to, and called the snake coiled around his body charming/sexy, while

Holding hands

Shion was being hit on by the prostitute, Nezumi says he (Shion) belongs to him, in the manga and light novels, he even goes so far  to say that Shion was head over heels in love with him and no matter how pretty she is, he wouldn't fall for a woman. Later, Shion strangles Rikiga when he asks Nezumi to work as one of his prostitutes, Shion was clearly more upset over the situation than Nezumi was himself and he even wraps an arm around Shion's shoulders as a form of comfort as the two start to leave. Inukashi points out Shion is the only person that can get Nezumi emotional or to feel emotions at all. Nezumi and Shion dance in the (one-sided) celebration of the wasp epidemic coming sooner, Shion tries getting out of it by saying he can't dance, so Nezumi teaches him how to waltz and throughout the entire dance, the two seem to be staring into the other's eyes. Nezumi often holds Shion's chin in the series to g

et him to look him in the eye, the movement often makes watchers/readers think that he about to kiss him, and Nezumi has been shown straddling Shion on different occasions as well.

Quotes

  • "You guys have been programmed to think the holey mess of a city is perfect." 
  • "The West Block isn't part of the city to him. It's in the Margins. He probably only sees this pace as some kind of garbage dump."
  • "Who ever lives wins. Don't feel guilty about having survived. If you have time to be feeling guilty,work on living a day longer, a minute longer. And once and a while, remember the ones that died before you. That's good enough."
  • You just wait. Some day, I'll carve out that infection of yours, and lay it out in the open."

Trivia

  • His name means "rat".
  • His stage name is Eve.
    Eve

    Nezumi as Eve

  • In the epilogue, No. 6 Beyond, Nezumi meets Shion's father.
  • The subtitles used in the official release by Sentai Filmworks and the streaming website Crunchyrollofficially translated his name as Rat.
  • Nezumi has stated that he finds Shion's white hair "alluring".
  • His appearance in the novels is somewhat different than in the anime and manga. In the novels, his hair is black and short compared to having long navy blue hair as portrayed in the anime/manga.
  • In the novels and manga, it is stated that he and Shion share a bed, while it is only implied in the anime, considering that there is only one bed in the room they stay in.
    Nezumi and Shion sleep together

    Sharing a bed

  • Nezumi's birthday was never stated, though in his information page Shion looked at when they first met and the city sent notice of his escape to the citizens, it said he was 12-years-old; the day he met Shion was Shion's 12th birthday, so it can be assumed that Nezumi is older than Shion by a few months.
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