Keigo Kurusu

Overview

Image Gallery

Keigo Kurusu (来須 圭悟, Kurusu Keigo) is the Fourth diary owner, and initially introduced as an ally to Yukiteru Amano and Yuno Gasai. As the Chief inspector of Sakurami City's police force, Kurusu uses his "Criminal Investigation Diary" to predict crimes he will investigate, using it to identify other diary owners.

Personality

Keigo Kurusu is a police officer, so it follows with reason that his diary relates to his work. The "Criminal Investigation" diary gives Kurusu information of future crimes and activities committed anywhere within the prefecture he is assigned to. Whether or not this means his diary can record events that will happen simultaneously in different locations is still up in the air. Its major flaw is a location issue; his diary is rendered useless at predicting anywhere outside his patrolling district.

Calm, cool and collected, Kurusu does not show any interest in wanting to win the game. Unlike the other players, his participation is an effort to stop the murders that will occur if it continues. He makes an effort to recruit some of the other diary holders into his cause, but his main goal is to capture the ones too dangerous to be left roaming free. He was chosen by Deus to balance out the criminals and maniacs that are also taking part in the game.

He often acts laidback, calmly challenging Minene Uryu when she bombs Sakurami Elementary School, and gives Yuki the confidence to face Minene. However, he is shown to have his flaws, becoming quite desperate and angry to win the game when he learns his son Yoi will die within three months from heart disease, performing some dirty deeds and breaking the law multiple times in his attempt to win the game, leading to his own elimination.

Diary & Abilities

The Criminal Investigation Diary

Kurusu's diary is known as the Criminal Investigation Diary which tells him of criminal activities withing a 90 days interval. This makes it perfect for him to track into many of the other participants as they are mostly sociopaths who engage in multiple criminal activities within 90 days, the time limit of the Survival Game. The diary however can only tell him of his own investigation so he must work to make the best use of the information he can gather.

Being the Chief of Police of Sakurami City, Kurusu has absolute command of the Police force to do his bidding. The fact they can fight for him without knowing of his Diary and his participation of the game, implies he's a very cautious and manipulative individual if needed. He's so skilled in this and so powerful that he in one opportunity deployed a team of special units (seen as SWATs in the manga & anime) to surround the Sakurami Hospital and almost trap Yuki, Yuno and Minene Uryu.

He also is an expert marksman and can gun targets with lethal precission. During Minene Uryu's attack on Yuki and Yuno's school, he was capable of shooting against Minene with enough precision to keep her on bay (if he killed her, a detonator linked to Minene's heartbeat would trigger bombs that would blow up the entire school). He also is fairly cautious and wears a bulletproof vest at all times.

Kurusu is considered by even Deus and Muru Muru to be one of the favorites to win.

Plot Overview

The Attack of The Ninth

A silhouetted Kurusu.

Kurusu was investigating Takao Hiyama and Minene Uryu's crimes before being given his diary by Muru Muru. After Hiyama's death, Kurusu turned his attention to Yuki, knowing Minene would target him next. In the first meeting of the diary owners, Kurusu promises Yuki that he will protect him. During Minene's rampage at Sakurami Elementary School, Kurusu listened in on her demands and learnt of all of her weapons through his diary. As Yuki was surrendered to her by the students, Kurusu made his move and approached Minene and Yuki, introducing himself to Yuki and explaining the boy was merely bait used by Minene to lure him in. Kurusu aims his gun at Yuki when Minene threatens to kill everyone in the school, Yuki tearfully accepting his fate to die.

Kurusu meets Yuki.

However, Kurusu lowers his gun and tells Yuki to pluck up his courage and stop Minene, advising him to cover up his fear and anxiety with a smile. Yuki follows Kurusu's guide and manages to defeat Minene by puncturing her eye. Kurusu tells to Minene to surrender, but she uses smoke bombs and her Escape Diary to flee on a motorbike. Later, Kurusu admits he does not wish to play the game and forms an alliance with Yuki and Yuno to capture the other diary owners who may pose a threat to them.

Kurusu sends Yuki and Yuno on a date to the amusement park so they can act as bait to lure out Minene. However, she does not show and the two go to Yuno's house unharmed. Kurusu has a police guard Yuki's house, unaware of his encounter with the corpses in Yuno's house.

The Cult of The Sixth

The day after Yuki retreats to his house after seeing the corpses in Yuno's house, Kurusu appears at his house with Yuno. He explains Minene was captured the previous night by the Sacred Eye religion, led by the priestess Tsubaki Kasugano, revealed to be the Sixth diary owner.

Kurusu makes an alliance with Minene

Upon arrival at the temple, Kurusu is shocked when he learns Tsubaki is a diary owner and considers calling for backup although Tsubaki calms him by explaining she does not wish to become god. When Tsubaki reveals she has a Dead End on her diary, Kurusu supports her request to make Yuki her miracle-worker until the time her Dead End passes. Ai Mikami and Orin Miyashiro try to assassinate Tsubaki with an explosion, Kurusu racing down into the depths of the temple to repair the faulty sprinkler systems. He succeeds and calls for backup, learning from Yuki of the situation upstairs.

Kurusu eventually finds Minene in the temple's dungeon, learning about Twelfth, Yomotsu Hirasaka and his powers of hypnosis from Minene. Yuno kills Yomotsu, Tsubaki revealing her true intentions. Kurusu and Minene hide out on a rooftop and form an alliance, Kurusu promising Minene access to police files in return for aiding him in finding other diary owners. Minene is allowed to escape and Kurusu takes control of the temple after Yuki kills Tsubaki. Kurusu and Minene keep in touch over the next few weeks, Kurusu contacting Minene to rescue Yuki and Yuno from the Fifth diary owner Reisuke Houjou.

The Fourth's Betrayal

Kurusu kills Tsukishima.

Kurusu eventually learns (via manipulations by Muru Muru) that his son Yoi has a terminal heart disease and will die within three months. Asking Minene to protect Yoi in case anything happens to him, Kurusu investigates the culprit behind the recent animal attacks, identifying him as the Tenth diary owner Karyuudo Tsukishima and shoots him from behind after breaking into his house. Now wishing to become god to save his son, Kurusu ends his alliance with Yuki and Yuno, framing them for killing Tsukishima.

Yuki and Yuno are taken to the police station for interrogations by officer Masumi Nishijima. However, Kurusu plans to shoot the pair and stage it as self defence. Yuki is sent into a room with Kurusu who quickly drops his facade and forces Yuki into a game of Russian Roulette, knowing the last bullet in the gun will kill Yuki. However, Yuno barges in and shoots Kurusu multiple times before fleeing with Yuki. Kurusu survives the attempt on his life, having worn a bulletproof vest following his diary's guidance, but his left ear was blown off. Kurusu issues a manhunt for Yuki and Yuno, putting Minene on alert.

Yuki and Yuno coincidentally spot Kurusu's wife, who they met previously at a bridal fair, on her way to visit Yoi in hospital. The pair are caught by Minene but Yuki accidentally sets off bombs which alerts Kurusu to their location. Kurusu calls Minene and threatens to kill her unless she co-operates, promptiny Minene to abandon Kurusu and form a new alliance with Yuki and Yuno, capturing his wife and son as her trump card.

Kurusu takes Yuki hostage.

However, Kurusu refuses to negotiate with her and sends in a SWAT team to capture Yuki, trailing behind to kill Yuki personally. Yuno charges in, shoots the entire swat team and threatens to kill Kurusu using a grenade given to Yuki by Minene, unaware that it is a flash grenade and will not cause an explosion. Kurusu lets Yuki go but Yuno grabs him to detonate the grenade and take both of them out, although they all survive the flash grenade and the explosion caused afterwards by Minene. Kurusu confronts Yuki, beats him and then holds Yuno at knifepoint. Yuki raises a gun but Kurusu dares him to shoot Yuno. Yuki realises he loves Yuno and manages to shoot Kurusu in the stomach.

Kurusu collapses but rises again to kill Yuno, only for Minene and Nishijima to enter. Nishijima calls Kurusu out for his own crimes, having legitemate evidence to clear Yuki, Yuno and Minene of their crimes. In the anime, Kurusu's conviction is extended when Minene reveals she recorded his original request to guard his son and since he has caused a crime, he is no longer a police officer and thus his diary will no longer work.

Kurusu eliminates himself from the game.

Realising the error of his ways, Kurusu asks if his family were saved, Nishijima confirming they were evacuated before Minene's bomb exploded. He asks Minene to continue guarding his son, in exchange for his own life, and he promptly snaps his diary in two. Minene agrees to his deal. Kurusu begins to disappear, but concludes apologising to Yuki for his actions would not be enough to earn forgiveness and he tells Yuki to survive and win the game.

In a final act, Kurusu leaves all of his investigative files to Nishijima, including the recovered diaries of those eliminated from the game.

The Final Battle

Kurusu is seen alive when Yuno, Muru Muru, Yuki and Minene perform a time leap to the new third world, landing two years into the past. Minene calls Kurusu on a public telephone, anonymously telling him of his son's future disease and tells him to get him treatment immediately before hanging up. Kurusu is left surprised, but heads out to deal with the disappearance of the third Yuno, her father, and the explosions at Sakurami Elementary School.

Keigo Kurusu together with his family in the third world

Kurusu, Nishijima and Mrs. Gasai go to the school, Kurusu chasing Mrs. Gasai inside when she spots her husband. Unsure of the strange happenings around him, Kurusu confronts Yuno as she struggles to come to grips with her feelings for Yuki, eventually firing a bullet at her. Yuki and the second Muru Muru escape Yuno's Illusion World, Muru Muru blocking the bullet. Kurusu watches in silent confusion as Yuki and Yuno reunite, and Yuno stabs herself to ensure Yuki wins the survival game.

Two years later, Kurusu's son is shown to have recovered and the family are seen among the happier characters in Sakurami City. In the anime, Kurusu, along his wife and son, are waiting for Nishijima to pick them up, but he's late.

Trivia

• Kurusu is named after Mercury, the Roman god of messengers, merchants and travelers. His surname contains the Kanji (来), meaning 'come'.
• Kurusu is the only diary holder besides Yukiteru and Yuno to kill another diary holder.
• Kurusu's character theme song is "Running For Your Life" by Shoukichi Ishida.