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"You wanna dig out my tush crystal, Yukine?!" This article contains manga spoilers. Read at your own risk. |
| “ | You dying ain't my fault. It's divine punishment. It's what you get for disobeying your parents... | ” |
—Naomichi Tajima, Chapter 99 | ||
Naomichi Tajima (
Appearance[]
In the present timeline, Naomichi would be an eldery man; however, as he has only been shown in flashbacks, he appears as a presumably middle-aged man. He is of average height and build. His official coloring has not been revealed, but he has light, most likely blond hair similar to that of his son. His full face has never been shown clearly, but he has stubble on his chin and upper lip, and his bangs cover his forehead. He also has a mole on the right side of his lower jaw.[1]
Personality[]
From Yuka's retelling of her childhood, Naomichi has an aggressive, strict personality. He has been physically violent with his family. He values education very highly, as he has threatened to kill his children should they fail to acquire a scholarship to get into college.[citation needed] It is implied in the anime that he drinks a lot.[2] In the manga, he seems to be both a heavy smoker and prone to drunken rage.[citation needed]
Synopsis (Manga)[]
Heaven Arc[]
Naomichi first appears when Yukine is sealed inside the box by Heaven. In this memory, he was standing above Yukine as he moved to close a door of some sort. Although his face was heavily shadowed, at one point while Yukine is in the box, he calls out "Dad".[3]
Stray Arc[]
Yukine encounters a lost girl who wanders into a dark tunnel. While inside, Yukine is frightened by the darkness and recalls the same image of Naomichi standing over him. This time, he thinks he almost recognizes Naomichi and hears him say the words "...didn't you?" After snapping out of it, Yukine kills an ayakashi with a borderline and he and the girl escape the tunnel.[4]
Yukine speaks to a local barber while he searches for information about his former life as Haruki Tajima. According to one of the patrons in the barber shop, after the Tajima family's son disappeared, Naomichi was frantically telling people that his son ran away and distributing missing person flyers. A second patron mentions that the old landlord of the Tajima's apartment was often complaining about how the man living there was prone to drunken rages. The patrons seem to believe that Naomichi had actually murdered his son. Now panic-stricken, Yukine returns to the old Tajima apartment. When Father opens the front door, he fearfully recalls a memory of Naomichi standing in the entryway.[5]
Father provides further context for Yukine's past life, which ties together the information provided by the barber and the memory Yukine saw while sealed by Heaven. After finding out that Yukine had still been writing letters to Yuka following the divorce and separation, Naomichi had beaten Yukine severely, presumably to the point that his injuries were life-threatening. Instead of taking Yukine to the hospital, Naomichi put him into a fridge and abandoned it in the mountains, leaving his son to die.[6]
When Yukine witnesses a restaurant manager yelling "What's wrong with you?!" at a waitress, he recalls an instance where Naomichi said the same phrase to him and/or Yuka. It is implied that he stubbed out his cigarette and threw the whole ash tray at Yuka's head, causing her forehead to bleed.[7]
Naomichi is further mentioned numerous times as Yukine searches for him, though he is not shown in the present timeline. Yukine at first wants to find him in order to ask why Naomichi killed him;[6] later on, he seems to want to find Naomichi in order to deliver divine punishment for his wrongdoings.[7]
Naomichi appears numerous times in a flashback while Yuka is explaining her and Yukine's childhood to the Stray. Because he was so verbally and physically abusive to his family, Yuka demanded that he and his wife get divorced. Naomichi agreed, on the condition that he gets to keep one of their children. Yuka and Haruki played rock paper scissors, and in the end Haruki was forced to stay. After their family split up, Yuka continued sending letters to Haruki; however, when Naomichi discovered that they were in correspondence, he tore up the letters and sent them back to her. She has not sent them any more letters since then.[8]
Ooharai Arc[]
While Yukine and Father fight Yato and Kazuma, Yukine recalls another memory of Naomichi. Naomichi tells himself that he kicked out Yuka and his wife, rather than them leaving him. He asks Haruki if he's glad that he stayed, while Haruki watches him with a forced smile. Another brief memory shows Naomichi yelling that Haruki needs to pay him back for something he threw away. He tells Haruki to steal money since he doesn't have any of his own.[9]
Yuka further explains to Hiyori and the Stray that she believed that her mother had intercepted letters before they reached the intended recipient. Their mother was actually giving letters to Naomichi in order to protect herself. It is confirmed in a flashback that after discovering the letters, Naomichi beat Haruki nearly to death and trapped him inside a fridge. Naomichi then tore up the letters and dropped them inside the fridge along with Haruki's body, telling him that this was divine punishment for disobeying his parent. He then shut the fridge door, leaving Haruki to die.[10]
Synopsis (Anime)[]
In the anime, Naomichi possibly appears in one or more of Yukine's memories after he is named by Yato. In one memory, a child's hand is being shook by an adult's hand. This may reflect the deal that was made between Naomichi and his children. In another memory, a man wearing loafers steps on letters that are strewn across the floor. This may reflect Naomichi's discovery of the letters that Yuka had been sending Haruki. A third memory depicts numerous opened cans of beer, which may imply that Naomichi is a heavy drinker.[2]
References
- ↑ Chapter 93: Facings (Vol 24)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Episode 2: Snow-like
- ↑ Chapter 70: Lives at Stake (Vol 18)
- ↑ Chapter 80: Inciteful (Vol 21)
- ↑ Chapter 87: The Way to Darkness (Vol 22)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Chapter 88: Reasons (Vol 23)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Chapter 90: Have to Find Him (Vol 23)
- ↑ Chapter 91: The Right Thing (Vol 23)
- ↑ Chapter 95: Within the Net (Vol 24)
- ↑ Chapter 99: Spring and Snow (Vol 25)