Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

"'The weaklings should just die. Die, and make way for others'"

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa (芥川 龍之介,) is a member of the Port Mafia and has the ability Rashomon.

Appearance
Akutagawa is a 20 year old man with a sickly appearance. He has a slim build and very pale skin. He's often seen covering his face with his hand due to his frequent coughing. His black hair is short and choppy, with side bangs which reach his chin and turn white at the tips.

He wears a long, black coat reaching past his knees over black fitting pants and black dress shoes. Underneath his coat, he dons a white dress shirt, decorated with layered ruffled fabric. He also wears a white cravat.

Personality
Akutagawa labels himself as the Port Mafia's "dog", and is more than willing to commit crimes and acts of various violence to further the goals of the organization. He respects the mafia's hierarchy, but deems his former boss Osamu Dazai as a disgrace. While Akutagawa usually keeps a cool and placid expression, he can also have moments of irrational anger and jealousy, especially towards Atsushi. It is worth noting that Dazai sees more potential in Atsushi than in Akutagawa, which may have lead to the development of feelings of hostility against Atsushi. Despite being a major figure in the mafia's combat squad Black Lizard, Akutagawa has been shown to be avoidant of social interactions. He is limited to communicating with his subordinate Ichiyou Higuchi, who he does not seem to trust very much either.

Akutagawa has a black and white view of the world, and claims that weak people should die and give way to the stronger ones. He is not afraid of pain and defeat, if only to hear a word from a "certain person."

Ability
Akutagawa uses his ability Rashomon (羅生門,) to control his coat and, it is implied that it's not only limited to his coat but any other garments, being able to transform them into an omnivorous, shadow-like black beast. Rashomon has been shown to be completely adaptable, and can switch between offense and defense to suit Akutagawa's needs. Nathaniel Hawthorne states during their battle that Rashomon is most effective at mid-range.Throughout the series, Akutagawa has shown different ways of using his ability:
 * Rashomon– takes on a form of a shadow-like beast made up of what seems to be dark matter, drawn from inter-dimensional or other similar sources. It can consume anything, even space itself. Once the space it split, guns or fire cannot hurt Akutagawa. However, the space rupturing ability needs time to activate, so taking advantage of this can give the enemy a window of opportunity to attack. Can be used for both offense and defense. First appears in chapter 3.
 * Rashomon Spider Thread– Rashomon transforms into thin razor-shaped strings which take a shape similar to that of a spider's web. Can be used as a net to capture the target. First appears in chapter 4.
 * Rashomon Jaws / Agito – Rashomon is shaped into the form of a jaw to crush the target. First appears in Chapter 4.
 * Rashomon Swarm / Murakumo – Rashomon becomes a gigantic clawed appendage which extends from Akutagawa's arm. Can be used to carry out an attack. First appears in Chapter 4.
 * Rashomon Early Blooming Sakura– Rashomon changes to a tendril-like form, wrapping around the target and lifting him up high in the air. Once at an appropriate height and distance, Rashomon explodes into several finely-developed flower spikes. First appears in chapter 12.
 * Rashomon Budding Bracken– Several spikes spring up from the ground to thoroughly impale the target. First appears in Chapter 12.
 * Rashomon Prison Jaws– A variation of Rashomon Jaws. First appears in Chapter 12.
 * Rashomon Jaws of Endless Gates– Another variation of Rashomon Jaws. Several Rashomon Jaws are materialized by Akutagawa to deal a devastating attack. First appears in chapter 21.
 * Space Rupture - Rashomon is able to manipulate space to shield Akutagawa, thus, no bullets or anything may reach him. But, it needs time to be activated.

Background
Although Akutagawa's past has not been shown in detail in the manga, in both chapter 11 and chapter 12 it was shown that before joining the Port Mafia, he was an orphan who lived in a place called the lower depths, where he struggled to survive. Eventually he was recruited by the mafia, highly likely due to his ability, and was trained by Dazai on how to fight. In the second light novel, he was introduced as one of Dazai's underlings.

Chapter 24.5 tells about more of his past and how Dazai recruited him.

It is implied that whatever health issue he has now had always plagued him even when he was living in the slums, but it is yet to be confirmed or elaborated on.

Chapter 41 confirms that Gin, another high-ranking member of the Port Mafia, is Akutagawa's younger sister, although neither of them mention it much publicly. It's worth noting that the two of them sometimes go on outings in disguise, and that the only time Akutagawa is seen wearing street clothes is in such a circumstance.

Plot
Akutagawa Ryunosuke, one of the story's primary antagonists, is a member of the notorious "Port Mafia" that operates by the harbor. With his black cloak and cold expression, he looks like the grim reaper when he walks the streets. He and his assistant Ichiyo Higuchi have been tasked to capture Atsushi Nakajima.

He appears briefly in the end of episode 2, just walking pass Higuchi as the latter informs about Atsushi's whereabouts.

In episode 3, Akutagawa visits a police station, claiming that he found a lost bag. But the policemen soon recognize him, leading him to kill them both With his Rashomon. Moments after he walks outside, the bomb inside the bag he left exploded, and Akutagawa receives a phone call from the Port Mafia.

He reappears when Higuchi was about to be strangled to death by an enraged Tanizaki, saving Higuchi by stabbing Tanizaki with his rashomon from behind. A battle happened between Atsushi who transformed to his tiger form, and Dazai came to stop the both minutes later. With Dazai presented on the field, Akutagawa had no choice but to retreat as he knew that he could not beat his former leader.

Trivia

 * Along with several other characters from the series, Akutagawa made an appearance in the mobile game Love Heaven as a limited time character.
 * He was dubbed Diablo (devil) by Nathaniel Hawthorne during their confrontation.
 * One of the extras in Volume 6 includes a supplementary story dedicated to Akutagawa, entitled "A Heartless Dog."
 * Ryunosuke Akutagawa's ability, Rashomon, turns his coat into a black beast. This is in reference to the Japanese author Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short story titled Rashomon wherein a homeless servant stole the clothes of an old lady by ripping it off her.