| “ | I was the only one who got an A ranking for the Public Safety Bureau. There were more than 500 students and I was the only one. So I thought that there must have been something that only I could do at the Bureau. If I went there, I thought I could find my purpose in life... I thought I'd be able to find out why I was born here and now. | ” |
— Akane Tsunemori to Kagari in Those Capable | ||
Akane Tsunemori is an Inspector of the MWPSB in Division 1.
She is the main heroine and point of view character in Psycho-Pass, as stated by Director Naoyoshi Shiotani.[1] She becomes the main protagonist in Psycho-Pass 2.
Appearance
Tsunemori is a young woman with pale skin, short brown hair and large brown eyes. Her office uniform consists of a white blouse with a dark gray blazer and medium length skirt. Her operations uniform usually consists of a police jacket over her work attire, with WPC and 103 emblazoned on each arm.[2] In 2114, Tsunemori is seen in a new office uniform consisting of a structured white top with a dark blazer and dress pants. She still wears her police jacket over her work attire.[3] She often wears the same blazer and skirt but with a yellow blouse. Her casual clothes include a black woolen coat, a pink sports suit and a yellow bedgown. She also likes to wear various holo clothing over her suit.
Personality
Akane appears to be shy and naive at the time of her recruitment, as well as very wide-eyed and idealistic. As time goes on, however, she is revealed to be intelligent, compassionate and insightful as an Inspector. She agonizes over the purpose of her existence, which is an uncommon trait when compared to others. She can sometimes be headstrong and gets angry or upset at people for doing things with which she heavily disagrees.[4]
Akane is polite and respectful and after spending time with Shinya Kogami, one of her Enforcers, she develops into a full-fledged detective with a strong sense of justice, even to a fault. An example of this is when she is unable to kill the murderer Shogo Makishima not once, but twice: the first time leading to the death of a friend and the second time preventing her from avenging said murder. She is also shown to be humble, believing Yayoi was giving her way too much credit when she said she could put her life in her hands.[5]
After being shown the true form of the Sibyl System, Akane is shown to be hateful towards it, but since she knows the current society cannot live peacefully without it, she agrees to maintain it, regardless of her own feelings. It gets to the point that she tries her hardest to bring in Makishima alive despite the fact that he had killed her friend right in front of her. She believes the system will be terminated in the future.
Years later, while Akane retains her kindness and patience, she is also cool headed and rational, which is shown when she calmly uses her negotiation skills to talk down a criminal who was using bombs to attack the PSB, which pushed his Psycho-Pass into the non-danger zone, allowing her to stun him and bring him in instead of killing him.[6] Her compassion, however, has its limits, which is shown when said bomber commits another crime and this time kills over a dozen people with a bomb. She outright tells him that any sympathetic words she might tell him were now meaningless and she was ready to give the execution order had Inspector Aoyanagi not shot him first. She's also not against rebelling against Sibyl at times, such as when she attempts to bring in Kirito Kamui alive despite the System wanting him dead, so she can find out exactly why he's considered such a big threat.
Even after everything she's seen, Akane still maintains her healthy Psycho-Pass and is quick to recover from any traumatic event, such as the aforementioned death of her friend and the death of her grandmother. However, while people see it as a her being strong-willed (especially when you consider her job) and the Sibyl System deems her a "unique individual," Akane herself believes it means she's cold-hearted and unfeeling, and is actually disturbed with how quickly she got over those things.
Personal Background
Tsunemori's parents.
Early Life
She is born in Chiba to Shoichi Tsunemori and his unnamed wife. At school Tsunemori is one of the top students with several notable achievements, both in the public and private sectors.[7] It is implied that both her parents are still alive and known that she maintains a close relationship with her grandmother.
Residence
Tokyo-to, Koto-ku, Shin-Toyosu, 2-5-5301 (as of 2116)
Tokyo, Shin Chiyoda-ku, Ochanomizu 2-25-KH (as of 2112)
Emergency Contact Information
Chiba, Chiba-shi, Shin Mihama-ku, Isobe 1032-t
Shoichi Tsunemori (relation: father)
Education
March 2108 ‒ Graduates from Hongou Secondary School, Tokyo
February 2108 ‒ Enters Hongou Higher Education, Faculty of Natural Science, Major in Psychology
March 2112 ‒ Graduates from Hongou Higher Education, Faculty of Natural Science, Major in Psychology
Work History
April 2108 ‒ Enters the MWPSB; Enters Public Safety Bureau's Career Instruction Center
October 2112 ‒ Finishes at the Public Safety Bureau's Career Instruction Center
November 2112 ‒ Assignment to MWPSB's Division 1, as Inspector
Licenses/Qualifications
March 2112 ‒ Achieves a Driver's License for Regular Motorcar Type I
Relationships
Shinya Kogami
As an experienced former detective assigned to Division 1 with Tsunemori, Kogami is curious about her attitude towards latent criminals and her willingness to treat them as human beings rather than "hounds". She is curious about him, as well, and finds his methods of detective work surprisingly effective. There is speculation, without proof, that their mutual interest is romantic in nature, though some evidence exists that it may be one-sided on Tsunemori's part.
Kogami respects her work ethic and attitude saying, "This girl is amazing. She's a female who deeply loves law and order, and also deeply loved by it. Her expression is just like a prayer to the heavens."[8]
Following the failed murder of Chief Joshu Kasei[9], Kogami escapes from the CID with Masaoka's and Saiga's help. Because Makishima is a precious research specimen, Tsunemori is willing to bring him in alive in exchange for Kogami's unfettered flight.[10] She abets Kogami's escape to Southeast Asia and soon thereafter, he places an untraceable call to Tsunemori to prepare her for his possible death.[11]
After Kogami's escape, when confronted with problems she can't solve on her own, Tsunemori often lights a cigarette known to be Kogami's favorite brand in order for the scent to infuse her clothing. Her reasons for this are to bring him to mind, though whether for reasons professional, personal or a combination of both, is not revealed.[12][13]
Nobuchika Ginoza
When Ginoza first meets Tsunemori, he assigns Kogami and Masaoka, the two Enforcers he trusts best to work as a team, to assist Tsunemori on her first mission.[2] At first, the senior Inspector and Tsunemori appear to merely tolerate one another. Over time, Tsunemori learns that Ginoza's abruptness stems from his fear of seeing yet another Inspector/friend/family member demoted to Enforcer status. This explains his keen interest in Tsunemori's state of mind and stable emotions.[14]
As Tsunemori develops as an Inspector, Ginoza begins to trust her and earns her trust, in return. After Ginoza is demoted to Enforcer,[3] the two form a firm partnership based on mutual trust and understanding. Ginoza is greatly concerned for her mental and life safety, reminding her of the dangers of falling into the "abyss" from time to time[15] and serving in a supporting role as one of her Enforcers.
By 2116, Ginoza is a staunch ally of Tsunemori, supporting her judgment while adding his own views on cases and even chastising other Inspectors who speak ill of her. He also persuades her to keep a balanced outlook regarding Shinya Kogami.
Sakuya Togane
As Togane wants to paint Tsunemori "black," he manages to gain Tsunemori's trust by mimicking Kogami's behaviors and agreeing with her from time to time. Tsunemori is thus duped and begins to rely on him as she did Kogami, never doubting his motives and unaware of his secret schemes.
Tomomi Masaoka
Masaoka serves as a mentor and father-like figure to Tsunemori, as seen when he consoles her after her best friend is murdered by Makishima. Masaoka also serves as the link between his son Ginoza and Tsunemori before his death.
Shusei Kagari
Kagari thinks Tsunemori is cute the first time they meet and wants to be assigned to her team.[2] His interest is shown to be somewhat romantic in nature.[8][16] Kagari is not much older than Tsunemori and they develop an interesting friendship wherein Kagari's low key style helps Tsunemori relax a bit. He also shares with her his cooking skills[17] and various hobbies. When Kagari's death is confirmed by Sibyl, Tsunemori is both angry and sad about it.[10]
12-year-old Tsunemori with Minase and Funahara.
Yuki Funahara
Tsunemori and Funahara have been best friends since middle school, their first conversation revolving around Tsunemori's mushroom-like haircut.[8] However, while Funahara likes Tsunemori very much, she is also a bit envious of Tsunemori's abilities and evaluation scores.[7]
Aoi Tsunemori
The two form a close grandmother-grandaughter relationship. Her grandmother calls Tsunemori "A-chan," and Tsunemori calls her "Obaa-chan" ("granny"). Tsunemori cares for her grandmother's safety and health.[18] Not only do their eyes look the same, but Tsunemori's habits and values strongly reflect her grandmother's.
Joji Saiga
At first, Tsunemori appreciates Saiga when Kogami takes her to meet him.[19] Later, when Saiga becomes a latent criminal, Tsunemori manages to get him to help her investigations and because Kogami trusted him, Tsunemori believes that he is the only one she can depend on, as well, during that unusual time.
Trivia
- Her ID as an Inspector is 00475-AECJ-30157-1.[2]
- Her highest Crime Coefficient is recorded at 87.9.[20]
- She is designated as Shepherd 2 and after Ginoza's demotion, she becomes Shepherd 1.
- Tsunemori is the top student in the training school. In Sibyl's estimation, her aptitude is the only one to exceed the Bureau's employment standards. She achieves an A ranking for 13 different ministries and agencies, along with six different companies.[7]
- She used to be good at all science-related subjects at school.
- She cannot swim, as deduced by Joji Saiga.[19] However, she is excellent at long-distance running.
- Saiga also deduced that her shoulders stiffen when she has to talk about sport and that she drinks coffee when she's nervous.[8]
- Her hobbies are video gaming, net surfing, and chatting with friends; but nowadays, she dedicates her spare time to reading investigation material, learning the art of self-defense and arrest training.
- Her favorite food is any kind of noodles; her least favorite is mushrooms.
- She also drinks Kogami's favorite brand of bottled water ("Anterctic Dorops").[19]
- It is suspected, but never seen, that she smokes Kogami's favorite brand of cigarettes ("Spinel").[21]
- Her favorite item in her room is an alarm clock resembling a fish.
- Tsunemori's strength is her healthy Psycho-Pass; her weakness is her inability to swim.
- Tsunemori used to sleep six hours on average, but now it has reduced to about five hours.
- Her fashion style is "girlish casual, which isn't too sweet," and she usually wears some make up.
- Her favorite fragance is "Blue" by Hanatsubaki Dou Beauty Care.
- Tsunemori has better alcohol tolerance than Kagari.[17]
- Her motto used to be "Faith strengthens people" in 2112, but as of 2116, it's "Protect the things you believe in till the end."
- Her favorite saying is "You must listen to others before you talk about yourself."
- She prefers reading books about game theory and statistics or books regarding Sibyl-governed law because they are useful for exams and essays. She usually reads only bestseller e-books, so she doesn't have a favorite author.
Tsunemori with long hair.
- She has had the same haircut since she was eleven and some would mistake her for a boy.[8] However, at the beginning of the manga adaption, Inspector Akane Tsunemori, her hair is long.
- Tsunemori only wears underwear when she sleeps because the air conditioning system in her apartment is so good she will never catch a cold.[8]
- Her CommuField avatar name is "Lemonade Candy." This avatar doesn't have legs, as opposed to her Holo suit avatar when she cosplays at Club Exoset.[22]
- Tsunemori is inept at cooking with Kogami the only one who seems to like the results.[23]
- As of July 2116, Tsunemori has moved to a new apartment where no holograms are used, meaning she no longer owns Candy.[13]
- She likes the view from the terrace and that her new house possesses a training room with a sparring program.
- The best memory about her grandmother is when they went to the library together and her grandma told her about different books.
- When she takes a long vacation, she wants to obtain a license.
- The item she carries with her every day with no exception is her Candy strap.
- After defeating Makishima and Kogami's leaving, Tsunemori hallucinates about Funahara, Kogami, Makishima, Masaoka, and Kagari.[11]
- The Kanji of her first name "Akane" (朱) roughly translates as "red," "scarlet," or "bloody," a reflection of her passionate personality.
- The Kanji of her surname "Tsunemori" (常守) roughly translates as "the usual state of things" or "protector," which describes her job as an Inspector which, despite her doubts about Sibyl System, she does well while hoping a better system can be found.
- Tsunemori bears a physical resemblance to Yuni from Katekyo Hitman REBORN!, both characters being designed by Akira Amano.
Gallery
References
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20130627135814/http://j-entonline.com/interviews-and-articles/media-qa-psycho-pass/
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Crime Coefficient
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Perfect World
- ↑ 0101 Crime Coefficient
- ↑ 0121 Blood-Stained Reward
- ↑ 0201 The Scales of Justice
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Those Capable
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Psycho-Pass: The Novel
- ↑ Promises Written in Water
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 The Place Where Justice is Found
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 Audio Drama ‒ "After Stories"
- ↑ Psycho-Pass 2
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 Gekijo-ban: Psycho-Pass
- ↑ Invitation from the Abyss
- ↑ The Salvation of Job
- ↑ Audio Dramas
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 Return of the Lunatic Prince
- ↑ Untraceable Children
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 Fruit of Paradise
- ↑ What Color?
- ↑ The Creeping Unknown
- ↑ Nobody Knows Your Mask
- ↑ Psycho-Pass/Zero - Drama CD 1 ‒ "Detectives' Short Peace"