Kazuma Asogi

Kazuma Asōgi

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File:Teito Yuumei University Badge.png File:DGS Attorney's Badge.png Kazuma Asōgi V · T · F
Occupation	Teito Yūmei University student (lapsed) Defense attorney ( - January 9, 1900) Prosecutor
Biological information
Reckoned birth year(s) (this is for age comparison purposes, and so may look odd; click on the question mark for details)?	1876
Documented age range (as recorded in court record profiles & case files)	23* (The Adventure of the Great Departure)- 24* (The Resolve of Naruhodō Ryūnosuke)
Last known status	Alive (Nov. 1900)
Eye color	Black
Hair color	Black
Height (the metric (cm) values are sourced from official guidebooks and may not reflect the relative sizes of characters as depicted in-game or in other official media)	5'9"; 174 cm
Associates
Family	Genshin Asōgi (father; deceased) Unnamed mother (deceased) Yūjin Mikotoba (adoptive father and mentor) Susato Mikotoba (adoptive sister and legal assistant)
Friends	Ryūnosuke Naruhodō (best friend, former client and rival defense attorney)
Affiliates	Nikomina Borschevic (assailant) Tobias Gregson (failed assassination target; deceased) Seishirou Jigoku ("client"; arrested)
Aliases/nicknames
Bosom Buddy* (Japanese launch trailer) Masked Disciple
Names in other languages
Japanese (romanization written with the given name first)	亜双義 一真 (Kazuma Asōgi) 亜双義 (Asougi) * (by Ryuunosuke Naruhodou) 一真さま (Kazuma-sama) * (by Susato Mikotoba) 亜双義くん (Asougi-kun) * (by Yuujin Mikotoba) Mr. アソーギ (Mr. Asougi) * (by Sherlock Holmes) アソーギ・カズマ (Asougi Kazuma) * (by Hart Vortex)
Actors
Japanese (romanization written with the given name first)	Yūichi Nakamura
Miscellaneous
Debut episode	The Adventure of the Great Departure
Musical theme	"Kazuma Asōgi ~ A Samurai with a Mission" "Kazuma Asōgi ~ Nocturne" "A Grand Return" "The Revived Prosecutor"

Kazuma Asōgi was a student at Teito Yūmei University, also working as a defense attorney towards the end of Japan's Meiji period until his "death" onboard the S.S Alaclaire. After his apparent death and subsequent memory loss, he took on the identity of the "Masked Disciple" and worked under Barok van Zieks as a prosecutor. He later regained the memories he had lost and stayed in England for the time being, to complete his studies.

Early Life

As a child

File:Kazuma and Genshin.png

Alongside his father.

Kazuma Asōgi was born as the only son of Genshin Asōgi and hails from a well-known martial arts family. When he was eight years old, his father participated in an exchange student program and departed for the Great British Empire.

The Professor Killings

Main article: The Professor Killings

Over the course of his visit, Genshin would, however, be arrested for a series of murders known as the Professor Killings. Hart Vortex approached him with a proposal: should he consent to being framed as the Professor, he would be allowed to return home to his family; to which, Genshin agreed, and years later Vortex would describe son Kazuma as his "only weakness."

Genshin was allowed to compose his will, and of which he wrote three pages. However, one page would contain hidden instructions to find the evidence that could resolve the Professor Killings; and as such, Kazuma would not receive the last page of his father's will at the time.

But Genshin was betrayed and murdered by Seishirou Jigoku after Enoch Drebber stumbled upon his still living body, Kazuma's mother would soon die due to an anxiety related illness. He was then taken in by Yūjin Mikotoba, who told him his father died of an illness, and raised alongside his daughter.

One day though, he received a letter from one of the victims of the Professor Killings, something that Mikotoba was not privy to until years later. Such would ultimately motivate him towards becoming a defense attorney.

Meeting Ryūnosuke

Asōgi met Ryūnosuke Naruhodō during Teito Yūmei Univesity's speech competition in the summer the year before The Adventure of the Great Departure. Naruhodō gave a speech that, while shallow, wound up winning the audience over with ferocity and passion. That speech kindled a spirit of rivalry in Asōgi. Asōgi's persuasive speech about how the Japanese social system needs to change went perfectly until the end when he has to say "men and women of all ages" (老若男女 "rou nyaku nan nyo"). Asōgi could not speak that final tongue twister, failing for five minutes until he collapsed to his knees on the stage and the audience booed him off.

Humiliated, he caught up with Naruhodō later and asked how he overcame tongue twisters. Naruhodō replied that it was his hobby and taught Asōgi one: "red headband, blue headband, yellow headband" (赤鉢巻 青鉢巻 黄鉢巻 "aka hachimaki ao hachimaki ki hachimaki"). The shame of the failed speech and the equal desire to overcome his weakness prompted Asōgi to practice that particular phrase until his tongue bled. He began wearing a red headband as a symbol of the hardship he had overcome. Asōgi also developed a grudge against the Japanese language for having many difficult-to-speak expressions, which Naruhodō suspected might have factored into Asōgi's decision to become an exchange student in London. Asōgi and Naruhodō became friends afterwards.

Naruhodō's trial

Main article: The Adventure of the Great Departure

Asōgi

Today, you believed in a mere fraud of a student like me to the end.

Months later, Asōgi learned that Naruhodō had told him the tongue twister incorrectly. It was actually "red paper roll, blue paper roll, yellow paper roll" (赤巻紙 青巻紙 黄巻紙 "aka makigami ao makigami ki makigami"). Asōgi was unable to say this new tongue twister and had a breakdown out of sheer frustration in the court lobby.

He then returned the favor for the speech by standing by Naruhodō's side when the latter was put on trial after being accused of murdering John Watson.

Asōgi invited Naruhodō to travel to England with him. Asōgi seemed to have some mission that was of international importance. Unknown to Naruhodō, that mission was actually to kill a detective as part of a program, Kazuma agreed to this in hopes of learning the truth about his father.

Apparent Death

Main article: The Adventure of the Unbreakable Speckled Band

His "dying message."

Asōgi smuggled Naruhodō aboard the steamship to London. Asōgi hid Naruhodō in his cabin's closet and they shared the meals meant for Asōgi. This left both of them hungry. There was a power outage on the ship and Naruhodō took the opportunity to steal a single steak from the kitchen. Sherlock Holmes spied Naruhodō fleeing back to Asōgi's cabin. When the theft was discovered, Holmes asked Asōgi for permission to search his room. Asōgi could not dissuade Holmes, who heard Naruhodō sneeze. Holmes searched the closet where Naruhodō had been hiding first, but discovers no one inside. However he did find the bones from three steaks. When the sailor Mitrov Stroganov accused Asōgi of the steak theft, Holmes explained that Asōgi couldn't be the thief because his stomach would not be growling from hunger if he had eaten the steaks. Satisfied, Stroganov left. Holmes then warned Asōgi to hide the "animal" under his bed better. When everyone left, Naruhodō confessed his theft to Asōgi and explained how he moved from the closet to the bed when everyone was distracted. Asōgi then realized that Holmes had stolen the other steaks and had dumped the bones in his closet.

One night, Asōgi encountered a ballerina named Nikomina Borschevic and learned that she was trying to escape from Russia. Realizing that she was smuggled onto the ship, Asōgi decided to let her meet Naruhodō, who was sleeping in the closet. But when he turned to his right, Borschevic panicked because she thought he was looking at the calling bell nearby and was going to call the captain. When her cat began to circle around him, she suddenly pushed him and killed him by accident when his neck broke when hitting his bed post. Borschevic and Stroganov tried to cover up her apparent crime, but Naruhodō and Holmes caught her and she was arrested. Naruhodō then continued his friend's dream of becoming a worthy defense attorney so that he could change Japan's justice system for the better. Naruhodō inherited Asōgi's sword and wrapped his departed friend's hairband around it.

Asōgi's name was one of four names mentioned on a morse code disk stolen by Robert Crogley, indicating he had a connection to an international incident of some importance along with A. Sasha, Tobias Gregson, and John Watson.

The "Masked Disciple"

As the "Masked Disciple".

Main article: Dai Gyakuten Saiban 2: Naruhodō Ryūnosuke no Kakugo

In actuality, Asōgi survived the events on the steamship. However, the ordeal rendered him amnesiac, causing him to adopt the identity of the "Masked Disciple" to English prosecutor Barok van Zieks.

Regaining his memories

Main article: The Return of the Great Departed Soul

Under the guise of the "Masked Disciple," he assisted van Zieks in his prosecution again Benjamin Dobinbough. After the trial concluded, he regained his memories upon seeing a wax sculptor of his father, Genshin Asōgi.

Going against a friend

Main articles: Twisted Karma and His Last Bow and The Resolve of Naruhodō Ryūnosuke

Hart Vortex decided to send Kazuma to give Tobias Gregson a "Death Bringer" mission for the date of October thirty-first aboard the S.S. Balabrock as it headed for Dunkirk, France. The target was Seishirou Jigoku for escaping his own trial after the Professor Killings, but this was actually a trap to kill Gregson. However, Kazuma's insistence made Gregson revealed the truth about Genshin’s trial resulting in Kazuma growing incensed and attacking him. Although he hit the trunk instead and chipped his blade, Kazuma decided to leave it at that, he disembarked at Dunkirk harbor and signed the guestbook at the inn to stay for the night. Although Gregson tried to kill Jigoku all by himself, the judge managed to shoot Gregson dead. Then he froze his body and tried to pin the crime on Everyday Mittlemont when the ship returned, but Barok van Zieks took the fall instead.

Kazuma Asōgi would later be the one to prosecute his mentor facing off against his friend, Naruhodō, in the trial. He saw this as an opportunity to get his revenge for convicting his father. His case was that van Zieks was the head of the Death Bringer conspiracy, an organization originally thought to be a curse where Gregson and Ann Sasha, the assassin who killed John Watson, would plan the deaths of each of the defendants that escape his trials. Their headquarters was an abandoned apartment just outside of London. The most recent mission was to kill Seishirou Jigoku, but since Gregson failed at this mission, Asōgi's case was that van Zieks shot him on Fresno as a result when he came back. Originally, his theory was that Gregson was merely investigating van Zieks who shot it to silence. But Naruhodō eventually proved that Gregson's killer was Jigoku himself so he could complete Asōgi's mission.

Despite this, Asōgi still wanted to convict van Zieks of being the head Death Bringer. He requests that van Zieks gives testimony about it, he denied any reason to plot the assassin exchange. But then Naruhodō remembered Klimt's autopsy report causing Asōgi to reveal what happened with him and Gregson before he left for Dunkirk. He concludes that since Barok van Zieks was the prosecutor for his father's trial, only he could've had detective Gregson and Dr. Watson make that autopsy, then he had them killed to keep them from talking. But to his surprise, Asōgi found out that Hart Vortex was the original prosecutor in charge, van Zieks only begged to become it at the last minute to avenge his brother. Judge Vortex denies this and that there was no way to prove that what Gregson told Asōgi was true because he's dead now. After denying Yūjin Mikotoba's testimony, he tells Asōgi to surrender himself and that his "little play at revenge" is over, this makes Kazuma Asōgi slam his fists on the stand and scream.

We need more pieces to finish this puzzle.
	This article is under construction. While it is not short, it still needs expansion as outlined in the manual of style. The article most likely needs expansion near the end of the tagged section or sections.

Personality

Mugshot

Asōgi is introduced as a composed, yet hot-blooded and outspoken youth with a strong sense of justice. He's well-known around his university campus for his accomplishments, skilled in both academics and martial arts; and, despite his young age, had been chosen to participate in an exchange program to travel to the Great British Empire and earn the qualifications to become a defense attorney.

He possesses a sharp tongue, and is quick to challenge or defy authority figures; a point of contention from local bailiffs, and later, Hart Vortex. He can overdo things to a fault, as displayed by how he practiced the tongue twisters he struggled with until his tongue bled. Asōgi is also willing to go to great lengths in order to help his friends, even if it means risking his career and aspirations; and, despite his acerbic nature, is deeply respectful to those he cares about, and will never fail to encourage them. It is because of these traits that Asōgi is set up to be an ideal, one that his best friend Naruhodō Ryūnosuke would think to in times of need.

After his "death"

File:Kazuma Masked.png

Asōgi, wearing his mask.

Following his return, however, his presented image of an ideal is heavily deconstructed; as seen through how many of his main traits later become large flaws. What's most glaring is his determination, as even without memory, he was so determined that he traveled to the Great British Empire through working on steamships while relying on his knowledge of the English language, along with his skill in lawyering; and, as Naruhodō later discovers, is all done in the name of avenging his father.

This leads him to go to extreme lengths, which can harm both others and himself. Such is shown by how Jigoku used this determination against him, as his condition to participate in the exchange program was to murder Tobias Gregson; and, later on, how he forces Everyday Mittlemont to recall a traumatic memory in order to find the truth. His anger and determination towards van Zieks for the apparent use of forged evidence also leads Asōgi to be set on convicting him of Gregson's murder along with the Professor Killings.

Asōgi is also noted to be very closed-off about his problems and past, which becomes more apparent after the regaining of his memories. This is displayed by his closed-off body language in his sprites, along with his eventual breakdown: trying, and failing to keep himself composed. That aspect of his has also been a long-running one, as Naruhodõ notes that he has brief moments where he has a dark expression regarding his mission, yet says nothing; furthermore, Yūjin Mikotoba states that he never knew that Asōgi had known about the Professor Killings and his father's involvement, which ultimately motivated him to travel to Britain.

However, Asōgi still retains his strong sense of justice, along with his love for his friends. He is ultimately able to see past his anger thanks to Naruhodō's words, and assist in exposing the truth behind the Professor Killings. He also displays strong consideration towards them, as he encourages Susato to accompany Naruhodō back to Japan in order to aide him in his work.

Asōgi is also noted to struggle with tongue twisters; and, although not revealed to be his least favorite food, he appears to have a strong dislike for chicken.

Name

Shu Takumi stated in an issue of Nintendo Dream that the surname comes from the word 阿僧祇 asōgi, which means 10^56 (by japanese standards) or generally an infinitly large number.^{[citation needed]} Additionally, the word 葬儀 sōgi means "funeral". The kanji for 双義 sōgi in the name can be directly translated as "dual justice". The kanji for “kazu” in his name stands for “one”, while the kanji 数 “kazu” means “numbers”.

Development

His clothes were designed with more of both western and eastern influences than Ryūnosuke Naruhodō's were. His headband is animated to flutter in the wind even though he is mostly seen indoors. This animation was only doable in 3D and was something that art director Kazuya Nuri really wanted.