Danjuro Tobita,[2] also known as Gentle[5] and formerly Gentle Criminal,[1] is a former independent Villain and internet celebrity. He is the primary antagonist of the U.A. School Festival Arc.
During the Final War, Danjuro sides with the Heroes in the fight against Tomura Shigaraki.[5]
Eight years after the War, Danjuro has married Manami Aiba and the two started a company called GeL Inc, where he acts as a secretary to his wife.[3][4]
Appearance#
Danjuro is a man with a refined appearance, with a slicked-back hairdo with a curl at the front, a handlebar mustache, and a well-kept, medium-sized beard. Like La Brava, he has thick black lines around his eyes resembling eyeliner, which he applied himself with a marker.
As a student, Danjuro was a young man who had his hair shorter than it is presently, lacking his mustache and beard. He also wore his high school uniform, a black school jacket with matching pants, a white long-sleeved dress shirt underneath, and a royal red ribbon tie.
As a young adult, during his time as a freeter, Danjuro's hair had grown longer, and he had a short mustache growing along with a beard. He also wore a mucky white dress shirt with dark suspenders.
During his time as a villain, his costume was quite extravagant, featuring a black jacket with enlarged collars and coattails, a pair of white loose, pinstriped pants, brown dress shoes with laces, and two brown belts, both with a golden buckle. He also wears a pair of white cuffs, purple gloves with lighter knuckles, and a woolly scarf of the same color. He is seen using a white cane with a golden end to walk.
During his time in prison, Danjuro's hair and facial hair have grown substantially, with his facial hair now having a more bushier appearance.[5] When lending his assistance during the Final War, Danjuro's hair and facial hair become wildly spikey, as he also wears his old costume with a few key differences. He now forgoes the jacket, cuffs, and gloves, and wears a baggy, dark blue undershirt. His scarf is also tied more securely around his neck, and a loose thread of it dangles below his belt.
Eight years after the Final War, Danjuro returns to his original refined appearance, with his hair slicked-back, a handlebar mustache, and a well-kept, medium-sized beard. However, he now wear a more casual outfit, such a white collar shirt and grey vest and pants. He and Manami also wear a wedding ring on their left hand.
Personality#
Befitting his alias, Danjuro is polite and well-mannered, even while committing criminal acts. He manipulates how he wants his crimes to play out and is not afraid of facing multiple heroes, showing an unusual amount of calmness and confidence. His mannerisms may also seem slightly over-the-top and eccentric. One of his more common theatrics is pouring coffee or tea into a cup while holding the kettle over his head and spilling it everywhere.
Although he means well and lacks hostility, Danjuro lacks insight into his decisions and actions, first demonstrated when he hindered a Pro Hero from saving someone despite having good intentions. Other cases are how his videos cause more discomfort instead of the inspiration he desires, not understanding the consequences he would've genuinely brought to U.A. High School by sneaking into their Culture Festival, and how he was unable to stop speaking to Izuku Midoriya when they first met, which accidentally exposed his identity. His lack of insight also demonstrates his incapability to voice a sound argument behind his intentions, like his conversation with his life counselor in high school, his failed attempt to persuade Izuku to let him sneak into the Culture Festival, and how he was unable to fool Hound Dog when he turned himself over to protect La Brava.
Danjuro has little to no interest in money or objects of value. Instead, he chases after fame and reputation, which he tries to achieve through video recordings of his criminal acts. He claims that his ultimate goal is to write his name in history and inspire others who view his actions and are obsessed with achieving it, as he fears fading into obscurity after his death. He is admittedly very selfish and claims not to be afraid of trampling on the dreams of others as long as it furthers his own; however, he does have a soft spot for his fan and crime partner La Brava, and is capable of being self-sacrificing for her sake. Even more, upon finally being arrested, it was shown that deep down, he still desired to be a hero, weeping with joy to hear someone say he could still turn his life around to reach his original goal.
While incarcerated in Mikuzu Prison, Danjuro's usual theatrics remain and he partakes in work duties in hopes of becoming a model prisoner. After adding mustaches to shirt and teddy bear designs though, he ends up being placed on tea pouring duty, something he deems to be a great honor, but is actually the lowest ranked job in the prison, as revealed by fellow inmate Ichi Anrakuki. When Ichi falls from prison scaffolding, Danjuro acts and uses his Quirk to save him just in time. Even though this Quirk use lead to him being punished and ruined his chance of parole, Danjuro held no regrets, believing that by being a gentleman and extending a hand when it matters, he will be able to reform his life and be worthy of seeing La Brava again.[6]
Following the prison break at Mikuzu Prison, Danjuro mustered the bravery to stand against the inmates who were all planning to run wild and intended to harm others, reflecting upon the mistakes he had made and not having the courage to stop. Despite being vastly outnumbered and afraid, upon remembering the words of Gori and Izuku, Danjuro chose to take action by preventing all the inmates from escaping. He later resolves to repay Izuku for saving him from villainy by aiding in the Final War alongside La Brava.
Abilities#
Overall Abilities: Despite his well-defined appearance and polite nature, Danjuro is a skillful fighter with an excellent handle on his creative Quirk Elasticity. Danjuro often disguises the use of his Quirk through his usual vivid movements, which may catch opponents by surprise.[7] As he needs only to touch an object to make it elastic (including air, which is invisible), others often don't notice. Danjuro can also apply the elasticity to the clothes he wears, preventing anyone from pulling his cape to knock him off balance.[8] Elasticity is mainly used by Danjuro to escape crime scenes in which he was involved, either by bouncing away, or briskly dealing with those trying to subdue him. Generally, when engaged in combat, Danjuro never aims to injure or kill his opponents severely and thus never fights at full strength. In addition, with La Brava by his side, Danjuro can be empowered by her Love, making him stronger than he usually is, but the duo only uses this tactic as a last resort. Danjuro's overall abilities and his partnership with La Brava have allowed him to pull off multiple capers and successfully elude capture from the authorities for a full 6 years.
When he and La Brava unexpectedly encountered Izuku Midoriya, one of the strongest students at U.A. High School, Danjuro started by repelling the One For All inheritor twice and attempted to make his escape with La Brava both times. He was taken by surprise when Izuku attacked him with "Delaware Smash Air Force" before being overtaken by the young student at a construction site. Danjuro used his Quirk handling to confuse and evade Izuku until he could hinder the latter with an elasticized steel beam and make another getaway. Once Izuku caught up to him, Danjuro created elastic shields for protection but was blindsided when Izuku used the present air membranes against him, leaving him and La Brava pinned down by the glove-wearing hero.
While subdued, however, La Brava used her Love Quirk on Danjuro, allowing him to enter "Lover Mode", enhancing the elasticity infuser with enough power to equal and nearly overwhelm Izuku, despite the latter going all out and using the extent of his abilities. Alas, Danjuro was eventually thrown off-balance by one of Izuku's 4 "Delaware Smash Air Force" attacks before being defeated by the latter's "St. Louis Smash". After the battle, Izuku admitted that out of all the opponents he had fought, Danjuro was the most difficult because Izuku empathized with Danjuro throughout their battle. Despite the defeat, Danjuro used the last of his strength in "Lover Mode" to hurl Izuku off of him a reasonable distance away but surrendered once the patrolling Hound Dog and Ectoplasm arrived on the scene.
Even after the months he had spent imprisoned, Danjuro displays his great strength and Quirk proficiency by taking on the inmates of Mikuzu Prison. Despite being vastly outnumbered one-to-many, Danjuro defeated and restrained them all using his Quirk. Thanks to Danjuro, Mikuzu Prison was the only one of the seven prisons to have no escapees after Muscular's rampage.[5]
Keen Intellect: Danjuro is a very crafty and calculating individual who is very organized when plotting the best action. He only seeks to make himself renowned by becoming notorious through crimes he orchestrates and has videotaped by La Brava. Danjuro never aims to inflict serious harm when engaging in his formulated endeavors. Once he feels that he made his name and appearance sufficiently known, he abandons the crime scene, intentionally leaving behind any potential fruits of labor most criminals would seek. He developed an effective plan to infiltrate U.A. High School, knowing that the prestigious academic institute had become notorious for being the target of villain attacks. The annual U.A. School Festival would be the opportune time to mount his incursion despite the heavy security measures recently implemented to prevent villain assaults.
Danjuro plotted out a complex yet well-thought-out route to U.A. High School and chose not to use his Quirk to venture to the school, knowing that Pro Heroes patrol the skies. He decided that early morning was the appropriate time to commence his caper, took into account the areas with the least amount of hero agencies and traffic, and calculated that it would take 60-65 minutes maximum to arrive at the school. In his plan, Danjuro even included a side jaunt involving him and La Brava to visit a café while still having enough time to resume the mission. Danjuro was also cognizant that, upon their arrival to the U.A., Hound Dog would be on patrol, so Danjuro and La Brava would have to coat themselves in dirt and leaves to mask their scents to throw off the canine hero. And since the academia's U.A. Barrier is sensor-based, La Brava can hack into the school's internal network and discreetly turn off the sensors. Unfortunately, Danjuro's machinations to pervade the U.A. School Festival were all for naught due to a chance run-in with Izuku. During their tension-filled exchange, Danjuro realized that Izuku was a U.A. student. After being reminded of Izuku's prowess from the U.A. Sports Festival, Danjuro, showcasing overall good judgment, opted for a hasty retreat, trying to resume his initial machinations before the green-haired boy could contact reinforcements.
When the battle was taken to the construction site, Danjuro elasticized a steel beam from which he removed bolts and made it appear like he would let the beam give way and crush a nearby civilian. In hindsight, Danjuro intended to rebound the collapsed shaft at the last second to slow Izuku down, but he didn't have to since Izuku caught the steel beam instead. Once he was defeated by Izuku and realized that there would soon be patrolling heroes on the scene, Danjuro had to frame his surrender for trespassing on U.A. High School, all to make it seem the battle with Izuku never transpired. Danjuro claimed he brainwashed La Brava into working for him to cement his defeatism further so she wouldn't be seen as a willing accomplice.
Quirk#
Elasticity: Danjuro's Quirk allows him to bestow the property of elasticity to anything he touches, making it stretchable, bendable, and bouncy. This Quirk can affect anything, from the ground to the air itself. Danjuro cannot cancel the effects himself, instead, the effect wears off on its own after time has passed.
By making the air elastic, it becomes a circular invisible membrane that floats in midair, which he can use as trampolines to get around quickly, as shields to deflect his opponent's range attacks such as Izuku's Delaware Smash Air Force or move them around the environment to his advantage.
Ultimate Moves#
- Gently Rebound: Danjuro creates an aerial elastic barrier and when an enemy runs into it, they are blasted away.
- Gently Trampoline: Danjuro turns the ground into a bouncy trampoline that causes the enemy to bounce into the air after standing on it. Danjuro can also use this move to bounce himself through the air as a means of air travel.
- Gently Sandwich: Danjuro creates a series of aerial elastic barriers and pins an opponent under them.
- Gently Super-Lover: Danjuro creates a gigantic air trampoline, large enough to catch an entire floating island. Combination with La Brava's Lover Mode allows him to hold up even the largest of objects caught by this single-handedly.
Stats#
Equipment#
Knife: Danjuro wields an elaborate knife that he uses for robberies and other villainous acts.[1]
Battles & Events#
U.A. School Festival Arc Deku vs. Gentle Criminal Paranormal Liberation War Arc Gentle vs. Mikuzu Prison Inmates Final War Arc Deku vs. "Tomura Shigaraki" Heroes vs. All For One
Chapter Appearances#
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debut
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flash
m
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Anime Appearances#
debut
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flash
flash
flash
flash
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flash
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m
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Trivia#
- Danjuro seems to be inspired by the Bronze Age and Silver Age of comic books; villains like The Trickster, The Signalman, and the Mad Hatter are well known for their silly antics and not trying to be serious criminals but to get the attention of people.
- Danjuro has more in common with the Mad Hatter, both are eccentric villains and are not focused on robbing banks or becoming a crime boss. In the case of Mad Hatter, he wants to steal all the hats he considers priceless, while Danjuro is looking for fame and recognition by everyone and not to be forgotten. Both wanted to be heroes when they were young yet failing to do so had them becoming villains later on.
- Danjuro's surname contains the kanji for "to fly" and "field", and his first name contains "bounce", "softness", and "son, male".
- According to Danjuro's Volume 19 profile:[9]
- His favorite thing is black tea.
- His character was inspired from Kohei Horikoshi's love of YouTubers, having watched them every day.
- While underemployed, Danjuro saved up money for several years until he began preparing his "Gentle" persona.
- In a sense, Danjuro is similar to Izuku Midoriya and Koichi Haimawari. Like them, he was a young man who strongly aspired to be a hero, and just as they did, he also rushed in and tried to save someone in danger. However, his intended heroic act ended up backfiring on him horribly, which would eventually lead to him becoming a Villain.
- Izuku even identifies with Danjuro after learning of his past and motives, admitting that he may have become like him had he never met All Might and received One For All.
- In the English dub of the anime, Danjuro is portrayed with a British accent, adding on to his refined character and love for tea. He doesn't speak with an accent in any of the flashbacks where he was younger, implying he created and later adopted it when he started pursuing villainy.
- While imprisoned in Mikuzu Prison, Danjuro's prisoner number was 829.[6]