Dramatical Murder

Story

Dramatical Murder is set in the near future on the fictional island of Midorijima (碧島), Japan. At some point in the game's recent history, the island was privatized by the powerful Toue Konzern (東江コンツェルン, Tōe Kontserun) and turned into a resort called Platinum Jail (プラチナ・ジェイル, Purachina Jeiru), with the island's original residents being forced to live in the Old Residential District (旧住民区, Kyū-Jūmin-ku). Protagonist Aoba Seragaki lives on the island and works at a store named Junk Shop Mediocrity (平凡, Heibon), hoping to live a simple life. However, after being forcefully dragged into the popular cyber game Rhyme (ライム, Raimu) with its virtual world and its use of Allmates (オールメイト, Ōru Meito), mobile devices that usually appear as if they are the owner's pets, and hearing rumors about disappearances involving Ribstiez (リブスティーズ, Ribusutīzu), turf wars between groups, all semblance of a peaceful life for Aoba ends.

Main

Aoba Seragaki (瀬良垣 蒼葉, Seragaki Aoba) is the primary protagonist of the game. He works part-time at a junk shop called Mediocrity, and lives with his grandmother, Tae. Aoba has a special ability called SCRAP, which allows him to mix his consciousness with other people's through his voice and use it to control them, though he can also destroy them and leave the victims in a comatose-like state. Aoba has a caring, honest, and open-minded personality, but is noted by Ren to have a short temper. Inside of Aoba lies another persona that represents Scrap, who usually comes out whenever Aoba is emotionally distressed. The "other Aoba" desires chaos and destruction, and has shown to be sadistic and masochistic. He is voiced by Atsushi Kisaichi, and by Hiroko Miyamoto as a child. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Gabriel Regojo and by Cayla Coats as a child.

Ren (蓮) is Aoba's Allmate, who resembles a dark blue Japanese Spitz. He takes a human form in Rhyme. Ren has a mature, patient, and pragmatic demeanor. Despite being an older Allmate model, Aoba considers Ren to be his important partner and cherishes him like family. Originally, Ren was a part of Aoba's consciousness that was created to keep the balance between Aoba and his other personality that wishes for destruction. He is voiced by Ryōta Takeuchi. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by David Wald.

Koujaku (紅雀, Kōjaku) is Aoba's childhood friend, and the leader of a Ribstiez group named Benishigure. He has many tattoos and scars on his body, and works as a hairdresser. Koujaku is compassionate and strong-willed, and he cares deeply for his loved ones. He was the illegitimate son of a yakuza leader and was the only heir, causing him and his mother to leave Midorijima when he was young. After undergoing a painful tattooing process, Koujaku was taken over by his tattoos' special effects and mindlessly killed his family. Despite his dark past, he retains a positive and gentle personality. Koujaku is a bit of a womanizer, and is incredibly popular with girls. He is voiced by Hiroki Takahashi, and by Eiji Miyashita as a child. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by David Matranga.

Noiz (ノイズ, Noizu), real name Wilhelm (ウィルヘルム, Uiruherumu), is an information broker for Rhyme, a skilled hacker, and the founder of his Rhyme group, Ruff Rabbit. Since he was a child, Noiz suffers from CIPA, causing him to accidentally hurt others. His wealthy parents regarded him as a disgrace and imprisoned him in his room for years until he ran away from his home in Germany. Due to this, Noiz is apathetic to the world around him and bases everything on cold logic, though he can be immature. His inability to feel pain also causes him to be reckless, and he eventually turns to playing Rhyme aggressively in order to feel the illusion of pain. His body is covered with many piercings. He is voiced by Satoshi Hino. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Corey Hartzog.

Mink (ミンク, Minku) is the leader of Scratch, a Ribstiez group of former prison inmates. Mink hails from a Native American tribe that grew special herbs that affect a human's body odor to give them a sense of peace. Toue, who mistook the purpose of the plant's effect as mind manipulation, slaughtered Mink's tribe in his attempts to obtain them, and Mink was captured and brought to Midorijima to be experimented on. Mink broke out and began plotting his revenge on Toue for his people's massacre. As a result, Mink hardened and distanced himself from personal attachments. He has a stoic, ruthless, controlling personality, constantly using violence as a means to reach his goal. Despite his rough exterior, he does have integrity and a gentle side he rarely shows. He is voiced by Kenichiro Matsuda. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Andrew Love.

Clear (クリア, Kuria) is an android that previously served under Toue as a prototype for Scrap before being discarded. Clear was saved by a man who was in charge of the disposal, who treated Clear like a son until he died. Clear addresses this man as his grandfather and speaks about him fondly to Aoba. He refers to Aoba as his "Master", whom he is always eager to please. Although cheerful, polite, and kind, Clear is childish and his eccentric antics cause others not to take him seriously and be annoyed by him. He is almost always seen holding his vinyl umbrella and owns two masks to hide his face, one is a black gas mask and the other is a mask depicting a traditional Japanese woman, though he wears it as a joke. Clear enjoys singing, and can often be heard singing a song called the "Jellyfish Song". He is voiced by Masatomo Nakazawa. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Greg Ayres.

Supporting

Beni (ベニ) is Koujaku's Allmate, who takes the form of a red sparrow. Beni has a short temper and is easily provoked, but is good-hearted. As Koujaku and Aoba are childhood friends, he is good friends with Ren. He has a strong dislike for Huracan. He is voiced by Keisuke Goto. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Kyle Jones.

Huracan (/ ルラカン, Rurakan) is Mink's Allmate, who takes the form of a pink cockatoo. Huracan is calm and reserved, only speaking when he finds it necessary. Prior to DRAMAtical re:connect, Huracan never had a name, as Mink merely saw him as a tool for his purposes, and was therefore simply addressed as bird (トリ, tori), "hey", or "you". Likewise, Huracan viewed himself as a mere machine, and was unable to comprehend the importance of having one. After meeting Aoba, Mink had a change of heart and bestowed his Allmate with a name, which he holds much pride in. He is voiced by Hitoshi Bifu. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Stephen E. Moellering.

Midori (緑, Midori) is Noiz's Allmate, taking the form of multiple, small rabbit cubes which Noiz connects to his waistband like chains and hangs over the sides of his hips. When in Rhyme, Midori has two forms, one being the head rabbit that gives out orders, and the other being numerous rabbits with red boxing gloves that does combat. Similar to Huracan, Midori did not have a real name, as Noiz view his Allmate as a machine made to carry out his orders and was simply known as Pseudo Rabbit (ウサギモドキ, Usagimodoki). However, in DRAMAtical Murder Drama CD Vol. 4 – Noiz, Aoba suggests that Noiz gives his Allmate a proper name and pitches the name "Midori" due to its green coloring and it sounds similar to Midorijima. Although Noiz was more indifferent to the name, his Allmate happily accepts it. Midori has an excitable personality, and displays great confidence during Rhyme battles. He is voiced by Hiroko Miyamoto. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Tiffany Grant.

Mizuki (ミズキ) is the leader of the Ribstiez team Dry Juice and owner of a tattoo shop called Black Needle. Mizuki and Aoba met and became friends when Aoba was a teenager. Mizuki has a cool and friendly personality, and he treats his team members as family. Despite being the leaders of different Ribstiez teams, he is also good friends with Koujaku. He is voiced by Kenji Takahashi. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Adam Gibbs.

Tae (タエ) is the grandmother of Aoba, whom she often scolds but deeply cares for. Years prior to the series, she worked as researcher for Toue, but quit upon learning that her research was being used for illegal experimentation. As a pharmacist, she prescribes medicine for Aoba to ease his headaches. She is voiced by Fuzuki Kun. In the English dub of the anime, she is voiced by Marcy Bannor.

Nine (ナイン, Nain) is Aoba's adopted father and Haruka's husband. Mysterious and quite whimsical, he was once Toue's experiment subject and apparently hears "voices" of things. He travels frequently as a result and came across Aoba during one of his journeys, and could sense Aoba was special. Nine and Haruka left Aoba with Tae to go on another journey when he was a child, and they have not been heard of since then. He is voiced by Reiji Hibiki.

Haruka (ハルカ) is Aoba's adopted mother and Nine's wife. She and Tae are distant relatives; the latter took her in after she ran away from her abusive parents. Despite her terrible childhood, Haruka's love for Nine and her family makes her a cheerful and kind person. Nine and Haruka left Aoba with Tae to go on journey when he was a child, and they have not been heard of since then. She is voiced by Nana Nogami.

Tatsuo Toue (東江 達夫, Tōe Tatsuo) is the owner of Platinum Jail, and the main antagonist of the game. Toue is loved by the citizens of Platinum Jail, but is despised by the citizens in the Old Residential District. Ostensibly, he is known as a calm and idealistic man who desires peace and happiness for mankind. However, he is truly a manipulative and self-righteous individual, justifying his horrendous crimes to achieve his goals by claiming it was for the greater good. He is also a fatalist, and merely sees life, including his own, as a game. He is voiced by Tadahisa Saizen. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by John Gremillion.

Usui (卯水) is Toue's Allmate, who takes the form of a young human girl with ten arms but speaks in a masculine voice. She acts as the judge and initiator of Rhyme, and was created from a fragment of Sei's consciousness. She is voiced by Tsuguo Mogami. In the English dub of the anime, she is voiced by Clint Bickham.

Virus (ウイルス, Uirusu) and Trip (トリップ, Torippu) are acquaintances of Aoba who work for the yakuza and leaders of the group, Morphine. They are often mistaken for twins due to their similar appearances. They became Aoba's "fans" after witnessing him play Rhyme in the past and will occasionally act as allies to him. In actuality, they are two-faced, and are simply looking out for their own self-interests. They are voiced by Junji Majima and Tomoyuki Higuchi, respectively. In the English dub of the anime, they are both voiced by Doug Hammond and Blake Shepard.

Sei (セイ) is Aoba's older twin brother that is held captive by Toue. He also has the ability of Scrap, but the power lays in his eyes. Sei wishes for Aoba to kill him in order to be released from his suffering after years of being subjected to Toue's experiments, which resulted in Sei becoming sick and on the verge of death by the beginning of the series. Initially appearing as emotionless, Sei is soft-spoken and kind, and he cares deeply for Aoba and Ren, wishing for their happiness. In spite of Toue's horrifying experiments to his being, Sei states that he does not resent Toue for all that he is done, but feels responsible to stop him from causing more harm. He is voiced by Yūichi Iguchi. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Clint Bickham.

Theodore (セオドア, Seodoa), commonly known as Theo (テオ, Teo) for short, is Noiz's younger brother who appears exclusively in DRAMAtical Murder Drama CD Vol. 4 – Noiz, though he was mentioned by Noiz in the first DRAMAtical Murder game and its sequel DRAMAtical Murder: re:connect. Born two years younger than Noiz, Theo loves him deeply and was the only one in their family to tried to reach out to Noiz during their childhood. However, as Noiz was imprisoned his room to prevent him from accidentally harming those around him, their parents forbid Theo from having contact with his older brother, much to both of their dismay. As such, Noiz does not resent his brother and treats him with kindness. After Noiz ran away to Japan, his family spent years searching for him while their father trained Theo to become the successor to their family company, and Theo was delighted to take his brother on as his assistant after Noiz's return. Theo bears a striking resemblance to Noiz to the point that Aoba mistakes him for the latter twice. As he was pampered by their parents as a child, Theo is bright, honest, polite, and hard-working, though he tends to get nervous easily. He is voiced by Sōma Saitō.

Kio (キオ), Nao (ナオ) and Mio (ミオ) are mischievous siblings who live in Midorijima. They often visit Aoba at Mediocrity and annoy him. They are voiced by Satosaki Ume, Megumi Matsumoto, and Emi Motoi, respectively. In the English dub of the anime, they are voiced by Kalin Coates, Cayla Coats and Jane Cash, respectively.

Haga (羽賀) is the owner of the Junk Shop Mediocrity where Aoba works. He is a kind and considerate man, only losing his temper when being called "baldy" by Kio, Nao, and Mio. His Allmate is Bonjin-kun. He is voiced by Eiichirō Tokumoto. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Rutherford Cravens.

Bonjin-kun (凡人君) is Haga's Allmate. He helps around the junk shop and is often, chased by Kio, Nao, and Mio for their amusement whenever they come by. He is voiced by Inchiki Echigoya. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Christopher Ayres.

Akushima (悪島) is a violent and hot-headed police officer in the Old Residential District. He is always seen carrying a megaphone that also functions as a modified gun. He is voiced by Nanbu Tetsuyoshi. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Mark Laskowski.

Yoshie (ヨシエ) is an overdramatic woman who works at Delivery Works, a local courier shop. She enjoys gossip and soap operas, generally sharing what she hears to Aoba, usually against his will. She is voiced by Riasu Oboredani. In the English dub of the anime, she is voiced by Allison Sumrall.

Clara (クララ Kurara) is Yoshie's Maltese Allmate. Stubborn and straightforward, she has a romantic interest in Ren, much to his dismay. She is voiced by Aya Kuyama.

Ryuho (竜峰, Ryūhō) is a mysterious and sadistic tattoo artist that is connected to Koujaku's past, and the target of his revenge. Mizuki admires his designs as a fellow tattoo artist. He is voiced by Akira Sasanuma. In the English dub, he is voiced by Chris Patton.

Takahashi (高橋) is Toue's loyal assistant, who appears in the anime only. He is voiced by Daisuke Kishio. In the English dub of the anime, he is voiced by Scotty Fults.

Manga

A manga adaption illustrated by Torao Asada began serialization in the August 2012 issue of Enterbrain's B's-Log Comic magazine. The first tankōbon volume was released on April 1, 2013. An official anthology volume for the series was released on June 30, 2012.

Anime

An anime TV series was announced to air in summer 2014. The anime aired on July 6, 2014, and was streamed on Crunchyroll. While the game is a BL, the closest things that you get to BL in the anime is a kiss that doesn't mean anything to either of them. The series has seven musical themes: one opening and six ending themes. "SLIP ON THE PUMPS" by GOATBED is the main opening theme while "BOWIE KNIFE", also performed by GOATBED, is the ending theme used in episodes 1 to 6, and 11. From episode 7 to 10 and 12, each episode's ending theme differed and was sung by the artists that performed the ending themes for DRAMAtical Murder re:connect for the characters' respective episodes. "BY MY SIDE" and "Lullaby Blue" by Kanako Itō was used for episodes 7 and 9, respectively. "Felt" by Seiji Kimura was used for episode 8, and "Soul Grace" by VERTUEUX for episode 10. For the last episode, "Angels (天使達)" by GOATBED was used.

A DVD/Blu-ray was released on December 24, 2014 with all twelve episodes. Along with an original soundtrack and a drama CD titled Welcome to Dramatical Tea Shop Cyan Moon (ドラマティカル喫茶 ・ シアンムーンへようこそ, Dramatical Kissa Cyan Moon he Yōkoso), a special OVA called Data_xx_Transitory, which features the bad endings of the game, was included. On September 21, 2014, following the airing of the final episode, the official anime website announced that there will be a live reading event on February 1, 2015 titled Data_12.5_Recitation. Atsushi Kisaichi, Ryōta Takeuchi, Hiroki Takahashi, Satoshi Hino, Kenichiro Matsuda, Masatomo Nakazawa, and Yūichi Iguchi have been confirmed to be attending.

On June 21, 2015, Madman Entertainment announced at the Supanova Pop Culture Expo that it has licensed the series for Australian and New Zealand release. On July 16, 2015, Sentai Filmworks announced the license to the series for North American release in English on DVD and Blu-ray on November 24, 2015.

Other games

A PlayStation Vita game titled DRAMAtical Murder re:code was released on October 30, 2014. DRAMAtical Murder re:code is a remake of the original game, but is targeted towards a younger audience, as it is rated CERO – C for ages 15 and above. As such, some of the game's contents were revised in order to make it more appropriate, such as lessening the blood and violence, and removing scenes with nudity and sex. Additionally, the character Mizuki has his own route in the game.