
Atsushi Nakajima
Atsushi Nakajima |
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Full Name | Atsushi Nakajima |
Kanji | 中島 敦 |
Rōmaji | Nakajima Atsushi |
Personal Information | |
Status | Alive |
Gender | Male |
Birthday | May 5 |
Age | 18 |
Height | 170 cm (5’7″) |
Weight | 55 kg |
Blood Type | AB |
Likes | Chazuke, cats, chameleons, Yokohama |
Dislikes | Himself, the orphanage he used to live in |
Professional Information | |
Ability | Beast Beneath the Moonlight |
Occupation | Detective |
Affiliation | Armed Detective Agency |
Appearances | |
Manga Debut | Chapter 1 |
Anime Debut | Episode 1 |
Light Novel Debut | 55 Minutes |
Portrayal | |
Japanese Voice | Yūto Uemura |
English Voice | Max Mittelman |
Stage Actor | Yūki Torigoe |
Appearance
Atsushi Nakajima has light gray hair and pale skin, with a slim, average-height build. He possesses segmental heterochromia, with his iris featuring a striking combination of purple on the top half and yellow along the bottom curve of his pupil. His hair is short and swept forward in loose spikes, with a distinctive long lock hanging over the right side of his face. This uneven hairstyle is a result of bullying he endured during his time at the orphanage, and he never bothered to alter it. Additionally, Atsushi has a prominent black streak in his hair.
Before joining the Armed Detective Agency, Atsushi wore rags issued to him by the orphanage. After becoming a member of the Agency, his attire is a mix of contributions from his colleagues: a white button-up shirt with sleeves pushed to his elbows, courtesy of Doppo Kunikida; a loose black tie from Akiko Yosano; black pants from Yukichi Fukuzawa; black fingerless gloves from Ranpo Edogawa; suspenders from Kenji Miyazawa; and a long black belt from Osamu Dazai.
When Atsushi transforms into his partial tiger form, his eyes resemble tiger’s eyes, and he develops fangs. If his transformation becomes more intense, his limbs morph into those of a tiger, and a tail emerges. As he gains better control over his ability, Atsushi is able to fully transform into a white tiger with black stripes, retaining the tiger’s golden eyes.
When he merges his ability, Beast Beneath the Moonlight, withRashōmon, he dons the black coat of Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, and his tiger claws grow longer.
Atsushi also disguises himself as a ship worker during Ranpo’s negotiation with Ōchi Fukuchi, blending into his surroundings for the mission.








Personality
Atsushi Nakajima’s traumatic past heavily influences his actions and mindset, often tormenting him with nightmares, flashbacks, and the internal monologue of the abusive orphanage director. These haunting experiences have left him with a severely low sense of self-worth and a somewhat naïve view of the world, causing him to initially feel helpless in dangerous situations. Paralyzed by guilt and fear, he struggles to react or make decisions when under pressure.
Atsushi tends to trust others’ judgment more than his own, often abandoning his instincts and accepting things at face value. For example, when he learns of the ¥7 billion bounty on his head, he believes he is endangering the Agency and feels overwhelming guilt, leading him to leave in an attempt to protect them from harm.
Despite his insecurities, Atsushi deeply cares for his fellow Agency members and civilians, especially in times of crisis. He is quick to act in order to help others, even if he has never met them before. A notable example is when he saved Dazai from “drowning” during their first encounter, despite his initial hesitation. During a simulated bomb threat as part of his secret entrance exam, Atsushi shielded the other members, including strangers, by covering the bomb with his own body.
Atsushi’s strong sense of morality stems from his harsh upbringing. He believes his value in life is defined by his ability to protect others, and he despises the abuse of power and preventable deaths. His compassion extends even to enemies, often showing sympathy for them, as seen in his interactions with characters like Kyōka Izumi, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Sigma, and even Fukuchi when he was thought to be dead.
However, Atsushi still struggles with deep-rooted fear, especially when fighting alone. He often seeks the reassurance of others to feel confident in battle. This is evident when he faces the terrifying prospect of fighting Kamui, the mastermind behind the global terrorism plot. The pressure of having the safety of the world and the Agency on his shoulders overwhelms him, and he admits that his solitude in that moment felt more crushing than his time in the orphanage. The arrival of Akutagawa to aid him brings a sense of relief, showing that Atsushi no longer has to fight alone.
Though still working on improving his self-esteem, Atsushi gradually becomes more confident as he faces increasingly difficult challenges. His growth is forged through intense missions, battles against the Port Mafia, the Guild, and the Rats in the House of the Dead, among others. These experiences strengthen his resolve, transforming him into a more reliable, steadfast, and compassionate person. As Akutagawa observes, when faced with adversity, Atsushi comes back as a “more bothersome enemy,” proving his resilience and growth.
Ability
Beast Beneath the Moonlight (月下獣, Gekka-jū)
Atsushi’s ability, Beast Beneath the Moonlight, allows him to transform into a white tiger. Initially, Atsushi lacks control over this transformation, a consequence of both his unawareness of being an Ability user and the trauma from his past. His transformations are often spontaneous and difficult to manage, particularly when under duress.
As he becomes an official member of the Armed Detective Agency and is influenced by the principle ofAll Men Are Equal, Atsushi gradually gains more control over his ability. This is most evident during his second fight with Ryūnosuke Akutagawa, where he consciously breaks the transformation on his arms in order to escape.
When fully transformed, Atsushi becomes a powerful white tiger with golden eyes and sharp claws. He has also been seen to partially transform, with his eyes turning tiger-like and his fangs becoming more pronounced. In extreme cases, when he merges with Rashōmon (Akutagawa’s ability), his claws grow longer, and he wears a black coat resembling Akutagawa’s.
Background
Atsushi grew up in a harsh orphanage where he endured severe abuse, both physical and verbal, at the hands of his caretakers. His trauma was compounded by social isolation, as the other children at the orphanage frequently ostracized him. This constant mistreatment deeply affected Atsushi’s sense of self-worth, a theme that continues to haunt him into adulthood.
The orphanage director played a significant role in Atsushi’s suffering, having told him that his parents abandoned him. This narrative planted the seeds for Atsushi’s warped self-perception, and the director’s abuse became the foundation for his lifelong belief that he was unworthy of love or respect. The abuse was especially harsh due to his nightly transformations into a white tiger, which caused destruction around the orphanage, further isolating him. On several occasions, the director would chain Atsushi in a cell without food for days, and he was forcibly injected with what he initially thought were poisonous substances, though in adulthood, Atsushi later speculated they might have been nutrients.
One of the most brutal episodes involved the director forcing Atsushi to hammer a nail into his own foot as a lesson in enduring pain. When Atsushi failed, the director took over the task, instructing him to reflect on the experience afterward. This cruelty was compounded by the abuse of the other orphans, who often scapegoated Atsushi, using the orphanage’s point system to ensure they stayed in favor with the caretakers, which exacerbated his sense of helplessness.
When Atsushi turned 18, he was thrown out of the orphanage under the false pretense that there were funding issues and a need to downsize. However, unbeknownst to him, his transformations were becoming more uncontrollable, causing damage to surrounding crops and storehouses. These incidents were a direct result of his ability,Beast Beneath the Moonlight, though Atsushi was unaware of it at the time.
Etymology
Atsushi (敦): The given name Atsushi is written with the kanji 敦, which is a Jinmeiyō kanji (a kanji specifically used for personal names). The meaning of 敦 generally implies “kind,” “sincere,” or “earnest.”
Nakajima (中島): The surname Nakajima is composed of two kanji: 中 (naka), meaning “inside” or “middle,” and 島 (shima/jima), meaning “island.” The combination of these kanji can be interpreted as “island in the middle,” referring to a geographical feature, or metaphorically as a center or focal point within a larger context.