Gai Tsutsugami is a tall and well-built young man with light skin, long blond hair, and blue eyes, giving him a somewhat foreign appearance. His facial features suggest European ancestry, though his Japanese surname makes his exact heritage unclear.

His usual outfit consists of black pants, shoes, and a shirt, along with a long Funeral Parlor coat, which is black with a red stripe down the middle. He also wears a military harness, where he stores various weapons, including grenades, flash bombs, and a holster carrying a pistol similar to a Luger P08.

After his resurrection, Gai’s appearance changes significantly. His new outfit closely resembles the Anti-Bodies’ uniform, and his hair and skin lose pigment, giving him a paler look. Additionally, a crystal formation from the Apocalypse Virus spreads across the right side of his face, affecting his eye, which turns red possibly a side effect of his infection.

Gai Tsutsugami is a charismatic and highly intelligent leader, often acting as Shu Ouma’s rival and guide. He recognizes Shu’s Power of Kings and leads him in hopes of bringing about a successful revolution. Gai also possesses a unique ability to “see” the Void within a person, allowing him to assess their potential in battle. As a skilled strategist, he can predict people’s actions and devise complex plans. He is also highly manipulative, as shown in Episode 7, where he orchestrates a GHQ attack on a ship to push the Kuhouin Group into supporting Funeral Parlor. He then further manipulates Shu and Arisa Kuhouin into stopping the attack, using the event to demonstrate Funeral Parlor’s strength.

In Episode 6, Gai briefly drops his bold, arrogant, and cold persona, revealing that it is a facade he maintains as the leader of Funeral Parlor. He deeply values his comrades and takes their deaths seriously, though it remains uncertain whether this moment of vulnerability is genuine or another ploy to convince Shu to join the group.

Gai’s ultimate goal is revealed to be his search for a woman, later identified as Mana Ouma, whom he seeks to reunite with. However, after his resurrection, he becomes far more ruthless, showing no remorse toward his former allies. This is evident when he severs Shu’s right arm without hesitation. He later reveals that his leadership of Funeral Parlor was merely an act and that he viewed its members as pawns, believing that “a king has no friends.”

In the final episode, Gai’s true intentions come to light. He had played the role of a villain not for personal gain, but to prevent Mana’s resurrection. In the end, he entrusts Shu with the task of stopping her, proving that his actions were ultimately driven by a larger purpose.

Gai Tsutsugami was originally found by Shuichiro Keido, who used him along with other boys as a test subject in experiments designed to create an Adam for Mana Ouma. These experiments involved injecting artificially-enhanced samples of the Apocalypse Virus into multiple children, with Gai showing the strongest response to the virus. At some point, he managed to escape the facility out of fear but ended up falling into the sea, where he was later rescued by Mana and Shu Ouma.

Mana and Shu nursed Gai back to health, and he began living with them. During this time, he developed romantic feelings for Mana and formed a deep friendship with Shu. However, while the anime does not explicitly confirm it, the Guilty Crown light novels suggest that Mana manipulated Gai’s feelings and even used him sexually to “perfect” her technique before being with Shu. She frequently expressed what seemed like love for Gai, though it was ultimately a form of control.

Gai eventually realized that Mana was infected with the Apocalypse Virus and tried to warn Shu about her unstable behavior. However, before he could, Mana confronted him first, handing him a rigged gun and asking him to shoot the star on top of a Christmas tree. The gun was set to explode in his hand, further proving her unpredictable nature.

When the Lost Christmas incident occurred, Gai ultimately chose to protect Shu from the destruction caused by Mana’s awakening. Afterward, he left in search of strength, determined to prevent such a tragedy from happening again. According to Shibungi, Gai later became a child soldier in Africa, where he continued to grow into the powerful leader he would later become.

Gai Tsutsugami is one of the most dangerous characters in Guilty Crown, both before and after obtaining the Void Genome. His intelligence, charisma, and combat skills make him a highly capable fighter and strategist. After his resurrection and forced acquisition of the Power of Kings, he becomes even more powerful, strong enough to single-handedly destroy an entire UN naval fleet with little effort.

Due to his exposure to the Apocalypse Virus as a test subject, Gai gained the ability to see other people’s Voids, a skill he frequently uses in battle and in planning missions against GHQ.

Intelligence and Strategy
As the leader of Funeral Parlor, Gai is a brilliant strategist and tactician. Nearly every major operation carried out by the resistance group is based on his plans. One notable example is when he and Shu Ouma infiltrate the Kuhouin Group’s cruise ship party to gain political support against GHQ. Gai manipulates the situation by tipping off GHQ about the event, ensuring that an attack occurs. He then has Shu use Arisa Kuhouin’s Void to stop the attack, proving Funeral Parlor’s strength and securing the Kuhouin Group’s support.

Beyond his tactical skills, Gai is also a master manipulator. His natural charisma allows him to inspire unwavering loyalty among Funeral Parlor members, including Argo and Ayase Shinomiya. He also exploits Shu’s feelings for Inori to manipulate him into following his plans. Later in the series, he deceives Da’ath, making them believe he supports Mana’s revival, when in reality, he intends to have Shu stop both of them to prevent the organization from using her.

Combat Skills
Before gaining supernatural abilities, Gai was already an exceptionally skilled fighter due to his experience as a child soldier in Africa. His combat prowess was recognized by Shibungi, a former enemy who later became his right-hand man. Gai mastered multiple forms of combat, including hand-to-hand fighting, firearms, and strategic infiltration. In close combat, he relied on quick strikes, throws, and body locks to overpower opponents. His proficiency with firearms allowed him to wield pistols, rifles, RPGs, and other weapons with deadly accuracy. Additionally, he excelled in stealth and infiltration, once disguising himself as a lawyer to infiltrate a GHQ facility and rescue Shu Ouma.

Gai has demonstrated the ability to easily defeat multiple GHQ and Anti-Body soldiers. In one instance, he even destroyed an Endlave piloted by Daryl Yan, one of the most skilled pilots in the series, by exploiting a weak point and taking it down with a single pistol shot. His physical abilities also border on superhuman. As a child, he survived a brutal attack by wild dogs, a high fall into the ocean, and even an explosion from the Leukocyte satellite, escaping with only minor injuries. His agility allows him to outmaneuver Endlaves, and after his resurrection, his raw strength increases dramatically, enabling him to wield Inori’s massive Void sword effortlessly and sever Shu’s right arm before anyone could react.

Void Genome and Power of Kings
In Episode 17, Gai steals Shu’s Power of Kings by severing his right arm, causing the Void Genome to bind to him instead. This grants him the ability to draw out Voids, which are physical manifestations of a person’s inner psyche formed by the Apocalypse Virus.

To extract a Void, Gai requires eye contact and physical touch, similar to Shu and Yuu. However, unlike Shu, he does not fully master this ability, as individuals still collapse after having their Voids drawn. To counter this weakness, he wields his own Void, the Leader’s Rifle, which allows him to forcibly extract Voids by shooting individuals with it.

Despite having the Power of Kings for a short period, Gai quickly becomes highly skilled in using various Voids in combat. He effectively uses Yuu’s Void to capture Inori and effortlessly wields Inori/Mana’s Void, a massive broadsword, against Shu. Gai also possesses the rare ability to combine multiple Voids, allowing him to create enhanced weapons. He demonstrates this by forming a missile capable of destroying a stealth aircraft while also generating a defensive energy shield and a large bow and arrow with enough power to nearly destroy an entire UN fleet in a single shot.

Gai’s combat skills with the Power of Kings rival those of Shu and Yuu, despite their greater experience with Voids. His ability to strategically combine Voids and use them for large-scale destruction makes him one of the most formidable Void users in the series.

Gai Tsutsugami remains one of the most complex characters in Guilty Crown. His transition from a heroic revolutionary to a cold-hearted villain, and ultimately a tragic savior, cements his place as one of the most intriguing and memorable figures in the series.

Whether seen as a manipulative tactician, a lost hero, or a man trying to defy fate, Gai’s legacy shapes the course of the story, leaving behind a profound impact on Shu, Mana, and the world of Guilty Crown.